Happy 6 months, Georgianne

Dear Georgianne,

This week you turned 6 months old. You have brought so much joy to my life. I never knew that my heart could love someone as much as I love you. The moment your father and I found out that we were going to have a baby was the best day of my life. I remember that I was on my way to Jackson to meet your GG and Aunt Cat to paint Aunt Cat's new apartment in Nashville. I was not feeling good at all. I really didn't think you were already apart of me but I bought a test to just see if you might be. I remember crying tears of joy in the bathroom at Burger King realizing that my dream was finally going to come true, I was a MOM! I told your dad the good news over text message because I was in the car with GG and Aunt Cat. He was so excited and could not wait to see me (and you). From that moment, I starting praying for you and loving you. I love everything about you from your beautiful eyes to your big feet. You are the perfect combination of your father and me. Everyone tells me that you look like your Dad but I can definitely see me in you as well. I look forward to raising you as my daughter and best friend. You truly are a gift from Above and I thank GOD every day for allowing me to be your mother. I love you to the moon and back.

Love,

MOM 

You were 5 days old in this picture

This was taken during our family vacation. You were 6 months old.

Beach 2011

The Annual Phelps' Beach Trip is the highlight of the summer! I always look forward to the beach especially this year because my family joined the trip! We left for the beach after church, July 10th. Everyone thought we were crazy we all went in one car (except my mom, sister, and David). BUT, that still left Keith, Grace, Catherine, John, Dustin, Georgianne, and me in ONE vehicle! I really wish we would have taken a picture of the car. Georgianne did great during the ride down there. We stopped to buy her a portable DVD player and once we had that - she was ready! It took us between 9 and 10 hours to arrive to Perdido, Florida. 

The next morning, we hit the beach! I was so excited to put GGP's TOES in the sand!

She actually loved it! We sat in that chair for a few minutes and just let the waves come up over her feet!

Having my mom, sister, and David a couple of miles away was a great treat! Dustin, Ann, and I took David to the water park and he LOVED it! I really wish I had pictures from the water park but I was too scared to take my camera. David rode all the slides even the BIG ones! He was such a trooper! 

One very interesting activity that we did was catch blue crabs! Dustin and Keith set out a trap each morning and we checked it two time per day. Catherine named one crab Henry. 

 By the end of the week, we caught 6 crabs. On our last night, we had a crab boil. *Grace and I really wanted to let the crabs go, but we got out voted*

The last day, we went to take pictures - of course it rained! But, it is something that Grace always looks forward to!

 We took a picture just like this about 5 years ago!

The trip was full of family, laughter, and love! I feel so blessed to have such an amazing family!

Blessed Beyond Measure

Blogging is going to become a new hobby for me especially since our immediate family lives all over West Tennessee. Plus, I feel like our extended family in Nashville, Boston, and San Francisco might want to keep up with Dustin, Georgianne, and me.

Whenever I think about where my life has ended up, it always reminds me of a quote from Dr. Seuss - "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." That is truly how I feel. Dustin was certainly an answer to many of my prayers. I never thought I would love someone as much as I love him. He truly is my soul mate.

Georgianne entered our lives on January 26, 2011. This is one of the first pictures that was taken at the hospital.

But before Georgianne was born, Dustin and I had to drive through a couple of inches of snow to get to the hospital. We really thought they were going to send us home but I think Dustin enjoyed the idea of driving through the snow to get to the hospital - we thought it would make for a good story. Dustin and I really did not want to tell anyone that we were going to the hospital because I was only 36 weeks pregnant and we felt sure they would be sending us home. Of course, we could not make it to the hospital without calling our parents. We were both so excited about the thought of Georgianne coming early. It was only a short thought before the doctor informed us that my water had broken. Around 12 hours later, Georgianne Grace was born at 4:27 pm. She was 8 pounds and 19 inches long. Dustin and I were so happy that Georgianne was finally here! After many prayers, we were very thankful to have our little girl in our arms.


During the night, Dustin received a phone call explaining that Georgianne was having trouble breathing on her own and would need to be admitted in to the NICU. Georgianne remained in the NICU for 10 days while her lungs were finishing develop. Part of me wishes, I would have started this blog during those 10 days but part of me is glad I did not. Those 10 days were by far the hardest 10 days that I have ever been through. But luckily, our families held us close and we did everything we could to bring Georgianne home.

Georgianne in the NICU. This was the first time she looked at her Daddy.

Our first picture as a family of 3!

 

 

 

Looking at Georgianne now, you would never have known she had a rough start at the beginning of her life. It was definitely more rough for Dustin and me than her. Now, Georgianne is 5 months old. She is growing like a weed. She now eats Oatmeal or Cereal in the mornings and then has a serving of vegetables in the evenings. 

Dustin and I made the decision to have Georgianne baptized on June 26, 2011 at Covenant United Methodist Church. It was a beautiful service filled with family and our dearest friends. This was a very special day for Dustin, Georgianne and me. I am so lucky to have a great support system. 

Our family

 After church, Dustin, Georgianne, and I invited everyone over to our house for lunch. It was a lot of fun to have our family and closest friends over to share our special day with us.

The past 5 months have gone by SO fast and I can not even fathom to think what the next 5 months hold for our family. Dustin and I never imagined we could love someone SO much SO fast. We are definitely BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE!

At Covenant UMC for Georgianne's Baptism