Worth the Wait and Angels in Our Life

Holly here - as Daniel is taking a brief nap after his morning feeding, I thought I would take advantage of the time to type a post that I have been thinking about over the last two weeks.

Michael and I both know for sure that Daniel is THE baby who is supposed to be with us and part of our family. We have been so blessed by God and our BM. Daniel is definitely worth the wait.

I wanted to let our friends who are still on their family building journeys know this b/c it is so important to have hope and know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I also realize that telling you this while you are frustrated with waiting and a multitude of procedures or tons of paperwork does not always help. When people told me that the right baby is out there for you, I had a hard time believing it. We are praying for all of you every night!

I also know that God put our friends and family in our lives and they are the angels who supported us and sustained us on our journey. Talking to us on the phone, sending wonderful emails, providing encouragement or holding our hands during the tough times. Plus you have all been there to celebrate with us when Daniel arrived! We are so blessed and can never put into words how much we cherish all of you.

Outings with Daniel

Holly here - on Friday I decided to get out of the house and took Daniel to CVS to get a trillion pictures of Daniel printed and then we headed to Fair Oaks Mall for the first time. He was so good in his Snap and Go Stroller and lots of ladies at the mall asked about him! We bought some things at Gymboree and Papyrus! He was very happy until there was a long check-out line at Gymboree and he was not moving. We must be in constant motion!

On Saturday, we all went to Jen and Bennett's place b/c Michael had to help move a swing set into the back yard. Daniel and I hung out with Jen, Robyn and BJ and ate lunch! Daniel pretty much slept the whole time which was the opposite of yesterday when he did not want to take any naps. Then Michael and I went to Arlington and met Matt and Deborah at Village Bistro for dinner. We had a lovely evening and Daniel slept the entire time! He did not even want a bottle until we were in the car on the way home. We are trying to take advantage of being able to go out while he is young. I also realized that this was the first time I had to get dressed up in 2 1/2 weeks!

Michael is singing 99 bottles of beer on the wall to Daniel and he loves it!

Daniel is 6 Weeks Old

Holly here - Today is a special day because Daniel is now 6 weeks old! It is hard to believe how quickly he is growing every day. Daniel is developing a strong neck and when you burp him he can definitely head-butt you before you can even do anything. He likes to smile and giggle especially at the ladies and Mommy!

We took some pictures that are attached on bath night with Daniel in his Sweet Pea PJs (3-6 month PJs by the way). I call him my Sweet Pea all the time, so I had to get some great pictures. He likes his bath much better now, especially when I snuggle with him in a warm towel after the bath in the rocker. Last night Daniel slept in his crib for the first time and he did really well. Tonight when Michael got him ready for bed he could rock him in the nursery which is so special.

Nana and Grandpa came to babysit today so that I could go to D.C. and have my hair cut! They had a great time with Daniel and gave him lots of attention. Plus they even took Daniel for a walk in the stroller. Can you imagine what Christmas will be like with Daniel and both sets of Grandparents at our place :)

Daddy Goes Back to Work and Visitors

Holly here - Michael was sad that he had to go back to work on Monday and leave Daniel. He missed his little buddy. I am learning how to entertain Daniel all day and maybe even try to get him on a schedule?? Monday morning Daniel and I went shopping at Babies R Us - it is amazing how much easier it is to shop there at 10am on a weekday! We had to buy more supplies for Daniel like wipes and baby wash and shampoo. Daniel was very good and all the workers wanted to know all about him.

We did some tummy time when we got home. Daniel is able to lift his head and is becoming very strong. I also bought some rings to get Daniel to start grabbing things with his hands. It seems to me that his left hand is stronger than his right so maybe he will be a lefty (Michael thinks would be great for sports). We also did more singing and dancing to party favorites.

Daniel fell asleep right as his visitors showed up - Rachel and Jennifer Rose. I was so happy to finally meet Jennifer Rose and she is a sweetheart with lots of smiles. She enjoyed walking around the table and I even got to see her eat baby food. Rachel was great to bring lunch and extra food for me and Michael. After playing with Jennifer we ate lunch and then Daniel woke up so that Rachel could hold him. He gave Rachel lots of smiles! Jennifer really liked the Rainforest Bouncer (just like Daniel). I think we have some great future playmates here.

Today is Jennifer's First Birthday - so Happy Birthday and Many More!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Michael and I are thrilled for Rachel and Joe and Jennifer who are now a family of three.

When Michael got home he got lots of smiles from Daniel! Then I headed off to my yoga class. Apparently Michael had a malfunction and problem with at least two bottle nipples and Daniel's feeding was VERY LONG. When I got home from yoga, Michael had still not eaten dinner.

We played with Daniel, read to him and sang to him tonight. He is such a happy baby when he is fed and dry! We cannot wait for Aunt Valerie and Uncle Eric to meet him.

pics are now posted :-)

More Visitors for Daniel

Holly here - on Friday Nana and Grandpa (Michael's parents) came to visit Daniel. They really missed him b/c they had not seen him in a week! Nana fed Daniel and then Nana and Grandpa held Daniel and cuddled with him - he was so happy. Plus Grandpa even sang him some great songs that he used to sing to Michael. Nana is coming back to babysit next week and Daniel cannot wait!

Susan who lives down the street stopped by with her daughter Shannon. They wanted to see precious Daniel and cannot wait to spend more time with him as he grows up.


On Saturday Daniel got a visit from Nancy, Arthur and Brandon. They are happy to have another Raven's fan in the making! Plus Vicki and Miller stopped by to hold Daniel and he slept in their arms and had great dreams. Bennett also stopped by and there is a great picture of him in his natural habitat.

We went to our annual neighborhood picnic late in the afternoon on Saturday. There were tons of kids there with a moon bounce, face painting, relays, etc. Daniel was the hit of the party when we arrived b/c everyone wanted to meet him. Of course he slept through the whole picnic (maybe due to the heat). He was precious anyway and there are lots of future playmates out there for Daniel.

I have discovered another way to entertain Daniel! When I play channel 620 with party favorites from 60s-present and I dance, Daniel loves it. He smiles, laughs and moves his arms around like me! Either he really likes this or thinks his Mommy is nuts. Michael keeps threatening to use the cam corder during one of these dance sessions :)

We are looking forward to quiet evening with Daniel tonight and bath time. Michael has even rewritten the words to the Gambler and made a song for Daniel - what a great Daddy.

Home for a Week

Daniel here - well I have been in VA for a week and I really like it here. Mommy and Daddy take care of everything I need whenever I cry and lots of people have come to visit me like Gram and Pop-pop (they were really fun)! I have decided to start cooing and talking now (especially to Mommy). I like her voice and her face. Daddy tells me pretty cool stories that I do not understand, but they are long and I like to hear his voice. There are all kinds of gizmos here like a swing, gymini, playard, and my favorite the vibrating bouncer thingy. The UPS guy said there must be something special at our house b/c he is dropping of boxes of stuff for me every day!

On Wednesday Pop-pop and Mommy watched me ALMOST roll-over and they seemed very excited about this. I really wanted to get at the lady bug in the playard b/c she makes a funny noise. Then I went for a walk with Gram, Pop-pop, Mommy and Daddy in the Bob Revolution stroller. This was pretty neat b/c I got to go in the woods and Daddy said we saw some Deer. Now I did not see anything from my view except a lot of green but I liked it in the woods b/c it was cool and I was going fast. You know that I like to be in motion all the time! Plus I want people to pay attention to me all the time and Mommy kept checking on me even when I fell asleep in the stroller.

I also got to go out to dinner for the first time at Cantina d'Italia. Mommy fed and changed me before we left the house, but I had other plans. After Gram, Pop-pop, Mommy and Daddy ate their salads and appetizers, I was really tired of just sitting in my car seat (even though Mommy was trying to entertain me). So I just cried a little and got my diaper changed. There was a lady in the bathroom who said I was really cute and she liked my VT onesie (I am not sure what the VT means but Daddy really likes me in it). Then the main meal arrived and I saw everyone eating except me and I was hungry. So I cried again and I got my bottle! Mommy and Daddy took turns feeding me and burping me. All in all, I am willing to let Mommy and Daddy take me back to a restaurant again - as long as they bring food and entertainment for me. Then it was bath time and I got to try out my spa bath again and then a really warm towel to dry off. The best part was when Pop-pop and Gram held me and played with me and snuggled with me before I went to bed.

Overall I give this place and Mommy and Daddy a big smiley face! I really like it when Mommy calls me sweet pea. i think Daddy is still working on a nickname for me.

Then on Thursday Jane and Alex stopped by and brought us lunch from Panera and a frozen casserole dinner for later (although I just got a bottle) - Alex liked touching my head and saying hi to me which was nice. I really liked Jane's voice and she says I have beautiful blue eyes. Then folks were dancing to 80's tunes in the family room. I tried to join in with some help from Mommy. After Jane and Alex left, I had some fun in my playard and some tummy time (not sure what that is all about except Mommy puts me on my tummy and talks to me from different sides of my head). I really wish that Mommy and Daddy could understand what I am saying now that I am talking and cooing. Maybe they will figure it out in about 18 years! I do love all the hugs and kisses that they give me all day and night! I heard Daddy on the phone and Grandpa and Nana are coming to visit tomorrow and I am going to get more spoiling which is fine by me.

Daddy will have to post the pictures b/c I am not allowed to use the camera or computer yet. Maybe Mommy will let me use them next week when Daddy goes back to work?

A final note - Mommy helped me write this while Daddy was off running errands. He seems to do that a lot. This time he had some printed-out pictures of me for his friends at Giant. Oh, and he told me that he ran into Heidi in the parking lot and she was very excited about me!