More pictures and two stories

Just chillin' in her swing

 On the way to the Adlers... with emergency gas station parking lot feeding right after feeding for every hour for the past three hours... gotta love newborns growth spurts!

Meeting the one and only Autumn Kruis

Enjoying being held by our sweet friend Megan

 Kaylee next to Big Blue.

As soon as Brandon heard the heartbeat at 8 weeks, his heart melted. 

Right after that appointment, he set out to get our little one something special from Papa.

He found this super soft, cuddly bear that is now Kaylee's to enjoy!

Two quick stories:

I am sure some of you had heard about the lack of agreement between Brandon and I on a middle name. We both agreed fairly quickly on Kaylee but I referred to her by one middle name before she was born and Brandon referred to her by another. As the due date got closer, we talked about needing to look into more names and come to an agreement, but never did (plus she came early, which didn't help in deciding). At one point in labor, I thought, we really need to talk about a middle name, but just then, a strong contraction hit and I quickly forgot about my thought. Within hours after this moment, she was abruptly brought into a brand new world, where she was swept away to get meconium cleared from her chest. As she was laying about 4 feet away from me, I just stared into that sweet face and praised my Father. Within moments, one of the nurses was asking Brandon what her middle name was to put on her birth certificate.  Before Brandon had the chance to say a word, I blurted out "Joy". He turned to me with a weird look on his face, and asked, "Are you sure?!?!" I immediately responded, "Yes" and went back to focusing on what the midwife was asking of me. His surprised response came because this was the name he really wanted, but I had resisted. Later on, when he asked me what had led me to respond with that, all I could say is "I was just so overwhelmed with joy". Kaylee truly is a joy. Joy isn't a happy feeling. Often times, she makes life quite miserable and happiness is not any of the emotions I am feeling when I look at her, but she is a joy to us and my prayer is that she will exude with the joy of Christ in years to come.

Okay.... sorry... I should maybe (definitely) change the "quick" stories to "not-so-quick" 

I suppose it is not really a story, but rather a little fact that has touched my heart and humbled me as a mother and wife. When I first started dating Brandon, I saw him interact with older infants and toddlers. The kids loved him, which made him all the more attractive to me. However, whenever I would say something about it, he would confide that he felt a little uncomfortable and wasn't exactly sure what to do all the time. But this didn't worry me because he was a natural with them. Well, sometime after that, I also found out he had never held an infant under six months. They were just so tiny that it was a little intimidating. This worried me a little and I tried to encourage him to try whenever we were around infants. As time passed, I realized he would try when he was ready and I stopped pushing. Yet, I still made him feel like I was going to be the one who knew everything and he was going to feel lost and have no idea what to do if he didn't attend every father class and read every book available (pride is so nasty). Well, the day he was ready, was the day Kaylee was born. Kaylee was the very first little one in his arms and he did absolutely amazing!!! It was like he had done it all his life. He cares for Kaylee in such a loving, nurturing way.... like a complete natural. Often, I am at a complete loss of what to do for her, and Brandon takes her and calms her down. We both have a lot to learn and both are constantly seeking the Lord for wisdom as we figure out how to help and do what is best for Kaylee, but Brandon is truly an amazing father!!!

Well, I will be done for now... feel free to comment if my stories are boring anyone and I will try to begin making them more concise. In many ways, these stories are for me (haha... sounds pretty selfish). But my point is, I am not writing hoping to get a million views or anything, but rather to remember moments of God's blessings, which are present in the good times and bad.