The Boys Are Back in Town

Opening Day...Go Phillies!!!

Roses are Red...

Violets are blue

Grandma and Grandpa...Come see me soon!!!

Shooby, dooby, doo. :)

See, Grandpa, I'm having fun with the toy you sent me.

How Can You Not Love This Face?!

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Dear Grandma,

I hope you have a very happy birthday today. I miss you and can't wait to see you again. Thank you for your Valentine's Day card. I got it yesterday and got a valentine from Aunt Becky and Uncle Karl, Kyle and Jack today. I loved them. See? I love you very much. Happy Birthday!

Love, Josie

Here's What I've Been Up To the Last Month...

Josie turned one month this past Friday. Hard to believe...(and yet, not so hard to believe when it's 3:00 or 4:00 am) Love this sweet girl! It's been a month of ups and downs but we're moving forward. Josie's dr. diagnosed her with reflux so the medicine she's on now has definitely helped. Oh...and did I mention the sinus infection? Yes...who knew that a 3 week old can get a sinus infection? I do, now. She's been on an antibiotic since this past Wednesday so praying that she continues to be on the mend. She sounded so stuffy that Phil started calling her Darth Josie. Poor little thing... My time is not my own anymore (and that's an adjustment, let me tell you) so instead of lots of words, how about lots of pictures. I bring you Josie's first month...

At the hospital

Heading home...my first car ride

Love to sleep...

Did not love my first bath...but loved Grandma helping me

Love my daddy

Hanging out in my swing

Me and mommy

See...love to sleep

Love the shirt my Aunt Karen sent me!

Look how cute I am!

Me and Sox

Look what Mom's cousins, Alan and Sue sent me!

One month old on October 22nd!

And because I look so darn cute in my sunglasses...

Josephine Julia Lankford Has Arrived!!

Josephine, or Josie, as we call her, arrived at 7:34 pm on Wednesday, September 22nd. The labor part...going from 2 cm (which is what I was when we got to the hospital) all the way to 10cm wasn't bad at all (whoever invented epidurals should have a spot somewhere in some Hall of Fame somewhere). That part only took 5 and 1/2 hours. The delivery part...well...that was another thing entirely. All in all, 2 hours of pushing and a little extra help from the doctor for a sweet someone who didn't want to make that last little part of her journey into the world.

I'll spare you the details.

But our little Josie is here, all 8 lbs 5 ozs and 20 inches of her. I'll post some pictures soon...right now, I'm just figuring out how to feed her, what I'm supposed to be doing, and how to talk coherently with a little bit of sleep at night. But she's here and she's all ours!

Oh...and the name in case you're curious. Josephine is a name we both really liked. It's definitely recognizable as a name, but unique enough that she probably won't be the 4th Josephine in her school class. And we liked the name Josie, which is what we'll call her. We're not really that big into the meaning of names but as an added bonus, her name means "God will add". And truly, it was only God who could've added to our little family. Julia is because she was named in honor of my grandma, Vienno Julia Peura.

As I type, I'm remembering my grandma and I'm all choked up again. Oh...these blessed hormones or the lack of them now that I'm not pregnant anymore. Whatever it is...pray for Phil. :) He's truly been amazing through all of this. And he is such a natural with Josie. She loves to just lay in his arms and look up at him. I just love it!

4:30am On the Clock But a Smile on My Face

Up this morning for the second time around 4:30am for my inevitable couple of trips to the bathroom every night. If I can fall back asleep, I don't mind them. If I can't...well, then, it makes for an extra long day that usually includes a nap the following day. Why the smile on my face this morning as I crawled back into bed?

Because as I lay there willing myself to get back to sleep(which didn't happen, unfortunately), I hear Phil slowly breathing in and out next to me. And I remember that nine years ago this morning, God, without a doubt in my mind, intervened and allowed us these years together. And if that wasn't enough, nine years later, He's decided to add a sweet baby girl to our family.

I am incredibly blessed.

(And for all those waiting...no, nothing new on the baby front yet. The wait continues...)