"What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?" ~George Eliot

I changed Anne to 3-6 month clothes yesterday. And I'm buying bigger diapers. Wow. They grow so fast.

This is my new kitchen floor. Isn't it pretty?! I don't think I have a picture of the old one, but it was awful. Mom and I put this new vinyl tile down on Monday and Tuesday. It may not be the best stuff, but it looks so much better than the old floor. We also put quarter round in the far (refridgerator) room to make it look more finished. Isn't it amazing?! I could just stand in the doorway and admire it for hours. :)

On other notes: Mom and Dad were here for almost two weeks for Dad to go to his doctorate class. Mom and I did things. Dad studied. Anne is changing so much lately! She changed even in the two weeks they were here. She's talking so much. And she likes to lay on the floor and move her arms and legs. And that's great for me because it means I can read a little bit again. I really missed reading! :)

My parents left yesterday, so I'm back at work today with Anne. (Mom watched her while I worked while she was here.) It's getting a lot easier to watch her now that she's calmer and since shecan entertain herself for a little bit.

And now I need to start working for real.....

So Anne was baptized yesterday. The pastors did a great job. Anne did pretty well. She didn't cry till after it was over. We were still up front, but technically it was over. She wore a 102 year old dress of her great-great uncle's that was made out of her great-great grandmother's wedding dress. It was beautiful. The hat I made for her cousin Rebecca's dedication. I meant to make one for Anne, but it just didn't get done. :)

Happy New Year!

So we had good holidays. Anne did pretty well traveling. We discovered that she will last between 5 and 6 hours in her carseat before she starts screaming. Not bad for a 2 month old. We spent Christmas with my family (Christmas pictures of Anne are on her album: http://picasaweb.google.com/melodiebooton/Anne), New Year's with Ben's. My grandfather died the Sunday before New Year's, so we went to his funeral and saw the other side of my family there. Sad, but we're all glad he's in a better place and out of pain.

And now we're just glad to be home. Not relaxing, but it seems more relaxed just to be in our own space. You know...

And Anne needs me now, so that's all! (That's how most of my posts will end for a while I think! :))

I took Anne to work today (and she's telling me she's been here long enough, so this will be a short post!) and she was absolutely mesmerized by the mobile on the top of the swing. She's noticed it before, but today she was smiling and wouldn't even fall asleep because she couldn't keep her eyes off of it. It's so amazing how fast they change!

So we made it to Texas. The trip wasn't as bad as I had feared. :) We stopped twice to feed Anne during the first half of the trip, before we stopped at my grandparents' house. My grandfather is not doing well; he's in the final stages of Alzheimer's disease. I was glad we had the chance to stop and see them. The picture is my grandmother holding Anne. Then we came the rest of the way to Mount Pleasant. By the end, Anne had decided that she was tired of her car seat. I don't know that I blame her!

When we got here, Anne was asleep, but her cousin Rebecca was awake. She was so excited to meet Anne! When she saw her, her hands and feet just started moving. It was so funny. We're going to take pictures of them together tomorrow, so I'll post them soon.

It's time for bed, so I'll post pictures with the other grandparents tomorrow.

Smiles

She's smiling so much now! It's very fun!

Here's another photo of Anne. She's so beautiful! I did want to tell you all that her tests went well. They are almost positive that everything is perfectly fine. They still want to do an MRI, but that won't be for a while and it's just to confirm their current diagnosis - it's just some extra tissue that won't be an issue. If it doesn't ever bother Anne, she'll probably always have it. Great news! Thanks for praying.

If you want to see more pictures, go to her album at http://picasaweb.google.com/melodiebooton/Anne.

Anne Cecilia Booton has arrived!!!

Well, here she is, the one we all been waiting for, our new baby, Anne Cecilia Booton.

Anne was born on Saturday November 3, 2007 at 5:33pm. She weighed 8 pounds, and 13 ounces. She was born with a bump on her back which needs to be removed, but the doctors have to find out what it is first. It could be serious. The doctors have stated that it is most likely a cyst but they will need to check to make certain it is not pushing spinal fluid into the brain. We have an appointment for a sanogram tomorrow. Please, pray she'll be alright.

-Ben