Two months old

Last week Tuesday, June 24 Mackenzie turned two months old! Here are some pictures my mom and I took :) 

Woah big girl! Mackenzie is trying so hard to always keep her head up. She is quite the busy body :) She has begun to suck her hand or her whole fist at times! She is awake much more, looking around making eye contact and smiling a lot! She is talking to us as well with all her different cooing sounds. She started to sleep in her crib right at 2 months. It's only been 3 nights but I think it is making a difference. She is sleeping well and sticking to the routine of 12&3 or 1&4. Mike and I are sleeping much better now since we don't hear every sound😜

Mackenzie is beginning to want to laugh. She loved her mobile on the crib and play mat. Music makes her smile also! She is taking 45 minute naps throughout the day and bed time is around 8:30! She doesn't like being burped, being swaddled (at first) or changed in the middle of the night. She is taking bottles ok and we will begin to do more now!! 

Oh! I can't believe I almost forgot... One of her favorite things is looking up! Up at the fans! She loves them.... Or the ceiling or the changing lights of dark/light and shadows. She is 11 pounds 1 ounce and that's a 1 pound 5 ounce gain from 1 month! She is 23.5 inches long :) her head is very strong and she can do tummy time for about 5 minutes before she's mad hehe! 

I love her :) she met a lot of new people this week.. Cousins Scott, Shawn, Tyler, Alex, Genevieve and William. Many family members too! She brightens the room with her cute baby qualities getting all the attention!! 

Dear Mackenzie

Dear Mackenzie, 

The past two days have been hard for mommy. Someone important in her life has passed away. It won't be something you remember and all you'll have is a few pictures and our stories we share. 

Your Great Grandpa Bob was a very special person. Here is when you were 3 weeks old and you two met for the first time. 

He was awake and very excited to see you! He asked all about you :) He gave you small kisses on your head. 

You went to see great grandma & grandpa in a pretty pink bow! 

There you are! Such a small sleepy baby :) Some things you should know about great grandpa are that mommy loved growing up next to a huge park he helped build. It's now named after him! It was the biggest park around with a lion water fountain, swings, slides, softball fields, a sled hill and eventually a place called warren special recreation where mommy worked! Some other memories with Great Grandpa are Christmas time, working at the Christmas tree lot, Christmas Day with the whole family around a big Christmas tree, driving around their neighborhood in a go-cart (so cool!), getting a new swing set, visiting Florida with family, driving around in their golf cart, stories upon stories of his life lessons and adventures, me cheering on the bears while he loved the packers, mommy & daddy's wedding day, mommy & daddy going to Florida to visit, conversations laying by the pool, dinners out & about... Visiting Florida with cousin Amy!! So many memories...

I'm so sad you won't remember meeting him or get to talk to him as you grow. The  second time you visited great grandpa he asked about you again, your grandma was holding you and brought you upstairs to see him. He of course loved seeing you!! You slept in grandmas arms. 

Great Grandpa passed away on 6.20.14 and was 84 years old.  He lived a great life! I'm sure I'll show you so many pictures as you grow. Here are some.. 

I am blessed to have had such a caring, generous, thoughtful grandpa! I will miss him so much. He was funny, not afriad to speak his mind and do his own thing. He knew Jesus as his savior and is in heaven rejoicing. It's beautiful to know that Jesus loves us so much that being perfect with no sin he died for us all on the cross. But us as sinners... We're not perfect and we need Him who is perfect to help us through! Because he died on the cross we have a way, a bridge to heaven. We surely don't deserve it with how much we all sin but God choose to give us a way.. In heaven everything is perfect and grandpa is perfect and in no pain! No more tears in heaven :) 

Mackenzie, you will be blessed to grow up with 4 grandparents. Daddy & mommy are blessed to have their parents  who love you so much already! As you grow you will build memories with them just as I have with my Grandpa Bob. You will cherish them and always remember.. 

I love you Grandpa. I love you Mackenzie. 

Love, 

Your Mommy Alisha 

Mothers & Fathers Day

Our sweet baby girl was born April 24th! Just in time to give Mike and I our first Mothers & Father's Day! 

Us on Mother's Day!!

Fathers Day!! (Putting m to sleep!)

This was her outfit until she spit up... A lot! 

By the end of Father's Day, Mike and I were tired... It was a long and rough weekend. Living with a baby changes so much! Suddenly being on time for church and trying to go to breakfast afterward isn't so easy anymore :( 

What Mike and I decided last night to commit to is Matthew 6:34- therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. 

{a prayer from my devotional}

Pray: God, help me. I often have strong desires, and when I don't get what I want, I get upset. Forgive me. Remind me that Jesus didn't want to die on the cross, but He lived in total submission to Your will. I ask You, through Jesus Christ, to help me live in total submission and be content with what You give me. Amen. 

Bonus: some pictures of Mackenzie with my dad & grandpa! 

Seven weeks later..

It's been 7 weeks since I went I to labor. We had small group at our house and during our girls time we prayed for little baby M and for labor/delivery. Little did we know... 6 hours later I would wake up in the middle off the night with labor pains :)

No one and nothing prepares you for motherhood. You get so focused during the pregnancy on ... The pregnancy! Recording month by month, looking up what you can and cannot eat.. The most we did was newborn classes about bathing, diapering and infant CPR. 

Not saying those things aren't important, clearly they are! But real motherhood has nothing to do with that.

It all started the moment my little girl came.. Mike and I saw her and instantly fell in love. She was here!!! She was beautiful! Now what??

These past 7 weeks have been a whirl wind. Feeding, changing, poop everywhere, oh the projectile spit up (literally flying feet across the room!), waking up every 3 hours, bouncing, swaying, walking, jumping, knee squats, car rides, walks... Ay YI YI !!! Motherhood should come with a serious warning - not for the faint of heart, not for those who can't depend on others, not for the one who quits.. 

Many times I've thought about giving up, I've thought it wasn't worth it.. But then my baby girl smiles, then she makes her cooing sounds, then she finally falls asleep in my arms. Then... I know she won't be little forever, someday she'll be walking, falling asleep on her own, eating her own food! When it gets to be too much, when I feel satan creeping in - only God gets me through.. His constant whisper of patience, love her as I love her. 

Blogging will be more frequent now! It will be an outlet and an update for family on how Mackenzie is doing! 7 weeks tomorrow.. Holy cow!