More pics of that Sebring Girl!-with a little commentary

Week Two brought Grace Ann a lot of firsts! Her first trip to church, her umbilical (spell check) cord fell off, her first bath, first meeting of Aunt Marcie, Uncle Keith, cousin Jack, and her first family affair with the Sebring/Tatum crew! She took all in stride except for the bath! She must take after her other first cousin, Camden, because he did not enjoy his first bath either!

I have to say that I am more tired, less with it and the house has gone to the birds! When all the help left, Russ and I had our first private conversation since Grace Ann was born and some much needed couch time--which was spent napping, of course! But we sure miss the cleaning crew and the gourmet cooks that gave us wonderful meals! We can't thank our parents enough for all the love and support they have given us as newbie parents! Because let me tell you...it's hard work! I now have on "parent goggles" and no one can prepare you for the change you experience once you put them on. So to my single friends and dinks please take a long nap and have a nice cocktail for your old friends, Alice Ann and Russ! Cheers to this new life and farewell to the old one! It's definitely going to be a ride that I want to cherish!

The girl's first bath...we did not like it!

Hey it's not so bad......
oh yes it is......
Mommy I just don't like this....please get me out of here!
Ahhhh...daddy wraps me nice and warm!

Mommy thought I should get some practice before I try the real waves!
My favorite bedtime story: "Goodnight Moon."
She may not can look at the pictures yet, but she is good listener!
Jack meets his new cousin----what a sweet duo!
The Cheese Man and the Sleepy girl!

Do you love the ever so trendy hospital pacifier? It's all the rage in the nursery!

Thanks for the outfit--Jess and Brandon!
Grann rocking her little girl!
And it so does! Russ and the little girl!
Do you love my cheeks? They are getting so big!

I am ready for the Olympics! ( Her most comfortable position with her feet curled up!)
I love to watch her sleep...a glimpse into Heaven!

Grace Ann at One Week!

I can't believe that Grace Ann is already 11 days old! Since she was born the days just fly by and I can't seem to make them slow down. These are some things that truly amaze me now that I am a new mommy:

1. You feel so blessed! I cannot say this 4 word sentence enough.

2. Your perspective on life is totally changed and you view different things as more important.

3. I can stare at her for hours and not be bored.

4. Like my mom said, "How can people not believe in God when they see a precious baby?"

5. Miracles do happen.

6. I love her so much I feel that my heart could burst.

Russ and I have had a total life change happen in our marriage since Grace Ann graced our lives. We now know how our parents have loved us unconditionally. Please keep us in your prayers that we can be great parents. Enjoy these pictures that Rick took! He has been snapping away since she was born!

GraceAnn meets her brother, Oscar Mayer!

When we brought her home from the hospital our first task was introducing the girl to the dog. I had read this book about how to acclamate your pet to your baby and these are the steps to follow:

1. Put a blanket from the hospital in the dog bed before coming home from the hospital.

2. When you come home let the "mom" greet the dog first by herself.

3. Let "dad" bring in the carrier and get baby out.

4. Let dog lick babies' feet.

I know these sound funny to some but for my dog people friends this makes a lot of sense. Well we are at day 6 of GraceAnn's existence and so far so good. We are still very cautious with the two of them, but Oscar seems to be in protective mode with the girl. So for now we are very happy with the progress.

I must sign off because we are taking a ride in the car---how exciting!!!! I have make-up on and lipstick (plus I shaved my legs). Now it just doesn't get better than that!

Oh my goodness! We are Parents!!!!!

Grace Ann Tatum Sebring

August 16, 2008

12:29am

7 lbs. 12 oz.

19 1/2 inches long

The pictures are soooo out of order, I don't have the patience or time to fix them right now so please bear with me as the pics jump from one scene to the next!

First family portrait! The Sebring Trio!
Russ is showing me the 411 on the carseat!
Let's go home!!!!

Playing dress up! I know....... already!
We love our boppy-- everyone should own one!

This picture was taken after a long night.
Getting ready to be discharged!

(Darby her bracelet was perfect and she loved wearing it!!!!!)

Me and Mary are matching---we didn't even plan this!!!
I could stare at her for hours!

Here we are with the best doctor in the world--Dr. Wilder

I think the flash got in his eyes, because he was with it that night!
Dr. Wilder telling Russ congratulations
GraceAnn with Russell's mom.
GraceAnn with my mom.
GraceAnn with Rick.

Whoa Mama---38 weeks and 2 days

(Picture was taken late at night sans makeup and beauty!)

Don't let my smile distract you--I am hungry, tired and hormonal!
Me and Russ---Here I am at 4cm and going.....
Russ-The amazing husband, birth coach and proud papa!!!!
Here I am at 12:45am with our sweet baby girl!

Grace Ann is ready!

We went for our 38 week check-up and oh my did Russ and I get a surprise! At many of our doctor's appointments he would check me out and say "Looks good, see you next week." But today we heard something different, "So when do you guys want to have this baby?"

What?! I was not prepared for that! Apparently, I am dilated to 2cm and effaced 80%! So first we scheduled for her to arrive on FRIDAY, but now a days hospitals work like a Holiday Inn and there were no vacancies. So we will be induced on August 20th! Yikes! We are so excited to meet this little girl, but we are still very scared. Everyone knows how the unknown can freak you out, but then when it actually happens you think what was I worried about?

My biggest fears thus far are:
1. PAIN
2. Needles
3. Sleep deprivation
4. Did I mention PAIN?

However, my excitement outweighs the fears because like Marcie said, "You finally get to see what she looks like!" So that will be awesome. Plus just seeing a little person with a little bit of me and a little bit of Russ, I think that moment will be were words can't describe how we feel ( I know me speechless.....that's an oxymoron).

So please wish us well as we scramble for one last date, one last clean sweep and one last peaceful night of sleep! Our lives will be changed and we couldn't be happier!

Our 5th year Anniversary!

I can't believe that Russ and I have married for 5 years already! It has definitely flown by. Last night we had such a fun time going to church, a new restaurant, and Marble Slab for dessert. We thought it would be a good idea to go to church on Saturday night since it was our anniversary. We go to the Corpus Christi Catholic Cathedral and last night the bishop was saying the mass! Usually the bishop only says mass for special occassions and services, but we were in luck last night. I guess a higher authority was looking down on us on such a special night in our lives. After mass when we were leaving church we said good-bye to the Bishop Carmody and told him it was our anniversary and he gave us a special marriage blessing. I felt so touched that Russ and I could start our 6th year of marriage in such a memorable way.

Next, we went to this neat little Italian restaurant that we have always wanted to try called Mama Mia's. I now know why it is always packed...................it is out of control delicious! This place has tons of old world charm! As soon as you walk in, the owner, a sweet plump Italian man, welcomes you with a big smile and a hearty laugh as well as the opportunity to drink some wine with him. Now this place was packed, I wonder how many glasses he had had since we got there! Also the ambiance (spell check) reminds me of stepping into a family restaurant in Italy. Everyone has rosy cheeks (from the wine of course) and laughter feels the air and even though Russ and I had never been there it felt like we had eaten there a million times. For you Midlanders think Luigi's (dare I say it) only better! After we had eaten way too much and collected our prize winning doggie bags we head out the door, only to be stopped by the owner. He gave Russ a hug and told him I looked beautiful pregnant (awwwww....I was blushing) and gave me a great big hug with kisses to both cheeks. Yes this is definitely a place that I will visit again! Next time I hope to have a sip of that wine!

For dessert, we could not pass up a visit to the Marble Slab. Since growing a human, I have delighted in visiting this place at least once every other week. Now I have made Russ a fan. So we picked up some ice cream and headed home.

For some this evening seems quite ordinary, but for me and Russ it was a wonderful day to remember how we became us and now we look forward to what we have in the future: a sweet baby girl! I feel blessed in knowing that we have such special friends and family to share our life's adventures! God Bless and we will keep you updated!

Putting the nursery together...well sort of!

We have arranged the furniture, but I have not decorated the walls. The pictures have come out a little bland, but in person it looks amazing! Russell's mom did a fabulous job making all the bedding! She is truly a sewing whiz! Thank you Mary!!!!! We are so lucky to have great parents helping to purchase the much needed furniture and necessities that babies these days need. Thanks Mom and Rick for the crib and changing table!!

This is the glider that Russell's parents got for us and I know that it will be a lifesaver! Look how cute the pillow is! The border is all different kinds of ribbon sewn on individually!
Look at that detail!
Here is the crib!
This is the cradle that Russ redid. It was the same cradle my mom used with me! I love to use family heirlooms.
The much needed Mom and baby shopping vehicle. Grace Ann and I will be attending "Stroller Strides" this fall to help me get back in shape. This stroller will be put to good use!
These are her letters that Marcie made and I can't decide where to hang them. I know a lot of people put them over the crib. But I am up for suggestions...... Isn't the Oscar dog so cute? I think Grace Ann will love her Oscar Mayer!

37 weeks and 2 days!

We are in the home stretch towards Grace Ann's arrival! Russ and I have been doing the marathon of baby classes this week! Here's a breakdown of the fun classes we went to:

Tuesday- Peek a Boo Hospital Tour (very helpful info.- everyone should do this!)

Wednesday- Breastfeeding 101 ( there was a lot I did not know, glad that I went)

Thursday- Infant CPR (Probably the most important class we went to.)

On top of these classes I had to study and take my final for my last class. Which I have to say was the hardest test I have ever taken! Luckily and with the "grace" of God I made a 98 and an A in the class. Probably one of my most proud moments in my all of school career. So I ended the summer with a 4.0! Again something I never did at SWT......must have been all the charity work I was doing! Ha.... Anyway, so now I am officially applying to the graduate program for SLP. This past year I was taking leveling classes so I could APPLY. Talk about a lot of hoops to go through......good thing I am up for the challenge.

Back to Miss Grace Ann........

We went to the doctor and I had a sonogram to see how much she weighs. Apparently, she is weighing in at about 7 lbs. Whoa......I was thinking about 6 lbs. I told Dr. Wilder that she just cannot weigh over 8 and a half pounds. I don't think I could take that. We will see. So I go back to the doctor on Wednesday, the 13th, to see if I have dilated or effaced or whatever happens before you give birth. Russ and I are hoping she will be born around the 20th or so. That would give us enough time to tie up all our loose ends. We are getting really excited and can't wait to meet our little girl!