Oh My! Where has the time gone?!?

Dear Billye,

Oops! I thought I was going to be good at this "keeping up with your Blog" thing, but I guess life with a Baby puts more things on the back burner :)

Today you are 7 1/2 months old. To me you are no longer a little itty, bitty baby, but now a little girl. You have become so much fun to watch and play with. Each day brings a new adventure and I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am.

Recently, you have been trying really hard to get yourself from laying down to sitting up. Those ab muscles are getting a workout! You can sit up very well on your own and you LOVE playing with anything around you.

Your Daddy and I know we are really lucky, and knock on wood each time we tell someone that you are a sleeper. We can put you down at 7:30 pm and know that we are going to get 12 hours of sleep from you. Hopefully this wonderful trend will continue.

As for eating, you are pretty much a fruit girl!! I have tried a few veggies and some meat, but you just gag or turn your head and refuse to eat. Your favorite foods are avacados, mangos, carrots, oatmeal, strawberries, yogurt, and bananas. You are getting really good at using your fingers to eat and you can get most of the food to your mouth---Oscar really enjoys it when the food makes it to the ground instead :)

You aren't crawling yet, but you are pretty good at getting around on the floor and in your crib. I know once you figure it out, you will be all over the place, and that is when my work really begins!

I can't believe that in just a few months you will be 1 year old. I am so excited to see what life brings and to experience many more moments with you.

"A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future."

Could it really be?? 3 Months old!!

Dear Billye,

You are now 3 months old. Amazing still how quickly the time flies, and it seems that so much has happened in the last month. You have reached some major milestones and your Daddy and I spent our first nights without you.

We left you with Nana for 4 nights while we went to Los Angeles. I have never experienced such mixed emotions. I was so excited for the vacation, yet so sad to leave you. While we were in LA not a minute went by that I didn't think of you. I began to understand what so many other mothers had told me about leaving their baby for the first time. It was hard!!

When we picked you up at Nana's house after our trip, you didn't even look like the same little girl we left. In 4 days you had changed so much. Your smile had grown so much, along with your head :)

In the last month, your cute personality has begun to emerge. When you pause during your feedings to look at me with a coy grin, I want to be mad and frustrated, but I just simply can't. You seem to be saying, "Hi, Mom. Does this make you mad? But if I smile, you can't be mad, right?" I already know we are in for trouble.

One other thing, you have become is a VERY active little girl. If you aren't sleeping, then you are constantly kicking your feet. I don't know if it was all that running I did when I was pregnant, or if it payback for my restless legs as a baby, but you sure do get your exercise (see video).

Every morning when I walk to your room, I know that when I look over you in your crib you are going to look up and smile. It melts my heart every time :) I look forward to every new day with you. Your Daddy and I are having so much fun getting to know and loving you. We can't wait to see what's in store!

Know that you are truly loved!!

Love you,
Momma

I can't believe you are 2 months old!

Dear Billye,

Today you are 2 months old. It is amazing how quickly time flies. It seems like just yesterday that we brought you home. The changes taking place within you and within me are unimaginable. You have given us that precious smile that all parents crave and you are beginning to coo and ahh. I swear sometimes you say "no", "yeah", or "hi". It won't be long before you are talking up a storm...just like your Daddy :)

In the 2 months that you have been alive, you have traveled to Dallas, Houston, and Jackson, MS. You are a great traveller!! The airplane was no big deal to you...it just put you right to sleep. I hope that all your exposure to so many places, people, and new things will help you develop a love for people and travel later on in life.

So far you look just like your Daddy. The other day you looked up at me and gave me a look that could have been taken straight from your Daddy. It took my breath away. I hope your beautiful, blue eyes stay blue and that the reddish tint in your hair is always there (your Aunt Lacy hopes so too).

I know in just a few months you will be sitting up, ohhing and ahhing, and becoming more and more precious. You are still a miracle to me in so many ways. The fact that you grew inside me, the fact that you can change so quickly from a newborn into a baby, and the fact that my Love for you can be so strong.

I look forward to all of our adventures...laughs and tears alike.

Know that you are truly loved.

Love,

Momma

First 6 Weeks

Dear Billye,

You have been in our lives for 6 weeks now. Each day I am still in awe that you are here. It is truly a miracle. I am amazed at how fast you grow and each day you seem different than the day before.

At this point, you really enjoy being awake. For the first few weeks you were either sleeping or awake and crying, but lately you will stay awake and look around. You have even started to smile at me when I catch your gaze and talk to you. It melts my heart!

Your favorite place is your swing. I don't know what I would do without your swing. I would never get any housework done, because if you aren't in your swing sleeping or looking around, you are fussy and crying to be held.

I know the crying will get less and less as the months go by, but to be honest it has gotten to the point where it no longer bothers me. I just love holding you and spending as much of my day with you as possible.

I can't wait to experience all the other milestones that are ahead.

Know that you are truly loved.

Love,

Momma

And....It's a Girl!!

On July 6, 2011, our much awaited Baby Mayer entered our world and stole our hearts. Billye Grace Mayer was born at 2:35 pm. She was 7 lbs, 7 oz, and 20.5 inches long. She is named after one of Garrett's favorite women, his grandmother. For all of you that thought "it" was a girl, you were right.

For the past 2 weeks we have spent our time getting to know Billye and enjoying every minute of her (even the crying and the lack of sleep). As I said in an earlier post about Garrett's Granddad, "Losing sleep over someone you love really isn't a loss." It is amazing how quickly you can fall in love with someone and in a way be excited for morning to come so that you can hold them and simply sit and stare at them.

In the past 2 weeks Billye has already grown so much and has begun to wake up. It is such a miracle that she is here and that she is ours :)

2 weeks until due date + kitchen remodel = we might be crazy!!

Two weeks from today Baby Mayer is scheduled to arrive. We know it could be sooner, like now, or later than July 1, but we know either way it is soon!!

So...what did we decide to do?? That's right, remodel our kitchen/front entryway!! Today our kitchen and living room are covered in a fine dust, all of the food from our pantry is stashed away in a box, and starting next week we are going to gut our kitchen!

We may be a little crazy, and this may not be ideal timing, BUT at least by mid-end July we will have a wonderful, new kitchen, pantry, and wet bar. I told Garrett that I didn't really plan on cooking until August anyways, so no kitchen shouldn't be too much of a pain :) We will have a refrigerator, microwave, and a sink to use...I think we can get by on that for the time being.

I will continue to post pictures of the remodel. Pictures of Baby Mayer are coming soon!!

Getting Ready: Baby Mayer's Nursery

Well, after a lot of work and a lot of decisions, Baby Mayer's nursery is pretty much complete. There are a few finishing touches that are on order, but none of them are a necessity. It was a lot harder to decorate a baby's room than I thought it would be. I think we tried over 10 different paint colors. There were many items that were bought and then returned and exchanged for something else. In the end, though, we are happy with the cozy room we have made for Baby Mayer. We can't wait for him/her to get here!!!! Check out the slide show of pictures to see what Baby Mayer's nursery looks like :)