Folloder Forum

MIA

2011-05-16T04:17:00.002-05:00

So, you may be wondering where we have gone. Well, I've never been the avid blogger, but we've been missing for awhile. Our desktop computer crashed just over a month ago. I got a laptop a few weeks later, but we are still in the process of figuring out how to save pictures, etc. and are recovering files off of the desktop computer. It is a tedious undertaking that I will not be doing, but Clay and his friend, Nathan will be doing. Hopefully soon I will upload pictures and be able to update you all on how we are doing!

Jemma Happenings

2011-03-01T13:38:00.005-06:00

We are learning about how to adjust to life with an independent toddler around here. Jemma's on the move constantly and asserting herself much more. We are constantly praying for wisdom with discipline and have along list of books to read. She tests boundaries every day! The only form of discipline that has worked thus far is spanking. She typically stops what she's doing and respects our authority when we spank, so this is the best method for her. It's sometimes hard to know when she's being disobedient or acting her age, but this is when God's wisdom comes in handy!

Latest pics of the little lady:

Dressed up in a tutu for Aunt Courtney's birthday! It's really difficult to chase a toddler around with a camera and get good pictures.

She likes to crawl in the dog cage with Roscoe & he doesn't mind the attention at all!

She opens and shuts the door all by herself!

Bathtime is one of her favorite activities.

Our little rock star!

Jem's first fat lip. Poor baby fell out of her PB toddler chair. Luckily, it didn't stay puffed up long and was gone by the next day.

Licking the ice pack.

She LOVES green smoothies! She downed this one that had spinach, beets, parsnips, blueberries, and carrots in it! It actually tasted pretty good.

Bath Toy Explosion

2011-02-14T13:44:00.003-06:00

Jemma's bathroom was starting to look like a bomb full of bath toys had exploded in there. I'm sure you can relate. Our frog toy holder just didn't cut it. I found the tutorial for making a bath toy storage bag on www.makeit-loveit.com . There are so many great tutorials on this site to be inspired by. I didn't use the exact tutorial to make this, but was inspired by it. I used a mesh material, so that the toys will air out. I only serged the inside seams and used the edging of the mesh as the top of the bag, so that it doesn't fray. Instead of attaching it to suction cups, which you could also do, I just made the ribbon loops big enough to slip over the frog's toes. I'm wishing I could move the frog up on the wall now that there is a bag hanging really low below it, but it's securely fastened to the wall and isn't going anywhere!

Ribbon trim I attached to make it more attractive.

My Little Reader

2011-02-14T13:42:00.005-06:00

Jemma LOVES to "read" books. She has even started to climb in her rocker and read to herself. I love the bookcase in her room, but it was a bit wobbly and unsteady. It has found a new place in our home. I've already started planning the decor for Jemma's toddler room too, so replacing her bookcase is the kick-start to transforming her room. It may seem early, but I like to simmer on ideas for a long time before taking action. I'd like to brighten up her room with teals, reds, pinks, and yellows to better fit her energetic personality. Maybe a light teal color on the wall, mommy-made toddler bedding and pillows, and some other fun/inexpensive decor stuff. I love her "baby" room, but she's so vivacious! I want to decorate her room to reflect her personality more. Well, Granmommy gifted Jemma with a beautiful, new bookcase for Valentine's Day!

Jemma's former bookcase, behind the rocker.

The new bookcase. Jemma's standing in the drawer that fits below the shelves.

Doesn't it match her room so well!

Of course, Jemma sat inside the drawer to read her book. Silly girl.

2011-02-14T13:40:00.005-06:00

Jemma has been working on mastering the spork when eating for awhile now. I've been feeding her yogurt myself, but thought I'd let her give it a go the other day. She's always been quite a messy eater, which is partly my doing because I've always let her feed herself as much as possible. She's fiercely independent, for the most part, so she's enjoyed this. She liked eating the yogurt herself, but most of it ended up down her bib and all over her mouth. I intervened before it got much messier. Here's evidence of Jemma's attempt at independently eating yogurt, or "ogur" as she calls it:

Yummy!

Sewing Baby Stuff

2011-02-09T17:28:00.005-06:00

I've been working on a few big projects lately I thought I'd share.

My mother-in-law, Jody, wanted a baby blanket for childhood/adulthood best friend's daughter's baby. She picked out this colorful Noah's Ark panel and I topstitched the piece, added a soft pink minky on the back, and a silk binding around the edge. The baby is going to love all the animals!

To create the stitching pattern I started with the arch of the rainbow and then created other arches. It was a lot of work, but was totally worth it!

This is a baby gift for a friend of mine. I will start selling baby gift collections on Etsy like this one.

This is a carseat cover for a friend of mine. I just can't get enough of Michael Miller's modern guitar's collection!

Isn't Kellen delightful! He's always smiling so big.

16 Months and Some

2011-02-08T13:16:00.005-06:00

Jemma is growing into her own little person more and more each day. I've nicknamed her my "Cinnamon Spice" because she is just that. She is feisty, energetic, independent, thoughtful, and has a great will. These will all be great attributes one day when she's grown, I just need to stay one step ahead right now! I've pictured some highlights of Jemma at this age below:

She is very attached to her Daddy in the mornings and cries when he leaves to go to work. It's sad and quite cute at the same time.

I caught her "sharing" her milk with baby Jesus. Probably one of my favorite things she's done. She carries him around like a little baby on her chest.

She LOVES to fly through the air. She likes to be an airplane (pictured above), swung around in a circle, hung & swung upside down, thrown high in the air, and jumped up and down by her arms (I call this moon walking b/c I jump her around weightlessly like she's on the moon).

That would be a dog bowl. I caught Jemma putting her snacks in the dog bowl and eating from the dog bowl. Hilarious & gross!

After lunch and before nap she's pretty tired and often goes to read books in her room. She likes to climb in her rocking chair and look at the books. Her room constantly has books all over the place.

The girl may not have much hair now, but it sure is wild already. This is her hair after waking from her nap. It's definitely curly!

Birthday Gifts

2011-02-02T18:10:00.006-06:00

We've had a few birthdays recently, so I put my sewing skills to the test and made some new clothing items. I've been making clothes for Jemma for the Spring/Summer and I just love coordinating fun fabrics to make one-of-a-kind pieces. I'll post pictures later of her clothes.

Isla, our niece, turned 2. Here's the dress I made for her. I think this would look really cute with pink leggings!?!

I appliqued flowers on the side.

It buttons down the back.

Gotta have fun pink lining!

Sammy Sue, our niece, turned three. Every little girl needs a pair of fun ruffle pants! I can't wait til Jemma fits into size 2 so I can make these for her. I might even try to create a pair of linen ruffle shorts for summertime.

Applique butterfly.

Noah, our nephew and Sammy's twin, turned three as well. Their party was a rock and roll theme, so I thought Michael Miller guitar lounge outfit was appropriate for him.

Cover Your Little One in Hugs & Kisses!

2011-01-26T13:44:00.010-06:00

It's a bit late, but I had a few people ask, so I decided to make Valentine's Day shirts. I've already been asked about Easter shirts, so I'm going to start working on a design now. Making these shirts is to raise money for all the start up costs associated with beginning JemmaKay, my mini-business. My friend Kelley Ramsey, a graphic designer, is working on a logo that I will have printed on business cards, fabric labels, and cards. I'm waiting on my tax ID to come in the mail as well. I was a bit eager in my estimation of how much time it would take to start my business, but a more realistic opening of my online shop is beginning of April. Even then it will include a small selection, but I'm open to custom orders!

For the Valentine's Day shirts I'll be taking orders until February 3rd, only for a week. I'll also get the shirts faster to you, whether it's at church, playgroup, around Houston, or mailed. They are $15 each. If you need your shirt shipped, it is an additional $3 for the first item & an additional $1 for additional items.

I was unsatisfied with the fit & quality of the shirts last time, so these shirts are higher quality, with a better fit. Toddler sizes: 12M, 18M, 2T, 3T, 4T, & 5T (Target brand). Infant sizes: 0-3M, 3-6M, 6-12M (Just One Year brand). There is a boy & girl version.

To order shoot me an email at kkfolloder@gmail.com or send me a text. The faster you contact me about making a shirt, the quicker it will get to you!

Girl Valentine's Day shirt.

Boy's Valentine's Day shirt

RSV & Ear Infection

2011-01-25T07:44:00.031-06:00

Jemma came down with RSV a few weeks ago and an ear infection. What looked like a cold for a few days, while we were in Bolivar, turned out to be the respiratory virus RSV. We noticed that it was affecting her breathing when we were driving back from Bolivar and her breaths seemed really labored and she was really uncomfortable. We went straight to Granmommy's, Clay's mom's, house to check her out since she's a nurse. Jemma was so lethargic, which is not ever normal for her, and she was breathing 44 breaths per minute, which is fast for a little one. Instead of waiting it out until Monday, we just took her into the ER. They diagnosed her with RSV, gave her breathing treatments and a popsicle and we were out the doors within a few hours. We gave her breathing treatments every 6 hours, which worked like magic! However, it made her pretty wired.

The first few nights she cried almost all night in bed with us, it was so sad to see her in so much pain. At our follow up visit with her doctors a few days later they found the ear infection. The ear infection was rough. She was fighting 103 fevers, which reached 103.6 at one time, and was uncomfortable even with Tylenol and Motrin. On top of it all I got sick as well. Apparently adults can catch RSV, it's just not as serious. Well, this was Jemma's first time being really sick, other than the typical cold. I didn't take much pictures at all since this isn't one of those times you want to remember real well.

Uncle Justin even came to the ER to help Jemma feel better.

She was a champ and tolerated the breathing treatments well!

GiGi even came down for a few days to help out and it was much needed. We ate really well while she was here as always!

Boliver

2011-01-25T07:44:00.027-06:00

We spent a weekend in Bolivar with our good friends Jeff and Debby Crain, and their little one, Avonlea, who is 7 months old. We spent the weekend relaxing, playing games, and talking. It was a much needed get away! Debby got a lot more pictures than I did, so I will post them once I get copies.

Getting ready to leave. This is evidence that Jemma can go from happy to sad to sleeping in a matter of seconds.

First two pictures, happy and making faces with Daddy.

Third picture, frustrated with her shoelaces.

Fourth picture, resting on Daddy. When she's tires, sometimes, she just doesn't know how she feels.

Reading together.

They really played well together over the weekend. For little ones around their ages, it's not real often that they really interact with one another, besides taking toys. Unfortunately, what we thought was just a cold turned out to be RSV that Jemma had. So this is evidence of Jemma "sharing" her RSV with Avonlea. They both had rough weeks following this weekend.

Jemma's "fish" face. It's one of the cutest animals she does.

Clay and baby Avonlea.

Avonlea in her gnome hat, ready for the cold weather.

Flipping around with Daddy.

Taking a breather with the thumb.

Precious Avonlea.

Playing with a hat on Uncle Jeff.

She found the plunger and played with it around the house. It looked brand new and had unused rolls of toilet paper on it.

Thumb sucking + car moving = sleeping

Awake and ready to go crabbing!

The crab we caught!

Playing in the sea shells, a fascinating new toy!

Tired baby girl after a long day.

Relaxing with Uncle Jeff

Family & Other Random Pics

2011-01-25T07:43:00.010-06:00

We spent a ton of time with family over the holidays and the beginning of January. It was a blast. Here are some random pics from the past few weeks:

We hung out with the Garriga's for a game night. Isla wearing her daddy's, Jan's, fire helmet.

Jemma wasn't into it as much.

So cute watching a cartoon and snuggling together.

Clay with his crazy kiddos, Aidan & Ryleigh.

This picture totally captures Isla!

We also spent a lot of time at Granmommy's with Courtney, Justin, & Tina. Here Jemma's cuddling with Uncle Justin, who is definitely one of her favorite people!

Supporting TCU as the played in the Rose Bowl. GO FROGS! You all know this was the only TCU football game that I watched this season. I'm not much of a sports watcher.

The week following Christmas, Jemma was literally exhausted. For the first time she fell asleep while eating lunch. This was a first!

Jemma's loves to crawl inside of things, especially her toy basket. I used to climb inside of things a lot when I was little too, apparently. There are a lot of things Jemma does that I used to do!

Outside a restaurant in the Woodlands with GiGi and Grandaddy. The water shows were amazing and coordinated with music.

Our fearless baby walked across the water spouts for 10 minutes. She loved it and eventually decided to stop when she got squirted in the face pretty good!

Walking under the water.

We forgot her pajamas at Granmommy's one night, so Jemma borrowed Aunt Courtney's "Little Miss Trouble" shirt. The shirt says it all!

That would be a dog toy. I know, Yuck!

Jemma's bunny jacket. It's just too adorable.

Isla's second birthday party. It was a cute garden party theme with flowers and butterflies everywhere.

Uncle Justin and Aunt Courtney.

Zoo

2011-01-25T07:43:00.009-06:00

We took our nieces, Ryleigh and Isla, and our nephew, Aidan, to the zoo beginning of January. They had a blast, and loved checking out the new African animal exhibit!

Isla & Clay

Ryleigh, Jemma, & Aidan

The best picture we could get with all kids! It was tough!

Aidan & Ryleigh were AMAZING helpers!

Snack time for the little ones.

Obviously not a real rhino.

Carousel

The petting zoo was a big hit with the little ones. Isla was fearless with the animals and approached them with ease. Jemma held her hands behind her back most of the time and slowly warmed up to touching the animals, which is polar opposite of her fearlessness with almost everything else!

Go Jemma!

Isla in her element with the animals.

My little prairie dogs!

It appeared as though the big cats were sedated, but like all cats they were probably just napping in the sun.

It's good to know that Clay can handle two babies at once!

Sweet siblings.

Last stop the reptiles. The big kids favorite!

The new aquarium was AWESOME!

Climbing through a tunnel within the aquarium.

Homemade Christmas

2010-12-30T09:34:00.012-06:00

We made all of our Christmas gifts this year, which made for a very busy few weeks leading up to Christmas!

Clay working on Jemma's gift, a kitchenette. We got the tutorial on how to make it off of Ana White's website, which is full of tutorials on how to make all sorts of furniture. Clay's got a lot of projects lined up.

Painting it.

Isn't it beautiful unpainted. I'm so proud of his woodworking abilities!

Showing Jemma how to work the oven door.

Clay splurged and spent an extra $10 on the faucet, because he wanted Jemma to have one that said "Hot" & "Cold" on the handles. I sewed the ruffle curtain.

Playing with her kitchenette accessories at home.

I made Peace & Joy dishtowels for a few family & friends. After making all of them I realized I should have sewn the bobble trim between the fabric and the dishtowel. So, if yours falls off I'll gladly replace it. Sometimes it's trial and error with sewing!

My brother went to Israel this past year, so I used pictures from his travels to make travertine coasters. I got the idea off of The Gaines Gang blog. I couldn't get a good picture because of the slight sheen on the coasters. The detail of the pictures is amazing!

Christmas aprons! My mom's turned out better than mine, I think the gold ric rac kept the edging from curling. Look for these on my etsy shop! Or just ask me to sew one for you!

These are some pics of us playing with Jemma outside. She's wearing the red pea coat I sewed for her. She's such a thrill-seeker! Spinning around & around & being thrown up in the air!

Love those little curly piggies!

The Big Picture

2010-12-29T16:55:00.036-06:00

Christmas this year was great. We are so excited for next year, because we will be able to celebrate more with Jemma the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ. It is central to our beliefs and it paves the way to Jesus' death and resurrection. This year we brainstormed all the ways to add more Christ into our Christmas for next year. We started this year by getting her the Little People nativity set. She loved throwing them and kidnapping baby Jesus. Every time I ask her where baby Jesus was she would say "moo moo," because baby Jesus was next to the cow. Well, we have to meet her at her 15 month old level. We would sit her down and use the people in the nativity to tell her the story of Jesus's birth. She was captivated by it. I have felt no greater joy than sharing Christ with my baby girl. God sent His son to earth humbly in a manger, not high & lofty like the King He was, to ultimately die for her sins & your sins. Because He loves us so much. I long to be the parent that shares Christ with Jemma every day through my actions and words being drenched in His love and mercy. This is the big picture for us.

Well, we spent a lot of time with family over the weekend of Christmas. There was a lot of gift-giving and receiving. And a lot of great time spent together. We love our families and wouldn't trade precious time with them for anything!

Here are a ridiculous amount of pictures! Enjoy!

Jemma decked out in Santa gear eating. It's so cute every time she sees Santa she says "ho ho ho."

Cuddles with GiGi.

We spin Jemma around all the time! She loves it!

Before Christmas Eve service.

Our sweet little present.

Jemma clenching her fists and making a silly face. This is the EXACT same expression Clay used to do as a baby around this age. There's proof on video. I saw her doing it one day at home and thought I'd seen it before and remembered the videos of Clay when he was a baby. Freaky!

She loves to go in Wrigley's cage and shuts the door herself.

Monkeys jumping on the bed, one of Jemma's favorite games! Christmas morning Brendan woke us up...this never happens. We usually end up having the dogs pounce on him to wake him.

The hat didn't stay on long.

Frame-worthy

Love them squishy cheeks!

The kitchenette her Daddy built her! Yes, he build it from scratch! He's a man's man!!!

It's beautiful! I'll post pictures of all the elbow grease put into it soon.

The apron I made my mom. She loved it & wants me to make more! Maybe you'll see one on my Etsy shop soon.

Her obsession, Baby Alive. My little mini-Mommy.

Another awkward sleeping picture to add to my collection. She pooped out in the middle of opening presents.

Sink baths are the best!

What sound does a monkey make? "Ooo Ooo Ooo"

Uncle Dan was smitten with Jemma. She would ask him "up!?!" to sit in his lap. Precious.

Eating with a fork. She loves it.

We've moved to Christmas with Granmommy. A hilarious vampire passie.

She loves "na na."

A "Hug-a-Bible." It's great cause the pages are cardboard and it is mostly pictures. So toddler-friendly!

Sometimes in the middle of playing, Jemma will plop on the ground and rest for a second.

She adores Uncle Mike.

Granmommy!

So tired.

Now we've moved to Big Daddy and Granny's Christmas. Jemma had sooooo much fun playing with her cousins!!!

Rio jamming out to his electric guitar. Jemma was such a groupie.

Rio the Rockstar!!!

Uncle Jan & Ryleigh

Ryleigh & me!

Afternoon Naps

2010-12-21T14:44:00.004-06:00

So, I have a weird qwirk for funny pictures of Clay sleeping. I've taken lots of pictures of Clay sleeping. It sounds weird, but he has a tendency to fall asleep almost everywhere. He's got the gift of being able to sleep anywhere and typically with his mouth wide open and snoring! I marvel at this because I do not have the gift. Anyway, this afternoon while I was trying to pack Jemma for our trip to my parent's house Clay watched Jemma, and they both fell asleep watching a video. They were cuddled so cute together, so I had to take a picture. So here begins the awkward pictures of Jemma sleeping:

Catching Flies

2010-12-20T12:16:00.003-06:00

We were running errands today and Jemma fell asleep before lunch in the car. I sat her in her Pottery Barn chair when we got home thinking she would wake up in a few minutes. Nope, she's napping away. I just can't bring myself to waking her up, she looks too cozy and cute. I can kiss goodbye a good afternoon nap and my Christmas productivity.

Just a Few Projects

2010-12-17T10:37:00.009-06:00

I realized we needed to spiff up our master bedroom when we put more effort, time, and money into Jemma's room. I found a beautiful headboard & dresser at Roundtop, I go every year to the flea market/antique show each year with my mom. I'm in love with the curves and wood detailing.

This is a before picture of the headboard. Clay has begun sanding the left side of it. I have a white linen I'm going to reupholster it with. We aren't really using a tutorial for this, just figuring it out as we go, so wish me luck! The dresser was painted with the yellow and gold, and had red accents with ornate gold flowers on it. Not my style, so I white washed it and made it look weathered. I didn't take a before picture, so I'll post a picture when I'm completely done with it.

I'm starting to get into sewing clothes for Jemma. I bought some patterns on etsy and made Jemma a pleated corduroy skirt and red peacoat. I went to Hancocks yesterday because they were having a 50% off sale on most of the cotton prints, so I took my patterns and have planned some of her spring/summer wardrobe pieces. Each bag below represents a clothing item. I'm so excited! I'll definitely post pics.

I made a crayon/paper holder for Jemma for Christmas last night. I just need more toys in my "bag of tricks" for when we're at a restaurant or out and about. She's begun to color and just loves it! I found a tutorial at Just Another Hangup. I put a button closure on Jemma's instead of the handles, I added the pink metallic ric rac around the edges, and I appliqued her name on it. It's so girly and fun! I was thinking about selling these. Would you buy one?

Clay's also building, yes I said building, a kitchenette for Jemma. It's going to be awesome! I'll post pics after Christmas!

Mine looks a little messed up around the crayons, because I have the toddler size crayons in it, instead of the regular kind. I could always make the crayon slips bigger next time.

Jemma's having a lazy day hanging around our house. It's alright with me cause I'm expending enough energy for both of us!

Etsy Shop Kick-Off: Pink & Red Chrismas Tree Shirts

2010-12-06T14:37:00.003-06:00

Christmas is only 3 weeks away! If you are interested in a more modern Chrismas look, then this green tee shirt with a red & pink Chrismas tree is for you. It is also only $15! The sizing options and red shirt option are in the post below this.

Support the opening of my Etsy shop by purchasing a shirt!

Etsy Shop Kick-Off: Christmas Tree Tee-Shirts

2010-11-27T13:29:00.004-06:00

For those of you who don't know, I've been planning to open my own Etsy shop in the next few months. I've been selling and sewing baby burp cloths, bibs, applique onesies/tee shirts, jingle toys, dolls, stuffed toys, few clothing items, and silky blankets for friends and family. I haven't opened my shop yet, because I want to build some revenue to buy business cards and clothing tag labels. It's been hard to find the right timing to do this while balancing being a stay-at-home mom, housekeeper, cook, and seamstress. I've thoroughly enjoyed making the items I've given as gifts or sold to friends and family, because there is so much love and hard work that goes into every single item I create. I'm inspired by working with various fabric designs and textures. I take so much pleasure in making one of a kind items and look forward to opening my own shop!

To kick start my mini-shop I am selling girl's Christmas tree tee shirts or onesies for $15. I will ship it the day after you contact me for an additional $3 or I can meet you at church or elsewhere when convenient. Contact me at kkfolloder@gmail.com

The Christmas tree is sewn out of designer Michael Miller material. There is another color option of a green shirt with similar red and pink Michael Miller material. I will post pictures as soon as I sew it. If you have a little boy and are wanting a more boyish/masculine design I will be working ona design, so contact me if you're interested.

The sizing is toddler 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, 3T, 4T, and 5T. I can also make either Christmas tree colors on white long sleeved onesies sizes newborn, 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months, and 12 months. There is a limited quantity because I have a limited amount of material, so order yours today!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T04:00:00.005-05:00

Jemma was a flower for Halloween! I made most of the costume. The tutu was a gift for her birthday. I bought the green t-shirt from Walmart and sewed ric rac on as a vine and leaves out of leftover material. The leggings were made out of women's knee highs. The hat was an old pink t-shirt of mine that I made using a tutorial off of Sew Liberated and then I looped and sewed ribbon to make it look like the leaves of the flower. It was such an easy and very affordable project...the total was around $8 to make! We went to the Fall Festival at our church the Saturday before Halloween for some fun. Here are some pics from our day:

Ruffle Bum!

Jumping on the bouncy jump room. She loved it...can you tell?

Big Daddy

Jumping!

Cousins: Ryleigh, Jemma, Isla, & Aidan

Lots of tutu!

Playing with Big Daddy's shiny head.

Baby Laurel as a football, which went with her brother's costume, an Aggie football player.

Ally with Laurel (football), Becky with Karis (kitten), Kat with Jemma (flower)

Boo at the Zoo

2010-10-31T04:30:00.002-05:00

In the spirit of Halloween we went to Boo at the Zoo with some of the moms from Veritas, our Sunday School class. They had a pumpkin patch and tricker treating and other fun Halloween type activities. I just know this is going to get more and more fun each year!

Of course she had to taste her pumpkin to make sure it was the right one.

Yep. It's a winner!

Micah Saxe and Jemma hugging. It was adorable.

They just stood there for like 5 seconds.

Left to right: Kat & Jemma, Tiffany & Ashton, Ally & Laurel, Archer, Karen & Joshua, Klaira, Brandi & Luke, Avery & Micah

Go Navy

2010-10-30T04:56:00.000-05:00

In case you didn't get the memo my family is big Navy fans. My grandfather (dad's side) was a rear-admiral in the Navy, my dad is a retired captain, and my brother Trevor is a nuclear reactor engineer in the Navy. Trevor just got stationed in San Diego, California and stopped by for a week on his way. He got Jemma a Navy cheerleader costume for her birthday.

Clay giving her a drink of water.

Navy girl

Exploring the empty lot across the street from my parent's house.

Uncle Trevor

Grandaddy

Video games with Uncle Trevor.

Riding on the boat.

She manages to fall asleep on most boat rides. Love her cubby little face.

Look Whoooo's so Cute...

2010-10-23T17:47:00.003-05:00

So I made an owl applique tee shirt for Jemma for the Fall today. I just love making things for her, especially affordable and ridiculously cute clothes! I bought a toddler boys tee shirt from Walmart for $3 and used leftover scrap material to make the owl. I also made her baby leggings from women's knee socks. Target has some fabulous socks for $1-$2...what a steal! I've made 3 pairs for her already and plan to make a few more. Check out my Fall cutie:

Close up.

James

2010-10-22T08:51:00.002-05:00

So I haven't meant to do so many personal posts recently, I just feel like sharing. I've been reading my way through James, very, very slowly. I get maybe a paragraph a day in The Message. I feel a bit slapped around by conviction, but it's been great. I find the words sticking in my mind throughout the day and breathing wisdom into my life and situations. Today knocked me off my feet a bit and I might just stay here for a few days. James 4:7-10 (The Message):

"So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, real serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet."

Wow! I can look back at specific places in my life where reading this passage would have knocked me out. Even today, I feel knocked over. God's word is so powerful.

Replace My Pity-Party with Praise

2010-10-21T06:10:00.003-05:00

I found myself having a full-on pity-party last night. I desire something, something great, but it's just not happening the way I want it to or as quick as I would like. I found myself feeling sorry for myself and wondering why God hasn't blessed me with this "thing" yet. Well, in my self-absorption and pity I was miserable...of course. God woke me up bright and early at 4:30 this morning, he sure has a way of doing that when he means business about something! I started to unload all my frustrations, hurts, etc about this "thing" I've been desiring. I turned on my ipod and began to play my music and up popped the song "Blessed Be Your Name." Oh my, this is exactly what I needed to put my heart in the right place. It's amazing how praising Jesus during struggles, disappointment, pain, etc can change my whole perspective. The words of the song read:

"Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing Your pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkenss closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
Whe the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord blessed be Your name"

This is my lifesong. So humbling.

Little Piggies

2010-10-18T20:17:00.003-05:00

I got creative with Jemma's sweet baby curls and made little piggies! Aren't they the cutest!?! I'm so glad I can style her hair now.

Thumb Sucker

2010-10-17T17:02:00.002-05:00

So it is no secret to many of you that we have had lots of trouble getting Jemma to sleep through the night. She's been Baby-Wised and Ferberized to the max. The girl can go to sleep fine for naps and bedtime it's keeping her that way that is the trouble. She has been waking up at night screaming, like she's in pain. We are in the midst of talking to some healthcare professionals in natural medicine to help us figure this out. But in the past few days Jemma has slept better and she has begun to suck her thumb! We've been trying to get her to do this for 9 months!!! I think it started with her molars emerging because she had her fingers in her mouth so much that she started to soothe herself more. She took a 2 HOUR nap today...this hasn't happened in 6 months. She also slept through the night without a peep two nights ago, which has only happened maybe 5 times since she was 3 months old. We were worried cause she was actually quiet for 12 hours. Anyway, we aren't trying to get overexcited, but we think this may be a breakthrough!

Big Birthday Girl

2010-10-17T15:26:00.004-05:00

Our baby girl is ONE! She's still our "baby" even though she's toddling about and quite busy. Clay was able to take off work and we headed to the Houston Zoo for the first time. However, we didn't take any pictures at the zoo, just tons of video. Here are some pics from her actual birthday:

Mommy's & Daddy's gifts and her first birthday cake.

We had to help her dig in because the giant cupcake was too overwhelming at first.

The doll I sewed for her.

Giving her doll kisses.

Daddy gave her a framed naked baby picture of herself...a Folloder/Katz family tradition.

Good Morning

2010-10-14T08:58:00.002-05:00

Jemma & I are both morning girls. Jem is happiest in the mornings & loves breakfast time:

Eggs & goat cheese. YUM!

The "Cheese" face!

Cutest Little Pumpkin

2010-10-13T15:47:00.003-05:00

Gotta love all the cute Fall/Halloween clothes out! Jemma's Gigi gave her this cute outfit!

Yum...grass.

Clapping

Walking! I think this is right before she ate it.

Diaper Freedom!!!!!

2010-10-11T15:56:00.003-05:00

The girl removed her diaper today! Not for the first time, but I have just kept pants on her to keep the temptation away. Well today we went to the zoo, she took a nap and woke up with hives. So, I'm watching her spotches and need to keep her in just a diaper.

She was quite amused with her cleverness.

Naked baby bum...so cute.

She may not have much hair, but she sure can wake up with some serious bed head!

Fall Weather!?!

2010-10-08T11:16:00.002-05:00

The weather has actually stayed pretty cool this past week, which means Jemma has gotten to wear her Fall clothes & accessories!

Her hat & scarf were knit by her Great Aunt DeDe (my Aunt Danielle). She looks awfully cute in them!

Walking EVERYWHERE!

Of course the hat didn't stay on long...I'm going to work on that!

The weather has also cooled down enough to enjoy the park after dinner! Jemma with her pal & neighbor, Brayden. She just LOVES him & he doesn't quite now what to do about it yet cause she's always stealing his toys!

This girl would swing all day if I would let her. She just giggles the whole time!

Pumpkin Patch!

2010-10-07T13:21:00.003-05:00

So I haven't posted pics from Jemma's birthday, but before I do that I wanted to share some cute pics from our trip to the pumpkin patch. My friend, Sarah Craig, with Fish Lips Photography took pictures of Jemma while we were at the pumpkin patch!
Check them out:

Ummm...I know, cutest baby ever! Well, Sarah is an AMAZING photographer and really has a gift for capturing your little ones (or big ones)! Also, check out her new website: WHAT IS THAT? Her prices are ridiculously low right now. You will want to use her for your holiday pictures or whatever else you have coming up. She does everything-- families, kids, engagement, newborn, head shots, etc.

Push Toy Fun

2010-08-24T19:41:00.003-05:00

So I have been wracking my brain trying to buy the "best" push/pull/ride toy & I found the one that isn't the "best" (b/c there is no such thing), but I think Jemma loves! At first, she just wanted to stare at the face on it & was hesitant to use it to walk, but I warmed her up quick with laps around our dining, kitchen, & living room...she even started to whine when I would stop. In a few days I will be wondering what I have gotten myself into, but for the moment we are enjoying this thoroughly. We even took it for a spin in the neighborhood tonight!

Jemma's also gotten pretty good with the sippy cup! HOORAY! I've been giving it to her with meals since she was 6 months old. I just started giving her whole milk with lunch instead of nursing.

They grow up so fast...

2010-08-24T10:28:00.007-05:00

Jemma is already 11 months old & I can't believe it. People have been telling me "babies grow up so fast" & they really do. Just 11 months ago she was so little & dependent on us & now she's crawling everywhere & enjoying her independence. She never tires of exploring our house & following the dogs wherever they go! Here are some pics of Jemma helping mommy fold laundry:She furiously throws the clothes out of the basket...

or they go into her mouth!

Cupcake tee I made in honor of her upcoming b-day!

Giving cuddles to teddy

Such a big girl in her bed!

Toothy grin...all 8 teeth!

Recent Pics

2010-08-08T21:08:00.009-05:00

I love to look at blogs simply for the pictures, so to all my fellow picture bloggers, this is to you:

Jemma looks so big in her PB chair!

Kisses from Daddy on the boat

My two hams!

Jemma is having deep thoughts while gazing out into the water...

Nakey before bath time!

Look her little hairs are growing! Looks like she's going to have little blonde curls!

Bathtime is a favorite with all the splashing!

Momma lets her get all messy with her food!

My first applique project...a hat for Jemma!

Snuggles...love this

Making silly faces & probably pretending to eat Jemma, she loves this

Getting those chubby legs worked out in the massager!

Meeting Anastasia!

Cousin Meredith, Granmommy, & Uncle Ronnie

Jemma is already a book lover. She crawls to her book bucket & pulls out books to "read." And yes this book is upside down.

Crawling around at Aunt Audrey & Uncle Mike's house

Climbing stairs...eeekkkk

This one's for all my friends who think kissing their babies on the mouth is gross...here in the Folloder house we embrace it!

Swinging upside down...she loves it!

Peeking at the puppy, Ringo, under the door with Daddy

Aunt Audrey & Uncle Mike

My little monkey

Recent Happenings

2010-07-26T08:04:00.006-05:00

Jemma is already 10 months old...it really is unbelievable! It has been such a joy to see her distinct personality emerging. I'm continually reminded of how uniquely God has designed us for His purposes. I am in constantly wondering how God is going to use her unique design for His glory and what he has in store for her life :)

Jemma is quite a thoughtful baby and will hold a toy and study it intently. She enjoys sitting on the floor in her room and opening books and turning the pages. She makes us work hard for smiles and prefers to save smiles for those she knows well. She stares at strangers...like right through them! Apparently I did this when I was little too. She loves to defy gravity and be thrown around in the air. She also loves being tickled!

The child developmental weirdo inside of me desires to describe her development like this:
Motor: She is crawling everywhere, pulling up on everything, and cruising around furniture. She will walk when holding onto our hands and can stand for a few seconds unassisted. She eats EVERYTHING...dog food, carpet fibers, pieces of drywall, paper...I am constantly fishing things out of her mouth! She eats quite a bit of solids and can feed herself finger foods (exhibiting her pincher grasp). Some of her favorite finger foods are cooked carrots, bread, avocado, scrambled egg yolks, cheerios, rice rusks, nectarines, blueberries, and anything else she can pick up with her fingers!

Perceptual-Cognitive: She is learning to wave and clap her hands. She performs the "all done" sign with her hands when she is done eating (I often prompt her by saying it and she does the motions). She shared a toy with me yesterday for the first time! It was fun to hand it back and forth.

Speech & Language: She shouts sometimes when trying to get our attention and likes to experiment with her voice pitch, inflections, and different sounds. She says "da-da," "ma-ma," "ga-ga," "wa-wa," "guh-guh," and other various sounds, yet doesn't connect them yet to people or objects. She enjoys imitating sounds we are making, like when we make animal sounds she likes to try them out too. She LOVES to be sung to and always breaks out in a smile to a familiar song!

Personal-Social: Jemma has started to show some signs of stranger anxiety and doesn't smile at strangers. This cracks me up cause people are always trying so hard to get her to smile when we're out and about, and she just stares at them. She has become more clingy with Clay and I and needs to be near us when she's hungry or tired. She's clinging onto my legs a lot of the day at home while I'm doing house work! She has attached to a favorite blanket she likes to hold while she goes to sleep.

Father's Day

2010-06-21T09:34:00.004-05:00

This year marked Clay's first Father's Day. We had a great day with family celebrating our father's and of course Clay! I missed getting a pic of Clay and Jemma together, and Big Daddy and Jemma, we did the same thing on Mother's Day...we will just have to take some special pics later! Here are some pics from the day:

Clay's Father's Day gift

Our neighbor's probably thought I was crazy when I had my baby in the front yard in a flower pot...maybe I am a bit crazy!

Getting Jemma's hand and footprints were quite a feat...I had no idea what I was setting myself up for! She was covered in paint from head to toe!

Luckily the paint washed off everything

She ate it, like everything else she gets her hands on!

First we ate lunch with Grandaddy & Gigi. Jemma has the same hands as me, which are the same as my dads. Of course they aren't the same size, but we all have the same shaped nails and fingers! So neat!

Then, we hung out with Big Daddy, and the Garriga bunch. Here's Jemma playing with Isla; so fun to see them interact!

Ryleigh is such a great helper with Jemma. She wanted to do everything for me...I loved it!

Memorial Day Weekend-Small Group Reunion 3

2010-06-18T10:36:00.009-05:00

It's hard to believe it has already been a year! This year Jemma was our newest addition and next year it will be Oliver. Here are the pics of the weekend:

Bathtime cuddles

Tutu cute

Small group cupcakes!

Every person had their own cupcake

Jovie!

Our wild child LOVES to be swung around and thrown about!

with Quinn

Baby lifevests...poor Jemma's squished her cheeks up

Boat=nap...wish it was this easy at home

We have tons of pics of her sleeping on the boat, cause that's what she did most of the time!

I am not a lake water fan, so I jumped in for a family pic

Playing with Ashley

Eating Grandaddy's watch...yum

Splashing around in the pool

Jemma loved being swam around in circles

Cuddles with Kat P. after a nap. Jemma can be quite a cuddle-bug after her naps

Sling-shotting water balloons across the lake and onto the golf green!

The guys, left to right: Quinn, Shawn, Mark, and Clay

Jemma liked Jovies float more cause she could chew on the sides of it

Happy Memorial Day

She's so patriotic!

The girls, left to right: Kelly, Ashley, Kat F., and Kat P.

gDiaper babies! Jovie and Jemma both wear cloth gDiapers

gBums!

Hanging with Shawn

Boating!

My FAVORITE Jemma expression. She only does it when she's teething, but it is the cutest thing!

Squishy cheeks!

Jemma's gonna kill me when she's a teenager & sees this pic, but look at that cute ruffly bum!

Family pic at Pappas

Sweet Jovie

Gigi watching the babies while we load up cars to head out

The whole gang!

Water Fun!

2010-06-16T10:03:00.004-05:00

So Jemma has been enjoying much water fun in the heat of Houston!

At the Splash Pad for Jemma's little friend, Brayden's, birthday

His Momma love to make fun cupcakes too...here are his shark cupcakes!

Eating watermelon at Elizabeth's first birthday party! Jem LOVES watermelon! She also got to try barbeque sauce, of course off my plate! (more pics to come of the party)

Family pic in the pool...and yes my baby has a bow on in the pool! The theme was pink at the party, so Jemma had to wear her bow!

Random Happenings

2010-06-16T09:20:00.006-05:00

Jemma seems to change every day; mastering new skills right and left. These are a few from last week:

Fine tuning her fine motor skills

On the hand...

In the mouth!

Chewing...

YUM!

Pulling her self up on her toy basket...

Squat...

Standing!

So many choices!

Hanging out & playing

Wrigley, aka Guard Dog!

She was having a rough morning so I let her play with her food! She loved it!

Seven Months Old

2010-06-14T19:49:00.008-05:00

Jemma turned 7 months old the end of April. Here are some pics & updates from when she was 7 months old:

Growth pic

Chewing everything

This girl loves to fly through the air!

Playing with her BFF, Elizabeth

Look at Elizabeth's sweet, sweet smile!

Relaxing on our bed while watching cartoons

I knew it was time to put away the playmat when Jemma turned it over & then proceeded to drag it across the floor with her backwards

Rice rusks...despite the horrified look on her face she loves them!

Her first time with raw meat! Just kidding it's beets

Hanging out with Uncle Justin

Daddy is the best seat

And he gives the best kisses

Mother's Day!

Wearing my Grandfather's Christening Gown

This is how we are awakened in the morning. Jemma just rolls between us, smiles, and talks until we wake...it is the sweetest way to wake up! And yes that's a swim diaper, we ran out of cloth & disposable!

Watching Cousin Aidan's baseball game with Big Daddy

Chewing on Big Daddy's knees!

Congrats Aidan, we're so proud of you!

California

2010-06-13T20:16:00.001-05:00

We made a trip to California the end of April to commemorate my grandmother, Grandy, who had passed away. It was Jemma's first airplane ride & her first time to meet the whole Schmidt family!

First airplane ride!

She did AMAZING! Sleeping most of the trip & stayed fairly quite!

Auntie DeDe

Notice the pup in the backgroup...the Schmidt dogs LOVED Jemma!

Bath after eating...gross!

Mastering the sippy cup

So we forgot pjs when over one night at Aunt Danielle & Uncle Rick's, so we improvised with a child's t-shirt. It was cute until Jemma somehow managed to undo her diaper in the middle of the night (since she had not pants on), while in bed with us, and you can guess what happened next!

Jemma & her build a bear from Uncle Trevor

Gotta love the baby shades

Being babysat by Uncle Trevor. He was so cute with her, playing music off his cell phone to entertain her!

Grandy's Memorial Service

Her children: Danielle, Richard, Lynne (my mom), & Kenny

Cousins: Trevor, Cory, Taylor, Kat, Brendan, Clay

Jemma & Alexis wouldn't stop laughing at eachother

Eating with Grandaddy

Mission Beach

One of her favorite places to be

Little cheeks

Our Bjorn comes with a cupholder

Snoozing on the beach!

LATE...6 months

2010-05-13T20:15:00.000-05:00

This is me playing catch-up. One of Jemma's big milestones at six months was sitting up & her growing interest in the world around her! These are pics from Jemma at 6 months:

Every baby on Clay's side of the family has a naked baby pic like this one at 6 months. Here's Jemma's! Picture take by one of my BFF's, Sarah Craig, with Fish Lips Photograhy

Blowing raspberries...one of my favorite expressions!

Gerber baby!?!

Grabbing at things, like the camera! She got quite frustrated when I wouldn't let her have it!

27 1/4 inches long, 16 lbs. 14 oz. weight

Picture Trouble

2010-05-05T15:31:00.001-05:00

So I have been trying to put up blogs, but I am having trouble with the format pictures appear in when I'm creating a blog. They are uploading in word/number form!?! Anyway, hopefully I can get this straightened out soon!

Sleep Training

2010-04-21T21:12:00.006-05:00

We are going through a rough spot right now trying to get Jemma to sleep through the night. At 6 weeks she began sleeping through the night. I mean straight up 11-12 hours a night, solid. We were spoiled. I was already letting my thoughts wander to having a second child...well that came to an abrupt hault on New Years Eve, when she began waking up again. I thought it was a growth spurt, so I fed her. She got used to this and has been waking up ever since. I stopped feeding her at night a few weeks ago, BUT she still wakes up repeatedly and won't go to sleep sometimes for a few hours. Becky Kiser, a good friend of mine who is pregnant with a little girl (Karis, who will most definitely be BFF's with Jemma), suggested I read a book she thought might help called Baby 411. Before having Jemma I read no books, thinking it would just come to me. Well, I have decided that it doesn't hurt to have a little expert help. Pray for us as we enter intense "Sleep Training" these next few weeks!

99 Balloons

2010-04-20T21:37:00.005-05:00

Much time has elapsed since I update you on our beautiful baby girl. I can assure you that she is thriving and growing at an alarming rate, like babies tend to do. She can roll around, scoot backwards, and push up to hands and knees! She is continually bringing us much joy and excitement. You will have to be patient and wait for pictures since I'm slow to upload them to our computer.

For now I have a little video that reminds me of God's unfailing faithfulness. This is an incredible story about a beautiful little life.

99 Balloons from Igniter Media on Vimeo.

Graduating to Pierced Ears & Big Bows

2010-03-12T20:51:00.005-06:00

Jemma had her ears pierced this past Thursday. I had my ears pierced when I was a baby, so I thought I would keep the tradition alive and I think it's cute. We found a doctor that does it and even numbs the babies/child's ears with EMLA cream, so that they don't feel it as much. Jemma and I had some quality bonding time in the waiting room for an hour waiting for the EMLA cream to work it's magic. She did really well and only cried a little bit after each piercing and came out of the doctors with a smile on her face!

Jemma's also teething this week. I noticed this past weekend that she wasn't acting quite as bubbly and smiley as she usually is. She started sucking in her bottom lip, fussing more than usual, clinging to me, and biting everything. My Mommy instinct told me something was up and she was probably teething. Sure enough on Thursday both bottom middle teeth were peeping out of her gums. By Friday the left tooth had almost broken completely out! I'm just so thankful that it has happened so fast. I had heard about babies showing signs of teething and it taking weeks or even months before teeth started to appear.

In the waiting room. Jemma's going to town on her Sophie teething toy.

I just love her furrowed little brows...she can be quite serious.

Daddy showed up just in time for the piercing. And yes Jemma has graduated to bigger bows! I started making my own bows for her instead of buying them. I saw a bow almost exactly like the one she's wearing and it was $8.00!

Cute pierced baby ears.

I tried to take a picture myself of Jemma asleep on me chest. Sweet baby.

Jemma's Favorite Place

2010-03-12T20:40:00.002-06:00

Jemma has a favorite place to be and it is in her bouncy seat. This seat doesn't bounce but it vibrates and plays music. I am so amused by the toys and gagets they have for babies these days. I just wonder who came up with the idea of making it vibrate!?! Well, it works and when the vibrating turns off she lets me know! She hardly ever fusses when she's in it, which is what allows me to get ready every day and even shower when she's awake.

Poor Mr. Bunny is constantly having his ears pulled on.

Bring on the Sunshine & Warm Weather

2010-03-12T20:35:00.003-06:00

We have LOVED the warmer weather lately. This past weekend we enjoyed it up on Lake Conroe with my parents for my mom's birthday. Jemma is now sporting some shades. They are too cute. Gigi and I couldn't stop laughing at her in the store when we put them on her, and Jemma soon joined in. She really doesn't mind them!

Gigi & Grandaddy

Party in Jemma's Mouth

2010-02-27T21:05:00.003-06:00

Jemma started rice cereal! The American Pediatric Association and my doctors office advise not to start solid foods until 6 months, so I have been holding off despite Jemma still waking up to feed during the night. I spoke with my pediatrician and she said we can start rice cereal and stick to it until Jemma's 6 months. After feeding them to her yesterday she slept the ENTIRE night without waking up for even her pacifier. This is the longest I have slept uninterrupted in a LONG time! We love rice cereal around here!

Jem before her 2nd feeding of rice cereal.

She made the funniest faces despite opening her mouth up really big and lunging towards the spoon.

If only we knew what was going through her head.

Big 5 Months

2010-02-27T20:42:00.006-06:00

My baby's 5 months old...what? It's hard to believe so much time has passed, yet at the same time she's growing & changing so much each day. Some of my favorite highlights:
*Talking: She holds entire conversations with herself. Jibber jabbering about something really important. She furrows her little brows, chews her fingers, and talks intently. She does this often in my lap after eating.
*Passie: She LOVES her pacifier. I attempted to only give it to her when she was sleeping & I had a very cranky baby. Our dentist said it is better than the thumb, so we will just stick with the passie.
*Fine Motor Skills: Jemma can put her pacifier back in on her own with a few tries. She hasn't quite got the release down, so I have to help her with that.
*Gross Motor Skills: She can sit unassisted for 5-10 seconds. We work on this every day, and she gets stronger every day.
*Flips from stomach to back. She hates being on her stomach and can only tolerate it for a few minutes. And I know how important being on her tummy is given my background, so from day one I have been working on this with her; it's just that every time she's on her tummy she tries to eat the ground.

15lbs. 9oz and 26 1/8 inches

Action shot...squirming.

Reading with Daddy at bedtime. Jemma fell asleep.

Sitting pretty!!!

Sweet squishy face.

STI! They had so much fun together.

This is priceless. Jemma just laid her little head on Sti & fell right to sleep.

She's real serious about chewing on her Sophie.

Valentines Weekend

2010-02-27T19:30:00.009-06:00

Jemma had a fun-filled Valentine's Day weekend! From time with Grandaddy to Daddy's HBU baseball reunion. Highlights below:

I just love this picture. I can remember from when I was a little girl how much I loved to hold my Daddy's hands. I remember holding them in church and playing with his fingers. To this day I still hold his hand.

If she doesn't have her passie she will suck her thumb. Although this is ridiculously cute we try to avoid this, since the Dentist told me that the pacifier is much better than the thumb. I don't want my little girl to have buck teeth either.

Before our Valentines date.

Gotta have a kissy picture on Valentines!?!

Sassy baby Jemma at Daddy's renunion game all bundled up. It was freezing this day!

We love eachother.

The next few pictures are of Jemma's many different expressions. I wonder where she gets it from.

I just LOVE watching Clay play baseball!

The HBU team.

Valentines Day. Thanks to some of the lovely ladies at Clay's office Jemma had an outfit for her one true love...Daddy. She is just too stinkin cute.

Looking at her bow during a diaper change.

Goobers

Ketchup...I mean Catch Up

2010-02-26T23:30:00.008-06:00

Hello there! We're still here...growing and thriving! So we skipped over Jemma's 4 month stats, etc. So here are some tidbits from her 4th month:

Growth pic. She's 25 1/4th inches (75%) & 14lbs 8.5oz (75%)

The next few pictures capture how expressive Jemma is. Sometimes when she's super excited she just opens her mouth as big as she can!

Fake smile? She does love Aunt Sarah, even if her smiles fake!

Bunny gets a lot of love.

This one's for you Katie!!!

Our Wild Child who loves to be thrown around & turned upside down.

Thanks for the love Wrigley.

Watching "Baby Einstein." This smile just lights my world.

Dressed up for the Super Bowl.

Friends Forever. I can't wait til they can talk to eachother.

Like Mommy like baby.

She just wants to eat that frog so bad. Sometimes I catch her grabbing both bars and trying to pull the frog into her mouth.

Watching "Baby Einstein" again.

Christmas JOY

2010-01-20T20:41:00.000-06:00

This post is way overdue, but it took awhile to compile our Christmas pics & experiences! This Christmas marked Jemma's first Christmas. She was a passive participant in the all the hum-drum surrounding Christmas. Each year this season comes around and I promise myself that this will be the year that I focus on celebrating the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ and sharing his love with others, and the year I don't get sucked into the chaos around the holidays. Well, this year was a bit better than before, but pretty much the same. Clay and I have our hearts set on making Christmas more about Jesus' birth, and the importance of the Son of God coming into our world. We want Jemma to know how God chose to humbly come into Bethlehem, a small town, being born in a manger of all places.

"And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people." Matthew 2:6 (prophesied in Micah 5:2 [Old Testament])

It is an unexpected arrival of our King and Messiah, the Savior the world was waiting for, but a perfect entrance of our God coming to reconcile us with Him.

"And all this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us)'." Matthew 1:23 (prophesied in Isaiah 7:14 [Old Testament])

And thus paved the way to an opportunity for a personal relationship with our God. We want her to know how much her God loves her and how this changed the course of history for all mankind. That only skims the surface of the joy in the gift of Christ we can't wait to share with her over the Christmas' to come. Here are some pics from our Christmas this year:

The three surviving "Kathryn's." Grammie, my grandmother who went by "Kay," was the first "Kathryn."

Flying around with Grandaddy

Baking!

Reading about Jesus with GiGi

Passed out before the Christmas Eve service.

Uncle Brendan!

This is how we found Wrigley cuddled up with pillows off our bed after a few tiring days...so cute. If there is ever a pillow on the floor in our house he is the first to cuddle with it. The dogs always play hard & rest hard at Grandaddy & GiGi's house!

Jemma's stocking

Waving her arms around at the teddy bears

Jumping in in doorway jumper for the first time! She loves it!

With Uncle Trevor who came down & surprised us for New Years!

They have the same expression on their faces!?!

Sweet Cuddly Moments

2010-01-18T19:08:00.003-06:00

Some of my most cherished moments with Jemma are when she would fall asleep with her head on my chest. Sadly she stopped doing this around 8 weeks. Recently we have had a break through, a few times this week she laid her head on my chest as I rocked her to sleep. Ahhhh...I just can't get enough cuddly moments with my sweet baby girl.

Growing up sooo fast...

2010-01-18T19:01:00.002-06:00

We finally put Jemma's highchair together and she already fits in it. I was amazed at how well she sat in it and seemed to enjoy sitting up so high! I am going to hold out on solids as long as possible, until she's 6 months if I can. She stopped sleeping through the night about 16 days ago to wake up and eat, so we will see how long I last. I hesitate feeding her solids because she doesn't seem interested in food and she is growing just fine without it, so I am determined to last another 2 months!

Crazy Cute Hat

2010-01-11T18:45:00.009-06:00

Need I say more...crazy cute baby in a crazy cute hat!

Now that Jemma has discovered her hands and fingers they are forever in her mouth!

She wears it beautifully.

She has no idea there is a gigantic flower on her head!

A magical developmental milestone...reaching for things and then of course trying to put them directly in her mouth.

Little Friends

2010-01-11T12:01:00.002-06:00

Jemma has a little friend, Elizabeth, who is 3 1/2 months older than her. Elizabeth is almost 7 months and is at such a fun age. We got the girls together for a little play date and dressed them in their matching poodle onesies. Elizabeth patted Jemma's face most of the time and Jemma stared at Elizabeth with much interest. It will be interesting to see how their interactions change as they both grow over the next few months!

3 Month Stats

2010-01-10T20:10:00.005-06:00

Where I do I begin with how much Jemma has changed in the past month. She smiles all the time, loves "talking" to us, and has a growing fascination with her hands. She has always been a complete joy, but she just seems to get better and better each day.
Highlights from her third month:
*25 inches tall & 13 lbs. (these are rough estimates based on measurements we have done at home)
*She has become a bit of a fussy eater. She cries while she eats half the time and it is usually linked to being tired or she is impatient when my milk doesn't come down fast enough. She will eat some, pull off to cry, and then begin eating again. This sometimes goes on an entire feeding. I realized that this isn't typical when I started nursing her in the nursing room at our church; I found it surprising when other babies weren't squirming and screaming while they ate too! It makes it hard to be modest nursing in public when she's flailing about! Fortunately this has subsided a bit and she is becoming a more pleasant eater. I am determined to nurse at least a year, so I am not letting this discourage me!

Ignore that I chopped off the top of her head in the picture

Bringing objects to her mouth! Yay a developmental milestone!

Curious about Wrigley

Big smiles

Resting in the big chair

Beautiful blue eyes

Giving Thanks

2009-12-20T20:54:00.011-06:00

So, Thanksgiving was awhile ago, but I need to post these pics before it's CHRISTMAS!

Big Daddy frying the turkey.

VOILA...a beautiful bird!

Justin & Isla, she just clung to him!

The kids jumping on the trampoline.

Aunt Courtney

Audrey & Justin

Tina & I

Isla, just adorable!

Ryleigh & Rio scooting down the stairs.

Our little turkey in the baking pan!

Rio giving the sweetest kisses!

The turkey at our house the day after Thanksgiving. Our first turkey!

The brine we soaked it in.

Finished product! The turkey ended up being a bit raw on the inside...Clay was really bummed out, but the cooked parts were still good!

Uncle Nathan

Sarah...YUM!

Great Grandma MiMi

Molly, the guard dog, guarding her most precious possession, Tina. She is always on the look out for any possible threats to Tina's life!

You may think "oh, poor Wrigley" when looking at this picture, but don't, he brings this on himself and LOVES the attention!

Two Month Stats

2009-11-24T22:24:00.006-06:00

Jemma turned 2 months old today. She seems to be changing every day. We had her doctors appointment and she weighed in at 11 lbs. 7.5 ounces (75th%) and measured 23 1/2 inches in length (90th%). So she is long and I've noticed how fast she is growing out of her onesies. Unfortunately we had immunizations today as well. I know there is a lot of conflicting research out there on immunizations and we have been pursuing some natural medicine lately, so we decided to space out her immunizations. We want her to be protected, but are not 100% comfortable with the immunizations. I'm a bit conflicted and am still doing my own research. I do figure that everything will be okay, since we were both immunized when we were kids. Developmentally she is right on target. Smiling, holding up her head well, reaching for objects occasionally, tracking objects, and cooing. She actually grabbed my finger the other day and repeatedly pulled it to her mouth to suck on! So, like everyone else, I think my baby is the smartest! My favorite thing she does is watch me when I walk around the room if Clay is holding her or she is down. I even jumped back and forth to see if she would follow me and she sure did. If she is put on her feet she is already holding her weight on straight legs. I have even had her hold onto my fingers and she held herself up! Well here are some pictures of Jemma we took tonight:

2 months old

I kept giving her zerberts (blowing on her belly) and she would smile at me, she even let out one laugh! We were both caught by surprise, but she only did it once. Now that I know she is capable of doing it, I will tirelessly be trying to get her to do it again!

Pushing up onto her hands and lifting up her head! YAY!

Holding her weight.

Ummmm...yeah, that's drool.

Jemma is HAPPY!

2009-11-14T22:38:00.012-06:00

Jemma began to smile around 5 and a half weeks. She smiles more and more each day. It is the most wonderful thing when a baby starts to smile. For the first month and a half the only way they communicate is when they are upset by crying, so your only indication that they are happy is if they stop crying. So smiling is the best gift ever, because is shows us that she is actually HAPPY! It is my favorite in the mornings when I go in to get her out of her crib, she may not see me, but as soon as she hears my voice she smiles from ear to ear. A few mornings ago she was upset because she was hungry, but was happy to see us, so she was crying while she was smiling. She would stick out her bottom lip and cry and then smile from ear to ear, then let out a cry and keep a smile on her face. It was so funny. These are some pics from the past few weeks:

Her new "Around the World" play mat that GiGi got her. I love that it has real pictures of the animals and bright colors.

She loves to stare at herself in the mirror, of course not out of vanity, but she is quite exquisite looking!

Our bathing beauty...she loves her bathtime.

Visiting Daddy at work. They dressed alike, both wearing Polo pink outfits, but Daddy forgot his hat with the gigantic flower on it at home.

Grandaddy came to visit one night and put Jemma to sleep by rubbing on her eyebrows. She loved it and fell right to sleep...Grandaddy is welcome to stay with us every night if he can pull this off!

Jemma's Bumbo chair. She likes it at first, but gets tired quite easily and wants out.

Napping with Daddy in the morning.

In the mornings I put Jemma down in our bed for a nap...she looks so cute in the huge bed.

We met Big Daddy for breakfast one Saturday morning and he held Jemma the whole time and she didn't make a peep...she loves her Big Daddy!

Jemma's first little friend, Elizabeth!

Shopping with GiGi at the Nutcracker Market!

SMILING! These are so hard to catch on camera, cause once she sees the camera she freezes and looks at it like in the next picture.

Gotta love the baby leggings.

All bundled up in her baby snuggie for her first football tailgate.

Aunt Courtney (above) and Aunt Tina (below) are GREAT at loving on Jemma.

Just Like Mommy

2009-11-14T22:10:00.008-06:00

Well, Jemma isn't "just like Mommy" but in this season of her life she is acting a bit like her mommy. I am a morning person and could go to bed around 8pm every night if time allowed it. Well, my little princess only smiles in the morning time, especially right when she wakes up, and is fussy in the afternoons, particularly after 5pm and she us usually in bed by 7:30-8pm. When I'm hungry or tired I am a mess and can't function emotionally, physically, or mentally until my needs are met. Jemma can go from a-ok to completely distraught in a matter of seconds if she is tired or hungry. I am also an introvert. I hate that word, but it basically means that I "recharge" by being alone & can still function socially & thoroughly enjoy people, but I need time to unwind by myself. Anyway, Jemma is showing signs of needing this "alone-time" pretty early. She is easily overstimulated in large groups of people and has a hard time relaxing. We go to a small group Bible study on Thursday nights and she has cried through a lot of these meetings, because she can't go to sleep with all the people around. Finally this past week she passed out before it was over! She also enjoys being put down in her crib at night before she is asleep. She looks up at me and just lays there content, I check on her 15 minutes later and she is asleep...it's truly magical. Here are some pics of her in some of my clothes from when I was a baby:

My smocked night gown

Gotta love those pouty lips

This wasn't mine, but I had to include it because it is so funny.

She is SMILING in this picture!

Fall FUN!

2009-11-11T10:57:00.007-06:00

So I don't have tons of time to write, but these past few weeks have been FABULOUS with Jemma. She is sleeping through the night starting around 5 weeks when we moved her to her own room....I think she just sleeps better in there. She started out with 5 hours a night and moved to around 9 or 10 this week! This is unbelievable! However, this means that she is awake a lot of the day, especially in the afternoons. Here are some pics from a few weeks ago:

We carved pumpkins at our friends, Jeff and Debby's house.

Jemma, Daddy, & the Bjorn...that thing is amazing. I love that I can do work around the house and she is quite content.

Chillin with Jeff watching some tele. "remote, check...baby, check"

Love from Granmommy

Our pumpkins from left to right: Jeff, Debby, Clay, Jody, & Kat.

The Fall Festival at First Baptist. Me, Jemma, Elizabeth, & Sarah Craig. Jemma was a little gloworm, there was a blinking light in the bottom of her swaddle wrap and Elizabeth the cutest bumble bee ever!

Meeting the Pierson's, Sarah, my BFF's family! I had heard that Mr. Pierson was always a baby-hog and he hardly let her go when we were with them. Jemma and him hit it off right away!

Sarah Craig's husband & Clay. They walked around together like this, two men & a baby, makes you think....

Frango, Granmommy's puppy, dressed up like a shark. She didn't like it too much and wouldn't move an inch in the costume.

Under Jemma's gloworm costume was her kitty onesie.

Jemma got pretty overstimulated at the Festival, so we rested at Granmommy's house before going home. I love cuddling with my little love bug!

Jemma's Birth Story

2009-10-26T12:20:00.001-05:00

I am still processing God's goodness to us during labor and delivery. For weeks leading up to Jemma's birth Clay and I prayed specifically for a quick delivery, pure joy, and God to get the ultimate glory through the experience. And God answered ALL of these prayers in ways we couldn't have predicted.

We prepared for labor/delivery by taking birthing classes with First Birth Ministries, a Biblical approach to labor/delivery. This course was amazing and showed us through scripture how to rely on God throughout our experience and taught us all the facts about labor/delivery. To help us during labor/delivery we created a poster board with scriptures and compiled a selection of music I like to call my Labor Melodies (a compilation of worship music).

Clay hanging the scriptures.

For 6 weeks leading up to my due date I started having braxton-hicks contractions. I was instructed to stop working early and to rest, because she was showing signs that she would come early. At times they would regulate to every 3-5 minutes for hours and then would go away, it was annoying. Jemma was mispositioned in my pelvis, so she was probably engaging my pelvis but at the wrong angle, so it wasn't pushing me into labor. All in all, I was mentally ready for Jemma's arrival weeks before she arrived!

On September 21st, my due date, I had an "induction" massage and acupuncture done with my chiropractor in hopes that it would open up my pelvis and make room for Jemma to move down. Unfortunately I didn't walk out of there in labor, instead I went to my 40 week appointment with the midwives where I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and was put on bed rest. We patiently waited on God's perfect timing and knew that she had to come eventually..."But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." Romans 8:25

On September 23rd I had another "induction" massage and acupuncture, and had another appointment with the midwives to put on some Prepedil gel to help "ripen" my cervix to prepare it for labor/delivery. At previous appointments I had been told that I was 30% effaced and 1cm dilated multiple times when read by different midwives. At this appointment I was told that I was 0% effaced and wasn't dilated! On the way home from the appointment I was beside myself with frustration and disbelief. How could I go backwards? Am I going to have to be induced!?! I prayed that God would bring Jemma specifically that night because I couldn't take the emotional ups and downs anymore (yes, this was a bit dramatic). Well, God answered my prayers, because about three hours later around 7:30pm my water broke!

Very few women have their water break before labor begins. This was problematic for me because I was Group Strep-B positive (meaning I had to be at the hospital to receive antibiotics once my water broke to keep a bacteria from getting to Jemma) and I was progressed 0/0, so labor was looking like it was going to be long!

8:45pm we arrived at the hospital. My contractions hadn't regulated into a pattern and the pain was meek compared to later. My blood pressure read high, I had a low-grade temperature, and Jemma wasn't responding to contractions. I was dehydrated. They immediately wanted to get fluids and antibiotics in me. This was my first test during labor since I am extremely needle-shy and have a lot of anxiety related to IVs.

For the next 35 minutes 3 nurses made 2 failed and 1 successful attempt to place an IV. During the first 2 attempts Clay stayed by my side and I zoned out to my Labor Melodies. We counted and breathed together. At the second failed attempt I was at my breaking point and started to shake uncontrollably in my legs and body. I asked for a bathroom break and broke down in the bathroom. Clay prayed over me. I came out of the bathroom with a renewed strength and peace in God's faithfulness. I read scripture aloud with the 3rd attempt..."But you are a shield around me, O Lord, you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. To the Lord I cry aloud, and he answers me from His holy hill...I lie down and sleep, I wake again, because the Lord sustains me." Psalms 3:3-5. The uncontrolled shaking stopped completely and the IV was placed. The medical staff in the room must have thought I definitely wasn't going to last through labor naturally after they saw me meltdown with the IV start! After fluids were in me, my blood pressure regulated, Jemma started to respond to contractions, and my temperature went down. However, my contractions still weren't regulating.

Getting the IV

Listening to music and focusing on Clay.

My motto throughout labor was to take it one step at a time. If I were to think about how long, how much harder it was going to get, or what could go wrong, I would succumb to fear and not to God. This was his delivery and I was his vessel, allowing him to work through me. I could rest knowing that he was in control and would show himself faithful. God used Clay to be my help during labor. You will notice a pattern in the pictures, Clay is in them all. He was incredible and never left my side and prayed over me continually. I always refer to this experience as our labor and delivery, because he was my support all 16 hours without a break! I tried to get him to eat and sleep, but he wouldn't leave my side! He prayed for weeks leading up to this that God would give him what he needed to anticipate my needs during labor, and God gave him everything he needed.

I tried to rest at the beginning of labor, but once the pain was too much to rest I started working hard to help Jemma move down. Using different positions (on the exercise ball, in the tub, on all fours, leaning on the back of the bed) to help open up my pelvis to help her move down. As soon as a contraction would hit, my body would reflexively tense up, so I would have to do what felt unnatural and relax all the muscles starting in my face and allowing them to relax all the way down through my legs. When I would relax the pelvic muscles it hurt more, but I knew that it was helping her move down. At this point I was able to talk between contractions. We kept the atmosphere light and peaceful with worship music and prayer. During each contraction I had all my supports (Clay, midwife, doula, and my mom) reminding me to breath deeply and to relax my pelvis so that Jemma could move down.

Between contractions, Clay helping to relax the muscles in my back.

After laboring for almost 12 hours it was apparent that my labor wasn't progressing. I was dehydrated again, most likely from being in the bath tub and from vomiting. I was still at 4cm. I was having some back labor up until this point and my midwife and doula could see that Jemma was mispositioned in my pelvis, facing out and sideways. They had me lay in bed and alternate sides every 30-45 minutes to help move her into the right position. If my waters hadn't broke earlier it would have been easier for Jemma to move, but there was nothing cushioning her. I really wanted to be out of bed laboring in different positions where I could have more control. I was tiring out and I needed something to take the edge off for a little bit and to give me rest so I asked for nubane. The midwife administered the nubane to me at around 7 or 8 a.m. She told me after delivery that she gave me a “Barbie Doll” amount of nubane and it wasn’t necessary to tell people considering the dose she gave me. Another midwife later told us that my labor midwife is incredibly stingy with drugs and said she probably gave me about 5 mg. However, I was able to sleep between contractions and relax; it was amazing!

Unfortunately, the nubane slowed my contractions and made Jemma non-responsive to contractions. So the midwife suggested Pitocin to help speed things up. She administered small doses and built it up from there. At the time they started Pitocin, I was 4 cm dilated. This is when back labor began to hit an all time high. The baby was facing out causing the hard part of her head to press against my spinal nerves during the contractions. The pain was not only in my back but was radiating down both legs, which we later learned is incredibly rare. Clay spent the whole time trying to block the nerve pain and alleviate the pain down my sciatic nerve. He tried squeezing my lower back together with all his strength during contractions. Nothing was helping at all. After a few hours I had reached my breaking point and the contractions were intensifying as the dose of Pitocin was increasing.

At this point they still thought I was only 4cm dilated (once your water breaks they don't check dilation very often because of the risk of infection). Because of the unbearable pain and thought of having to labor like this for who knows how many more hours, I started to consider an epideral. The muscles in my back and pelvis were so tense and were spasiming uncontrollably. I had heard that in a situation like this that an epidural would help relax the muscles so the baby can move down and in the right position. I had a peace about getting the epideral and felt like it was my key to a vaginal delivery. The anesthesiologist was called. A few minutes later I had a contraction with involuntary pushing, which happens in the last stage of labor. The midwife checked my cervix immediately and read me at 8cm, she was in disbelief. I was dilating quickly and had entered into the transition stage of labor when we thought that labor had stalled. God is so faithful! I immediately told the midwife “I can do this.” The midwife called for a baby cart and cancelled the anesthesiologist who was seconds from entering the room. The midwife helped manipulate Jemma into the right position, since she was still facing out. But once Jemma was in a more favorable position, the pain was a lot more bearable and she dropped down and I flew into the pushing stage! 20-30 minutes later Jemma arrived! I couldn't have done this without God's perfectly timed deliverance!

Looking back I can see God's hand in all of it. I would have been an easy C-section with some doctors because of my unpredictable labor and Jemma's position. And thanks to his quick deliverance when I was at my breaking point, I didn't have to get an epidural. I feel so blessed by this experience and by God's faithfulness throughout. There was so much pain, but in the end there was pure joy. Throughout the most painful times in my life, God has always turned my pain into pure joy. Right when I start losing faith, he shows me how faithful he is. I can look back on experiences that could have left me bitter and resentful for the rest of my life, but as soon as I cried out to Christ for answers and strength he showed me how much he loves me and drew me closer to him. I know that God allowed things to happen in my life so that he could be glorified in the joy and strength he has given me. When I am weak, he is strong as I am pushed to rely upon him more and more.

One Month!

2009-10-26T11:51:00.009-05:00

Saturday September 24th Jemma met her one month mark. She has changed so much since we brought her home. Her little body is fattening up so much. She was 7lbs. and 8oz. at birth, but last Monday she weighed in around 10lbs! She is definitley growing in length too, because she keeps growing out of onesies. The progression of the pictures below say it all. Her little belly gets bigger and bigger in each picture.

2 days

1 Week

2 Weeks

3 Weeks

One Month! Look at that expanding waistline!!!

Showing off some rolls

Jemma has excellent head control. From day one she would lift up her head and now she will hold it up. In this picture she was trying to eat her play mat! This is typically the case when she is on her tummy.

Jemma's 4th Week

2009-10-25T15:12:00.011-05:00

Highlights from this week:
*Our Sunday school class held a Pumpkin Patch shower for a few couples who have just had a baby or are expecting. We were one of the couples honored. It was so much fun to be outside in some cooler weather doing something "Fallish!"
*This week we had a bit of a colic scare. I say colic scare, but really compared to what some people go through with a baby with colic, this was tame. Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday Jemma was hardly sleeping and crying a lot. She seemed to be in pain; she was arching her back, jerking her body around, and the pitch of her cry changed. By Monday we were certain she was sick, but the pedi told us it was reflux and told us to give her adult strength Maalox. The Maalox didn't help, but a friend brought over Gripe Water from Whole Foods. Now we give this to her before every feeding and she hasn't had any problems since!
*Aunt Audrey and Uncle Mike came to visit from Austin! Jemma is already in love with them and can't wait to get to know them more as she grows up!
*Jemma is taking my milk in a bottle! This is fabulous because Daddy or whoever can feed her.
*Jemma visited Aunt Gail, Uncle Mark, and Aunt Norma for the first time this week! She also got really acquainted with Babe, their dog, and Maverick, Daniel's dog. The dogs were very curious and wanted to sniff her from head to toe!

Jemma's puppy dog jammies...my favorite.

I tried to give Jemma a ride on Wrigley's back, but it freaked him out a bit.

Pumpkin Patch!

Family pictures.

Look no hands. I love wearing my baby and she loves it too!

The fathers played some silly Halloween games.

Avery, the Cabiro's little girl, decked out from head to toe in Halloween wear!

Debby with Jemma

Finally sleeping after not sleeping for a whole day!

Sleeping on her tummy helped.

Aunt Audrey and Uncle Mike

The Folloder Lady's

Halloween pants

Aunt Gail

Uncle Mark

Aunt Norma

Daddy feeding Jemma

Jemma's Third Week

2009-10-23T23:33:00.000-05:00

So, I'm another week late, but would love to share about Jemma's eventful third week!

*We went to the doctor halfway through the week and she was 21 1/2 inches long and weighed 8lbs. 15.5 ounces. She is 97th percentile in height and 90th percentile in weight! The nurse measured her height twice just to make sure it was correct and told me there must be something special in my breast milk!
*Jemma visited Grandaddy and GiGi's house for the first time. We celebrated Grandaddy's birthday and enjoyed a relaxing weekend away. Jemma is going to grow to love their house!

Three weeks old!

She loves this, and it helps with tummy discomfort!

Sleeping beauty all bundled up like a glow worm.

Dancing with Grandaddy; something he used to do with me all the time when I was growing up!

My dad has an ongoing joke with Clay that he is "Number One." They have both agreed that they are "Number One" in their categories, but still kid eachother.

Perfect weather for a walk!

All bundled up!

Uncle Dan and Aunt BJ!

Jan and Eryn, Clay's sister and brother-in-law.

Isla our niece. She look so big since we've been around little Jemma.

Isla couldn't stop laughing at Jemma...it was cute.

Sleeping again!

Big yawn.

Jemma wore a dress for the first time! It was so exciting and she look adorable.

"Kay" or "Kathryn"

2009-10-16T12:21:00.000-05:00

So, we still haven't completely decided upon a middle name. I know I posted a blog with "Kathryn" as Jemma's middle name, but originally I was set on "Kay" and am having some second thoughts. We haven't turned in the paperwork yet for Jemma's Birth Certificate. I just love the southern sound of "Jemma Kay," since we do live in the south, and my grandmother went by the name "Kay," short for "Kathryn." "Kathryn" is a name that has been passed down from my grandmother to her daughter, my aunt, and then to me, so this would be something I would hand down to Jemma. "Kay" means "rejoice" and "Kathryn" means "purity." Clay hasn't been much of help in deciding, because I think he could go either way too! Hopefully we will have an official post with Jemma's name in the next few days!!!

Jemma's Second Week

2009-10-12T14:01:00.001-05:00

Jemma's second week was fabulous! She is growing cuter every day with every new roll that appears. Some fun highlights from the week were:

*Her first smile! Of course it was involuntary, but we discovered two dimples, one on each cheek.
*My friend Becky Kiser came over and did a naked baby photo shoot. Jemma wasn't "in the mood," so we ended up taking a few on our own a few days later. I was determined to get some naked baby pics before she passed the two week mark.
*My mom, GiGi, stayed with us and helped out so much! She cooked, cleaned, and loved on Jemma! We couldn't be more grateful for her.
*We discovered the pacifier, which I like to call the Binkie! The first time she "accepted" it, I cried because she needed it so much and it soothed her so well.
*Mimi, Clay's grandmother, came over to meet Jemma! It was such a sweet time.
*We visited Granmommy's, Clay's mom's, house for the first time. Jemma loved it so much she didn't want to leave, she just kept nursing so we ended up staying quite late! Sometimes she marathon nurses at night and this was one of those nights.
*Clay and I are building our confidence as her parents as we learn about this new little person in our family!

Two week picture...getting chubbier and chubbier

Some of my favorite pictures of GiGi and I with Jemma.

I loved sheepskin and rabbitskin when I was little. This is Jemma's rabbitskin rug, which she so lovingly peed on! It was a risk we took with the naked baby pics.

I LOVE the wrinkles on her arms!

My silver bracelet from when I was a baby.

This picture only shows half her face, but it is a great picture of her sweet red lips.

Looks like she's squeeling for JOY!

This was me holding her, trying to get to her to sleep before Clay and I's naked baby shoot. I think I ended up holding her for a few hours trying to get her "in the mood."

The binkie makes it all better, it's just getting the binkie out that is the problem.

You can see "my" chin on her a bit better in this pic. She looks like she has the "Keener" chin I inherited from my Daddy.

My FAVORITE naked baby pic!

Clay, Jemma, and Mimi!

Mimi and Jemma.

Aunt Courtney

Calming her

Aunt Tina

She looks so small in his arms.

Picture of the week...it doesn't get sweeter than this.

Jemma's First Week

2009-09-27T18:18:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the posting delay, we have been active around here lately. Jemma had an eventful first week of life; here are some highlights:

Newborn picture...2 days old to be exact.

Sleeping in her cradle at home for the first time. My dad actually made this cradle and I slept in it when I was a newborn! I will have to post a better picture of it.

I just love her expressions. She looks kind of concerned in this picture.

Auntie Sarah!!!

So little.

Her long little body.

This is an "I'm hungry!" face.

I could just gaze into her eyes forever.

Nathan came to visit.

Jemma loves the swing and being swaddled! They are so developmentally appropriate, because she feels secure and like she is being rocked like she was in my belly.

Her little foot popped out.

Some how she squirms her little hands out.

Her super long feet.

We did not have a fun first bath experience. Once she started crying I just tried to wash her as quick as possible!

You can see her little bottom lip sticking out...so sad.

Our second bathtime experience was MUCH better...she actually enjoyed it!

The Kisers came over to visit. Wrigley was feeling left out, so Chris gave him some extra attention too.

Megan came for a visit too.

Sharon, our doula, came by to see what all the hard work during labor produced!

One Week old.

Daddy's kisses.

Reading stories with GiGi. GiGi got Jemma some books with high-contrasting colors and simple shapes, totally developmentally appropriate! Jemma loves them, so when she is in her alert stage I whip them out and she just stares at them.

Another fun expression.

Snoozing with Grandaddy.