Another Milestone!

My darling girl is sitting up!! At 4 months, 3 weeks, and 5 days my sweet one sat on her own for the first time. I can't believe it! It feels like just yesterday I was sitting here blogging about my due date passing me by and thinking she was never going to be here... and now, she is almost 5 months old and SITTING UP!! Time sure does fly by!

Cori, each day with you is pure joy. I love watching you grow and learn new things. You are such an intelligent, sweet, precious, charming, vivacious, angel from heaven. To think that God created you, numbered your days, and entrusted you to us is just amazing to me. I know He is smiling down on you as you grow. He loves you so much baby girl and has incredible plans for your life. Watching those plans unfold is a gift from above. Sweet Cori Belle, we LOVE you and are so proud of you already!!

"There could never be a more beautiful you. Don't buy the lies, disguises, and hoops they make you jump though. You were made to fill a purpose that only you can do. So, there could never be a more beautiful you" -- Jonny Diaz

What I love about you... 21 weeks

Week 21

I LOVE...

• Going swimming for the first time. You really seemed to love the water. You practiced floating and kicking your feet. And look, we even got you some sun glasses! Too cute!!

• Taking you to UF events. The first picture is of you back in March with Albert at at UF gymnastics meet. The second picture is of you at a UF baseball game. You love singing the gator fight song... GO GATORS!!

• Watching you play in the exersaucer! You are energized and adorable!

• Attending your first birthday party. Happy first birthday Audrey! :)

"Here, Cori ... I'll share with you!" - Audrey
Yum, yum

• Throwing you into the air and catching you. You laugh and laugh and laugh!

• That you are becoming a little thumb sucker. I may not like it later, but it sure is cute right now!! :)

• Practicing cheer motions. No, I'm not encouraging you to become a cheerleader; you can play any sport you want to. But, you giggle and giggle when we practice. I hold your hands and place them in each motion as we say, "high V, low V, T, broken T, touchdown!!" When we get to the touchdown part, you think it sure is funny!

• How intentional you are with your hands now. You spot something with your eyes, decide you want it, and pick it up on purpose. What a big girl you are!!

• Dancing and singing to praise music with you! I know God is smiling down on us. :)

• Just hanging out and having fun with you, sweet one!

What I love about you... 19 & 20 weeks

Week 19 & 20

"All I want to do is let it be and be with you and watch the wind blow by. All I want to see is you and me go on forever like the clear blue sky. Slowly, there's only you and I. All I want to do is watch the wind blow by." - Tim McGraw

I LOVE...

• The way you reach out to touch my face as if you are examining it so closely. You place both hands on either side of my cheeks, look into my eyes, and capture my heart!

• You and your puppy, Maverick!

• Fun times with friends. Your friends Aaron, Brandon, and Claire are all 5 weeks younger than you. You LOVE hanging out with them and teaching them new tricks. It's amazing the difference 5 wks makes in baby world.

Cori Belle & Claire Jewel

Cori, Brandon, Claire, Aaron

• Seeing you in your bathing suit, rash guard, and hat at the splash park! Even though you weren't a fan of the cold water, you looked so cute! Now, we just need some sun glasses!

Look at those LONG legs!!

• Daddy/Cori time! Your daddy loves you so much!!

• Going for walks in the Baby Bjorn.

• Watching you play in your jeep. You get SO EXCITED when you get behind the wheel. I especially love that you honk the horn, turn on the car, and play the radio (nursery rhyme radio of course) ALL WITH YOUR MOUTH!!
  

Honk, Honk!! Here I come!!
WOW -- Look at those eyes. I LOVE those too!!

• Your BIG smiles!

• Tickling you and hearing your sweet giggles.

• Your LOUD squeals and screams of delight!

• Your "Old Man Face" as your daddy calls it. Your new thing seems to be sucking in your bottom lip. It's hilarious and SO CUTE!!
  

• Watching you turn the pages of your Elmo book. Maybe you'll love children's books just as much as your mommy does!

Woah, mom! Check out Elmo!!

• Your feet! And apparently, you do too!! :)

• Taking you to the park to swing!! Last Wednesday you swung at the park for the first time and LOVED it, but mommy forgot her camera. So, daddy and I took you back to the park on Saturday. It was later in the day and the swing was HOT -- you weren't quite too sure what to think about that. We'll have to go again in the morning sometime.
  

• Snuggling you and holding you close.

• The complete JOY you bring to our lives. Children completely change your life and your lifestyle, but the rewards are so great. I wouldn't trade being a mommy for ANYTHING in this world!

Cori Belle, We LOVE you!!

P.S. -- apparently I LOVE that pink cupcake bow since it's in almost every picture!! :)

One Brave Girl...

Hey ya'll! You know who it is! Today has been such a great day, I thought I'd write about it! I woke up this morning to my mommy's bright sun shining face (oh, how I LOVE my momma!). Mom laid my down on the changing table and began telling me about our plans for the day, as she does every morning. But, today she said it was time to head to the doctors again for my 4 month check up. She said it would be fun getting to see Dr. Kelly again, but that it was also a day for my second round of shots. Eeeek! Shots you say?!?! I did NOT like those last time!! I wanted to run away and hide, but since I can't even crawl yet, my attempts did not work. :(

We arrived at the office and the nurse weighed me and measured me. I weigh 12 lbs, 3 oz and am 24 1/4 inches long. I'm just as petite as can be, but a healthy girl none the less! After my check up with Dr. Kelly was complete, I knew what was coming next. Mommy dressed me and I tried to remain as calm as I possibly could. The nurse came in with a bright orange tray, laid it on the table next to me, and started buttering me up. Mom held my hands and looked into my eyes just like she did last time. I took a deep breath and the pricks began - 2 in my left leg and 1 in my right. The 2 in my left leg weren't too bad, but the 1 in my right was a stinger!! I only cried for a few seconds, and then I felt much better. I didn't even cry with tears this time. It definitely wasn't as bad as last time! Whew!

After all was said and done, mom took me to the park to play with my friends Evie and Beckett. I even got to swing at the park for the first time! Mom forgot her camera and was so upset she didn't get to capture that moment in a picture, but I told her we can always go back and swing again sometime! After the park, we went to Chick-fil-A for lunch and mom even bought me an ice cream cone for being so brave this morning. I think I'll get shots more often if it results in a day at the park and ice cream!!

I don't go back to the doctors until I hit 6 months old, but I'll try to write again before then. Mom is always hogging the computer so it's hard for me to get on, but I'll make sure to tell her how important it is for my blogger friends to hear from me too!!

Much Love,
Cori Belle

P.S. I also sat in a high chair for the first time today at Chick-fil-A!! :)

A Special Day

Cori Belle and mommy on Mother's Day

Yesterday was a special day for our family. Not only was it my first Mother's Day, it was the day we dedicated our sweet baby girl to the Lord.

Our Family

The whole family came to church to support our precious daughter, including her God parents, Lance and Lauren, and some close family friends of ours. Chauncey introduced us in front of the church congregation and recited a special poem he wrote for Cori. And, Pastor Jeff prayed over our little family of 3. He prayed that Cori Belle would live up to her name, meaning God's peace and that she would truly feel the beautiful peace of God in her life.

Mia, Cori, Aunt Amber, me

Cori Belle and Mia

After church, Dave and I hosted some family and friends at our house for a celebration lunch in honor of Cori. Dave and Lance made their "famous" brown sugar and cayenne pepper bacon bugers, which were delicious! I made homemade mac and cheese. Rose brought a salad. My mom made her "famous" Mexican cheese dip. Lauren made some yummy carrot cake cookies. And, no party would be complete without Chauncey's margaritas! It was such a wonderful time to celebrate such a special day!

Cori and Pops playing "swirling finger!" :)

Cori playing with YaYa!

After everyone went home, Dave, Cori, Mav and I all took a walk around our neighborhood. This has become a tradition in our little family these days. We are LOVING that it doesn't get dark until 8:30 and we can spend time together, walking and talking, as a family. It was a nice time to reflect on the day and talk about what it means to us to dedicate Cori to the Lord. We love that we live in Gainesville where we are surrounded by such a wonderful church family. It is so nice to live life with those who will encourage our little girl in her own personal walk with Christ. By dedicating her we are promising to raise her in a family where the Lord comes first and all that we do is for Him and His glory.

I was listening to a CD on parenting today and the speaker asked a question. He asked, "Where do we want our children to be 100 years from now?" My answer is, with Christ of course! The only way we can ensure that our children will be with Christ at the end of their life is to raise them knowing Christ from the beginning. Ultimately, choosing Christ is their own personal choice, but how will they know if we don't teach them? ... The speaker also made a profound statement to think not about what we want our children to be when they grow up, but WHO we want them to BECOME when they grow up. I want Cori to be a person of character. Someone who loves the Lord with all her heart, who treats her neighbors as she would herself, who has compassion, a heart of kindness and peace, is humble, honors her mother and father, is a light in this dark world we live in. I am so glad that we have a Savior who can help her become all these things. But, we as parents have a job to do! We most model these things in our lives so our children can watch and learn. I pray to be a Godly example to my children!!

Thank you to everyone who was a part of Cori's baby dedication yesterday and for making it such a special day. Thank you to all our friends and family who choose to live their life for the Lord. May you be an example to my sweet girl.

Until next time...

Approaching Mother's Day...

Before I was a Mom,

I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment,
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom.

I LOVE being a Mom.

Kitchen Re-model!

Well, this post has been a long time coming! We began redoing our kitchen back in February -- oh how time sweeps away from us. Many of you may remember when we redid our good friends, Lance and Lauren's kitchen while they were out of town as a surprise to them http://danianddavesmith.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-weekend.html. Well, we all live in the same condo complex and our kitchen's are completely the same set up. After we did their kitchen, we so badly wanted to do our own. So, we did some saving, a lot of researching, and after a lot of sweat (mostly poured out by my sweet husband), we are finished -- well, minus a new fridge and dishwasher, but we've got some more saving to do for those items!! I didn't take as in depth pictures of our kitchen as I did with Lance and Lauren's, but you can revisit their kitchen post by clicking on the url above for a reminder if you want. Check out our kitchen pictures below...

The Before.. LOTS of white and a little clutter!!!

The After... I feel a little more grown up! :)
I LOVE our new sink!!
This is one of my favorite parts as well.. matching microwave and stove!

The refrigerator is to the left in this picture. I didn't take any pictures of it because it's just an old, WHITE fridge. But, don't worry.. when we replace it, I'll make sure to put up before and after pics of that as well. Home projects are so much fun!! But, the thing about home projects is... once you start one, you just can't stop until you have re-decorated, re-modeled, re-done EVERYTHING in your house. In the midst of fun home projects, I do have to stop and pray for contentment every now and then and remember that my self worth isn't found in a fancy home. It's not about keeping up with the Jones' (and I don't mean you, Lance and Lauren!!), it's about a little fun and a renewed spirit in a clean, and clutter free home.

Until next time...

What I love about you... 18 weeks

Week 18

I LOVE...

• Your voice, and boy do you have one! We took you to a dinner party last weekend and you were the center of attention. You talked over any other conversation in the room and made sure everyone was listening to you. :)

• Your bright shining face in the morning.
  

• The baby brigade! I love hanging out with all your friends at our mommy/baby lunch outings!

Claire and Cori at Moes!

• That you made it through your 4 month growth spurt! I sure do love that you sleep through the night - I'm spoiled actually! Having to get up 3 nights in a row to feed you and sooth you multiple times was tough - a reminder of how lucky we are that you are a good sleeper normally!

• That you are beginning to grasp things with your hands. You get so excited when I hold an object in front of your face and I love watching your arms go crazy as you try to grab the object from me. Once you grab it, where does it go? Directly into your mouth!!

• The little hairs that stick up on the top of your head -- there's just a little bit of hair there!
  

• Your drool filled chin!

• Rocking you to sleep. Those are the most precious moments of my day!!
  

• You at this age! You are so interactive and fun to hang out with! You smile at me constantly, talk to me, gaze into my eyes lovingly, love to stand, try to crawl, spin in circles on your tummy time mat, hold things, lick things, laugh out loud, look curiously at your surroundings, recognize your mommy and daddy, sit like a little lady on the couch, love talking to the "baby in the mirror," and the list goes on... I just LOVE you!!
  

A blurb from Cori herself...

Hi guys, CB here! This week was all about me learning how to drive! No, I'm not 16 quite yet (thank goodness, mommy says!), but mommy and daddy got me my first car - a jeep! I LOVE it! I can honk the horn, turn the steering wheel, and spin my rear-view mirror in circles! It is so much fun! Check me out below...

Here is my dad giving me a lesson on driving. I am listening so intently!

Watch out! Here I come!!!
And, I'm driving with one hand! (shhh.. daddy told me NOT to do this! Hands on 10 and 2, he said.)

It was so much fun learning to drive! Next time you're out on the road, look out for me. I'll be the girl in the green Jeep! Beep, beep!