Already One Week Old!

Last Thursday, Grace turned one week old! Time with her is passing by so fast! Sometimes, I want her to grow up quickly so that I can interact with her and discover her personality; and other times, I just want her to stay this small size forever so I can cuddle her in my arms. Sigh. I'll just have to catch the precious moments as they pass.
Anyway...to commemorate Grace's big event, here is a post of pictures from her first week of life and her one week old birthday!

My parents were good enough to come and stay with us after Grace was born (my dad left Saturday and my mom will stay for another week), and their favorite thing to do here has been to hold and love Grace (obviously!).
Here are some pictures of them doing just that during her first week of life:

My mom also brought several books for Grace, and enjoys reading them to her (when Grace is awake):

Daddy and daughter playing together too (of course):

And then, for her birthday, Grace got a mini photoshoot!

Here she is all squeaky clean after her bath:

My mom made a quilt for her too, so we had to get lots of pictures of her in that! (Oh, and her dad picked out her birthday outfit...just thought you should know.)

Isn't her hair starting to look red?

I just LOVE her pretty blue eyes! And she just loves her little hands up by her face! =)

She also loves to be all stretched out, which is kinda funny for a newborn, but we think it's so cute!

She was such a little sport!

Our pretty girl:

Grandpa loves his little Grace!

We also made cupcakes for her birthday, but since she couldn't enjoy them with us, we didn't take pictures. And for the rest of the day, we just snuggled her and showered her with love and attention. =)

HAPPY one week BIRTHDAY baby Grace! We love you!

(My First) Mother's Day

Our little Grace was born just in time for Mother's Day, and was the best Mother's Day gift a new mommy could've asked for! She brings such a sweet spirit into our home, and I feel so lucky to be her mom.
Here she is on Mother's Day in her "I love mommy" onesie--perfect for the occaision:


Mother's Day evening, we went to Blackfoot to celebrate with Travis' parents, as well as my parents who had just arrived from Arizona.

Here's Grace with her Aunt Tia, who thinks Grace is pretty kissable :)


With her Grandma Suzie (Reed), for whom Grace is her first grandbaby. You can't see it, but her shirt says "Grandma: And proud of it! As you can imagine, my mom has been SO excited to finally meet her first granddaughter.


In grandma's arms, in her first Sunday dress:

With her grandparents:

A 3 Generation photo:

The Reed-Holloway Clan:

Our growing family of 3!

After eating a delicious Mother's Day dinner and visiting with family, our little family headed home to get some sleep!

Here's Daddy and Grace getting ready for bed:

Our little sweetie:

We love you Grace, and are so glad you joined our family just in time for Mother's Day!

Welcome, Grace

We welcome to the world and to this blog Grace Lorraine Holloway. She was born on Thursday, May 7th at 2:50 pm, and weighed in at 7 pounds 3 ounces, and measured 19 1/2 inches long. We are so happy to have her in our family and are glad to report that both Jenny and Grace are healthy and doing well. Here are pictures of our sweet baby girl.

Jenny and Grace meet for the first time


The three of us







7 lb 3 oz

Her first bath

Grace's first experience with the car seat. She wasn't sure about it at first but she loves it now.

Checking out of the hospital to bring our precious bundle home

Baby Update

We just got back from the Dr.'s office (for our LAST appointment!) with the latest:
I am:
dialated to 3 cm's
70% effaced
and the baby is at a -3 station (down closer to my pelvic bones) and is still head first. =)
Also, as usual, my blood pressure is good, and the baby's heart beat sounds great.
Now, for the really interesting news:
The Dr. went ahead and "stripped my membranes" (separated the baby's amniotic sac from my uterus), which means that my labor could get jumpstarted, and we could be heading to the hospital tonight...or, the process could keep going as it has been, and I could continue in false labor. So far though, my contractions aren't feeling any different (which is supporting the second scenario).
So...we have a back-up plan: If our baby decides she likes life in the womb enough to stay in there for a few more days, I have an appointment to be induced Tuesday morning at 7:30 am. Long story short--we WILL have a baby by next Tuesday (though we really hope she decides to come before then)!
And since it's been awhile since I posted pictures, here are a few from last Friday--at 9 months pregnant:

The "mommy" and the excited "dad-to-be":

We love you baby Grace and can't wait to meet you!

A Tasty New Recipe

We made this tasty smoothie for dinner tonight and I thought it was too good not to share!
I call it "Orange Dreamsicle Sunrise" (though it's really just Momma Holloway's "Orange Julius" with a little twist!).

Ingredients:
10-12 ice cubes
1/2 can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup milk
1 cup water
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1 cup mixed frozen fruit (we used the Dole Mixed Fruit blend of strawberries, pineapple, mango, and peaches).
Directions:
Blend all ingredients until desired texture in a blender, serve, and enjoy!

Seriously, it is sooo good!
So try it yourself and tell us what you think!

Mission Accomplished: My Completed Art Project

Back in February, Travis' grandparents (Kaye and Louise Larson) commissioned me to do a drawing of Louise's family home (out near Driggs, which now belongs to her older brother Garl). Well, after many hours since then of procrastinating, planning, drawing, penning, and coloring, I finally finished the work yesterday afternoon! Then last night, Travis and I brought the drawing over to show the Larsons, and the triumph of having finished it was made complete when his grandparents told me how pleased they were with it and how much they liked it. =)
And since I, myself, am satisfied with how it turned out, and promised many of you that I'd post a picture of it when I was done, here are a few pictures of the drawing:





Here is a close up of the bay window:

The drawing's fate is now to be framed and then hung above the bed in their bedroom! So, a few weeks from now, if you get the chance, you might stop by and see Grandma and Grandpa Larson, and get a peek of my finished drawing for yourself!

Week 39 Baby Update

From "What to Expect": "Not much to report this week, at least in the height and weight department. Fortunately for you and your overstretched skin, baby's growth has slowed down--or even taken a hiatus until after delivery. On average, a baby this week still weighs in at around 7 or 8 pounds and measures up at 19 to 21 inches. Still, progress is being made in some other areas, especially baby's brain, which is growing and developing up a storm. What's more, your baby's pink skin has turned white or whitish. A development that you may have noticed by now if this is your first pregnancy: Baby's head might have dropped into your pelvis. This change of baby's locale might make for easier breathing, but could also make it harder for you to walk (make that to waddle)."
Well, our pregnancy/development seems to be going according to the book. For example, up until week 36, our baby was measuring right on (or only off by one) in terms of cm, but for the last two appointments, she's been measuring under (at about 33 or 34 cm). Also, I haven't gained any weight in the past month--it's only flucuated down and then back up (which we figure is a result of the shrinking amount of amniotic fluid). But, as the book said, and as our Dr. assured us, the hiatus or drop off in these areas is normal at this stage (the end of) the pregnancy. (Also, another factor in the baby's current measurement could be that she might have "dropped," though it's hard to tell if that's happened or not.)
Other news from the Dr.'s office includes that my blood pressure is good, the baby's heart beat sounds great, and I am slightly further dialated--at about 2 1/2 cm. (This change was kind of expected, as I've only been having a few mild contractions each day.) And when the Dr. was telling us goodbye, he said "We'll either see you next week or at the hospital." Wow! Crazy! It really is almost here! So, we'll at least have news for you about the baby after our appointment next Tuesday, unless she decides to make her grand entrance into the world before then! =) Either way, we'll keep you posted!