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.  :)

A New Year

We said goodbye to 2015 with a super fun night at home, just the four of us.  2015 was such an awesome year.  It was the year we found out we were pregnant and going to have a baby girl, William turned 3, we had the best trip to the beach since we had William, we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on the same day we welcomed Anna Grace into the world, William saw snow for the first time, and we became a family of four!  It was an awesome year that will be hard to beat.    

We spent New Year's Eve cooking a yummy steak dinner and doing fireworks in the front yard.  William had the best time!  The fireworks were such a hit that we had some friends over the next night to do more.  I've never heard William say "again" so many times.
I pray that 2016 holds as many specials moments as 2015 did!

My Boy

Sweet baby girl gets lots of posts since she's so young......but believe me, our not so baby boy still gets a LOT of attention.  I'll be doing a 4 year old post soon.  {insert a lot of tears! how is he so old}  This little guy loves playing outside.  He would stay at the playground all day long if you'd let him.  We love going on walks together and he's my little baking helper!  

We may not get the same one on one time we did before Anna Grace was born, but we make time for FUN!

Anna Grace 6 Months Old

It's hard to believe Anna Grace is already 1/2 year old.  Every day with her is a happy day.  We feel so blessed to call her ours.  God sure knew what he was doing when he sent her to us. William is the best big brother and Gordon is turning into a fabulous daddy of a princess!

Weight:  15 pounds 5 ounces (34th percentile) up 3 lbs in 2 months
Height: 26.5 inches (76th percentile) up 1.5 inches in 2 months
Head: 40 centimeters (3rd percentile)

Eating:  The week Anna Grace turned 6 months old we started giving her cereal.  Unlike William, she knew just what to do what the spoon and food.  :)  I'd noticed that she'd become much more interested in what we were eating during meals.  So, it's not much of a surprise that she was a happy girl when she got some food!  After a few days of the cereal we gave her squash!  So far so good.  Anna Grace either has a 6 oz bottle when she wakes up around 6 or I nurse her.  She usually has 3-4 six oz bottles at school and then eats once more when we get home, before bedtime.     

Development:  Baby girl can move toys from one hand to another and although she doesn't babble much she has done it....I'm thinking she's like her dad, only talks when he needs to.  A week after she turned 6 months she rolled over from stomach to back.  I honestly don't think she'll ever roll over the other direction.  She absolutely hates being on her stomach.

Other:  Anna Grace was baptized at the end of February!  We had a great weekend celebrating her with our closest friends and family.  She also got to go to the rodeo carnival for the first time.  :)

Things She Loves:  She still gets swaddled at bedtime and sleeps like a champ 95% of the time.  She loves looking at mirrors and still adores her brother.  She will laugh hysterically if you kiss her belly or throw her in the air.  She also loves watching the older kids playing.

Things She Hates:  Besides tummy time there really isn't anything.  She definitely likes me the most but Gordon is starting to win her over.  This sweet little baby only cries if she is tired or hungry.  

From The Doctor:  I can't say that Anna Grace enjoyed her 6 month check up too much.  Poor baby hated the shots and wasn't a fan of the ear and mouth exam.  As I've suspected for a while, baby girl has torticollis.  We finally got a referral to see physical therapy and to see a specialist about baby girl's sweet little noggin.  Anna Grace has a few challenges ahead of her, but we are in the best town, with the best children's hospital, to get her what she needs!

Every, Single, Day,  This little girl amazes us.  She is a happy, lovable, cuddly, strong little fighter.

This quote has never meant more to me than it does now.....LET HER SLEEP FOR WHEN SHE WAKES, SHE WILL MOVE MOUNTAINS.