Growing Up :(

Christmas 2010:

Christmas 2011:

Christmas 2012:

One Month!

This post is more than a week late, but I am really going to try to post monthly about Molly's development. Wow! I just can't hardly believe that our sweet baby girl is already one month old!

Baby Molly (or Baby Moyee, as Graham likes to say) now weighs 10 lbs. 11 oz. (90%) and is 22.75 inches long (95%). She is growing like a weed! When her pediatrician saw how much she's grown in the last 2 weeks, she said, "wowzers!" She actually grew 2 and 1/2 in and gained 2 lbs in 2 weeks.

Molly nurses every 2-3 hours during the day, and every 3-6 hours at night. That is a big improvement for her! She was getting up every 2 hours at night for the first 3 weeks. Needless to say, I was desperately in need of some good sleep. I have been feeling much more well-rested the last week or so. We are still working on getting her on a regular schedule. 

Molly is learning to be a good sleeper. She really likes and wants to be held while sleeping (and pretty much all the time). Unfortunately, this just isn't possible, I'm too busy! But she is getting better about sleeping in her bassinet or carseat. She sleeps best when she's swaddled up tight and has the noise-maker on. I'm a big believer in those, by the way - both kids use them. Molly doesn't really like her pacifier but she's starting to get used to it.

Molly has such a sweet disposition. We hardly ever hear her crying! When she's awake she opens her eyes wide and looks around, turning her head toward different voices and sounds. We are all also enjoying some really sweet smiles.

Graham is a great big brother! He is very gentle. He always makes sure she is included, and he cries when she does. He likes to talk about all of the thing Molly can't do. For example: "Baby Molly play outside? No. Baby Molly eat dinner? No." I think it makes him feel proud and big. I keep telling him that he will have to help me teach her how to do all of these things.

We are enjoying the Christmas season so much this year with two kiddos. Of course, everything is a little more time-consuming and complicated, but its all fun and worth it. We're so happy that Baby Molly has joined our family, she is such an essential part of it now! We are crazy about her!

A White Christmas

This Christmas has been so special and I will always remember it. On Christmas Eve we went to a yearly family gathering at my aunt's house. We ate and exchanged gifts and and everyone enjoyed looking at our beautiful baby girl. When we go out with both kids now sometimes I feel like my heart could just burst with pride. We got home late and put the kids to bed. Then Chad got to work. He had to put together Graham's Christmas present: a train table that was in about a thousand pieces. When I got up to feed Molly at 1:30 he was just finishing up! 

It was cold and rainy all night and all morning. Graham was so excited to play with his trains and open his presents. I guess that the train table will be a permanent fixture in our living room for now. Someday I want a playroom. Later that morning my parents and brother arrived (my other brother was in Phoenix visiting his girlfriend). We opened gifts, chatted, and ate. I just love having everyone over to our house. Around lunch time it started to snow and didn't stop all afternoon! It was so beautiful. The only downside was that my brother's flight from Phoenix was canceled. When Graham woke up we were all excited to take him to play in the snow for the first time, but when he realized how cold it was he wasn't really very interested! We did finally get to see Jon and spend a little time with him when his flight finally arrived the next day.

Watching Graham enjoy Christmas was so fun for us, and everyone enjoyed cuddling with Molly. Having a white Christmas was just the icing on the cake! We will treasure this holiday because it was probably our last Christmas in the US for the next three years, since we are planning to move to Uganda in June.

Christmas Decorating

This post is late...but better late than never!

I LOVE getting a real Christmas tree. It smells so good and it just reminds me of my childhood Christmases. I was pretty upset when my parents bought a fake Christmas tree. Chad and I always really enjoy picking out our tree and decorating it. Its been even more fun since Graham was born, and this year was better than ever since he understands and enjoys what is going on!

As soon as we were able (with a 2 year old and a newborn baby) we made the trip to Lowe's to pick out our tree.

Graham had so much fun pulling out decorations and "helping."

Chad taught him how to hang ornaments on the tree. He really had fun for about 5 ornaments and then his little 2 year old attention span was over. :)

I sure do love these two! I'm looking forward to many more special Christmases with them!

Look Alike?

Many people have told us, and we must agree, that Molly looks a lot like her big brother. The big difference is that her coloring is a lot different. What do you think??

Here's Graham:

Here's Molly:

2 Weeks Old

I can't believe this little cutie is already two weeks old!! She had her 2-week checkup this morning. She is now up to 8 lbs 14 oz. I was a bit surprised because she has gained an entire pound in the last week (she was 7 lbs, 15 oz at her 1-week)! I guess all of my sleepless nights are paying off. She is in the 75% for weight, 50% for height, and 90% for head size. This is a big change from Graham, who has always been above 95% for all 3!

Molly is just such a sweet baby girl. She loves nursing and nurses every 2-3 hours, even throughout the night. She likes to be held but is getting used to sleeping in her bassinet. She hates having her clothes or diaper changed. She is spending a little more time awake and we love the sweet faces and eye-contact we get from her. She is still wearing newborn clothes and goes through a lot of laundry. I've been washing all her newborn outfits every day or two. 

Graham is getting a lot more used to having a baby around. He doesn't want to hold or touch her much but he is always very gentle. He gives her night night kisses and pats. No longer having Mommy's undivided attention has taken some adjusting for him but he is doing really well, and we are very proud!

Baby Photos

We have taken about a hundred pictures in the last two weeks, and here are a few of my favorites. I have lots to share about Baby Molly and how we are adjusting to life with two kids, but it will have to wait until I have more free time and can get more sleep! :)

Here is a one of the newborn pics we had taken in the hospital, I LOVE how they turned out!

Book Review

I have been doing a lot of reading lately during all those late night nursing sessions! My sweet Gammy recently loaned me Kisses From Katie by Katie Davis.

Having heard a lot about it, I've been wanting to read this for a long time. The author decided to spend a year between high school and college working in an orphanage in Uganda. One year turned into a lifetime commitment of helping children, the sick, poor, and elderly. She started a non-profit organization called Amazima which provides poor children with food, education, and medical care. She also fosters (and is in the process of adopting) 13 orphan girls! The things that God has accomplished through Katie's willingness to serve are truly unbelievable, and she is only 23 years old!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and finished it in just a few days. It includes a lot of portions of the journal she has kept since living in Uganda. I have a special interest in this topic, of course, since Katie resides in the country we will be moving to next year, only a couple of hours away from where I will be living. I highly recommend this book. It is so encouraging to see that God still works in amazing ways. 

Molly's Arrival

Our beautiful daughter Molly Inez Allen was born on Tuesday November 20th at 5:25 AM. She weighed 8 lbs 1 oz and was 20 in long. I was induced but she was born much faster than we expected, I was in labor for only 2 and 1/2 hours. We are very thankful to the Lord that there were no complications. 

Our first picture with Molly. We were on cloud 9!

Beautiful baby girl!

Getting weighed:

Taking footprints:

Proud daddy holding baby for the first time:

My mom barely made it in time for the delivery! My dad and brother arrived a few minutes after it was over. 

Molly and her Papa:

I love her face in this pic! 

This is blurry but I love it! Graham's giving me a kiss when he arrived to meet his little sister.

Our first pic of all 4 of us:

Graham opening the present we brought him to the hospital, a toolbox:

Graham liked to sit in the window sill of the hospital room and play with his new toy.

Molly with her Nonnie who came to help watch Graham for a couple of days:

Molly gets her hearing test and passed:

Going home! Molly did not appreciate being strapped into her carseat.

Mimi with her grandkids:

The lighting in these pictures turned out terrible, but they are still good.

We're so glad Uncle Jon could come!

We can't wait for everyone to meet her, we are crazy in love!