What We're Thankful For...

Can you believe it????

It has been two months since we brought Jaycee home with us. In a way, it doesn't seem like that long ago, but then again, she keeps changing all the time, that it seems like she is growing up so much.

Just a week ago, I had to put her newborn clothes away. It made me kind of sad to think that she will never wear those things again, but so fun to see her looking at things and smiling and making noises besides crying. That first month was a lot of learning about each other. Here she is in one of my favorite newborn outfits, that when we left the hospital, it didn't even fit her.

Now she is getting into the 0-3 months sizes, but those are so varying that it is hard to know what really fits her. Sometimes we have to try a couple of things and I change her a few times to be sure that a specific size fits. Who knew that I would have so much fun dressing and changing a baby girl. While I love putting her in several cute outfits, she does NOT like changing her clothes very much. I am hoping that will change.

We are so blessed to be able to be parents to Jaycee, and experience having a little one in the house. After such a long time of emptiness, it is nice to have another baby to hold and love and just watch grow and smile and play.

This year, the holidays are starting to present a much more hopeful and happy attitude for us. For so long, I didn't even want to anticipate the holidays and wanted to just get through them. I started to think that I had to come up with new traditions because I felt different and I am different. Being a mom this time around is not at all what I expected it to be. I want my daughter to be safe and I wonder if I am doing right by her ALL the time, but I also have hope that only God has been able to give me, that despite how crazy I feel and how much I don't know what I am doing sometimes, He is holding us both and some things really aren't as BIG as I see them sometimes. I also know that we have one special little boy who is watching us from heaven, and that helps me to know that when I can't be with Jaycee or when I worry if she is ok, Caden is calming my heart and saying, "Mom, don't worry. I'm watching her." For that I am truly thankful.

So this holiday season, I am going to enjoy spending time with family and friends, celebrate being a mom again, and praise God for the hope that Jesus has brought to our lives. We have so much to thank God for this season.

Tom, Mira, & Jaycee