Idlewood Drive

As excited as we were to move to Greenville, there are some things we really miss about Atlanta.  Mostly we miss our wonderful, amazing, godly friends here.  And we really miss our church, which was such a blessing to us.  I miss teaching some precious little violinists, though I wouldn't trade anything for staying home with Susanna!

For posterity's sake, I wanted to document our first house, which we bought after we had been married for six months.  It's crazy how many life experiences you can have in a house in three years.  After the first six months of our marriage with Mark job searching and then moving to Atlanta, I think our marriage was really forged and solidified while we lived here.  We had so much fun hosting friends and family in our house in Marietta.  I taught violin here.  I will always remember the amazed disbelief of finding out I was pregnant here, then lovingly decorating Susanna's nursery, and bringing her home from the hospital.  Her first little smiles.  Late nights rocking her in the living room, walking her to sleep, singing to her in her nursery.  Taking her on walks in the neighborhood.  Coos and squeals in the bathtub.  Her sweet delighted grin picking her up from her naps.  Her first six months...all in this house.

*Sniffle*

I really want to remember all this--so while these pictures are not very interesting I'll  be glad for them someday, and I can also show Susanna her first home!

Kitchen

Dining Room

Den

Master Bedroom

Master/Upper Level Bathroom

Susanna's Nursery (sniffle, sniffle...yes we tried to just transplant this room to Greenville)

Guest Room

Guest Room/Sewing Room

Main Level Bathroom

Lower Level Bathroom

Back Deck

Back of House (we will NOT miss this yard...)

Swinging

To say that I am way behind in blogging would be an understatement, since I've been "way behind' ever since Susanna was born!  When I get way behind, it seems such a monumental task to catch up that I don't even try.  It's a vicious cycle.  So now I'm just going to acknowledge that I can't ever catch up--my baby is growing up too fast for that!--and keep on going.

Speaking of growing up too fast, I can't believe Susanna is 9 months old today!  Seriously, where has time gone?!  Mark and I watched some videos of her as a newborn last night and it made me all sappy.  I love watching my baby girl grow, but goodness I wish like crazy she would slow down a little!  More on S at 9 months later...

For now, I'll just jump right into the source of great excitement in our lives right now--Susanna's new swing!  That's right, folks, when you have a 9 month old, nothing is more thrilling than a new swing and swingset!  The swingset is Emily and Jon's--err, Lydda Grace and Wade's--but the renters of their house wanted it taken down.  Dad and two of Jon and Em's friends dismantled it this past weekend and then Dad and Mark rebuilt it in our yard.  It's very sad for it to be gone from Em's house, but Susanna certainly loves it.  Thank you, Lydda Grace and Wade, for sharing your swingset with your cousin!  

It didn't have a baby swing because Wade had outgrown it and passed it along to Isaac.  When S's red swing came in the mail yesterday I ran outside asap to install it during her nap, and when she woke up we did this...

...for over half an hour!!!

There's not much (anything?!) that will occupy Susanna for half an hour.  The girl LOVES to swing.  She would probably do it for hours.  I'm not exaggerating.  

  

I loved capturing some of her signature expressions in these photos.  These little looks are so Susanna!

Serious thumb-sucking.

Happy thumb-sucking.

Carefully considering the strap

 Must taste pretty good?

Wide flat smile--she gets this look from her daddy!

Sadly it's raining and is supposed to rain all weekend...so no swinging.  (If it was warmer, we would go swing in the rain...S would love that...but it's too chilly for that today!)

Daddy's Girl

Moving!

I haven't posted in a very long time.  But we have had a lot going on for the past two months.  A whole lot.  All of which is summed up by:

We are moving to Greenville!

We are extremely sad to be leaving our dear friends in Atlanta.  But we are SO stinkin' excited too to be moving back to South Carolina!!  We had always hoped to one day live in Greenville and that day came a lot sooner than we expected.  Our program at Clemson from undergrad also covers a full-time master's program for two years.  The offer doesn't expire, so it will always be available for us...and Mark has always wanted to someday return to Clemson to get an MBA.  After Susanna was born we realized how difficult it would be for our family if we waited much longer on this.  It made sense to complete the MBA sooner rather than later, so that Susanna would be young when Mark finished it.  Earlier this year Mark began casually job searching in Greenville, not expecting to find anything.

Completely unexpectedly in March, Mark came across the perfect job for his background/education/experience with Resurgent Capital Services in Greenville.  It's a great company with great values and a great work/life balance, and also a company with whom a friend of ours has some connections.  We were pumped.  Our life has been a crazy rollercoaster ever since then.  In the two months since Mark first applied for the job, he has interviewed, received an offer, and accepted the offer; we put our house on the market and have been under contract three times (looks like this last one will work out after all); been house hunting in Greenville three times, made two offers, and have a contract on a house in Greenville (which I completely love).  In the midst of all of this craziness we are so grateful to have a God who cares for us, who goes before us and guides our steps.  If He knows when sparrows fall, won't He be guiding who buys our house in Marietta and where we live in Greenville?

If all goes well, we will move to a temporary apartment in Greenville on May 18, close on our house in Marietta on May 20, and Mark will finish work at CarMax on May 21.  We will drive up to Virginia for Wyn's (Mark's little brother's) graduation over Memorial Day weekend, and Mark will start his new job on May 28.  We will close on our house in Greenville on May 30.  Beginning in August, Mark will be returning to Clemson to pursue an MBA.  He will be taking three classes per semester and will finish the program in two years.

We are so blessed by these new opportunities--a wonderful new job, a scholarship for an MBA, and a great house in Greenville--praise the Lord for His goodness!!  We are thrilled that we will be living only about an hour and a half away from my parents.

We would really appreciate your prayers that the Lord's plan for us would continue to be made clear, and that Susanna would do well with all of the transitions.  She's been a trooper--my car has pretty much been a traveling nursery and she's been fed/changed/napped all over creation for the past two months.  However with all of the hubbub and packing, we can tell she knows her little world is changing and there's not much you can do to explain things to an almost-6-month-old (!!!).

Finding Her Voice and Her Hands

Bathtime Cuddles

Susanna loves to be cuddled in her big pink fluffy towel after her bath.

Little Tiger

Mark and I met for the first time at Clemson National Scholars weekend, seven years ago this weekend.  (Though, hilariously, he doesn't even remember meeting me--I was one of forty or so finalists there--we did in fact meet then!)  NSP brought us both to Clemson, so in honor of "the weekend" this is what Susanna wore today:

Outtakes

Three Months

Happy three month birthday, baby girl!

Highlights at three months:

• Susanna Cate loves, loves, loves her fingers.  She is constantly sucking on her hands, or whatever else she can find to put in her mouth--but mostly it's a few fingers or her thumb.
• She is taking after her mama already and becoming our little bookworm!  She will sit quietly for two or three books.  She especially loves the Sandra Boynton books--I think because of the simple illustrations and primary colors.
• She is very curious about her world and likes to be held facing out so she can see.  She can be screaming and crying like crazy and calm down the moment we turn her around!
• She likes to "talk" with us--we can have quite the conversation of coos and gurgles with her!
• She likes smiling at herself in the mirror, and she loves kisses on her cheek.

Favorite toys:

• Play gym
• Magical Mozart Music cube
• Bouncy seat
• Taggie blanket
• Prissy the doll
• Rattle on her toy strap on her carseat

Praise the Lord that Susanna Cate's allergies and reflux both are much better.  We went to see a pediatric gastroenterologist who helped a lot with figuring out her allergies and managing her reflux.  He determined that her allergic symptoms just took longer to clear up than anticipated, and he thinks that she is probably just allergic to dairy.  Right now I am off of soy as well just to be sure--but a diet eliminating just dairy and soy is MUCH easier to maintain than the extreme elimination diet I was on previously, and her allergic symptoms are completely gone!  Yay!  Also the GI doctor prescribed a stronger reflux medicine that helps a lot.  Unfortunately though Susanna Cate has learned what the medicine syringe looks like and she gets very upset as soon as she sees it--she hates taking her medicine.  Poor little girl.  :(   

As Susanna Cate has become more interactive and expressive, it is so humbling to us to see how totally and completely she trusts and loves us.  It gives us an entirely new perspective on becoming like a child in our trust in Christ (Matthew 18).  While we pray to be Godly parents to our sweet little girl, we know we will inevitably fail her.  How amazing that not only SHOULD we trust Christ like a child, we CAN trust Christ like a child--because He is worthy!!  We pray that Susanna Cate will know this someday and trust in God as fully as she trusts us now.

 

Little Fingers

These Eyes

Melt my heart.

Captured on Camera

Susanna Cate's smile!

I also really like this one:

On the way to church wearing the dress that BeBe made:

On the way to church wearing the dress from Mrs. Allison and Mr. Thomas:

Allergies, Reflux, and Vaccines--Oh My!

We had an exciting morning at the doctor today for Susanna Cate's two month well visit.  (Actually we have had lots of exciting times at the doctor's office in the past two months, since this was Susanna Cate's eighth visit!)  Despite the number of trips to and fro we are so thankful that Susanna Cate is generally healthy.  She is happy and is growing and gaining weight very well.

Weight: 10 lbs 14 oz (50-55%)

Length: 24" (over 95%)

Head Circumference: 15.5" (75%)

Our poor little girl has both food allergies and reflux.  We discovered the food allergies about a month ago, so I cut dairy and peanuts from my diet.  Then two weeks ago I cut out the rest of the most common allergens--soy, wheat, corn, tree nuts, and shellfish.  However, nothing has improved to indicate she is tolerating my diet any better.  The doctor is not too concerned because she is gaining weight, but it is quite disconcerting to me that Susanna Cate has blood in her stools and we don't know why.  An extreme elimination diet usually fixes the problem, but there is nothing left for me to cut from my diet.  We are praying that a little more time will help heal her little tummy and digestive tract.

Susanna Cate's reflux seems to be worse lately as well, so today the doctor prescribed medicine to treat it.  We're going to watch it for a few more days and try a different feeding/burping routine, then possibly start her on the medicine.  

Lastly, Susanna Cate got her first full dose of vaccines (including an oral one which she promptly threw up!) and a blood test via toe prick.  Three needles at the doctor's office was rough on all of us.  Susanna Cate has been completely tuckered out and sleeping all day!

Susanna Cate at Two Months

Susanna Cate turned two months old yesterday.  As I told my mom, "You'll laugh at this--but two months sounds so old!"  Time is just flying by with our little sweetheart.  We love every minute with her, and we can't believe how quickly she is growing and changing.  She is already growing up too fast!  

This is such a sweet time with her.  Of course every little "stage" of her life so far has been sweet--but at first I was pretty overwhelmed by life with a baby--learning how to take care of her, recovering from labor, and not getting tons of sleep.  (Plus the hormones.  I can't believe how hormonal I was after giving birth.  Seriously.) Now that I am better adjusted I wish I could freeze time to soak in every moment, every little smile, every coo and gurgle, and every sparkle in her eyes.  She won't be a newborn much longer, but two months is still newborn in my book and I am going to treasure every second.

At two months old Susanna Cate is quite a smiley little girl.  I have tried to get pictures of her smiling but it's very hard to capture.  She smiles with her whole face--opens her mouth really wide, her eyes light up, and she even gets little smile wrinkles around her eyes sometimes.  And sometimes her smile looks very bashful.  Mommy bias alert--it's about the cutest thing ever.  She started smiling around six weeks old.  She also makes sweet coos, grunts, and gurgles.  No real laughs yet, but some sounds that are almost laughter.  She isn't even close to rolling over yet because she is so happy playing on her back.  Generally she does pretty well with tummy time too.

Susanna Cate's favorite things in the world are her daddy, getting her diapers changed, and getting her clothes changed.  (She also loves eating but it only makes #4 on her list.)  This girl is definitely a daddy's girl. She just lights up around Mark--which Mama adores.  And sometimes if she is fussy she will stop crying if we lay her down on her changing table--weird.  She likes bathtime and her white noise machine.  Mama and Daddy like her white noise machine too since it helps her sleep!  She will sleep for usually 7-8 hours at night (thank you, Lord!!) though she wants bedtime to be about 1-2 am.  Oh well.  We'll take it for now!

The biggest adventures with Susanna Cate so far are her diaper changes.  (If you are reading this years from now, please forgive me for publishing such details on the internet, little one...)  Let's just say she has *ahem* impeccable timing, or completely horrible timing, depending on how you look at it.  It's not unusual to go through multiple diapers or waterproof changing pads in one change, or to spend ten minutes after a change cleaning her room.  (Yes, cleaning her room, not just the changing table--her room.) It is certainly true, even in bizarre crazy ways, that the Lord gives us grace to handle the tasks He has for us.  I am after all the person who ruined my cell phone by liberally dousing it with Lysol while I was pregnant since I thought it was dirty.  Oh how I have changed--or at least, am changing.  Maybe someday in the imagined future Susanna Cate will eat dirt and I will be able to say nonchalantly, "She'll be fine," instead of calling Poison Control.  Maybe.  I have a long way to go yet.