Miracles that make our eyes open to the beauty of this life.

I think my journey at this point of my life is to make my eyes open that I might see the magnitude of blessings all around me.  The last few years have been very hard for our family. There were times that I wanted to give up and I had a hard time seeing the good that surrounded me.  I know because of the love that the Savior has for me that he sent people in my life to support me, to be my example, and to be my friends. Since the miracle of having my daughter, Grace, I can now see with a clearer view.  I know that both Bryleigh and Grace are my personal miracles.  Because of them I can find more beauty in each passing day and I am so much more thankful for the little moments in my life.  I relish in time that I get to spend with my family.  Most of all is the time spent snuggling together as a family.

Bryleigh has always had such a sweet spirit about her.  She can bring so much joy and laughter to all that are in her presence.  What a gift she is to our family and all who she surrounds herself with.

Grace is my gift of hope.  Her name was given to her for a special reason.  It was only by the "grace" of God that she came to our family.  Eight long years we awaited her arrival.  At last she came! The joy and the testament that prayers are answered, and that miracles due occur bore witness in my heart but also of those who shared in this journey with us.  She is still so brand new at 3 months that I know that she still isn't too far from Heaven and I feel such peace when she is in my arms.

Being a mother and wife is the greatest blessing that I could have ever dreamed possible.  A love so great that words could never do them justice.  A blessing so great that no money could ever buy.  Family is the most cherished blessing one could ever desire.  How very thankful I am for mine.  I am so thankful for my family both near or far.  Great is the love that is shared that miles can never surpass. I count myself as blessed to also have friends that have become as my family.  I know they were put into my life for reasons unseen upon first glace.  As time unfolds I count them as not only family but angels here on earth sent to help me on my journey.  There are so many things in this life that we can look at and see the bad.  I am thankful to be blessed to have my eyes opened to the truly great and marvelous things of this world in which I can find cause to rejoice.

Sister and Best of Friends

When Grace was born, Bryleigh was 9 years old (just a couple months short of 10 years old).  Many people asked if I thought Bryleigh would be jealous of her little sister.  Just as I predicted, Bryleigh has been nothing but happy to have her as a sister.  Bryleigh prayed so long for her that she couldn't be anything but thankful.  Not more than a few minutes can go my with out Bryleigh giving Grace kisses.  When Bryleigh gets home from school, Grace is the 1st person that she wants to see.  Bryleigh also likes to use this to her advantage.  Bryleigh will say that she can't clean because she has to feed Grace or Grace is crying so she has to get her.  It makes laugh.  Grace will never have to want for much in life with Bryleigh as her sister.  Bryleigh is always there to give her sister love, make her laugh, and cuddle with.  Bryleigh is so anxious for Grace to get bigger that she has been trying to teach her to walk since she was 3 weeks old.  I am happy with Grace staying as a baby, but I think that sisterly love will win out in the end.  Grace's shows amazing body strength.  She has for weeks know been putting her full weight on her legs and she is only 2 1/2 months old.  Now if she could just keep her little bobble head.

In July Bryleigh went to stay a few days at her Grandma's house.  I knew she was going to miss Grace, but was hoping that she would miss me as well.  Well when I went to pick her up Bryleigh literally pushed me out of the way and said, "Where is my Grace?"  I really couldn't have been happier to see that she loved her sister so much....although a quick hug or hello would have been nice too.  I know that as Grace gets older and gets more mobile that she might not as quick to want to spend time with her. For now I am going to cherish each and every moment that they spend absolutely adoring spending time together.  I feel so very blessed to have Bryleigh and Grace as daughters.  They both have such sweet spirits.  I know that they'll be a blessing to have in each others life just as by sisters and brother has been in mine.

Before Grace was born Bryleigh wanted to make big sis/lil sis shirts.  Bryleigh picked out the colors and  stamped them on.  As you can see they both looks adorable!

GRACE NAOMI IS TWO MONTHS OLD

Grace Naomi is two months old!

 

August 15,2011 Grace turned 2 months old. Grace is already growing way too fast for mom.  Grace is weighing in at a healthy 9 pounds and 14 ounces.  For her weight she is in the 15th percentile.  Grace has grown 1 whole inch for a total of 21 inches putting her in the 10th percentile for length.  Her head is now measuring 39 centimeters putting her in the 50th percentile.  That’s mommy’s girl, a big head just like her sister.  Grace is such a sweet baby and a most cherished member of our little family. 

Grace brings laughter and smiles to our family each and everyday.  Grace has yet to go 30 minuets without getting kisses from someone.  I guess that is how she learned to give kisses too.  We all LOVE getting kisses from Grace.

Mom has a feeling that Grace is in a hurry to catch up with her big sis, Bryleigh.  Grace already doesn't like just laying down even if she is being held.  Grace is constantly trying to sit up or stand up.  Bryleigh has been trying to teach her to walk since she was about 3 weeks old.  I think that Bryleigh has waited so long for a sister that she wants Grace running around with her.  Grace loves to go for walks, see, & explore new things.  One of Grace’s favorite things to do is to sit in her swing and talk (coo) to her animals on her mobile.  She is so cute.  Bryleigh is hoping that this a a sign that she will love animals just as much as she does.  We are so VERY blessed to have Grace in our family and cherish each and every moment that we have with her. 

  Grace Naomi we love you!

 

A visit from Papa Geoff

Grace cuddling with Papa Geoff after a morning bath.  She was showing him her curls.

Grace is all dressed up to spend the day with Papa Geoff.

My dad and me. (Geoffrey Jones & Anya Beauchat.)

Not the best picture, but this is Bryleigh Teaching Papa Geoff how to play Wii Bowling.

The weekend of August 5th my dad (aka Papa Geoff, or Geoffrey Jones) came for a visit all the way from New York to be apart of Grace's blessing.  I think my dad is one of those men that just get better with age.  I so enjoyed spending time with him.  He even let me flat iron his hair.  What a good sport. We had long talks both serious and silly.  The girls just ate him up.  Grace of course loved her cuddle time and Bryleigh loved playing with him.  Bryleigh even got my dad playing the Wii.  It's funny to look at Grace and see some of the facial expressions that she makes because they remind me so much of my dad.  We ended his trip with a early morning breakfast at 5th Street Bagels.  My Favorite.  We sat by the fire and chatting. Although his stay was short, I was most thankful to be able to spend time with him and make some most cherished memories.  When he left. Bryleigh was sad because she didn't know when she would be able to see him again.  She wants to know move to New York to be closer to him.  Time can only tell where we will end up.  For now we will be thankful for the times we do have together.

One of Papa Geoff's favorite activities to do is to play mini golf.  Mom  still one though =)

Papa Geoff in perfect form.

Most cherished moment in life are free!

From the time I was little my older sister and I constantly would rearrange our bedroom.  Although I love to rearrange rooms and redecorate still as an adult...I still HATE cleaning.  If I could I would hire a maid.  Oddly enough the scent of Clorox Clean Up in a house makes me smile.  Nothing like the smell of a disinfected, clean house. But as life would have it...it's not a reality. As an adult I have learned that just about anything you do can be fun when you have the right attitude.  Yesterday my goal of the day was so sort, organize, and yes rearrange my bedroom.  Now I have been told more than once by my sweet husband not to move heavy furniture.  To this day I am still to stubborn to listen.  I told Bryleigh that her chore of the day was to help me clean my room.  At first I think that she was in shock.  How many moms out there have ever told their kid that they have to their their parents' bedroom...lol ;-)  Bryleigh had a look of shock on her face.  After all, I knew I needed some help to move the furniture.  Her attitude at first was less then desirable.  I told Bryleigh that anything can be fun with the right attitude.  Started by moving some stuff in the hall so that I could begin to work.  The fun started when I tried to move Tyler's dresser.  It was HEAVY and I soon realized that I would have to take out some drawers.  As I did I discovered that his "junk" drawers were over flowing.  Not that I was trying to snoop, but I had to tidy things up a bit because there was no way to cram it all back in.  There was just no room.  Bryleigh's eyes lite up with excitement with all the "treasures" he was hiding in there.  We went through old pictures.  She laughed at some of the pictures of Tyler.  She said that he looked angry in his football picture.  I told her that he was just trying to look tough.  I showed her a picture of Tyler and I when were we dating.  She said, "Hmmm, Mom, I don't think I am ready for this."  Yes...I totally embarrass her with gushy love talk and love every second of watching her squirm.  The more we worked the more fun we had.  We laughed and joked.  I teased her.  Bryliegh called me a dork (I have to say I love earning that title).  We danced and made up silly songs.  And yes we even made up silly songs for Grace.  Cleaning a room has never been so much fun in my house.  I loved just being silly with Bryleigh and Grace.  It's one of the best parts of being a mom.  I am not a person known for being silly, or funny.  In fact there are very few people in my life that bring out that side of me.  Once it does come out...I know I am surrounded with the people that I love the most.  After hours...yes I meant to say hours of cleaning, organizing, and rearranging I knew that I was far to exhausted to make dinner.  So I did what any good mom would do...go visit dad at work.  We hit up a Red Box for some movies and went to Pizza Hut to see Tyler for some dinner.  Pizza, & wings to be exact. While waiting for our food I talked to Bryleigh.  I told her that cleaning my room with her was so much fun.  Bryleigh said, "Mom, can every time we clean be that much fun?"  I told her that anything can be fun with the right attitude.  I couldn't help but ask her why when I help her clean her room why is it so difficult.  Bryleigh's response was, "Mom, it's because you make me throw away stuff."

The moral of this all is that as silly as it sounds I had a blast cleaning with Bryleigh yesterday.  (Grace kept us entertained with all the cute/silly faces that she was making at us.)  But we had fun not because we went to amusement park, or because I bought her something.  We had fun just being silly by spending time together working.  This is a lesson that I wished I had learned (and sunk in) when I was young.  Most of all I am so very thankful for my family.  The most treasured moments in life don't come from a store.  The most treasured memories in life can most come in little everyday moments and I am thankful for each and every one.

Grace is 3 weeks old today!!!

Grace is 3 weeks old today.  Today we brought her to Dr. Jensen for a check-up.  Today we learned that she has colic.  Dr. Jensen is so amazing.  He took time to explain everything.  He said that they are learning a lot from research.  He stated that the studies are finding that colic has more to do with neurological development than intestinal development. Dr. Jensen said that reason that they are finding it is more neurological is because throughout the day babies are exposed to so many new things.  Each thing that they are exposed to, their brain has to process it until it becomes familiar.  An example would be wind against their skin, a blanket touching their arm, etc…  He stated that colic usually starts at about 3 weeks and ends at about 3 months.  He also said that it usually gets worse before it gets better and that there isn’t really any medicine that cures it.  I just hope that my baby doesn’t have to suffer with this for too long.  It breaks my heart to hear it cry and not being able to do anything to help her.  Luckily it only gets bad at night.  Tyler seems to be able to calm her down the best.  Grace is already starting to be a daddy’s girl.  I have to admit that it makes mommy a little jealous at times.  We also learned that Grace has a herniated belly button.  Dr. Jensen said that it isn’t anything that hurts her…thank goodness.  Grace also has a large birth mark on the right side of her belly that we are monitoring.  The birth mark can get bigger and there is a risk that the right side of her body might start growing faster because of it. Besides looking a little off having one side of your body grow faster than the other, it can lead to heart conditions.  Fingers crossed that the birth mark will not grow or even better go away on it’s own.  If the birth mark doesn’t go away, Grace can get it removed when she gets older.

Grace's birth mark.  Back view.

Birth mark view from her stomach.  

Grace had to get her heel pricked at the doctor's visit.  She didn't like that one bit.  

 Grace is growing quite big.  (Too fast for her mom!)  When we brought Grace home from the hospital she weighed 6 pounds 3 ounces. Grace is now weighing in at a healthy 7 pounds 8 ounces.  The only “chunk” that she has is in her cheeks (which is good because they are always getting kissed.) and her neck rolls.  Dr. Jensen pointed how impressed he was at how strong Grace is.  There really isn’t any moving her arms unless she wants to.  I won’t say what side of the family she is getting this stubborn streak from.   I know that mommy is not owning up to anything.

Grace has acquired the nickname Squeaky.  From the day that she was born she was always making some noise.  She will grunt, grown, or a little coo.  We all have so much fun just watching her and listening to all the sweet little noises that she makes.  I do think that once she starts talking that there won’t be anyone that will be able to stop her from being Miss Chatty Kathy.  Grace almost always can be found with her hands on her face, fists closed tightly, and her feet crossed Indian style.  It makes her seem so much smaller than what she actually is.  In my ultra sounds she was almost always that way as well.  We just all love Grace so very much and as you can tell the whole family is in awe of all the little things she does.  Grace is such a sweet blessing in our life.  Even though she is only 3 weeks old, it’s seems like she has always been a part of our family and I can’t imagine life without her sweet spirit.

Grace's Dramatic Entrance

Tuesday night, June 14th, I called Zoey in a panic.  Zoey thankfully came over to my house in a hurry. I was having a rough day because I hadn't felt Grace move anytime after 2:00 pm. After chatting with Zoey, we made the decision, for peace of mind, to head to the hospital. Brandon was sweet and said that we can leave Bryleigh with him while we were headed to the hospital.  I didn't call Tyler because he was at work and I didn't want to upset him because I thought it might just be me being a basket case again. This was about 9:00 pm.

Once hooked up to the monitors, Grace was moving like crazy, but I still couldn't feel her. The nurses noticed that I was having regular contractions, and thought it was most likely braxton hicks because I still couldn't feel them, and needed to be checked. (around 10:30 pm)


Talked to Tyler, but since we "knew" that we were going to be leaving in a half an hour, we asked him to pick up Bryleigh and put her to bed. It was all cool. He was cool, we were cool.

Anya & Zoey

Only dilated to a 1 (around 11:00 pm), the nurse and resident, continued the history (around 11:30) and thought that the itching without rash most likely wasn't PUPPS, but something else instead. They asked to do a blood panel to find out if they could tell why I was itching. (blood taken around midnight)

1:15am and we are still talking about how we wished that they would just hurry and discharge us. 1:30am, resident says that they need to run one more panel on my blood work because nothing was definite from first panel. This might give us more answers, may or may not need more blood to do this.

2:01 am. Nurse comes walking in and pulls open curtain. "You're going to have a birth day today." Anya, "Seriously?" Nurse says, "Yes. Within the hour."

2:02. Called Tyler.  Zoey told Tyler that he has to hurry his butt up there so that Anya can have the baby. His response? "Whatever." (He thought that Zoey was joking and going to be pulling into the driveway in the next minute.) Zoey told him that we were serious and that this is happening ... tonight ... within the hour. 


Madness in the room. Doctor, resident, 3 nurses, 1 anesthesiologist, 1 operating nurse, Anya and Zoey. We find out that I had HELLP syndrome, a variant of pre-eclampsia, and stands for the main findings: Hemolytic anemia, Elevate Liver enzymes, and Low Platelet count. It can be very serious of not caught early.

Tyler arrives. Gets dressed. 5 minutes later, they take me to the operating room. 2:38 am.

Tyler ready to go to the operating room.

From there there I was being prepped in the operating room by what felt like a small army.  Everything seemed like a dream.  Everything was happening so fast.  All the medicine that they had me on began to make sick. I had to ask for a barf bag.  Because I was numb from  my arms down it felt like I was drowning each time my body had to throw up.  I also began to shake uncontrollably.  Doctor said it was one of the side affects of the medicine I was on.  It felt more like I was having a seizure.  With as horrible as it felt, I just kept on telling myself that this was only but a moment to endure for a lifetime of memories.  Just a few more minuets to endure now.

By the time Tyler entered the operating room, the doctor had already began my incision for the c-section.  At 3:05 am on June 15,2011 Grace Naomi blessed us with her safe arrival.  I was able to get a quick look at my sweet baby before she brought to the NICU for observation.  Luckily she only had to be there for about 30 minuets. 

Grace in the NICU.

It wasn't long before I was finally able to hold my sweet baby.  Finally after 8 long years, my prayers were answered.  Welcome to the family Grace Naomi!

Grace Naomi Beauchat
6 pounds 13 ounces
20 inches long