Showering Anna Grace

Obviously, this post is super duper late.  LOL.  For whatever reason I forgot to post it all those months ago (June 2015 to be exact). 

My very best friends put together the sweetest baby shower for Anna Grace.  It was a hot summer afternoon in June filled with lots of pink!  At that point seeing tutus and bows still threw me off.  Deep down, I really didn't think Gordon and I would ever have a baby girl.  This party made me that much more excited for her arrival, and everything pink!   

Everything turned out perfect and her bow collection officially started (we just need her to get some hair now!).   

{Cristin, Alison, Me, Meredith, Rachel and Emily, not pictured: new mama Lindsey Z} {Gorgeous flowers and adorable cookies} {First monogrammed pillow} {Mimi and Nana} {27ish weeks}

We had such a great weekend celebrating Anna Grace!!!  There is truly nothing better than being surrounded by your family and friends.  Since this was around the time I was put on bedrest with William my nesting was in full force.  We spent the rest of the weekend painting Anna Grace's room, her furniture and hanging pictures on the walls.  When all the hard work was done we got to celebrate my dad's birthday!!!  It's a weekend I'll never forget. 

Getting Ready For Halloween

Halloween gets more and more fun every year.  I mean just look at these cutie pies in their skeleton PJs.  I really wanted the kids to be Minions....but a certain 4 year old, I won't name names, insisted on being a super hero, again!  At least he gave the Minion costume a chance. :)

The picture of Anna Grace in the purple outfit with a black cat was taken the morning we packed up the bassinet for a friend to use.  Ahhhhhh....where does the time go?!?!  Between buying pumpkins, baking pumpkin seeds and putting sticky skeletons all over the windows this mama's heart could explode.  These days will forever be a happy place in my heart.

Pumpkin Patch Fun

A couple of weeks ago we finally made it to a pumpkin patch!!  Between soccer games, traveling and the hot weather there was no time to go sooner.  We meant to go back to Blessington Farm this year but this mama messed up and realized they were already closed when we were driving there.  Whoops!  Regardless, we had fun!

Getting everyone to look at the camera and smile is always highly challenging, and then keeping Anna Grace off the hay (which she hated) was even harder.  The picture of Anna Grace and me reaching for William cracks me up.  Typical!  

After the hay ride to the pumpkin patch we snapped a few pictures and then headed back to play.  William rode a pony and went on several slides.  His favorite thing was the play area that was free.  LOL.  My kinda kid!  Since William wasn't interested in the activities that cost money we put our extra tokens to use and bought kettle corn, of course!

Our trip to the pumpkin patch was a quick one this year, but full of fun memories and smiles!

ONE year old!

Oh my goodness.  ONE!  I just can't even believe how fast the time has gone.  Right before this little cutie pie turned one she said BYE BYE to her fashion accessory, the pink helmet.  To be honest, I kinda missed it at first.  She just looked so cute with it on!  But, I'm super happy to be able to kiss on that head again.    

Weight:  20 lbs 2 oz (54th percentile)
Height: 29.8 inches (71st percentile)
Head: 43 cm (7th percentile...the highest it's ever been!)  

Eating:  Around her first birthday we started trying to cut out one bottle a day (4 instead of 5).  She does great at home but has a harder time at school.  At home she has a bottle when she wakes up, before nap (around noon), 4pm and 8pm before bed.  Right after her birthday we introduced cows milk to baby girl.  We started with her bottles being 4 oz breast milk and 2 oz cow milk.  She did great and hasn't seemed to notice/mind.  We are now doing half breast milk and half cow milk.  Anna Grace's solid food eating has really taken off.  One day she decided she was ready and started gobbling food up.  She loves to feed herself!  This girl loves everything she eats.          

Development:  On September 10th our little lady started crawling.  She had been working so hard at physical therapy, so this was super exciting.  Once she got the hang of it she was off....and hasn't stopped since! We had to answer no to most of the developmental questions at her 1 year check up.  She says mama and dada but not any other words and she isn't pulling herself into the standing position.  BUT, we know that she will get there soon.  

Clothes:  Size 4 diaper and clothes 12-18 months (18 month pajamas fit better)

Sleeping:  I finally gave in and moved Anna Grace to her room right before her first birthday.  I'm happy to say she has done fabulous!  I give her a bottle, rock her for a few minutes, lay her down in her crib and that's it, folks.  Such a good girl. :)  Baby girl goes to be around 8pm and wakes up between 6am-7am.             

Things She Loves:  She loves, loves, loves her baby doll.  She hugs it and pats its back.  When she's not dragging around her baby doll she is tossing a water bottle around or searching for a remote control to play with.  HAHA

Things She Hates:  Having things taken away from her!  She is a bit hard headed and very vocal about what she wants.  Definitely not as laid back as her brother was.         

Mommy Stuff:  Right after Anna Grace's first birthday I stopped pumping.  I was hardly making any milk by that time.  Getting my body to stop making milk after William was challenging, but for whatever reason, with Anna Grace at 10 months my body started slowing down.  That was around the time she started to refuse to nurse.  I guess my body knew she was done.        

Health:  Anna Grace got her first ear infection right before Labor Day.  As I mentioned before, neurosurgery released her from their service a week before her birthday.  Her head still has a flat spot but it is SO much better.  Luckily, most nights she sleeps on her stomach or side and avoids the flat area. I am so so happy to no longer have to drive to the med center for her helmet appointments.  :)

We fall more in love every day with Anna Grace's ever growing personality.  She has some spunk to her that is so fun.  On the other hand, she is such a lover.  Her smile is contagious and can brighten anybody's day.  There is something so strong and resilient about her.  I just know that this little lady is going to do big things.  At the end of every day I'm sad to say goodnight to her because she's just so fun to be around!
Happy birthday to our sweet baby girl.  God knew just what the Gooding house needed when he sent you.  ;)

Anna Grace 11 month old

It's hard to believe that this little angel baby will be a year old next week!!!  Where does the time go??

45 WEEKS OLD

 Anna Grace doesn't have her helmet on in a few of these pictures because she can't wear it when she has fever or when outside in the heat.  It's always nice to get to kiss on that sweet, bald head!  Well, I say bald head....she is getting some dark fuzzy hair.  The other day William noticed it and said, "Awww my baby's getting hair!  I'm so proud of you Anna Grace!"  #wordsfrombabes #meltmyheart

46 WEEKS OLD, headed to her first baseball game!

Weight:  Almost 20 pounds  

Eating:  Not much has changed in this category (5 bottles and 3 meals a day).  We have been giving Anna Grace more table food.  She's still not too sure what to think.  The other day I caught her with a mouth full of green beans.  I guess she think they should be dissolving like her puffs.  :)  We've started giving her a sippy cup to practice with.  Right now, she just bangs it on the table.  Every once in a while she'll put it to her mouth and laugh. Anna Grace recently tried raspberry, blueberry, spinach and pumpkin.         

Development:  Baby girl is getting so much stronger.  She can pull herself into the crawling position, but is still working on moving forward.  I always find her pushing herself backwards.  As long as she can get to where she wants she is happy. Baby girl has started waving HI and we get some claps out of her every once in a while.  Anna Grace recently qualified for Occupational Therapy.  I was a little disappointed that we were going to have to add one more appointment to our list every week, but was willing to do whatever she needed.  Luckily, at her first appointment they found that she was already doing better and wouldn't need as much help as they originally thought!  Great news!!!  I think baby girl has a time table of her own.  I love the saying It's not about where you start but how you finish.   

Clothes:  Moved up to size 4 diapers and 12 month size clothes.

Sleeping:  Baby girl excels in this department!  She's basically been sleeping through the night since she was 2 or 3 months old.  We of course still have nights that she cries and needs help getting her paci back into her mouth, but overall she does awesome.  This sweet girl will even put herself to sleep.  Just lay her down in bed and she is fine.  I prefer to snuggle with her for a few minutes after she finishes her bottle.  :)  We put her down around 8pm and she gets up between 6 and 7 in the morning.  At home she takes a 30-60 minute morning nap around 9:30 and then an 1.5 hour afternoon nap with William.  At daycare she doesn't usually sleep much.  I guess there's just too much going on?!?!      

Other:  Anna Grace went to the lake for the second time and went to her first baseball game (Astros vs The Rangers).       

Things She Loves:  She loves zooming around the house in her walker.  She runs into everything (include our feet) and is always grabbing things off our shelves.  William usually calls her "my baby" which is followed by the cutest squeal from Anna Grace.  She currently loves to play with William's farm truck and animals.  She'll sit on the ground for 30 + minutes playing with them.  We've noticed that she has stopped chewing on everything she comes into contact with.  Don't get me wrong, she still chews on things a lot....but she is showing interest in what the toys are doing.     

Things She Hates:  The doctor looking in her ears, anyone wearing a hat and strangers.  The stranger danger thing hit Anna Grace earlier than it did William!     

Mommy Stuff:  I'm down to pumping 3 times a day and having a hard time accepting the fact that our baby is almost a year old!  LOL      

Health:  Right after Anna Grace turned 10 months old she saw Neurosurgery for the 3rd time.  Unfortunately, her head didn't grown much in the 8 weeks between visits.  No growth means not much head shape change. BUT, the flat spot didn't get any flatter and the width of her head stayed the same.  Both of those are good things.  Since baby girl isn't crawling and lays on her head more than most kids her age the decision was made to leave the helmet on for another 6 weeks.  We have noticed that Anna Grace wants to sleep on her right side versus her back now.  Hopefully, when the helmet comes off we can keep her sleeping on her side/stomach instead of her back.  Also, right after her 10 month bday baby girl got a high fever and was wheezing.  She had to have blood work done, a CXR and breathing treatment.  Luckily, she was better within a few days.  We've had a lot of medical issues with AG, but I will say I'm so grateful that she's never had an ear infection or needed to be on antibiotics.  #itsthesmallthings    

If you know me, you know that I'm in full blown party planning mode!  I can't wait to celebrate you next month, sweet rainbow baby.

Anna Grace 9 months old

Sweet Anna Grace turned 9 months old while we were at Horseshoe Bay with my family.  It was her first trip to the lake!  Baby girl loved the boat rides.  I never did a 9 month post, :( but here is here 9 month photo collage.  This is the month she started to sit up on her own!  This meant she got to start participating in splash time at school on Tuesday and Thursday morning.  Water + Anna Grace = Happy Baby Girl.  xoxo

Anna Grace 8 months old

I forgot to post this 8 month update....better late than never!




Eating:  Anna Grace has continued to be an excellent eater!  Baby girl loves her food. :)  Up until she was 7.5 months old we were giving her food at lunch time and dinner time.  The week we were at the beach we started to do breakfast, lunch and dinner.  She usually nurses when she wakes up around 6 and then has 3 bottles at school and has one more bottle after dinner/before bed.   

Development:  Sometime after Anna Grace turned 7 months old she started rolling over both directions.  She is sitting up a lot better (but not completely on her own).  When she talks she can say dadada and bababa.  This big girl has TWO teeth now!!!  

Other:  At 7.5  months old Anna Grace went to the beach for her first time. She took lots of naps down at the beach and enjoyed our daily bike rides.  

I had to stop swaddling baby girl somewhere around 7 months old.  Her physical therapist said it wasn't recommended with torticollis.  I was sad because it helped her sleep so much better, but she has adjusted well.  

Things She Loves:  Bath time is still her favorite time.  When she hears the water come on she starts kicking and squealing.  She loves splashing in the tub.  She will just laugh and laugh.  Being thrown in the air is still a favorite as well.  Whenever she cries William will sing either Twinkle Twinkle to her or the ABCs.  Singing to her usually calms her right down (William is her favorite!).  Her favorite toy is her keys and she will chew on anything she can get in her mouth.  

Things She Hates:  She is still an easy going baby.  Tummy time is always a struggle and she tends to cry a lot during physical therapy.  But honestly, who can blame her!?!?  Her muscles are tight and all the stretching and exercising they have her do isn't comfortable/hurts.  

From The Doctor:  We haven't seen Anna Grace's PCP since her 6 month check up but we've seen a million other doctors in the last two months.  We have been busy.

Easter in West Texas

Since Easter was forever ago, and I've done a million and one things since then.....I can hardly remember what even went on over the weekend.  The day that we flew to Midland for Easter weekend was the day of Anna Grace's MRI of her brain.  Not a fun day.  They had a hard time getting an IV started on our poor baby girl, so she had to be stuck 3 times.  Since this is an area I really excel in as a nurse it came very close to me having to start her IV.  {insert crying emoji}  Luckily, one of my co-workers was able to help us out!  A few weeks later, I'm sad to say, I did have to poke our baby girl for some blood work that was needed.  I will say that we were happy to have the MRI behind us, and a long weekend in Midland ahead of us!  It was good timing to be in Midland with my family (aka help with the kiddos), so I could get phone calls made and emails sent regarding baby girl's health issues.

The Saturday before Easter we had the BEST time at the country club meeting the Easter bunny, doing face painting, eating lunch, watching a balloon artist and doing an egg hunt!  Watching William run after those eggs will be a memory I smile about for the rest of my life.    

Going to church on Easter Sunday, where I grew up, was just what my heart needed.  We are so very thankful for our children and the wonderful life God has given us.  To think that Jesus gave his life for us brings me to tears.  That we get to watch these sweet little people grow and learn is more than I could've ever asked for.  I always read things about people over using the hashtag #blessed.  But, it's the only way to put it.  Even when things have been scary with Anna Grace, and her future uncertain, we are so blessed to have her and William, just the way they are.  There really is nothing better than spending Easter with the people you love.

AGG 10 months old

The picture below pretty much sums up Anna Grace's life....."what the heck is going on with these people".  I'm pretty sure she thinks we are CrAzY!!!  But, let me tell you something, the love that these two kiddos have for each other is unreal.  I couldn't have asked for things to be more perfect between my babies.  Obviously, they won't always adore each other this much.  For now, I'm enjoying every single second of the love, kindness and toy sharing!

42 weeks old

Sweet William now calls Anna Grace his baby.  "Where's my baby"  "Why's my baby crying?"  "Awww, my baby's so cute!"  "It's okay, baby."  "I wanna kiss my baby."  Seriously.  Melt. My. Heart.  

This little love bug has continued to wrap us tighter and tighter around her little finger.  She is such a fighter with the BEST personality.  She could be the poster child for Duck Dynasty's "Happy, Happy, Happy".  She is seriously always smiling and happy!  Here's what our little lady has been up to.

41 weeks old

Weight:  19 pounds (up 3 pounds in 3 months) 

Eating:  Anna Grace still loves to eat.  She is eating food 3 times a day (still pureed) and drinks 5 six ounce bottles a day.  She loves eating puffs and mum mums (William wouldn't touch anything solid until after his first birthday)!  We've tried giving her solid food but she's not quite sure what she thinks.  I don't think she's come across a food she doesn't like.  She recently tried blueberries and apricots.  I'm still making her baby food, so I mix most fruits with a little banana (to help with the tartness).        

Development:  Right around her 10 month birthday two more teeth came in.  Anna Grace now has a total of 6 teeth (4 on top and 2 on bottom).  She can pick up her puffs and put them in her mouth, she is doing excellent sitting up by herself (she started doing this more around 9 months), she isn't crawling but can roll anywhere she needs to go! 

Clothes:  Size 3 diaper and 9-12 month size clothes.  This girl has some long legs (and chubby thighs!).  

Other:  We spent Anna Grace's first 4th of July in Midland.  The week after that she had her parents to herself for the first time ever (while William spent a week in Midland).     

Things She Loves:  Bath time is still her favorite.  This child loves being in water!  She just loves to splash, splash, splash.  Since she's able to sit up better now school is letting her do "splash day" two days a week.  They say she has the best time!  She still sees most toys as just another thing to chew on.  She cracks up laughing when you play peek a boo with her.  She has a stuffed animal giraffe that she really loves.  This girl also loves to jump!  She will stand on your lap and just hop, hop, hop.  The exersaucer has become a favorite too.  I'm pretty sure baby girl would rather go straight to walking and avoid crawling all together....sad for AG this is not what physical therapy wants.   

Things She Hates:  Physical therapy is not on Anna Grace's favorite list.  Since we moved her appointment time to the morning she has done better, but it's still a lot of work for her.  Every day she gets stronger but she has a long road ahead of her.  We are working on getting her into the crawling position and from there back to the sitting position.  Stretching her out and getting her to use her weak side are other areas/things that get worked on as well.

Anna Grace's little personality is really starting to come out.  Baby girl is very vocal about what she does not like.  We call her our little firecracker.  :)  William was always pretty laid back....this little lady has no problem telling us when she wants something done differently!  With that being said, she's still one of the happiest babies I've ever met (just has some spice to her!). 

Mommy Stuff:  Right around AG's 10 month bday my milk production decreased significantly.  I went from making 48 ounces to 18 ounces/day.  Still not sure what in the world happened.  My stress level could play a part in this?!?  Also, around this time Anna Grace stopped nursing (so all I've done is pump 4 times a day).  It's like one day she woke up and decided she just didn't want to do that anymore.  It definitely made this mama sad, but with 6 teeth it was probably for the best.  haha!  I still have my linea negra, but it has nearly faded away.   

Health:  Right after Anna Grace turned 9 months old we had a follow up visit with neurosurgery (who prescribed the helmet).  They re-scanned her head.  They then compare the before and after images and calculate measurements.  We saw great improvement over those 8 weeks, so they asked us to have her continue wearing the helmet for at least 6 more weeks.  Luckily, the helmet doesn't bother Anna Grace one bit.  She is a trooper.  At 9.5 months Anna Grace was admitted to the hospital for 48 hours of EEG observation.  Getting all those probes glued onto her head was NOT fun.  Getting them off wasn't too great either.  But, the in between went really well.  Anna Grace and I just laid around all day playing and staring at each other.  :)  We were in a room that was monitored 24/7 (audio and visual).  Since we were trying to catch her doing one of her "stare off spells" I literally never took my eyes off of her.  Unfortunately, baby girl never had a spell, so we still don't know what is going on.  On a good note she's been having the stare off spells a lot less over the last 3 months and there was no seizure activity found during her 48 hours of monitoring.  

Ready to G-O!

We still don't have many answers about what's going on with this sweet baby girl.  What we do know is.....it doesn't really matter.  We will always support her and help her in any way we need to.  No matter how much or little she can do.  She is a happy little baby girl that we all love to the moon and back.  Every day she gets a little stronger and learns something new.  We feel very happy with her progress, and are so grateful to live in a town with a wonderful children's hospital.  

Anna Grace, you are a breath of fresh air.  You make our hearts so happy.  I am forever grateful to The Man upstairs for giving me these TWO precious babies.  They are our world.  #bestillmyheart

Our big boy is FOUR

A lot has changed since this little guy turned 3!  He is the best big brother and such a little boy now.  His trucks can be found scattered in every single room and the day isn't over until we get a game of Hulk and Spiderman in.  He makes our days fun!

Height: Almost 40 inches (up 2 inches in 6 months) 37th %
Weight: 32 pounds (exactly the same as 6 months ago) 13th %
Blood Pressure: 94/50

Eating- Not much has changed in this category.  He has gotten a little more opinionated about what he eats.  If he eats something that's spicy he'll tell you it's "hot on me".  He now knows that eggs and hummus make his lips big and itchy.  He reminds us every weekend when we are cooking eggs. :)  His favorite foods are still the same (mac 'n cheese, cheese pizza, chicken nuggets from Chick Fil A, ham/cheese sandwich on Hawaiian bread and chips and cheese from any Mexican food restaurant).  Luckily, he still really loves vegetables!  I'd say green beans are the current favorite (and of course tomatoes).  His favorite fruits are watermelon and blueberries.  For breakfast he loves getting a sausage and cheese kolache from Shipley's.  On Sundays he loves making pancakes!  A "normal" breakfast is usually oatmeal or toast with peanut butter and honey (which he sometimes calls sauce).  

Sleeping-  This is pretty much the same too.  Unfortunately, we usually don't get him to sleep until 9:00 (due to our long work days).  On school days he's up at 6:00.  On the weekends he will lay in bed with us and sleep until 7 or 8.  He still randomly wakes up in the middle of the night and sneaks down to our room.  Nap time is still 12-2 (the day this ends will be a sad day).  He has started to tell us that his room scares him.  I knew that the "scared stage" was coming soon.  His BIG imagination doesn't help us in this situation.  
Development- William started going to what we call ABC school on Saturdays (about 6 months ago).  They are helping him learn the ABCs (sounds, how to write, read etc).  It also gives us something to work with him on every night.  I've noticed that instead of just playing along side other kids he is more interactive.  Every day he's learning something new!  Little gym ended this month, but we have continued with swim class and will put him in soccer and tee ball this fall.  I was feeling a little defeated about his progress in swim class until we went to the beach in May.  The little guy was a fish in the pool at our rental house.  He did such a good job swimming ALL. ON. HIS. OWN.    
Personality- Luckily, the shock of adding a human to our family has gone away.  William no longer screams, "Never!" at us, and the complete melt downs have decreased significantly!  He is still our little lover that is kind and gentle with his sister.  He loves his friends and really looks forward to school.  He has a love for music that makes my heart smile.  When driving in the car he'll tell us, "I like this song, turn up louder!"  He'll also let you know if he doesn't like a song.  :)  He doesn't like getting in trouble (even though he does daily, like you'd expect a toddler to).  He asks me everyday when I pick him up from school if he got a happy face.  It's important to him to make us and others proud (it's hard to ever stay upset with William for too long because you know he has a huge heart).                   
Clothing size- Shoes size 7 or 8 and 4T    
Things mommy loves- 
He amazes me everyday with his love for Anna Grace.  This kid can make me laugh in the saddest times (and this mama has had some worrisome days recently).  His ever growing imagination makes me smile and sometimes even laugh out loud (if you know us, you know about "Sparky" the cleaner/duster at school and William's crazy stories).  I love that when he takes a picture of me and Anna Grace he tells us to make a funny face.  Pretty much, I love everything about this little guy.      
Mommy stuff- William has continued to show patience when I'm doing "baby stuff" (pumping, changing diapers, making Anna Grace's baby food etc).  He has become such a good helper too!   
Things WJG loves-  William doesn't have a favorite show right now.....but has gotten into Tom and Jerry, Miles From Tomorrow Land and The Lion Guard.  
He still loves his popcorn and "movie" before bedtime.  
He loves playing hide and seek!  It's all fun 'n games when mama, daddy and William play together, but when he goes and hides on his own.....not good.  The kid can hide!  
He still loves superheroes.  Hulk is how we get him to eat all his meat at dinner time.    
He loves it when we order pizza, so he can answer the door and get the pizza box from the delivery driver.  :)
He's recently gotten really into his trucks.  He will drive them around the house for hours.  Play-doh is also a new favorite.  
Things WJG doesn't like-  Going to bed still isn't a favorite activity.  Once you get him in the bed, laying down, reading a book things get easier.  It's just getting him into the bed!  This kid would rather PLAY than sleep.  He does not like anything remotely spicy.  He's starting to tell me if he likes or dislikes a song on the radio (this always makes me LOL).        
Favorite Things To Say-  William loves to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to Anna Grace.  Whenever she cries William immediately starts singing this or the ABCs.  William's version of Twinkle Twinkle is "twinkle, twinkle little star upa upa..."
When you tell William something he doesn't like and/or want to do he'll say, "You not my friend no more, mama!"  (in my head I always think, yes sweetie I am not your friend, I am here to be your loving mama and teach you right from wrong!)  William will also throw in there that he's giving me a "sad face" for my mean actions.  LOL.  
When you pick him up at school he will proudly tell you, "I got a happy face!"  
He recently started saying things were weird.  haha.  I think he heard this at school.....William sees a funny looking vegetable: "That's weird, mama"  William hears thunder when he didn't expect to:  "That's weird, mama"
"No school today?"  (He usually asks this when I pick him up at school in the afternoon.  He is actually asking if he has school the next day, but hasn't gotten the today, tomorrow, yesterday things down yet)
William has recently gotten into dancing to "I Like To Move It" from Madagascar.  So cute and funny.  He will tell me, "Sing move it, mama."
William has continued to prove just how observant he is.  He will now impersonate me and the faces I give him (funniest thing I've ever seen!).  
Favorite Color: Red and Blue
Favorite Shape: Octagon
Favorite Animal: Horse and Cow (he really loves all animals)
When asked what his parents do for work:
Daddy- "When I get big, big, big I go to work with daddy and build a house." (a few weeks ago he also said he wanted to pull weeds with Gordon for work.  lol).
Mama- "Mama gives a shot."  

This little guy makes us laugh every single day.  He is such a sweet little boy, that has my heart forever.  Although ever single bit of baby is gone from William, I am loving watching his fun little personality grow.

Anna Grace 7 months old

It's hard to believe this sweet thing is 7 months old!  She has continued to be the happiest baby I've ever met.  Easy going, sweet, easy to please, happy, loves to smile and a little cuddle bug.  It doesn't get any better than this!  

This picture cracks me up!  She has the best little personality.  

I got this guys!

Ready for church.

Weight:  16 ish pounds 

Eating:  Little lady is still a great eater.  She eats food twice a day (once at school around lunch and dinner at home).  Over the last month she tried avacado, carrots, banana and sweet potatoes.  As of now, they are all her favorite. :)    

Development:  Baby girl got her first tooth right around her 7 month birthday!  I was shocked when I felt it coming in.  Her big brother was a year and a half before he got a tooth, so I wasn't expecting teeth so soon.  

Other:  Anna Grace celebrated her first Easter in Midland.  She met the Easter bunny and "went" on her first Easter egg hunt.  Once again, she did a great job on the flight to and from Midland.    

Things She Loves:  She fell in love with a set of play keys at my parents house.  This little lady will chew on anything and everything....these keys are the new favorite.  Sitting in her walker is also a new favorite thing.  Until now, she wasn't able to hold her head up enough to sit in these kinds of things.  I think she is happy to have some play time upright.  :)  

Things She Hates:  Tummy time is still at the top of this list.  

From The Doctor:  This is still a sensitive topic.  Month 6 to 7 was probably one of the most emotional months of my life.  One day I'll expand on this topic.  Over the last month baby girl was seen by a neurologist, had a MRI done, saw an ophthalmologist, got referred to a neuro-ophthalmologist and a neuro surgeon, she had an EEG done, urine tests done and had to have blood drawn twice (one of which this mama had to poke her for.....INSERT tears and lots of crying here).  Right before she turned 7 months old she had her physical therapy evaluation.  They confirmed her torticollis and recommended she be seen once a week for physical therapy.  To say we've been busy is an understatement!  With two parents working full time and running all over Houston for these appointments + just the normal life with our kiddos, we have been tired/emotionally drained, but feel so happy and blessed to have these two sweet angels in our life.         

Seriously.  It doesn't get any cuter than this.  She makes getting an EEG look adorable!

A sweet friend sent this to me during these crazy days:
Do not be discouraged by the fact that many of your prayers are yet unanswered.  Instead of letting difficulties draw you into worrying, try to view them as setting the scene for My glorious intervention.  Keep your eyes and your mind open to all that I am doing in your life.  

This baby girl is better than I could have ever imagined.  Before she was here it was hard to believe we could love another child as much as William.  I knew we would, but it was hard to wrap my head around.  Now she is here, and we ALL adore her.

Anna Grace's Baptism

Of all my memories, and favorite moments, watching our children be baptized is at the top of my the list.  Being raised going to church and having a love for God is one of the greatest gifts my parents have given me.  It's what keeps me hopeful, what keeps me grounded and, to be honest, it's what keeps me sane in this crazy thing that we call life!  Teaching our children to love God will always be our top priority.  So, celebrating this fabulous day with our friends and family is the BEST. DAY. EVER!

We started the day off at the church where Gordon and I were married in 2010 and where William was baptized in 2012.  Little Anna Grace did a great job.  She wasn't a huge fan of the cold water being poured on her head, but she recovered quickly and thought Father Walsh was pretty interesting.  Father Walsh is also the priest that married us 5 years ago.  It's kinda neat since baby girl was born on our 5th wedding anniversary.

Anna Grace is a special baby girl.  After having a miscarriage I prayed for peace, prayed that I could trust and not worry, and prayed that God would give us another little blessing.  Everything about her is perfect.  She has given us a lot of scares with her recent health issues, but we wouldn't change a single thing about her.  God made her just for us, and we all adore everything about her.

The Hattenbach Family  |  The Gooding Family  |  Mama and Daddy with baby girl  

Not too sure about this cold holy water  |  Baby girl just taking it all in  |  Papa and Nana 

Sweet baby girl  |  Picture with her Godparents  |  William rather hang out with Uncle G

After the baptism ceremony we headed to Rice Village for lunch at Punk's.  We couldn't have asked for better weather!  It was beautiful outside.  This location is extra special because it's one of Gordon's projects.  The kids loved playing in the open green area, the food was delicious and everyone got a tour of Daddy's recent work.  

Cousin love  |  Sweet face  |  Dressed in her mama's Feltman bubble

Three of the Gooding girls  |  A few of the guys  |  My favorite girls

I call this guy my honey bunny  |  Love some Rachel time  |  Hanging with Grandad  |  Dekkers!

After lunch we headed home for nap time and to get ready to party with our closest friends!  A few months ago, while we were eating at Dekker's, I grabbed the singers card.  I loved that he sang a little bit of everything....country and John Mayer....can't beat that!  Lucky for us, he was available on the night of Anna Grace's baptism celebration.  We had the best time with our friends hanging out outside playing games, watching the kids on the play set and listening to some live music!  After years of throwing parties I got smart and hired 2 babysitters to help us watch the kids.  Best. Decision. Ever.  The parents were able to have more fun, we were able to catch up with each other, and I honestly think the kids had more fun than normal.  :)  

February 27, 2016 is a day we will never forget.  Every part of the day was perfect!  William talked about how much fun he had for days.  He loves having all his friends over to play and eats up all the attention he gets when we have family in town.  Too bad we can't do it all again.  :)