Tennessee Thanksgiving

Just a quick note to let you all know that I'm headed out for a few days. Dan's family (Mom, Dad, 3 sisters, Grandma, Aunt & Uncle) came into town yesterday and are here through Monday morning. Our little townhouse clearly does not have the room even to squeeze us all in, so we're headed out to a cabin in rural TN to spend the holiday. This should be interesting :-) We're thrilled they were all able to make the trip and are enjoying the time together already.

I'll leave you with a couple of recent pictures before I head out. I'm sure there will be LOTS more to share when I return!


P.S. Kelsey posted some great pictures from our quick trip up to Louisville if you're interested.

A Couple More

I've had several requests for more videos, so here you go! The bottom one is from a few days ago and the top one is from our visit with Kelsey & Brent. She's 8 weeks old today!

Visit with Kelsey & Brent

I made a very quick trip up to Louisville yesterday to see Kelsey & Brent for a bit. Tomorrow is Brent's birthday, so Kelsey thought a chance to see Caroline would be the perfect gift. He's rather smitten with his little niece :-) We just hung out last night and I watched the two of them make fools of themselves over our baby girl. I really love sharing my baby with others who love her so much!

I just have a minute to post now, but I did get a video uploaded and thought I'd share it with you all. For those of you who don't know, Kelsey is an 8th grade English teacher -- so she thought she'd get Caroline started early on some of the classics.



P.S. Kelsey did take some more great pictures, but I didn't bring my computer along so I'll have to wait on her to share a few. I'll post another video to tide you over, Mom :-)

What do you think?

I found this picture of my Dad & me and just had to share it. While I definitely see a lot of Dan in our baby girl, I think she got a little bit of her Momma mixed in there, too! Like for instance, the cue-ball effect? Sorry Caroline.

Weekend with Nana

My Mom was able to come down and spend a few days with us this weekend, and Caroline could not have been more excited to see her (or maybe that was the other way around...)! The time always seems to short, but I'm thankful that what time we do have becomes so very precious.

Nana was excited to give Caroline a REAL bath since the last time she was here she could only have sponge baths. There's nothing better than a fresh & clean baby all wrapped up after bathtime.


Mom also blessed us with an evening of babysitting so we could go on our first date sans baby since her arrival. We had a wonderful time wandering around the mall and enjoying a delicious meal at the Cheesecake Factory (courtesy of Dan's Mom - thank you so much, Karee!). It was only slightly weird to not be pregnant or pushing a stroller, and we only talked about her some (or all...) of the time :-) Thanks again to both of our Moms!

Caroline also had a quick photo-shoot in her giraffe robe. Everyone needs a robe, you know. Especially when you're this cute in it!

People say that you never fully know how much your parents love you until you become a parent yourself. I think there is certainly some truth to that. I also think that somehow that realization allows me as a child to love my parents more deeply. I always have and always will look at my Mom as the wisest, most loving woman I've ever known. I'm still pretty sure there's not much she can't do or doesn't know. What I'm not sure of, however, is how I will ever be that in the eyes of my own daughter. It's a strange and wonderful thing to become the Mommy myself, but how thankful I am to have my mommy to look to as I figure this thing out.

Thanks for making the trip, Mom, and thanks for teaching me how to be a mom - even when you didn't know I was watching.

Oh, and I think you make a pretty great Nana, too.

Peyton's Smallest Fan

With Love for Papa

Getting the hang of this

Here's another video just because I'm figuring it all out. This one isn't quite as long and is from about a week ago.

Trying this out

I've been taking some video of Caroline with the intenions of sharing them on the blog, but I've not been able to figure out the process (nor have I taken the time actually). My friend Jenny shared some very helpful tips (thanks Jenny!), so let's see if this works! I realize it's a bit long and boring for those of you who aren't family...just a fair warning :)

To My Daughter

My dearest Caroline,

My goodness how life has changed since you came into our lives just less than 6 short weeks ago. Your daddy and I were so very excited to meet you, an yet anxious about how exactly life would look when there were 3 of us instead of just 2. We could never imagine how instantly and fully we would fall in love with you when we finally met you face to face. You are the most beautiful creation we've ever seen, miraculously created by God and somehow entrusted to us as your parents. Boy do we have a big job ahead of us!

I absolutely love being your Mommy. You have proved to be the sweetest baby I have ever known with such a sweet spirit. Even when I still carried you inside of me, we guessed that you might be a pretty laid back girl, and we were right! You don't do a lot of crying unless there is something wrong...or whenever it's time to put clothes on. For some reason you rather enjoy being naked, so your daddy will often just strip you down if you ever do get fussy. Mommy isn't so keen on that and insists that you like to be warm!

My favorite time with you is in the morning just after you've eaten and I lay you down in front of the sunny window to play. You kick and coo and give me lots of smiles then, and I get a glimpse of what you might be like a few months down the road when you learn to crawl. I think we're going to have a big time then! I also love to rock you in your beautiful rocking chair from your Great-Grandpa AJ. You love to snuggle your face into my shoulder and sometimes look up at me with those beautiful big eyes of yours. We often sing and talk together until you're fast asleep and I have to make myself lay you down.

Becoming your mommy has filled my heart with more love than I knew it could contain. Sometimes tears roll down my cheeks because the love just needs a way to escape I think...then again it could just be the hormones :) Somehow becoming your mommy has given me more love for your daddy as I watch him with you. You don't know it yet, but he's pretty smitten with you. Sometimes I catch him just staring at you while you sleep in his arms. In the morning before he goes to work, he spends some time with you while mommy gets a little extra sleep. He tells me hears you before he picks you up, but I'm still not sure he doesn't actually wake you just so he can hold you for awhile.

Your extended family is also a little crazy about you, Caroline. Your Nana & Papa were the first 2 people to hold you after your mommy & daddy, I wasn't sure your Papa was going to give you back. Your Nana is so excited to come see you again next week. You've grown so much since she left just after you turned 1 week old! Your Aunt Kelsey tried to take you home with her when she visited again last week. I think you might have let her, too as you were quite content in her arms. Your Grandma & Grandpa Johnston are coming to see you again in a few weeks, along with your Aunts Katee, Amanda & Jewel, and I think you might just get a little spoiled while they're here! Your Great-Grandma Fedorka is also coming to meet you, and your Great Aunt & Uncle, too. What a blessed little girl you are to have so much family that loves you so very much! Now if we could all just live a little bit closer so we see each other more often...

Caroline, you have certainly changed our life in a hurry, but I can say confidently that I would never go back. Becoming a mommy makes me feel like I have finally discovered what it is that God wants me to do with my life. I realize that it will take a lifetime to accomplish this job, but there is nothing I want more than to raise you in a way that honors God. I can't wait to find out what you'll be like as a little girl, as a teenager, a young woman, and someday even a mother yourself. I pray that you will have a sweet & peaceful spirit that spills out on everyone you meet, that you love learn to love God above all else, and that through Him you will make this world a better place. We have a very long ways to go from here, but I'd say we're off to a pretty good start!

Love always,

Mommy

More Pictures

My fabulous and wonderfully talented sister took about a bazillion pictures while she was here this weekend. I don't know how I'm ever going to pick out my favorites to print! She posted quite a few on her blog, so rather than duplicate I'll just point you in that direction if you're interested. She's also a great writer, so you might just want to add her blog to your list: words that sing.