Other Happenings

The first part of Christmas break I spent everyday hanging out with my Aunt Bry!

The second part of my Christmas break I spent hanging out with my cousins Hannah and Bryce!
This picture is just to show you how cute I am (and check out my fun, new, large frog...I have a ladybug, rooster and butterfly too - Thanks Karen!)

Ho Ho Ho

Merry Christmas! We had a blast yesterday with my family and Jason's family. So much happened and we were showered with gifts that we are very grateful for. I figured I would just post a few of the 100 pictures we took for all to see with a few captions (and the pictures are out of order...sorry)

Kate got lots of fun toys that play music yesterday.

Uncle Michael found out soon after this that it is not safe to hold me this way!
Everyone needs to do a little Christmas crying.
This was Christmas morning at our house.
We finally met Uncle Jason (dad of cousin Hannah)!
Santa showed up with LOTS of gifts at the Brantley's!
We got lots of fun books for Christmas.
Kate didn't realize opening presents could be so hard.

We hope you and your families had a wonderful Christmas too.

I love baby Jesus

Merry Christmas! Celebrating Christmas this year with a new baby and having gone through labor now has put a new perspective on celebrating the birth of our Savior and what it must have been like for Mary and Joseph the night Jesus was born. There is a song called "Labor of Love" by Andrew Peterson and I want to share the lyrics with you.

It was not a silent night, There was blood on the ground, You could hear a woman cry, In the alleyway that night on the streets of David's town.

And the stable was not clean, And the cobblestones were cold, And little Mary full of grace with the tears upon her face had no mother's hand to hold.

It was a labor of pain, It was a cold sky above, But for the girl on the ground in the dark, with every beat of her beautiful heart, It was a labor of love.

Noble Joseph by her side, Callused hand and weary eyes, There were no midwives to be found in the streets of David's town, in the middle of the night.

So he held her and he prayed, Shafts of moonlight on his face, But the baby in her womb, He was the maker of the moon, He was the author of the faith, That could make the mountains move.

It was a labor of pain, It was a cold sky above, But for the girl on the ground in the dark, With every beat of her beautiful heart, It was a labor of love, For little Mary full of grace, with tears upon her face, It was a labor of love.

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you can listen to the song on Andrew Peterson's myspace page.

First Supper

We made our first attempt at food tonight. Kate had oatmeal and applesauce.

This was the first shot...Kate is super excited that she's about to be able to put something in her mouth.
Umm...this is a little different then most things that go in my mouth.
Now I am just confused.
I'm just really not sure about this food stuff.

Kate actually did a pretty good job. She mostly had a confused look on her face the whole time but she started keeping some in her mouth instead of pushing it all out. A little more practice and she'll have it down pat. (keep scrolling for her 4 month check-up)

4 month doctor visit

We went to the doctor today for our 4 month check-up. I LOVE our doctor- his is just so laid back about everything! Kate was great...didn't even cry for her first two shots, but the next two brought a few tears. Dr. Smith talked to us about starting food so I will have to post pictures of that tomorrow after we attempt feeding her tonight! Below are Kate's stats from today:

Weight: 14 lbs 14 oz

Height: 24 3/4 in

Head: 16 in

Also, I included some pictures from the past few days. The first one is of the outfit Jason's mom got Kate (if you can't see it very well it says "Who needs Santa when I have Grandma" - I believe we are going to find this very true come Christmas day - THANKS!)

I put Kate in bed with Jason so that I could get a shower...I believe it was a little early for Jason.
Kate is all smiles until the little orange light goes off on the camera and then we get pictures like this with her face all crinkled and confused...one day she will hold her smile for longer.

those cheeks!!

Really, I mean have you ever seen such big cheeks? I could just kiss them all day long.

Love this face Kate is making...and I absolutely LOVE her in these overalls!
I caught Kate examining Jason's face last night and thought it was really cute. Not sure how cute Jason found it after he found out how sharp Kate's fingernails are!
Lucy is very generous with her kisses to Kate.

Jumping, Jumping, Jumping

Well, not really...but in time I expect this to be hours of entertainment for Kate! For right now she just loves to sit in it and I make it bounce for her.