Kiley's 1st Halloween

Happy Halloween! Trick or Treat was yesterday in our allotment. Many neighbors came to the door to see our "little pumpkin" in addition to all the cute beggars wanting candy. We usually sit in lawn chairs off our driveway, just inside our garage, since we are on the corner. But this year, event though the weather was fairly nice for late October,(sunny and 53 degrees)we stayed inside with Kiley. She was dressed in her little bones sleeper one of my students got as a gift for her. I paired it with a cute little bow, just in case anyone thought she might be a boy. (but how could you not know this pretty little thing is a girl right?!) Trick or Treat was more fun this year I have to say! I loved seeing all our neighborhood kids in their costumes and some friends of ours. Next year will be even better when Kiley will get to walk around in her costume. Here is a little photo collage of Kiley wearing all her Halloween gear people got for her. These were taken over the last 3 or 4 days. I'd have to say my favorite is her smiling and her little jack-o-lantern footies! Too, too cute!

4 weeks = 1 month

Our baby girl is growing, growing!  She is already 4 weeks old today!  UN.BE.LIEV.ABLE!  I had to look back on the calendar to double check, yep, 4 weeks!  Where has the time gone?  Oh, that's right, in the last 4 weeks, we have:

changed over 200 diapers, had 3 showers, did countless loads of laundry for all the adorable clothes everyone got for her, written a TON of thank you notes for not only gifts, but for all the help and efforts to get things ready for our little one, (we crammed nine months of preparing into a weekend), the list is endless, and for that we are SO, so grateful!

Okay, I will quit babbling and get on to why you came to the blog in the first place!  PICTURES!!! Many of you have been anxiously awaiting Kiley's 4 week photos.  Deciding upon what outfit to dress her in was a bit of a dilemma, until... my dear friend Beth got her the cute little Etsy Minnie Mouse outfit I had found a looooonnngg time ago.  She is our "mini" Minnie!  Ha ha!  After much squirming and putting on the left shoe 42 times, these are the pictures I was able to take.

I had to include this one!  It's like she said, "Enough Mom!  Stop already!  Stop this madness! "

This is the first of a couple more like this one.  She had had enough after the Minnie outfit.  One wardrobe change is about it!  More of these classic 1 month photos to follow!

Some interesting things we have learned about our little lady...

~She gets the hiccups a lot, but is a trooper waiting it out when her whole little body jerks so violently during the spell.

~She does not like to be swaddled with her arms inside, she is a little "Houdini" and manages to set them free every time!

~She is focusing in on Mommy and Daddy more and more, especially during feeding and changing.

~She takes 3.5 oz. every 3-4 hours.  

~She sleeps 3-4 hours during the night, but did pull an "all nighter" this week from 12:00-6:20.  Go Kiley!!

~She sleeps in her car seat due to a little minor reflux issue, but seems cozy and content.

~She still wears newborn clothes, the 0-3 mo. outfits are very loose yet., but some newborn onesies are snug and she has a little "Buddha Belly"!  (which we LOVE!)

~She loves her glowing, musical seahorse and the ocean sound on her little sound machine as she falls asleep.

So, there you have it!  One month in a nutshell!  

'I See The Light'

Have you ever seen the Disney movie, "Tangled"? Scott and I watched it just before Kiley was born and I have to say, I felt such a connection with the song, "I See the Light". I sobbed the first time I heard it. Now that Kiley is a part of our family, I read the lyrics and I cry even more so! I know, serious mushpot here! Well, listen to the song below and you might see why I feel this song is truly about her and how God placed her in our lives at just the right moment. It was His plan all along and as much as I didn't believe that during many difficult moments on our journey to parenthood, now "I See the Light".  Click HERE to listen and see the lyrics: 

All that time never even knowing  (during all the IUI and IVF Treatments)
Just how blind I've been (how I didn’t listen to God or keep the faith)
Now I'm here, blinking in the starlight (Now I am blinking in awe of our precious baby girl.)
Now I'm here, suddenly I see (Now I get it, now I SEE!)
Standing here, it's all so clear  (As I look at her and hold her, it’s all so clear.)
I'm where I am meant to be (God had us right where He wanted us.)

And at last I see the light
And it's like the fog has lifted (The fog of uncertainly and not knowing when)
And at last I see the light
And it's like the sky is new (Every tear shed, every question raised, every disappointment, now makes sense, and it was all worth it!
And it's warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted (The world is definitely different now.)
All at once everything looks different
Now that I see you

All those days chasing down a daydream (to become parents)
All those years living in a blur (failed fertility treatments)
All that time never truly seeing
Things, the way they were
Now she's here shining in the starlight (Now Kiley is here, in our arms.)
Now she's here, suddenly I know
If she's here it's crystal clear
I'm where I'm meant to go

And at last I see the light
And it's like the fog has lifted
And at last I see the light
And it's like the sky is new
And it's warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted
All at once, everything is different
Now that I see you, now that I see you (When I look at Kiley, everything is perfect now.)

Gifts from Grandma in Heaven

My mom passed away almost 2 years ago in November.  Most everyone knows she survived cancer a lot longer than her doctors ever thought!  Four years to be exact.  She was always thinking of the future and planning special things for her family and grandchild to be.  She made CD's of her reading some of the cutest stories so her future grandchild could listen to them.  She worked with my aunt to make a beautiful quilt that started out as an embroidery piece my grandmother did many years ago.  She even wrote a letter to us sharing her feelings with tips and advice for new baby.  Most recently, there were two wrapped gifts that my brother and sister in law found after we cleaned out her house.  They held on to those for a while and gave them to me back in May.  I have had them sitting on a table in the nursery and waiting for the right moment to open them. When we brought Kiley home, I didn't open them right away.  I just kept looking at them.  I think it was almost a week when I finally was ready to see what precious gifts from heaven grandma had gotten.  Scott and I sat down together and we read the card, which was dated March of 2009 with a simple, sweet message.  I love her handwriting.  It was comforting to see it again.   Then, we opened the first gift.  It was a book written by Billy Crystal called, "I Already Know I Love You".  So perfect!  She knew how much she would love our baby, whether it was biologically ours or adopted.  Kiley was also born in her heart.  The other gift was an Ultimate Baby Wrap, a carrier you can wrap around your body 5 different ways.  It looks complicated and even has a CD of instructions, but it looks like it will be pretty cool to use when our little girl is a little older.  We were so touched by her thoughtfulness, even from heaven!  My mom was an amazing woman, and she still "wows" me even 2 years after her passing.  I know she and my dad are definitely smiling from above and are grandparents in heaven for sure!

More pictures to come this week!  Shower pictures and Kiley's 1 month photo are on the list!

For This Child I Prayed - 1 Samuel 1:27

It is with great joy to share with you, our precious gift from God, Kiley Morgan.  She is amazingly adorable and perfect in every way!  Every tear shed, every disappointment, and every question raised is now all worth it ,as we gaze into our sweet little girl's face.  Here is a simple little slideshow capturing some of the highlights of our adoption journey.  We hope you enjoy ! (Be sure to mute the song below at the bottom of the blog so you can hear the music to accompany the Smilebox slideshow.)  Thank you to ALL family and friends, and even those of you whom we've never met, for your unending prayers and support along the way!  We are eternally grateful.  I will post more pictures through the weeks ahead, promise!







Thanks be to God!