Friday, December 28, 2007
Baby's First Christmas (In Pictures)
Christmas Eve. All ready for bed.
Waking up delightful. 
Opening presents.
Happy watching Daddy & Mama open presents.
A new spring jacket.
Opening presents at home with the Dowling clan. A new pink coat from Grandma and Papa Dowling. 
Mama helping the baby.
Daddy trying to keep her (himself?) entertained while Mama put food together.
Opening her present from Aunt Heidi & Uncle Joe.
What a fantastic day. What a cute baby.
Heather Dowling at 7:34 AM
Monday, December 24, 2007
Merry Christmas
Heather Dowling at 3:16 PM
Saturday, December 22, 2007
what we've been up to...
Cherishing the fact there are THREE stockings in our home now. The newest bearing the name of our favorite baby girl.
Making Christmas cookies. [Note the direction of Annabelle's eyes and arm-eating compromise.]
Tummy time!
But mostly we're doing a whole lot of this. Family time.
Tummy time!
But mostly we're doing a whole lot of this. Family time.
Heather Dowling at 7:35 PM
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
daily bantering of a housewife...
Irritating:-Our photo Christmas cards not turning out quite as well as I hoped. (For those of you who receive one from us - my baby is not a yellow martian.)
-My squeaky dryer. Although it works fine, it has a constant, almost, nails-on-the-chalkboard squeak each time it is used.
-Losing all my "baby weight" and then some, only to find I've put back on a couple pounds with all this Christmas goody eating.
-My lack of diligence, as of late. Sometimes I got so irritated with myself. I really need to be practicing piano, among other things.
Enjoying:
-Annabelle is in her third hour of her morning nap. Nice.
-Morning devotions and worship with a cute baby on my lap.
-Our Christmas tree and new knitted stockings hanging on our pretty banister. I love having a pretty banister.
-My husband coming home at 3pm instead of 4pm from work now. No more 50 hour weeks! (For now.)
-Annabelle's attempts at giggling and watching her try and sit up all by herself.
-Warm cozy evenings in front of a pretty lit Christmas tree with my little family.
Heather Dowling at 11:28 AM
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Our 3-month old
Its so fun to say things like "our 3-month old", or "my baby girl", or "our daughter". We waited patiently for her and now we're having fun. What an honor to be a parent! What a gift to be Annabelle's.
So, our little bean turns 3 months old today. I'm not sure how it can feel like she has been with us always, but also feel like she just got here. Strange. Here are some tidbits about our tidbit:
*She wakes up grinning from ear to ear every morning. She is happiest in the morning and I'm quite sure she doesn't get that from me.
*She sleeps through the night, every night, now. She'll also take a good long morning nap after she's been awake for a bit. She's spoiling me.
*She loves when we do "patty-cake" with her and will try so hard to get a good laugh out.
*When R.Jay gets home from work, her eyes light up and her grin gets big. She loves her dad.
*She has started to get quite clingy to her mama. When at church or other events, she likes to stick close by.
*She has officially grown out of 0-3 month clothing and is sporting her 3-6 month threads now. No official weight/height report until next month but I'd say she's nearing 13lbs.
*Her feet are so long and slender it makes me chuckle each time I try and put cute shoes on her feet. They'll fit length wise, but width wise they look like clown shoes.
*Her eczema is looking fantastic and we're still coating her every morning and night to keep it that way.
*She still sports her "mohawk" with two large tufts of hair, one front and one back. Everywhere else is just thinning hair. Too funny.
So, she's great. She's easy. She makes us smile all day long. We love her so much.
We love our baby girl.
Heather Dowling at 8:18 AM
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
good busy
We've been busy. Who isn't this time of year? Just like them, we're being busy with things everyone would want to be busy with. So, for now, I'll just update you on us-being-busy.
We spent a couple of days in Syracuse last week visiting my sister. Annabelle's very first away-from-home adventure. Aside from that spicy dip I ate at a cookie-exchange which led my poor little girl to wail for a bit, she did fantastic. She even slept a record over 10 hours straight, no stops for nursing. That was nice.
My parents bought this for Annabelle for Christmas. Though I swore up and down I'd be the mom who would never need/use one of these, I'm finding it one of my favorite items we own for Annabelle now.Annabelle was dedicated at church this past Sunday. My sister sang a beautiful song, R.Jay shared some beautiful thoughts on Annabelle and fatherhood, and Annabelle was just, well, beautiful. Yes, I cried. A whole lot.
After her dedication, opening a present from grandparents.
We've had many dinners with Dowling family, as of late. Dinners to just be together, to help comfort, to tell how much we love. Its been a special time.
We've (well I've) made cookies and lit candles and read special things to my little girl. I've wrapped presents and placed them under our pretty tree.
We've shopped and eaten things with way too many calories. We've continued working on this little house of ours.
Best of all, we've snuggled. We laughed at our little smiley baby. We've learned new things about her. We've watched her grow just before our eyes. We've watched each other grown as parents. We've been busy... the good busy.
Heather Dowling at 2:39 PM
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Its been a hard one.
This week. I never imagined a week could last so long and be so hard. Even the small things, like our coffee pot giving up and our microwave calling it quits, hit harder. The bigger things like my Dad's phone call letting us know he's been laid off work hit even worse. The biggest of all, losing Gary, hit like a train wreck throughout our family and church. Now the pieces are being picked up and faith is being poured out of broken hearts and quivering lips.
Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
You should meet my sister-in-law and her husband, Gary. You should talk with them. You should see God in their eyes, the Spirit in each word spoken, and His grace that has been incredibly sufficient in their lives.
After talking with so many individuals trying to place themselves in Gary, Rushteen, and so many other's shoes throughout this week, the sureness of my faith and the certainty of what I cannot see, yet completely trust, has risen to new heights. Not of themselves. There is no way one could handle such a loss, such unfairness. Its humanly impossible. Christ is so evident in moments like now. He's so clear to hold you, raise you above, and strengthen you in supernatural ways. Gary & Rushteen have been strong. I'm sure if you ever would get to talk to them, they would tell you just how they can be. "Only with God." I'm so thankful for the hope of my heavenly home, the strength of an ever-loving God, and His promise to never leave us alone.
I'm thankful he hears big prayers and little (seemingly stupid) ones. Like playing piano for the first time since Annabelle's birth at church this morning, and so badly needing to. Like that song that was chosen this morning, and so terribly needing to sing it. Silly things like a free microwave being given to us and FINALLY finding Annabelle a cute winter coat. Great things like watching a father who lost his only son worship, with his whole heart, a Father who gave His only Son so he could live. Sometimes I just feel so undone at the greatness of Christ.
On a separate note, here is Annabelle in her brand new winter coat. (How could I not post another picture of her? She is one of the "great things" to be thankful for, after all.)
Heather Dowling at 3:40 PM