Nana

Christopher lost his sweet Nana on Saturday. She battled with Alzheimer's for a long time and now she is finally free. Christopher's family wanted us to come up with some memories of Nana and even though I only knew her for 6 years I have wonderful memories. 

 The first time I met Mayme she was still living at home with her sweet, sweet husband Ferd. She would sit in their beautifully finished basement and watch TV with Ferd. She didn't talk much but ANYtime we made eye contact she would ALWAYS smile at me. This was our interaction the whole time Christopher and I were dating. Our wedding was her last big outing/event before she had to move into a nursing home.

When we would visit her in the nursing home she would still give me her big smile anytime eye contact was made but in the nursing home was when she really starting to talk and be sweet to me. She would kiss me almost every time we were saying bye to her each time before we would leave. 

And then came Chloe... Chloe Mayme. The first time Chloe got to meet her Great Nana she would occasionally look at her and smile. I honestly thought she didn't even notice her. Which honestly wouldn't have been too surprising. But as I was saying goodbye to her before she left she looked at me and said "she is beautiful". I think I just said thank you and turned away and cried.

 The second and last time Chloe got to see her Great Nana, Mayme looked at Chloe like it broke her heart that she didn't know who she was and then she grabbed her leg and smiled at her. 

Our interactions weren't always glamorous but they were always meaningful and treasured.

I am so honored to have met Mayme, but mostly honored to see such love, patience, grace, humility, and strength in my husband, my wonderful Mother-in-law, Kelly, my sweet grandfather-in-law, Ferd, as well as Mark, Laura, Emily, and Melissa. You guys are a true testament to Mayme.

We will miss you so much Nana.  I can't wait to meet the real you one day! We are so happy that you are finally free.

5 Months Old

My precious daughter, I am so grateful for the joy that you bring to your Father and I. We love you more than we ever thought possible. This month has been very busy.

We have celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm writing this letter a few days later because you had given us quite the scare! You had the nasty flu and we had to take you to the hospital. Once we got there we learned that you also had a UTI. 

You were pretty pitiful. Your Daddy and I just cried and cried when they were trying to put an iv in your arms. They ended up having to put one on your head, it was so sad. We stayed in the hospital for two and a half days (the 23-25). We had to spend your first Christmas in the hospital but they took really good care of you. You even got some Christmas presents!

Other than the hospital visit this month was a lot like the last. You are still drinking 5-6 oz of formula. I was feeding you breast milk that I pumped for you but it just got too overwhelming. You are doing fine with formula and you are still growing strong.

You are still a very good sleeper. You have started to push up your upper body with your arms while doing tummy time. You have THE cutest laugh in the world!! I took an adorable video which I'm sure I will pull out and watch for years and years to come.

You kind of say "ma" and "ha". You sound like a race car when you get really excited and start to growl. I am already so proud of your small milestones and I know I will only grow more proud of you with each passing day. I love you sweet girl, and I am so thankful for your health.

4 Months Old!!!

My Sweet Baby Girl,

You are 4 months old today. Oh my goodness time is going by too quickly! You are still such a wonderful baby! We think you are starting to teeth because you are drooling a lot more now and you are always sticking your thumbs in your mouth. It's adorable. (You don't ever suck them just gnaw hehe).

You've started to "talk" sometimes very loudly. I just can't get enough of you. I pulled out a toy you got for your baby shower and you LOVE it. We call it Ella. It's a little blanket with an elephant head and arms. You love to sleep with her and sometimes it's the only thing that will calm you down. I think it's because you are really noticing your hands lately and you are always trying to hold on to something.

You like to give us "hugs" now. Daddy or I will lay with our knees up and you'll make yourself fall forward, stick your arms out and smile. Precious!

I think you're starting to get too big for your swing which makes me so sad because you Love it and sometimes it's the only way I can get you to sleep.

You drink 5 oz every 3 hours now and you sleep for 8 hours at night about 4 out of 7 nights a week. You probably should move to your crib soon but I'm really struggling to move you there because I love having you close to me at night.
I seriously love being your Mommy, Chloe. I can't wait to learn more about you as you grow into the woman God wants you to be. Love you baby girl. Kisses (like all the time...).

3 months Old!!

My Dearest Daughter,
Today you are three months old. I can hardly believe how much you have grown. you have changed so much in such a short amount of time.

You are are "talking" a lot more now. You say words like; "ga", "ha", "ma", and "ah". You are so cute!!
You no longer fit in any of your newborn clothes. I defiantly cried as I was packing them away.

You are drinking about 4-5 oz of milk every 3 hours. You are getting 5 oz of  Breast milk once a day. This month you are sleeping a lot better, you only wake up about once a night to eat and then you fall right back asleep once you're finished.

You get fussy about once a day, but only for an hour so it's enough to handle so don't worry about it honey.
You can see things that are far away now. You are so adorable when something catches you attention.
You take about three naps a day now.
You have the sweetest smile.
This month we went up to St. Louis so Daddy's side of the family could all meet you They loved you, obviously.

Your Daddy and I can tell how much you love us. It's so adorable. You just smile and stare at us all the time.I cannot believe that I have the honor of being your mother.

I just want to hold you and never let go. I love you baby girl.