uh oh...

i know i am way behind on updating jaelyn's blog. she turned 2 months on dec. 6 and i haven't done a post on the big day. soon, i will post some pictures and an update. my laptop is currently under the weather (aka for battery is dead and has to be fixed before it can be charged) and that is where all of the pics are kept. hopefully, it will be up and running very soon!!!

in the meantime, you can see some beautiful pictures we had taken by candice and daniel on her two month birthday!! you can go here or go here!!

eight & doing great....

jaelyn turned 8 weeks old on december 6 - (even though i am writing this a week late - i have learned that you can change the dates on your blog posts - way cool!) - it was the first week that i didn't take a lot of pictures. usually i post her weekly picture when she is all decked out and posing in a cute outfit. above she is wearing a sweet onesie that was made especially for her, i was trying to get a shot of her smiling - jamil was holding her.

first thanksgiving....

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jaelyn celebrated her first thanksgiving! it was a fun day full of family and of course food. next year she will actually be able to eat some of it!!

her first bottle...

i finally got the pieces to my breast pump and pumped some milk today. i love my new pump! it worked really well. it is a double breast pump/medela pump in style - one of my craig's list finds!! so that night, i had some quiet time. while i was "away" (aka - the bathtub!) jaelyn wasn't so quiet so daddy gave her a bottle and she took it really well! i was pleased but a little sad. she also started taking the pacifier a little better too.

seven weeks of her sweet cheeks...

jaelyn is seven weeks old!
isn't she the sweetest little thing?
she is the best baby.
she is sleeping and eating really well.
she is smiling and cooing.
my heart melts when she looks at me!
jaelyn is awake a little more but still spends most of the day sleeping.

six weeks old...

jaelyn is six weeks old!!!
she is smiling, cooing and sleeping really well.
she is very laid back and easy to please!
jaelyn is such a wonderful baby.

we are so in love with her.
everytime, i look at her beautiful face i am reminded of what a blessing i have been given.

undeserving of such a miracle - but God has given her to me even so.
it is physically and emotionally exhausting taking care of a new baby along with the rest of the family and all the other responsibilities. but when i look at her and my other kids i am reminded that it is so worth it! i am raising these children for Him. i feel blessed to be her mommy!

2 pounds, 2 ounces, 2 inches...

last week, jaelyn had her 1 month check up, even though she was almost six weeks old. jaelyn weighs 9lbs 3 ozs and is 21 inches long! she has grown by 2 pounds, 2 ozs and 2 inches! our pediatrician was very pleased with her progress, she is doing really well!! she will go back for a 2 month check on December 11.

our pediatrician did hear a murmur when she listened to her heart. she felt that it was the benign kind and nothing at all to worry about. apparently, these are very commonly heard in babies and kids. she did not hear it in her back - which is a good sign. our doctor will listen for it again at our next check up, if she hears it again, we will be referred to a pediatric cardiologist. we are praying that we will not hear it and that she is perfectly fine.

playdate with madison...

today, we went to the lineberger's house for a playdate!! heather and jeremiah bishop were there too! it was so much fun to have some adult conversation and watch the "big kids: jeremiah, kelly and jesiah" play together!! in between sleeping and nursing we were able to get a few pictures of jaelyn and madison together. my pics didn't turn out too good. i think autumn got some better shots. hopefully, i can get a hold of hers. below the pics of our baby girls is a little story of how they first met!!!!

here are two pictures of madison and jaelyn together for their first playdate...

their sweet story:

madison and jaelyn met on their birthdays five weeks ago! they were born on the same day, at the same hospital, delivered by the same midwife just a few hours apart. after being admitted to the hospital, i learned from my nurse that there was another mommy two doors down that was delivering her third and going natural too. we also found out that she was going to be delivered by our midwife. immediately, i thought of my friend, autumn. i told jamil i think i know who it is. our nurse couldn't directly confirm that it was her, because of the privacy act. but she was able to tell autumn it was me two doors down. once we figured out we were both in labor together, we visited and walked the halls together while we were in labor. madison grace was born mid morning and jaelyn aliyah arrived that evening! the next day, we were able to hang out together in the hospital. and the girls met for the first time!!! it was so much fun to have the lineberger's share in our special day and us share in theirs.

when i found out i was pregnant and told autumn, we planned for her to be our baby nurse at the cmc nursery, where she works. a short time later, we found out autumn was pregnant too. our due dates were just a few days apart. we figured she wouldn't be working by the time i went into labor. i was sad. but it turned out so wonderful that we were in labor on the same day!!!
who would have thought we would be there together delivering our sweet baby girls!! madison was three weeks early and jaelyn was two weeks early.

our baby girls have a lot of similarities at five weeks old! they share the same disposition, very sweet natured. both are very quiet and do not cry often. both girls are sleeping really good at night. and neither will take a pacifier!!! too cute!!!

what a blessing for our girls to grow up together being special friends!! God has already blessed jaelyn with a little friend and brought our families together in a special way.


i didn't plan on posting this picture ever, because i do not look as cute as autumn! but it is fitting for the story! this was when we were in labor and about to go out and walk the hallways!!!

here are the proud daddy's, greg and jamil, holding the girls!!!

five weeks old...

our sweet little baby girl is five weeks old!! she is growing so much. she is still pretty tiny, but is looking more like a baby than a newborn. we have her one month check up tomorrow and i can't wait to see how much she weighs! jaelyn has been doing six hour stretches for about the last week!! so i am only getting up once in the middle of the night. that is bittersweet to me. i am loving the extra sleep but it means she is getting older!!! jaelyn is starting to be awake more and more. she is smiling a little more and starting to coo!!!! our sweet girl is such a blessing! i am still amazed that she is here and how much i have fallen for her!!! there is enough love in a mommy's heart to go around to FOUR little blessings. being the fourth she is receiving no less than the rest!!!

3 photos, 3 outfits...

last week, we met our friends, the prevettes, at the mall. our first outing to the mall. so jaelyn wore a dress for the first time - she looks so stinking cute!!! chelsea (mommy prevette) gave her this dress - so appropriate for our shopping trip.

jaelyn's first dress!


there was no special occasion for this picture although she is wearing a handmade tiedye onesie that we received at my baby shower.

with our growing family, we renewed our costco membership last week. we took a trip to costco with my dad. here is a picture of jaelyn wearing a sweet hat and sweater set!! the set we are borrowing from the carr twins! it is a preemie size and so cute. jaelyn probably won't get to wear it for much longer!

4 weeks of being so sweet....

jaelyn is four weeks old! she has started to smile and make sweet little noises. i just love it!! jaelyn continues to eat and sleep well. she will have a "fussy" period usually at night, when she just can't get to sleep, usually because of a tummy ache or constant hiccups. she hardly cries during this time, just squirms and whines. she is usually easy to console. she rarely cries in general. we still are not on any kind of set schedule yet. she does pretty well through the night and will occasionally go 4 or 5 hours between feedings. jaelyn sleeps a lot with a few wake periods during the day, but not for long! she is a very cuddly baby, she loves to be held but does well sleeping in her bouncy seat or crib too. i spend a lot of time holding her and enjoy every second! i don't get much done but i am loving on my baby girl!

our little pumpkin...

isn't she the cutest little pumpkin??? jaelyn looks so sweet for her first halloween photo shoot!!

three weeks old...

today, our sweet jaelyn turned three weeks old!! i can hardly believe that she has been here for three weeks. it feels like she was born yesterday! she is the most precious baby. i am enjoying every second of her being with us!!! she is so sweet!!

at three weeks, she is a "typical" newborn. jaelyn sleeps a lot and eats a lot. she has a few awake periods throughout the day (sometimes night too). and she loves to look around and is very alert. as i was holding her yesterday, she smiled at me twice and then again today!!! her smile was the best thing i saw all day.

she also lost her umbilical cord yesterday. that made me a little sad. it reminded me of the day she was born and that wonderful moment she made her entrance into the world. jaelyn is still a pretty little baby. i am not sure how much she weighs now, we won't go for a well check for another week or so. but everyone comments on how she is the tiniest thing they have seen. of course i am loving having a tiny baby - i am trying to find the recipe i can use to freeze her and keep her this small for a long time!!

my friend, gina, gave me a baby sling (she makes them and is so talented and creative!) for a gift and i am loving wearing her. we haven't been very many places, but when we do go somewhere - i like to take her out of her infant seat and "wear" her!!! i will probably start wearing her around the house when she needs to be held and i need my two hands. i love to hold her and do it a lot!!!

speaking of going places, this past saturday we took our first family outing!!! all six of us! we went to elevation's baby dedication and had jaelyn dedicated - it was such a sweet time - i will post pictures later! after that we went out to lunch with our good friends, the prevettes and the carrs! they had their babies dedicated too!! when we arrived at the restaurant - i realized we needed a spot for SIXTEEN!! yes between our three families we have 16 people! that is 6 adults, 5 babies and 5 big kids!! wow! we had a fun time. then that same night we went to union academys boo bash (fall festival). the kids had a great time and jaelyn slept in the sling the whole entire time - she attracted a lot of attention being in the sling!!

on sunday, jaelyn went to church for the first time!! our special friend and babysitter, johanna, kept jaelyn for me in the lobby while i went into the service. she slept the whole time there too!! i felt really weird being without her - the first time in three weeks that she wasn't with me!

jaelyn is such a blessing! i really wish the time would slow down!! but i am enjoying every second as they fly by!!

some favorite pics...

here are some of my favorite pictures of our precious baby girl that we have taken over the last week or so... a new blog post will be coming soon!!

2 weeks old....

jaelyn turned two weeks old on monday october 20! i can't believe she is two weeks old already. she is a wonderful baby. she rarely cries. and when she does she is easy to console and always has a reason - hungry, sleepy or tummy ache!!! sometimes when she looks at me - i feel like she is trying to smile - she has this sweet look on her face that is saying i want to smile at you mommy, i just don't know how to yet. jaelyn smiles in her sleep and i have even caught one or two smiles awake. i refuse to believe it is gas -- she is just a happy and content baby!!! a perfect fourth child. we couldn't be more blessed!

we have pretty much stayed close to home for the last two weeks. she has been to the pediatrician's office twice for weight checks, a very quick trip to target and went on a date night to bonefish grill with mommy and daddy - thanks to the generosity of our most wonderful church!!!

this coming week we may have a few more outings to go on but we will probably stay close to home and rest and relax. i have been enjoying just being home with her!!!

first swing...

i put jaelyn in her swing for the first time! she really liked being in there - while i changed sheets and made beds with the big kids today! she stayed in there for a little while. what a wonderful blessing this swing is - thank you to my dear friend, tracy and her daughter - little saya for letting us use it for jaelyn!! when we looked at purchasing a swing - this was the one i would have chosen - such a blessing!!!!

one week old...

jaelyn turns one week old today!
here she is all dressed up, of course with a bow in her hair!!!

such a beautiful baby!! such a blessing to our family!

our little girls' room...

having jaelyn, has allowed me to slow down a lot and catch up on blogging! so, here are some pictures of jordyn and jaelyn's room. which has been done for some time - i just hadn't made the time before her arrival to blog about it!! i describe the room and put a picture underneath each description:

here is jaelyn's crib! this was the same crib that baby jordyn used! we used the same dust ruffle and quilt also. we had to purchase a new bumper pad and new sheets - because we couldn't find the ones we used for jordyn - who knows where they are??? oh well... the letters for her name we found at hobby lobby and they were 50% off!!! we also have jordyn's name hanging too. on theright side of the crib on the wall is a lace decoration that says ...." a baby is God's opinion that life should go on" on the letter j's on both of the girl's names are little signs that are pink and glittery that say "little princess".

with having two girls sharing a room, i had to come up with some creative ways to maximize space and storage. in the room, we only have a few pieces of furniture as you will see. jaelyn's crib being one of them. under her crib we have three baskets. the white wicker baskets lined with pink gingham fabric house burp cloths, bibs, extra sheets, extra lap pads and some toys. next to her crib is a pink and purple bin which holds all of her blankets!


this is jordyn's bed which is a castle bed!!! we found this steal deal on craig's list around her birthday in july!! it has been up ever since. before finding the bed, i was going to repaint and totally redo the room. the room was painted in pink and lavendar, there is a white chair rail around the room with pink on the top half and the bottom is pink and lavender stripes. when i was pregnant with jordyn i did this room. the crib set she used and jaelyn is using is from pottery barn. i can't remember the name of it, but it is really sweet - pink, green and purple with bees, flowers and little ducks in it - very girly. and we purchased a stamp set to use for decorating things around the room!!!

so my idea was to paint the room with pink and green and play that up. when we found this castle bed in pink and lavender, it matched so well i decided to keep the pink and lavendar theme! which made things so much easier on me!!! no big painting job while i was big and pregnant!!!


the castle bed is a loft bed with a slide - big hit with all the kids!!! it does cover up part of their window, but it looks really cute! and we had to work woth the size of the room and the slide being so long! it fit best where it is! the window treatments are two layers, the top done in purple gingham and the shears are a light weight white - that i stamped the duck, flowers, butterflies and bees from the crib bedding set - the stamp set we bought when we got the bedding from pottery barn. i used the stamps a lot in the room. jordyn's quilt and bedding you can't really see b/c of the castle - it is the princess set from target which we have had for a few years.

underneath the loft, we keep her fisher price doll house, her doll crib, dolls and strollers. a great place for storage and you can't even see any of it!!! the kid's play under there a lot.


the shelves and the dresser are stamped again with the flowers, ducks and butterflies from the crib set. i did all of this when i was pregnant with jordyn. so none of it needed to be done. we just hung the shelves different on the wall. we turned the dresser into a changing station for jaelyn. using a changing pad with a pink striped cover and a pink striped bin. beside the dresser is a little shelf that has three wicker baskets lined in purpler gingham fabric, they hold jordyn's hair accessories and on top of it is her princess cd player!! and not shown in the picture is a little pink trashcan it is so cute that we use fordirty diapers -- i couldn't bring myself to pay $40-$50 for a diaper pail system....although when the diapers start getting stinky i might revisit that!


so there are the three highlights of the room, which is about all that could fit it there. the closet is to the left of the dresser and shelves. that is my work in progress. we have our toy bins and dress up clothing in there as well as the girl's clothing. i am still working on ideas for maximizing the space in there. since i have to put two girl's clothing and stuff in there... it still needs work. we have been so blessed by being given most of jaelyn's clothing - either as gifts or hand me downs - so it is really packed right now. eventually i will get to organizing and making the closet work!!!

so that is our little princess' room!!! i am quite pleased with how it turned out. there are a few more little projects that i have to tackle in addition to the closet!