GraceyAnna Picture Shoot

GraceyAnna 2 weeks old

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To our families- please tell me which are your favorite!

Can you believe that I deleted quite a few of  what I took and these are my favorites?  Please help me decide which are the best! # 15 is my favorite though : )

*Note, numbers are for the photo above.

Karagen's Birthday!

Monday, September 26, 2011

 The Outfits from Grammy

 Karagen and Jonathan went on a bike ride.

 Mommy and the birthday girl.

 She received the rose from a neighbor for her birthday.

 Dinner of Macaroni (her favorite) baked corn  and roast deer meat & gravy.

 Decorating her cake.

 The finished product- zuchini cake, yummy!

Pure delight!

We started the day with a walk, just her and I.  I was suprised how fast she walked, she has long legs- like her Daddy.  The fog was thick and we heard a plane fly overhead, but could not see it.  In my mind I could still see her as a little baby, cuddled close to my breast, then I looked down (though not too far as she is just above my shoulder now) and saw a budding young lady.  Caring, thoughtful and trying to mature though she is still a child.  So helpful and capable.

We had pancakes, scrambled eggs and sausage for breakfast.

We did our school work.

She went on a bike ride with Jonathan.

We had our birthday celebration after dinner.

Happy Birthday Karagen.  Our beautiful little girl!  We love you so much!

Where's MY Baby?

 Who needs a bed when you can sleep on your big sister?

Karagen and GraceyAnna, September 21, 2011

Ok, now Mommy's getting jealous!



Heart Strings

She pulls at my heart-

By the string attached to us both before she was born.

And as her umbilical cord grew-

So did that string.

When she was born, the cord was cut

But not our heart string!

It has grown and grown, our heart string-

I am all tangled in it, wrapped up in it, mesmerized by it

made speechless, overwhelmed!

Just one little girl, and what of the other five?

I have so many heart strings, wrapped all around me

Holding my heart so tightly

They take my breath away.

Written for Emmaus.  We went on a walk together this morning.  She has a dazzling smile and as she ran ahead of me, then looked back to see if I was watching, as her little hand gripped mine, I thought how quickly time has flown, she is over 5 already- she totally pulled at my heart strings!  You mommy's will understand!

She's Here!

 Last moments of pregnancy

Just arrived at the Birthing center.

Just born! Thursday September 15,  5:59am

     First Glimpses

           Ahhh, the pain is over!       

Proud Daddy for the 6th time!

She had "cheesy" underarms : )

All curled up getting weighed- 8 pounds!

Getting measured: 22 inches long, yet she never had her feet in my ribs!

The Roberts clan

Grammy and Pop Pop (Jonathan's parents)

And our crew on Sunday morning, GraceyAnna's first public appearance.

Mommy and Daddy on church Sunday, September 18.

GraceyAnna Ruth Roberts, 3 days old

After more than a week of start and stop labor, we went to our doctor's appointment on Tuesday September 13.  The midwife did an exam and we found out why the labor had not progressed, she was head down but her head was to the side and her ear was presenting.  I was relieved to understand why the constant contractions had not progressed.  We went home and I got on my hands and knees many time throughout Tuesday, but there was no progress.  We were trying to get her to turn head down.  A friend recommended we check out the Spinning Babies website for more information.  That was Wednesday.  We tried the Pelvic Floor Release.  My pelvic bone popped and when we were finished with that exercise, I went to the bathroom and lost my mucus plug.  We did this exercise again after church and I also did "The Inversion" around 9pm,  after doing the inversion my contractions began picking up.   I walked and kept moving until around 1am and I told Jonathan it was time to go ; )  we called our dear neighbor (we call her Granny Rose) and then the midwife, then we headed to Annapolis to the birthing center Bay Area Midwifery.  We arrived there around 2:15am.  I was 4 centimeters dilated and the bag of water was nice and bulgy.  I walked around the room and bathroom and sat on the birthing ball through the contractions, I handled them until I reached 5 or 6 centimeters, then they broke my water, I sat through a couple more contractions, then I asked to get in the jacuzzi.  The water felt so good!  I labored there for the rest of the time.  Around 5:30 I was a tight 8 centimeters and we told them I would be pushing soon & within minutes I needed to push!  I sent Jonathan to get the midwives and began pushing.  She was born very quickly, within a few pushes.  I was so happy, she was here safely, (although 6 days late) I was able to have a water birth (no pain meds) no induction and we were home by 9:30am : )  Other blessings, there was no tearing and I have almost no perineal pain.We praise God for the safe arrival of our little GraceyAnna Ruth Roberts.

GraceyAnna- Means Grace upon Grace

Ruth- A true friend and companion (after her Grandmother, Ruth Roberts, Jonathan's mom)

When.....

So I decided to name this baby Patience-haha.  Especially since she is 2 days late, and I have had many hours of false labor.  My patience is wearing thin and I believe God is teaching me a lesson in patience.  It is not too bad still being pregnant, what is exhausting is getting up through the night due to painful contractions that aren't progressing.  They wake me up but don't get the baby out : )  There are many women out there who have gone weeks over-due, including my husband's mom, I never have desired to join their ranks lol.  On the bright side, maybe I'll have her tomorrow night according to a man in our church, it has something to do with the moon.  We shall see, meanwhile I am praying for strength for my weariness, not from being pregnant but from being tired.

Look Who's 4!

Jonathan put the scooter together and then we tied ballons to it.

The balloons were almost as popular as the new scooter : )

Good morning Birthday boy!

August 31, 2011

To the sweet, precocious little man who enjoys coloring on our wall (see artwork behind him)

Loves to take the scissors to anything, like his hair, his bed sheets, teddy bears....

"It is so hard to wake up!"

"Aww, do I have to open my eyes?"

Silas is such a morning person, always has that precious smile!

Pure delight!

Pancakes for breakfast, and when asked what he wanted for dinner he kept insisting on ham sandwiches, so we had those for lunch.

Don't you know the best part of a birthday cake is the icing?

Carrot cake, with his requested items and  graphics.

Mom, can I lick the truck?

Four years ago, this precious little boy joined our family and our love for him has grown.  He keeps his mommy and daddy smiling and fills our days with so much joy.  He holds his own in our little clan and I love to hear him say " I lub you Mommy"!