1 Month

Emily Grace turned one month old on Monday! So much has happened in such a short amount of time.
Here are a few of the highlights:

• At her check up last week she weighed 7.8lbs. She's gained 3 lbs since her first week check up!
• She eats like a champ! As soon as she wakes up from a nap, she is ready for a bottle.
• She loves her bouncy seat and sleeps in it most nights (it helps tremendously with her reflux).
• She is staying awake more during the day and slept almost 4 hours hours last night.
• She's starting to notice things around her and loves looking at us and her toys.
• She's squirmy and does a lot of stretching. Which is so cute, until you try to burp her!
• She can hold her head up for several seconds when on her belly. Last night, she lifted her head up and was turning it side to side.
• She's finding her voice. She cries rarely (usually when she's is hungry) and is staring to "talk" to us. She makes noises that we think sound like a little goat, a monkey or a kitten.
• She loves to cuddle by laying on our chests. She will fall asleep within minutes. But the second we lay her down in her crib, those little eyes pop open. So spoiled already. :)

On Sunday, she had her first photo shoot. She was so laid back and only peed through two blankets! :) I cannot wait to see the pictures. (Many people have asked us about pictures! We are waiting to post until the adoption is finalized. We will go to court the end of October/first of November to take care of all the legal stuff. Once all the right paperwork is signed, she will officially be a Branham and we will be posting endless pictures here and on Facebook.)

I know some day soon we will look back and marvel at how little she was. For now, we are enjoying every moment with our daughter.

*M

Baby girl Branham

I recently found this letter I wrote on December 27, 2011. 7 months and 1 week later, we met our baby girl for the first time. Some day very soon I will write about the crazy and amazing journey that led us to her.  God is so very good. :)

Hi sweet baby girl,
I think about you all the time. I wonder when you will be a part of this family. I wonder what you will look like. We've been busy getting your nursery ready. It looks so cute! I cannot wait to bring you home and put you in your new crib. Your daddy fusses at me for buying so many baby things already. He says "wait until we get her." But I keep finding such cute things, I just can't help myself. And they are always on sale, so he can't be too upset.
2011 is almost over. I just know 2012 is going to be the year that we get to meet you.  We started this process a long time ago. We started talking about adopting before we even got married. We both wanted a baby and felt that adoption was for us. It was just in our hearts.
In October, we met with a lawyer to talk about adoption. I liked him immediately. We signed the paper work and officially started in November. This is just the beginning. I know this a long road full of unexpected twists and turns. But God has a plan for us and it's a perfect one! We will keep praying and trusting in Him. He has picked you to be our baby and us to be your mommy and daddy.

We love you with all our hearts,
Your Mommy