Secret Santa!

Before Daisy's birth I belonged to a community of women who were all due around the time I was. After birth, far from disbanding, we became a very tight knit group of women (and a few brave men who tolerate our very personal and detailed discussions) who have been a support for one another for over a year now. These Rainbow Puffs have been invaluable in my time as a new mom and I look forward to passing on the knowledge I have gained with Daisy to the new moms and expecting moms that have become a part of our group.

At any rate, this group decided to do secret Santa for the holiday season and the person who drew me was: http://www.etsy.com/shop/beaniebird

She makes the most amazing knit hats including this one which is our unofficial team hat:

Plus, very appropriately, sent Daisy a few ducks and a Daisy Duck Pez Dispenser. All of those are in her stocking until Christmas so shh....don't tell Daisy.

In other news...isn't my daughter's face just a-dor-able!? She's learned how to fake smile but I think this might be a real one. As soon as you put the camera in her face...she pops a smile for you. I love it! I don't want her to grow up. Please keep her small!

Daisy and the Halloween Pumpkin

The first Halloween. According to my mom, I was just baby with pumpkins. I'm actually pretty thankful Daisy was born towards the end of the year, as a result, this holiday season is fun because she's mobile, alert, and smiley. It makes it so much easier to enjoy the holidays with her. She'll almost be a year old for Christmas and she'll get to rip open her present and play with the paper and ignore the gifts...gooooood times.

So here's my pumpkin girl, playing with her Puff friends and practicing for Halloween




Because the saddles and horses at home are just not good enough...



Daisy and two of her friends.



Again, the hat at home is just not good enough.



This...love that she's old enough to ride on our shoulders.



Small enough to sit on a pumpkin.



Big enough to stand at it.



She really wanted to eat the pumpkin plants.



Daisy and her friends...practice run!






She was so good for this.






Will have to post some after Halloween is over of all of us dressed up.

Like a Lion...

Let me preface this with, I'm aware Daisy is just 9 1/2 months old. I'm also aware that she has no clue what she was doing. But I know that this was a God touch that was desperately needed.

On the way home from swim class, Daisy and I were listening to the radio and God's Not Dead (Like A Lion) came on. As soon as it finished, Daisy roared like a little lion cub. It was just something I needed to remind me that I'm a lioness and I can keep going and I will keep going. Overwhelmed, or not.

9 months?!

My dearest darling Daisy, you're 9 months old today. How on earth did that happen? What happened to the little baby who was just a few days old. I feel like that was just yesterday but I know every mom says that. Time flies when you're having fun and we are definitely having fun.

You've learned some new things these last few weeks. You've learned to clap, your newest and favorite trick right now, and you've learned to high-five. You've learned to wave but you get it confused with clapping sometimes. You've learned to stand, but not walk, not yet. You've also learned to play peek-a-boo with us. You hide yourself behind anything, a bit of cloth, your bib, a towel...then we say, "Peek-a-boo Daisy!" Then you reward us by pulling down whatever was covering your face and giving us a great big smile and a squeal. This is one of mommy's favorite games with you.

We also found out that you enjoy being held and swung upside down. This makes you laugh. While you're a very happy baby, you don't laugh very often. Mostly squeal and smile at us. To get a real laugh, we have to do something really silly. Like put an e-collar on Lucy's head. This made you laugh right away.

We took you to your first concert, by mistake. We went to Pluto's in Davis after swim class last Wednesday and Band-Uh came through and did their own flash mob type thing. We have a video.

Let's see, you had your 9 month appointment today. You weigh 16 pounds, 5 ounces (11th percentile) and are 27 1/4 inches (40th percentile) in length. You had to get a flu shot and, as always, you yelled. But you got over it pretty quickly. The nurse started playing peek-a-boo with you and that made you happy. The doctor says you're doing great! This weekend you have a play date with three other babies from our mommy group. You've seen Chandler and Sarah before but Ry is a new one. They'll be fabulous, they always are! I'll take your 9 month pictures this weekend I think. Right now you're napping and I wonder if you're actually going to wake before your actual bed time at 7:30.

Oh yes, you have 5 teeth now by the way.

Picture catch up!


At the state fair, July 21, 2012


Gotta teach this girl right!


Always determined to get to me. This was August 15th


If you can't have me, the dog will do. Honey doesn't look thrilled with this idea though.


8 Month pictures. September 2, 2012 - On our way to the beach!


She loves her daddy!


Sometimes she just puts up with me :P


First day at the beach! It was chilly even though it's the middle of summer!




And we had to get a picture on your very own swing set. Too small or not!

Until next time baby girl!

Picture Catch Up:

 2 Months!


Getting a horsey introduction!


3 Months!




4 Months and swimming class! She loves the water!






5 Months and Memorial Day!


So the crawling begins, just a few days past 5 months. Yikes!



6 Months!


First two teeth, just a few days over 6 months. The first one came out a week or so before the second one. We still only have two at 7 months but it's coming. I can tell!


4th of July, she absolutely LOVED the fireworks! It was the first time since 5 months that she stayed up past bedtime at 7:30!




The first time on swings 6 1/2 months! They were a hit!

I haven't done her 7 month photos yet. Have to find the outfit and the scenery for it. Looking forward to it. It's going to be harder than ever before because she is soooooo mobile! She's going to be walking in no time flat!

Until then,
FFR

So basically...

I suck. Well, not really. The thing is, babies take a lot of time and energy. Something I don't have much to spare of. Daisy has established her own routine and, with it, determined mine. Last time I wrote, she was 7 weeks. She's 7 months now (I know, I really suck). She's changed a lot since then. She's still tiny and petite and every day we get people who ask and are surprised at how old she is!

Every single day I realize a little more just how much joy my little girl brings into this world. I know every mom says their baby is the cutest and sometimes, they really are cute. Other times...even I have to agree not always. Let's take this picture for example:

This is not a cute baby. This is my baby but she was not cute here (Sorry Daisy, you're not. I love you though!). Anyway, we've established that not all babies are cute. And not all cute babies are cute all the time.

The other day we walk into a room with a few other babies and everyone stops and smiles at Daisy and talks to and about her. Everyone, adult and child and baby alike is drawn to this enigma that is Daisy. She illicits smiles from everyone she meets. She makes friends everywhere we go. It doesn't matter where, she makes a friend. Everyone wants to talk to Daisy or hold her or feed her.

Before Daisy was born, we had a prophetic word that she would be the joy of heaven. That she is. The way she brings joy to our lives is undeniable, the joy she brings out of people who know her is enormous, and the joy she brings to anyone she even meets is incredible. God has truly given her a gift of joy and the ability to bring joy out of others. I wonder what she will do with it. I wonder more how we can foster this beautiful attitude she was gifted with.

We look forward to raising this little girl

into being a beautiful woman of God. It won't be a simple task but it's a challenge we're up for!

Until we meet again,
FFR

Raw

On my way home from work today I had a raw, real moment. Something that, unfortunately, has been a rarity. What started it? I don't know exactly. I was pondering something and it lead to me thinking this thought, "How do I ask forgiveness for something I am not yet sorry for?" How does anyone? If we are not sorry, we cannot ask forgiveness. Can we ask for the ability to feel sorry? To truly feel the depravity of what we have done?

After this thought came the rawest moment. I listened to "Keep Your Eyes Open" by Needtobreathe and I was suddenly in Heathrow, waiting for my flight to Africa. It has been a long time since I have REALLY thought about Africa. It's a painful thought. Not because it was at all bad in any way. But because I simply don't know how to handle life as I know it and incorporate the time I spent there. As I listened to Francesca Batistelli belt out "Beautiful Beautiful"  I nearly burst into tears.

Why am I so relunctant? Why can't I face it, work with everything that happened there and somehow try to make sense of it all? I struggled there in the car for just moments. Feeling the refreshing waters of Life rush over me.It had been so long.I can't even explain the feeling. Not at all. Words fail me. I should stop here. I can't even try to comprehend everything at this point. I'll have to try again later...

More Daisy Pictures

Our little bug is 7 weeks old. So here's a few more pictures for you.

And no, I didn't leave her.
She was too cute to leave.
I'm glad she didn't wake while I took the pictures.

Until I have more adorable pictures,

FFR

So much for relaxing...

Yesterday was a big ride out to Auburn and I told Working Man he could ride this ride and I would go ahead and stay home with Miss Daisy. I knew that trying to be a chase car in what was likely to be a huge ride would be more work than it was worth. I figured it would be a good day to get some homework done while Daisy slept and maybe a little laundry. You know, catch up on stuff. Who was I kidding?

If you had to guess, you would say Daisy was the reason I got nothing, and I mean NOTHING, done. You would be wrong. On Saturday night, one of our sheep had twins. Oh so cute. The alpacas were going after them so FIL D chased them into the pasture and closed off the gate. Then everyone left for the ride. I sat down, had some breakfast, and hung out with Daisy for a bit. I figured she could use a bath so I did so. While I was, I noticed one of our donkeys, Frankie, was going after the twins. I quickly gathered Daisy up, saying not so nice words in the process. Quickly is a funny word because with an infant, nothing happens quickly, even when you want it to.

Things One and Two (both girls)

I had to finish rinsing her off, dry her off, dress her in something decently warm, put her carrier on me and put her in it. Then I had to grab some shoes for myself and head out to chase the donkeys. I pulled some hay out of the barn and enticed them to come into a pen, all the while trying to convince the sheep they wanted to stay out. Easier said than done. I figured while I was out, I would feed the horses lunch. As I finished tossing them their food, I heard the dogs going crazy and the alpacas screaming (which they do when they fight). I figured I'd go over there and yell at them a couple times to see if they'd stop.

Well what did I see? Another sheep had crawled under the gate and given birth out in the field...with the alpacas...who now wanted her baby. Begin phase two.

I ran into the barn and found a rope to chase them with. I got the gate to the other half of the pasture open and started chasing the alpacas. Mama decided she was going to go too so it got a little hairy (or wooly...haha) there for a minute. Finally got her separated but the little boy wanted to follow the alpacas. I knew then I would need to separate all the moms and babies away from everyone else.

I knew I couldn't chase sheep by myself so I called Daisy's godmother, Dorothy, and her husband Jim. Gratefully they were willing to come right over to help. I changed my shoes (I was wearing my usual flip flops) and went back out. I gave the donkeys water, locked big ol' Henry in the round pen so he wouldn't run into the barn, and put a water bucket in the barn to be filled.

This one I'm calling "Son"

Poor Jim and Dorothy. I don't know if they understood what they were getting into. They did great, really what I needed was road blocks and that's what we had. We gathered the babies, easier to catch than the moms, and encouraged them to yell for mom so they'd run into the barn. I don't know how long it took but we finally got them locked up.

He's got little snowy patches on his back. Adorable!

Then I heaved a sigh of relief. And put my flip flops back on. And wanted a nap. I never did get to homework or laundry or anything else. Maybe next time I'll just take the ride and Working Man can chase the sheep.

-FFR

Oh yeah, I left the hoses running in both of the water buckets and flooded the donkey pen and part of the barn. I do know that Daisy's not allergic to hay. By the time I was done throwing it around, she was covered.