I couldn't even post more than a title!!

We have moved and continue to unpack boxes while preparing for Christmas! Don't know if those are the best reasons for not posting anything since the little girl's birthday, but that's all I've got! We are more than thankful for our new home. We have doubled our space and are thrilled with our new neighborhood! God has given us more than we could have imagined and it all happened so fast. It really doesn't even seem real still...We can't get the cars in the garage yet, but that day will come! It was wonderful having 16 family members here for Thanksgiving and we look forward to the Christmas season, as well.

Adeline hasn't decided to walk on her own yet, but crawls like crazy! She is talking all the time and just amazes us with the way she thinks about things and understands what you say to her. She is loving her Fisher-Price nativity for the Advent season.

She likes dogs -- a lot -- until the big ones bark really loud and get rowdy! She and Josie (our dog) get along just fine! It's precious to watch her love on Josie, although Josie isn't quite as thrilled about her most of the time. She continues to love books and, of course, we read the ones with dogs over and over.

We've marked "first haircut" off our list! The front of her hair was so long it was interfering with eating! My hairdresser, Theresa, did a fabulous job cutting bangs and trimming the sides.

So much...

Happy Birthday, Little One!

Sweet Adeline -- Happy First Birthday! You have filled our world with wonder since we first met you in the wee hours of the morning! You took my breath away the instant I saw you. God has truly blessed our whole family and all our friends by giving you to us. Everyone said we wouldn't remember life before you were here and that is true. It seems like you've been here for much longer than a year. You've done so much growing and I can hardly wait to see what you'll do next. Right now, you are working on standing up on your own so I bet you walk all by yourself very soon! You love to laugh, talk, blow kissess, wave, and hold your baby. You are an amazing little girl! You bring us much joy! TTAYLI (You'll learn what that means one day!)

Eventful...to say the least!

In my last post of videos, you might have noticed the cardboard boxes behind Adeline. Slowly, but surely, we have been preparing to sell our house. Over the last two years, we've updated bathrooms, painted rooms and the exterior, replaced the central heat/air, replaced the fence, and moved lots to storage...all so someone else can come live here! It was all worth it because our house sold in just over a week! Great, but we hadn't found a new one yet. Thankfully, that changed yesterday when we made an offer that was accepted in just over an hour! It a wonderful home with lots of space to share with family and friends. The plan is to be moving mid-October and continue in this incredible adventure. God has been so good to us and we give thanks for the ways He has moved in these last few weeks. Our prayers have been for all parties to be blessed and I am certain that is happening! Keep the prayers coming as the inspections get scheduled and more (and more and more and more) boxes get packed.

Adeline's first birthday is a few weeks away which seems impossible! What a tremendous time this has been. Lately, she has popped two more teeth on the top and continues to babble all the time. She's decided she doesn't like peas again, but I'm pretty sure she'd eat a whole can of green beans if I'd let her! She is a fast scooter, but takes the time to pull herslf up now, too. She tries walking when someone holds her hands. She signs the word "more" and we are working on the word "please" right now. She says "dada", "mama", "baby", and has a word that resembles "dog" when she is talking about Josie. I've always cuddled her tight, swaying and singing a little song (if you can call it that) with the words "my baby" over and over. Recently, she started moving back and forth doing it, too. It's delightful to hear her and watch her do this! Of course, I'll share it with you if I can get it on video.

Lately...

Adeline still isn't crawling, but is scooting like crazy! In the last two weeks, she's figured out how to go from her tummy to sitting which just adds to her unique style of getting WHERE she wants and WHAT she wants (well, most of the time)! I have FINALLY been able to load some video so you can see her in action!!

Adeline loves books! Of course, this makes her mommy glad. Here's another video of her reading! It's precious!

Ben's mom and dad were with her watching her one evening last week. They'd put her to bed, and all of a sudden, her mobile started playing. They walked in to find her standing up and punching the buttons!! So, my mom came over about 10:15 that evening to hold her so Ben and I could go ahead and lower the mattress. Since she's become more mobile, we were just waiting for this moment to arrive!

She's trying to cut two more teeth on the top and she said "mama" last week! That made me smile, for sure. She's said "dada" for a LONG time and now I get to be included, too!

It has been GREAT to spend more time with her over the summer! The change of routine has been nice and I dread the early alarm clock next week. We've scooted, been to camp, gone swimming, visited the library, gone shopping, been swinging and swinging, and taken care of daddy after his surgery. (LONG STORY short: Ben had his gallbladder out 2 weeks ago and is doing great!) In the midst of all that, we are preparing to put our house on the market! Always an adventure...

P.S. Aunt Julie had an ultrasound last week and it looks like Adeline's cousin will arrive mid-March! YAHOO!

One of the best prayers ever

So, last Sunday we went to Tulsa to see WICKED! It is an incredible musical that I could see over and over again! There was a large group of us, including my brother Chris, my sister-in-law Julie, her mom and aunts and cousins, and our friend, Wendy. After the show, we went to Julie's grandparents' home in Jenks to have pizza. We were asked to gather together so Chris could say the blessing for our meal. Now...you have to understand that we give Chris a REALLY hard time about blessing meals because he tends to get rather wordy! So, I prepared myself for more than just "thank you for the food and the family and friends all gathered together". True to form, he went on to specifically pray for various people in the family, including Adeline "who will be a cousin in March"!!!! Of course, my eyes were closed while praying but they popped open immediately to look at Chris and Julie, who were both beaming and grinning from ear to ear! We've been given permission to share the news and there's no better way than posting it in a blog, huh?!?! We ask your prayers for a healthy pregnancy for Julie and for this precious baby.

Pictures...enough said!

Dad's Day

Happy Father's Day, Benjamin! Adeline is blessed to have you for her daddy! It is a joy for me to watch you love her each and every day. Thank you for being who you are! I love you!

Today, I also remember my sweet daddy. He's been gone five years and we miss him still. I'm sad Adeline will never know him in person but I am certain she will learn of his sweet spirit as we share stories about him. Soon she will get her first taste of homemade ice cream -- no one makes it like he did (although my brother, Chris, is getting close!) I love you, daddy!

A little miracle

A little miracle happened on Friday afternoon! I picked Adeline up about 2:45 that afternoon and her teachers commented that she had been pushing on her ears most of the day. I called her pediatrician's office to find out that the dr. was out of the office, but I could call the dr. covering for her and hope to get an appointment for the Saturday morning hours she would have. Here's the miracle...we got an appointment at 3:15!! Indeed, Adeline's left ear was just infected, but we'd caught it early. I must add that we feel blessed that we've made it this long without one!! So, we started the pink meds that night and she is being a trooper in taking it morning and night. Ugh! The smell of that stuff makes me shudder a little!

Even in the midst of this, she is sleeping good at night, which is a blessing. The days are not so great as she fights taking her naps, esp. at the CDP. Whew! One day last week she slept only 15 minutes during the day! My heart hurts for her because she is fussy and cranky. It's hard to know if her ears are causing her to not sleep during the day or if she is just being stubborn. Hmm...which would you pick?

I know I need to add some pics, but it is going to have to wait! Our desktop hard drive is being replaced at this moment! Thankfully, we figured it out before it crashed completely. So, once it is back in working order, I will get some pictures up as soon as possible.

Crazy May Days

This month has been busy! I have a bunch of pics to upload but something weird is happening to the computer so I'm waiting!

Since my last post, Adeline has sprouted another bottom tooth! She is still thinking about maybe crawling, but for now, just uses her arms and legs to turn around on the floor. She is making this very lovely shrieking sound (I think she just likes to hear herself). She isn't sleeping much during the day; therefore, she is sleeping quite a bit at night so I guess that's good. (I hope she isn't being too cranky at school.) It's now summer break for me which is mostly a change in routine. I will teach teachers off and on in June and July. Adeline will still go to the CDP but will have some days to just stay home and play with me!

Disney's The Lion King was here in OKC for the past five weeks. Ben, his mom, and I are Civic Center volunteers so we have each helped with many shows. In fact, that is how we spent my first Mother's Day as we signed up to volunteer without even thinking about that!! Adeline got to spend the day with my mom so that was a blessing for the two of them.

Adeline LOVES water! Her uncles and her daddy will tell you about how she immediately relaxed in the nurse's arms when she got her first head-washing at the hospital...and it has been that way ever since. We went to Kansas for a wedding at the beginning of May and took her to the indoor pool/waterpark in our hotel. She and I had a ball playing in the fountains and on the slide. (pics to come!) Then, on Memorial Day, we joined dear friends at their pool and she got to swim again. She kicked her legs and splashed her arms! I even took her underwater and she came up bright-eyed and happy! Her Uncle Kyle is ready to take her scuba diving!!

Uncle Kevin came home from the cruise ship last Saturday! He is taking a break for the summer to play music on land instead of water. He will be traveling to several music festivals and then may head back to the crusie scene in the fall. It's great to have hime home!

Our niece, Haley, is getting married Saturday. It seems like yesterday that she was getting her hair done for our wedding! We give thanks for her and Willie and pray God's blessings on them.

Thursday Thankfulness

It has been too long since I wrote a note of thanks on a Thursday. The sink is full of bottles that need to be washed...and that is something for which I am thankful. Our nightly routine has certainly changed as there are always bottles to wash! As Mother's Day approaches, I am thankful for the opportunity to be a mom. I am thankful that Adeline is a healthy, happy little girl who is loved by so many! I give thanks for a godly husband who loves us and works diligently (at the office and at home) even when it isn't easy. I am thankful for my own momma who continually sets an example of caring for others, esp. her children.

Somebody's stirring in the other room...

Finally...a tooth debut!!

For several weeks, Adeline has been chewing on anything she can get in her hands! And, finally, last night, Ben felt her gums and discovered one tooth on the bottom! Hooray for this little milestone!

Heelariousness, Milestones, and Easter Blessings

That's quite a title, isn't it?! We have been so busy lately, but I wanted to catch up on some things that have been happening, so I'm doing one long post.

Okay...so a few posts ago I mentioned the shoes Ben got Adeline for Valentine's Day. I described them as "heelarious" as that is the brand name for these soft-soled high heel baby shoes! Hers are hot pink patent leather and we do just giggle every time we look at them. So, finally I am getting around to posting a few picks from the photo session we did at Penny's.

About a month ago, we decided to start the adventure into solid foods! She likes barley cereal much more than rice and peas are really the only vegetable she doesn't like. It's so fun to watch the different looks on her face! She is also doing a great job at sitting on her own. We keep the Boppy behind her most of the time, but she is doing the majority of the work all by herself. In fact, she doesn't enjoy being on her tummy as much because she'd much rather be up where she can see what's happening around her! When she is on her tummy, she uses her arms to scoot around a bit and is bending her legs like she may want to crawl eventually. She continues to make a wide variety of sounds and can be quite vocal! Hmmm...wonder where she gets that?!?!

Our first Easter with Adeline was a great day! We went to church and Adeline got to hunt eggs with her godmother, Grace. Really, the "hunt" consisted of sitting down on the floor to chew on a delightful blue egg! The music at Easter has always been very moving to me, especially as it was always one of my dad's favorite services. A neat part of the service this year was when two teenage girls were waving these long ribbons to the rhythm of the hymns we were singing. Adeline thoroughly enjoyed watching the ribbons move and sway with the music. It was such fun to watch her! We had lunch with the Hanneman's to celebrate Aunt Penny and Uncle Jeff's birthdays as well as Easter. The Easter Bunny hid a baker's dozen of eggs around the living room at home which we hunted later in the day. She found them all and ended up with five dollars in change to put in her piggy bank! Thank you, Easter Bunny!

Six months...really?!?!

Today, our sweet girl is six months old! What an incredible time this has been! We give thanks to Him for the blessings of this life and rejoice in the work He is doing in her and us. I have many pictures to post and details, too, but I must get to bed tonight. I couldn't let the day pass without a short post to mark this milestone and one precious pic. We love you, sweet Adeline! You bring us much joy!

Keeping promises

So, my last post said I would post pictures soon. Now that it is March, I should take care of this! Crazy Hair!!Little flower!

Her daddy bought her a special outfit for her first Valentine's Day. It was pretty "heelarious"!Hopefully, we'll tell you more about that soon!

God is BIG enough

I give thanks to God that He hears us when we pray and that He is big enough to handle all that is asked by his children. Over the last two weeks, we have had several friends and our own family dealing with sickness, with some of them being in the hospital. We give thanks to God for his power to heal and make us well. He is doing just that!

Adeline is up to some new tricks these days as she approaches the five month mark! She is rolling from her back to her tummy which has made for new adventures in sleeping. We've transitioned to the sleep sack (boy, do I wish I'd invented that!) so she has her arms free to do what she needs when she sleeps. While we know it is safest for her to sleep on her back, we can't keep her there. We trust God to keep her safe as she sleeps -- in whatever position she chooses.

She loves to grab her feet and toes! So far, she hasn't figured out how to chew on them, but she sure likes to stretch those legs and reach for them. I'm sure the chewing will come...

Yet again, I am posting this on the laptop and all the pics are on the desktop. So, I will post pics soon.

Is it really February?

Only in Oklahoma can you have a two week span include ice, snow, sunshine, rain, and tornadoes, with temps ranging from the 20s to the 70s. WOW! With today's sever weather, we did take shelter at school (twice!!) and our kiddos did an AMAZING job! I was so proud of them. It was a new feeling to wonder about my own little girl, but I had a calm about me that everything was just fine where she was. Ben picked her up today as he could get there faster than I could. When he got there, all of the children and teachers were in the basement and all was good! I am thankful for God's protection today and pray for those people who have been affected by the storms.

I finally uploaded a few pictures from Adeline's first snow/ice storm. It was an unexpected blessing to stay home with her for those few days. Ben got to stay home for 2 of the days, too, and we all enjoyed staying in our pajamas. We finally ventured outside when Ben had to de-ice his car in order to go to back to work.

Good health...

is what I say thank you for this week. Since the beginning of January, I have not felt great with a variety of things...the latest being shingles! With shingles, one symptomg a person typically shows is a rash on just one side of the body in one place (usually on the abdomen). Mine was on the left side of my scalp. It has been one of the most bizarre things I've experienced! As a nursing mom, I am thankful there was medicine I could take! It has allowed me to sleep in my own bed for the past week (instead of in the rocker in Adeline's room because it hurt to lay flat in bed on a pillow). My doctor says that a case of shingles averages about 2 months...I'm praying to beat that by a long shot!

Catching up!

Wow! The past few weeks have flown. Today was the second day out of school with ICE STORM 2009 and we get to stay home tomorrow, too. So, I think it is time to catch up on some blogging. I realized there are several things that haven't made the blog, so here goes...

Just before Christmas, Adeline was baptized at St. John's Episcopal Church, the same church where I was baptized and our parents' home church. Adeline has been God's child from the beginning, but we stood together, with her godparents (Grace and Jaron) and the rest of our family, to acknowledge our call and responsibility to raise her in Christian life and love. She wore a beautiful white gown that was handmade by a longtime family friend/Kevin's godmother, Madrina (Spanish for godmother). Madrina was one of the first people my mom called to share the news of our pregnancy. She began working on the gown immediately, adding her prayers with the rest of ours for a healthy baby. All our prayers were answered! God has already used Adeline to bless others and we look forward to all He has planned for her.

Uncle Kevin left for his new cruise adventure on Saturday morning, January 17. He flew to Miami and set sail that afternoon on Carnival Destiny. At this time, Destiny alternates itineraries in the Western and Eastern Caribbean. As far as we know, he'll be playing five hours each evening in 2 one-hour sets and 1 three-hour set. Lucky dog...the entertainment for the first cruise was the "Battle of the Bands" so he didn't even have to play that first trip! Then, the second cruise was the KLOVE Friends and Family cruise with a wide variety of Christian artists on board. He was supposed to play some that trip, but I didn't get to talk to him when they were in port. Hopefully we'll hear from him on Saturday.

Some fun new things about Adeline...she can roll over from her tummy to her back! YEAH! I'd been helping her do it for a few weeks. Of course, the first time she did it, I'd set her down on her tummy, left the room for a moment, and returned to find her on her back! I immediately rolled her back to her tummy and she did it again! What fun!

She's also discovered she likes sucking her thumb, not just the whole fist! It's a pretty precious sight. She seems to be taking to it like her godmother, Grace, who wrapped her other fingers around her nose! Yes, Grace was pretty cute, too! (and still is!)

I missed last Thursday! All day long, I thought about what I wanted to write, but didn't make it to the blog. I know if I was thinking about it then I was being thankful, so that is good. I'm going to go ahead and take care of tomorrow's list right now.

1. I'm thankful that God is healing me of the infection that has caused me to have crazy headaches for more than a week. I don't get sick very often (Thank you, God) and I have felt pretty rotten. The days at home have helped, so I am thankful for the winter weather we've been having.

2. I'm thankful for Ben who made us a yummy breakfast this morning. God knew what he was doing in giving me a husband who likes to cook. Ben is so like my daddy in that regard!

3. I'm thankful for Adeline's smiles. Even at 5:30 in the morning, I can't help but smile back at her. In those moments, all is right with the world!

4. I'm thankful for my kids at school, esp. the small group of BOYS who wonder if my hair will be curly or straight. They said they liked it better curly...we'll see what the day brings! (They'll make great husbands some day!!)

TGITh

Thank you, Father, that it is Thursday again. Thank you for walking beside me and carrying me through this week. Thank you that little one is asleep and that I will be soon!

I have NO IDEA what happened to Thursday!

My thankfulness is for our family and friends who prayed for us this week as Adeline started at "baby school" (that's how I described it to my kids at school) and I returned to work. All in all, the week had many more ups than downs...and we made it to the weekend! It was a joy to get to rock her and cuddle her this afternoon...there's nothing like it!

Tonight, Ben and I managed to get the ornaments off the Christmas tree (and he is now tackling the lights!) We still have our Fontanini nativity village to do, too. We are firm believers in the 12 Days of Christmas, which officially ended with Epiphany this week, but it is time to pack it away once again. Father, again we say thank you for your blessings throughout this holiday season!

14 weeks and counting...

Adeline is 14 weeks today! She had a well-baby visit today and things are looking good! She is 12 lbs. 7 oz. and 24 1/2 inches long and was very brave when getting her shots. Keep growing, little girl! You have many more great things to accomplish and we can hardly wait to see what you'll do!

Adeline started at her CDP (child development program) yesterday when I had to return to school for real! (The week before Christmas break was just the trial run.) I cried several times before I left the house but managed to keep myself together at school. Thankfully, my days at school are pretty much non-stop so I don't have much time to dwell on being sad. I can honestly say I didn't cry as much today...Yeah for Mommy!

Random comment...I just looked outside the window and saw the new fence panels on my fence. A few weeks ago, I commented on being thankful for my brothers who had helped us keep it standing in all the crazy Oklahoma winds. Well, I am VERY thankful for my husband and father-in-law who have since replaced two posts and six panels. This was acutally accomplished several weeks ago on that Sunday afternoon when the temperature dropped about 30 degrees in a very short time! We have some other panels to deal with...but springtime will do for those!

Happy New Year!

NOTE: Ben and I wrote this post together on our laptop on Thursday, but all of the pictures still needed to be uploaded to the desktop. So, here it is Sunday and everything can be put together to post it for real!!

2009! WOW! What a year this has been! In all things, God has taken care of us throughout this year. Of course, our greatest blessing of 2008 is Adeline, but much more has happened, as well. In April, Chris and Julie were married so we increased the girl power there, too. Julie is a perfect fit for our family and we are so glad she's a part of us! We are thankful for our families now and always. Our niece, Haley, will be getting married in May, so our family will grow yet again. It has been fun getting to know Willie and we're glad to have him, too.

Some fun things about Adeline as we celebrate her 3 month birthday...
Just this week, she has started cooing and "talking" to us. She has been making all kinds of sounds before now, but you can look her in the eyes and talk about all kinds of things! It's so fun! She's also been blowing bubbles and chewing on her fist. The baby books have a space for logging when the baby finds their thumb, but we need a space for fist!! Maybe she'll go for the thumb later. It is fascinating to see different pieces of her personality forming. She has those moments where she laughs, giggles, and smiles, and then has these very serious faces when we wonder what she is analyzing inside that little brain.

We took her 3 month pics in her Christmas outfit this week. There were some great shots of her and the three of us. A few are posted below, as well as some of the other Watson Family pics from a few weeks ago. We captured some great moments for sure!

May God bless you and yours in 2009!