Lots To Share

I have a lot to share in this post. Hence the title. It is always so busy around the holidays, but this year has been the busiest so far! We are so thankful to have had Jesstine this Christmas and we had a lot of fun as you can tell from the barrage of pictures! She was such a good sport even amidst the chaos that was our weekend following Christmas. As you may have guessed, the actual Christmas morning of opening presents was not really all that exciting to her yet! She basically played in her kick-n-play (kicky play as Stephen calls it) as usual! We also started feeding her rice cereal last week. That is always fun! At first she didn't care for it, but she got the hang of it and quickly graduated to 3 Tbsp. for her morning feeding! Sometimes at night she eats two, but the last few nights she has been pretty cranky and finicky. So, with out further adieu, her are the pictures! I have a really cute video clip to show you too when Seth or Jenni is able to get around to sending that to me! One of the pictures shows a little of what you will see. It is still best to have the sound with it to get the full effect.

I have to tell you this picture is slightly staged. She really had a cleaner mouth than this, but I figured to really show the full experience, her mouth needed to be messy! I really have never seen such a clean eater (for a first time solid food eater that is). Of course I give her mouth several swipes with the spoon. I am sure that helps.

This goes to show how much she really DOES like Elmo! Aunt Jenni and family picked this chair out for her and she loves it! It giggles and wiggles which makes her smile so big! She also sits in it nicely considering it is for an 18+ month old! Thank you Aunt Jenni, Uncle Seth, Noah and Ian for her new chair!

This is Christmas morning and her beside her presents from Santa *wink, wink*. You can see how thrilled she is! You can't really tell but her hat says "Baby's first Christmas on it." She got an incrediblock and some more peek-a-blocks to go with it! She also got a set of small maracas (chikitas) in her stocking. Those turned out to be her favorite!

This is just a still shot of the funniest part of our holiday! Ian and Noah (Jesstine's cousins) got Jesstine to laugh hysterically this weekend! It was so funny! Ian is Jesstine's new buddy. From the start he was fascinated by her. He brought her a stuffed giraffe while she played in her seat. He sat and watched her as she excitedly played. It was so neat to see them connecting even at Jesstine's young age. I keep seeing little glimpses of Noah when I look at Jesstine. She certainly has a lot of Hutchins in her! Hopefully there will be a video clip soon to show you how hysterical this actually was! Until then, here is the picture!

Last but not least. We have yet to get around to getting professional photos taken for her 4-month picture. We spent A LOT on her two-month ones because of where they were taken. It has been hard for us to get up the courage to seek out another photography place. I was told I need to go to Sears or Penny's and join their club to get her pictures done each month. I am thinking about every other month right now. ANYWAY, my family was also in town for the weekend. For those of you who don't know, we have had three babies added to our family in the span of 4 months! We tried to get a picture of all of Mom's grandkids for her as a Christmas gift. My brother-in-law, Ryan, does a great job of getting studio quality shots. So, we called him in to do the work! Jesstine was great to work with and the others were just a little difficult. We were unable to get a good picture of all of them. We managed to get the three youngest. Plus, Ryan took some of Jesstine alone because she was doing so well! Here is what we have decided to print for her studio quality 4-month picture. She is getting SOOOO much better at holding her neck up too. (Jenni, out of about 15 pictures, this was the closest thing to a smile!)

Well, we hope you all enjoyed your holiday season. We wish you all the best in this new year! We feel that God has certainly blessed us with a beautiful, smart, loving child! We are so happy to be able to share her sweet smiles with you!

In Him,

Lacie, Stephen, and Jesstine

P.S. For those of you who save the pictures off of this site, you may want to ask me for bigger ones. There were so many this time, I chose to make them small. The last one was a gigantic file too. Let me know if you want them!

Gonna Get Dressed, Gonna See Santa

This is what I have sang (or should it be sung????) to Jesstine on three different occasions! Today we FINALLY were able to see Santa, only to get a mediocre picture. She was very good. Not at all fussy like many other kids we saw there. She just can't seem to look anywhere but to her left! It is uncanny! I noted that in a caption for a picture in the last post! Stephen's maternal grandfather was always photographed looking in a different direction than the camera. Perhaps that is where she gets it! I did take a photo of her at home in case the Santa visit never happened. Next year I will be in search of a great Santa who is not a mall Santa. 1.) You never know what kind of Santa you are going to get. (This one kind of smelled of smoke and another that we attempted to see was out sick)! 2.) You never know if the mall Santa will be there or not (see last comment)! I would LOVE to find an authentic Santa. Maybe we will have to travel to Aunt Jenni and Uncle Seth's house next year to visit THEIR Santa! Anyhow, without further ado....here she is! Oh, I threw in a picture of her in the Bumbo seat to show you how much progress she is making on her neck strength. Our therapist continues to be amazed. She really is doing great! Before, I would sit her in the Bumbo and she would automatically slump to one side or let her head fall against the back. Now she even plays with toys in it!

Sitting up in Bumbo!

In case we didn't get to see Santa!

Great-Granddad pose....with Santa!

(Stephen calls him the emaciated/hippie Santa!)

Merry Christmas!

Lacie, Stephen and Jesstine Hutchins

4 Months!

Well, time is going fast. I was told that would happen. I just never really knew what people meant until now! Our little princess is now 4 months old! She is growing so fast! She is out of all of her 0-3 months clothes. She is well into her 3-6 months and will outgrow those as well. She is such a girly girl already. People have told me that girls talk way more than boys. I don't have a boy to really compare her to, but she has something to say quite often! Also, she is getting to where she is doing this almost shy thing when she smiles. She will smile and bring her hands up to her face, covering her mouth. It is so cute and reminds me of a giggly girl! Today is officially her 4-month birthday. Because it was a Sunday, she just happened to be dressed up. I have to brag about this dress. Okay, I know it looks more like an Easter dress and was probably meant for Easter (being that I bought it right after Easter). It was a steal though! It has four pieces to it (hat, coat, dress, and bloomers) and was originally $40! I picked it up for $10! You can't beat that (unless it was free), right? Anyhow, since she was dressed up and we had some shopping still left to do, we were going to take her to see Santa. Little did I know, Stephen did not like the idea. His reasoning is because she is too little to remember.....yada, yada, yada. Ultimately he left the decision up to me. By the time she would have seen Santa, she was cranky, tired, and hungry. I decided I would make a great effort to get her there sometime this week. I hope to post that picture soon! Until then, here are her 4-month pictures! Enjoy!

Giggly Girly Girl Picture

Happy and looking away from the camera like her Great-Granddad used to do!

Official 4-month picture

In Him,

Lacie, Stephen, and Jesstine

P.S. Does this hat remind anyone else of the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man (Ghostbusters)?

Three T's and a big E: Thanksgiving, Tummytime, The Boys and Elmo

First of all, happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there keeping up with our little blog. We are very thankful this year for many reasons. Ultimately of course for the sacrifice that Christ made so that we could appreciate everything that we have and reach heaven someday as well. This year, we are extra thankful that God gave us our little turkey. She was such a good girl today and she didn't even know that today was any different than any other day. Here are a few pictures of HER Thanksgiving feast!

Nothing like breast milk and formula for a Thanksgiving feast! Mmm-Mmm good!

We have never been real fans of the "First Thanksgiving/Christmas" outfits for the simple reason that you spend $10+ on an outfit that your child will only wear once! So, Jesstine got a simple bib which she promptly spit her dinner on! Oh well! That's what they are for right?!

Okay, so for those of you who don't know, Jesstine has something called Torticallis (SP???). It is a muscle tightness in her neck causing her to slump to one side. She is also way behind as far as neck control is concerned. She is supposed to be pushing herself up off of the ground during tummy time at least a little. Also she doesn't hold her head up at all when she is lying flat and you pull her up by the arms. So, we started some physical therapy this week. We have already seen some progress! This is a picture of some of the therapy we have been working on. She is actually lifting her head on her own! Granted, she is not on a flat surface, but we are getting somewhere at least!

Since Jesstine is now in 3-6 month clothing, she is big enough to show her true team spirit! What a better day than Thanksgiving when the Cowboys play each year! Here she is all decked out in her Cowboys attire. Notice the thrilled look on her face. That is simply because it was BEFORE we actually watched the game. (She did watch a little of it. She sat happily on Daddy's lap).

And last but certainly not least, here is where Elmo comes in. You know, everyone's favorite three year-old?! (I saw that in a book somewhere and thought it was a cute way to look at Elmo. I never knew he was three!) This is NOT a picture of Jesstine watching the game. This is my proof that Jesstine LOVES Elmo! Just before this picture, Mr. Noodle's brother, Mr. Noodle came on and she cracked a smile and laughed. I often wonder what is going on in that head, but it always seems to be the same when Elmo comes on. She laughs and smiles like she knows what is going on! It is so cute! Oh and this is the episode where they made fun of High School Musical by doing a segment of "Preschool Musical" on the Dizzy channel! It was absolutely hilarious! Notice the gut already forming (not on the one with the glasses either)!

Until next time, find something to be thankful for this holiday. Even if it is just the simple things like tummy time, the Cowboys win or Elmo! We are thankful each day for our little miracle! And she is so darn cute!

In Him,
Lacie, Stephen, and Jesstine

First Overnighter and Other Cute Jesstine Moments

So, we went on our first overnight trip with Jesstine this weekend. We went up to Warrensburg, MO to see my sister and support her at her baby shower. Usually 3 month-old babies sleep pretty well in the car. Well, Jesstine only had about a 10 min. nap in the car! By the time we reached our destination (after at least one stop), she was so tired she slept for nearly three hours at Aunt Ola's! She was such a trooper. Especially considering I think she is trying to cut teeth. I know it sounds crazy ( the cutting teeth not the traveling with a three month-old). My mom was with us and noticed the classic signs as well. She has been trying to bite everything. I mean actually biting it! She won't suck on a pacifier, but she has been chewing on them lately. She chews on her burp cloths. She is fussing at the bottle too. We arrived home around 5:00 today. She was a little tired. The trip back was easier on her. She had a 1 hour nap and a 30 min. one which helped. She did get tired a lot quicker when we arrived home. About three hours later this is how she looked:

Pictured with her is her beloved pet seahorse, Seamoore. Yes I know that is not a typical spelling for the name, but it was made up. Sea because he is a seahorse and Moore was my maiden name. He sleeps next to her each night and her hand is always touching him. He sings her to sleep. He is the only toy that she has really taken to on a regular basis.

Last Sunday, I dressed her in a fall outfit. I thought she looked so cute, I had to take a picture. (You are probably saying, "Yeah, when does that NOT happen????) I also have been taking pictures of her in outfits that she is quickly outgrowing. Luckily she has the shirt in a bigger size!

Now this is the picture that needs an explanation. I put her on one of her two play mats to play. I sat on the couch to fold some laundry and heard her make a noise. I looked up and this was all I saw! It kind of reminds me of the scene in the Wizard of Oz where the house lands on the Wicked Witch and all you see is the feet. It sure does look funny!

So this is the random picture taking of the Jesstine's parents. I think my sis-in-law calls my bro-in-law the paparazzi. I am told that the next childs pictures will be half as many in number, if not less. We will have to see that when we get there. Until then, we are going to continue to take these professional quality photos of the most interesting moments of Jesstine's life! They will be great to show any potential boyfriends so they are scared off! Hehe!

In Him,
Lacie, Stephen, and Jesstine

Three Months Old!

Well, she is three months old now! As you can tell from her pictures, it is getting harder and harder to get this wiggle worm to sit still for pictures! She is getting so big. Even before hitting the three month mark, most of her three month clothing was too small. I know it varies from clothing brand to clothing brand, but even some that are the same brand will fit her and others are too small! I guess we know she is eating well.

Lately we have been working on sleep. I know it sounds silly. Jenny and Seth were kind enough to purchase a sleep book for us that has been really helpful. We have already been able to get her to sleep through the night for the most part. Now we are working on naps. It has proven to be a bit harder. Some days she will take three naps. Others she will take 5 short naps. We have also found ourselves in the habit of watching Sesame Street each day. Johnna and Kara have witnessed the power of Elmo on our little one! She LOVES Elmo! She will laugh and smile when he talks or comes on! Even tonight when she was tired and fussy. Elmo came on and she turned her head and smiled. She was mesmerized! Anyhow, here are a few pictures of the now three month-old Jesstine! The last is just one more of her in her Meowlloween costume. We took her to a hockey game and she was the best dressed one there! We got oo's and ah's as Stephen walked around with her. We stuck the bow on her ear so that they would know she was a girl.

Official three month picture.

Right after bath time. Daddy does bath time and sings silly songs that make it so much fun!

Happy Meowlloween!

Baby Gridley

It is with great sadness that I report yet another little baby who has passed on.

Not too long ago, my sister, Grace, called me and said that she had run into a childhood friend of hers while eating lunch in a small town Pizza Hut. This young man is a person she played with as a baby, dated for a few months in high school and went to college with. In their conversation, she discovered that he lives a few houses away from me. Not only that, his wife is a teacher in the same district in which I teach. They were also expecting a child and I had just had Jesstine or was about to very soon.

Grace called tonight to tell me that her friend had recently discovered some complications with their pregnancy. They had to deliver early (33 or so weeks) due to low amniotic fluid. I got a call not long after that. It was Grace saying that Baby Gridley was born and did not survive.

My heart is breaking. Not too long ago, I was in this same situation. I want to reach out to this family so badly because I feel like I know what will help them through the long process ahead of them. Yet, all I can do now is sit and pray. I can also ask all of my blog friends to please join me in praying for this family. The dad's name is Lanny and mom's name is Jenny. That is really all I feel comfortable sharing here. Please join me in prayer for this young family that was hit with one of the worst tragedies imaginable!

Dear Lord,
Please be with this young family as they come to terms with the loss of one so young and dear to them. Please help them to find strength in you and your never ending promises. Help them to find comfort in their family, church family and friends. Help us to be vessels to help them in anyway possible. You know my heart breaks more than words can describe anytime I hear of the loss such as this. Please just let them feel your presence and hold their hand through this trying time. We know that your love transcends death. It is because of this promise that we can continue in life despite such tragedies. We look toward your never ending promise of Eternal Life as our hope.

In Jesus name. Amen.

In Him,
Lacie Hutchins