3 Months

Wow! I cannot believe that Mary Lee is 3 months old today! Time sure does fly by! Mary Lee is doing great! I cannot believe how much she has changed over the past few weeks. I remember the first 5 or 6 weeks of Mary Lee's life...Griffin and I told everybody about how fussy she was. I remember thinking to myself, "When does this (having a child) become fun?" I know it sounds horrible to think that, but she was so fussy and we often did not know why. I remember just being completely exhausted and not knowing if I could bounce her, rock her, feed her, or swing her one more time to get her to stop fussing. Well, I am not sure if it was just something she had to grow out of or what, but Mary Lee is now such a happy baby. Don't get me wrong, she still has her fussy moments, but those moments are few and far between. Over the past month, Griffin and I have looked at each other many times and just expressed how blessed we are to have such a wonderful baby girl. She is so happy, and that makes us happy! Mary Lee, here are a few things I want to remember about you at this age:

• Your huge, mouth-wide-open smile
• The way you love just laying in the floor on a blanket on your back
• Our conversations during feedings, floor time, and car rides
• The way you open your mouth real wide and stick your tongue out when mommy and daddy kiss you
• Our nighttime feedings together when it is just you, me, and Jesus...Oh I how desperately pray for protection over you before I lay you down
• The way you suck on your hands constantly even though mommy worries about germs
• The way you now roll from your back to your side but when you roll back to your back you get scared
• Your ab work out trick (see video at end of post)

Here are a few pictures that Tori took of Mary Lee at 3 months:

Mary Lee, in just three short months, you have brought so much joy to mommy and daddy! You have become our world! We love you more than you will ever know or understand! Thank you for being such a precious, beautiful, smart, loving little girl. We look forward to watching you grow and change in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead. I love you baby girl!

Merry Christmas!!

Mary Lee has had a wonderful Christmas!! We have done lots and lots of family Christmas things! Mary Lee has loved every minute of it! Tomorrow, we are going to Opryland Hotel in Nashville...I will post pictures from the trip!

Visit with Santa

Just hanging out in her car seat about to head out the door

Is that not the cutest face you've ever seen!?!?!?

Santa came to visit Mary Lee. She got a wagon, lots of toys and clothes, and a Vera Bradley backpack!

Back to Work I Go

Well, I have dreaded this day for quite some time. Tomorrow, I go back to work. I am not dreading actually going back to work because I love my job and have missed my students, but I am definitely dreading leaving my baby girl. I would not trade the last several weeks at home with Mary Lee for anything in the entire world. While being a new mommy is sometimes tiring, stressful, and hard work, the joy you get from having a child is undescribable. Mary Lee has become our world in a few short weeks. And now, to know that I will not be with her all of the time devastates me...It is bringing me to tears as I type. I want to spend every moment that I can with her right now as she is growing and changing so much. My only comfort right now is knowing that she will be well taken care of while I am working since my mom and Betsy Millington will be taking care of her...I could not ask for her to be in any better hands. Luckily I will only be at work for 2 weeks, and then it will be Christmas break, and I will be off for 2 weeks! Well, here goes...back to work.