Two girls, a bath, special visitors, and a baseball game! :)

Felicity talking to Daddy while spending a little time in her crib! 

 Licy didn't lose her umbilical cord until she was four weeks old, she didn't get a real bath until then. I didn't have an extra hand during bath time until this week though! :) I have a very similar picture of Ave that I will have to post! :) 

 One day, my love, one day...you will love baths. :) 

 She clearly feels the same about hats after drying off... ;)

 She loves to sleep in her little nest...

 A couple more pictures of these two sweeties. They love each other so much. :) :) :)

 Does this not melt your heart? :)

 On Thursday, Uncle Darrin and Aunt Jamie came to visit! We tried to get every second out of our 18 hours together! :) This is Uncle D holding Licy for the first time!

 ...and Aunt Jamie's turn! :)

 Of course, what little girl wouldn't love playing outside with her aunt in her jammies? 

 ...and playing on the trampoline! :):):)

 Avaree also got sewing lessons from Aunt Jamie!!!

Friday night, after Uncle Darrin and Aunt Jamie left, I got Avaree ready to go on a special date with her Daddy! She was sooo excited! Of course, you should hear the list of things that she ate at the game! :) 

 Adorable, right??? I love dressing her. :) :) :)

 Love these two so much. 

 Sweet Mrs. Josie sent Mommy this picture of my two big loves at the game!! :) (Thanks, Josie!!!) 

 I stayed home with this little lovey, but I sure missed my big girl and her Daddy! 

 Then, on Saturday, Aunt Susie and Uncle T came by to visit! Aunt Susie enjoyed the girls, and Avaree put on a concert for everyone! :) 

 On Sunday we had the pleasure of seeing Uncle D and Aunt J one more time before we had to say goodbye to them!! 

 Uncle D, Licy, Ave, Sully, and Uncle D! 

I'm so thankful for the people that love my girls. :) We had a fun weekend, and there is a lot more fun to come! 

Phone Photos: Our 5th Week with Licy!

 Licy makes lots of faces, and she makes the saddest face when she gets hungry. Of course, she goes from hungry to apparently starving in less than a second! This face breaks my heart every time though! Also, this was Ave's little sleeper, and it was one of my favorites. I love that Licy is wearing it now.

 Last Wednesday, Ave got to play with Phillip (no picture--sad!) AND Emma Grace! She was a happy girl! :) 

She also sang sissy to sleep later that afternoon!!

The next day, I went to check on Ave after a few minutes of rest time, and she had fallen asleep reading Tangled. ;) I love that she loves books!!

Last Thursday night, Ave got a haircut! She was such a big girl!! Thank you, Aunt Tess!!!

 Licy has been eating a lot! ;)

 She also started taking naps in her crib! Of course, we still have to make her a little nest like they did in the NICU!

 Licy loves to watch the sunshine out the window from her bouncer!

 Ginger and T came over this past Wednesday, and the girls had a blast playing! They both wanted to be Belle! I love that these two love each other so much. They play so well together, and they argue like sisters! ;)

 

 Wednesday night, North Texas had 16 tornados on the ground. I had everything ready to move the girls to the closet, and Ave and Licy were in my lap while we watchd the weather, but thankfully Daddy walked in the door about twenty minutes before they said to "take cover in Arlington. This is a picture of the girls (Licy was strapped into her car seat) in the back of our master closet. We are so thankful that our city was spared, but we are praying for all those whose lives changed that night.

 Thursday was Licy's five-week birthday, but we had to back to Baylor Grapevine for a few blood sets. Daddy couldn't come, but that was okay because within five minutes, Ave was sitting behind the nurses desk with paper, markers, and stickers. When they called Licy to go back to get her blood work done, Ave wanted to stay with the nurses (and they wanted her to stay with them)! I was so thankful for that because Licy didn't have the easiest time with blood work (even I cried, and I watched a lot of hard stuff in the NICU), so I was glad that Ave didn't have to see that. :) When I came out of the room, Ave was in one nurses lap, just chatting away. Who knows WHAT stories she was telling! The staff at Baylor Grapevine is A-MA-ZING in every way! 

 And, tonight, my sweet big girl is at her first Ranger's game with her Daddy! I wish I could be there just to watch them! He was thrilled, and she couldn't stop talking about the popcorn and sitting by Phillip! :) I can't wait to hear their stories!!!! :) She looked adorable!!!

Hope you enjoyed the pics! :) Much more to come. 

Felicity: One Month

Yesterday was Felicity's ONE MONTH birthday! We started singing to her as soon as Ave woke up, and Avaree kept asking where the cake was. haha! :) We just love this little one so much. She is a constant source of joy in our lives, and we will praise Him all of our days for healing her. 

This past month has gone by extremely fast. We have been home with our two girls for three weeks, and that has gone super fast as well. The days literally FLY by. 
At one month, Licy is breastfeeding pretty well. We are still on the shield that they put us on in the NICU. I tried to wean her off of it, but it was clear that we still needed it. I'm hoping to have her off of that by 8 weeks. She has also just started her second round of cluster feeding, but I keep reminding myself that this is such a short season, and it will be over before I know it. Besides, I can't look at her (even at 3:30 am) and feel anything other than extreme love and gratefulness. My former thoughts of "Can I love another baby as much as I love Avaree?" seem so silly now. She is still exclusively breastfeeding, but because we had to supplement her with pumped milk for two weeks after coming home from the NICU, she has made quite a dent in my pumped milk supply. Once she can go for longer stretches at night (she still has to be fed every three hours), I will start pumping again! 
She is the sweetest, snuggliest little thing, and she gives the best kisses. This past week, she has started to be awake and alert more, and that has been so fun! Avaree consistently calls her "Sissy, B calls her "stinker booty," and I call her "Licy" or "Licy girl!" She has started to focus on our faces this week, so that has been such a joy to watch. 
I still put her to sleep on her back, but she really wants to sleep on her tummy (just like her sissy), and she loves tummy time. Her preferred spot of choice, of course, is Mommy's chest or Daddy's chest. She just loves body heat, and she loves to snuggle close. 
She is still wearing newborn clothing (and they are not tight in the slightest), and she is still wearing newborn diapers also. Girlfriend goes through a lot of diapers! :) 

Her favorite song is "Felcity is Special." I usually just takes a few seconds of singing it to her, and then she just calms down. B says it is my voice that comforts her, but I always tell him it's the song. :) 
"Felcity is special. Felicity is special. 

 We love her. We love her. 

 God gave Felicity to Mommy and Daddy!

 God gave Felicity to Avaree. 

 Thank you, God. 

 Thank you, God."

Here are a few more pictures from her one-month photo shoot. I love taking pictures of her. She is just so beautiful, and I love all of her different "poses!" :)

We go to the doctor in the morning, so I will be able to update with Felicity's stats. She is still a tiny girl, but I know that she has at least gained a little bit of weight. 

We always have to get some sister pictures! :)

This might be my new favorite picture. Avaree is truly so sweet to her "sissy," but the transition has been hard. Every day we get into a better routine, and I know that each day, Felicity will be able to interact with her more. I pray that the Lord would already begin to cultivate their relationship and grow it into something very special. I love them both so very much. There just are no words.

 In honor of Mother's Day, here is a picture that B snapped yesterday while we were at the park. He and Ave were playing on the swings, and I was sitting under this tree, enjoying the shade on a beautiful afternoon, while I fed my tiniest girl. I'm not going to lie... I almost had to pinch myself: I feel so very blessed. Being a Mommy is a dream come true, gift from God, and a role that I will treasure always. 

There is nothing like it. Love my girls from the depths of my soul...

Happy Mother's Day shout out to my Mom and Mom Mom to my babies! I have no idea how she did the newborn thing with TWO babies. I'm so grateful for all the time and love that she poured into my brother and me! 

Happy Mother's Day to my MIL and Gigi to my babies. Thank you for pouring into my husband and loving my family!

Happy Mother's Day to my Step Mom and Niecey to my babies. Thank you for loving my family as your own!

 As always, thank you for keeping up with our little family. May you and yours be richly blessed for the prayers that you have prayed on our behalf. We love you.