Happy Birthday Faith McKinley

Happy Birthday sweet little girl! You have brought joy and light into our lives since the day we found out you were joining our family. Now, your personality is growing daily along with your beautiful blonde hair, and you are blossoming from a baby girl to a little lady.



You took your first steps last week, and since then, you've become braver and braver, who knows what you will do next? You are the sweetest little one with your wet kisses and loving hugs. Lately, you refuse to go to sleep, afraid you will miss something important! You stay busy, busy, busy all the time. We love you Faith McKinley!

Cowgirl Up!

Faith's first birthday party was this past weekend, and we rocked it cowgirl style! Faith sported a pink pearl snap cowgirl shirt, jeans, boots, and a princess cowgirl hat (only long enough for her to knock it off her head).

Her little friends came wearing their little cowgirl boots. The party favors were personalized, diva-ized cowgirl hats. Faith was mesmerized with the whole event. At one point, she stood solo in the kitchen staring at everyone standing around her for about 10 minutes. We were wondering when her little legs would tire!

She opened her presents and got some neat things! A fisher price school bus, a personalized apron, a radio flyer push/ride toy, clothes, a jack-in-the box, and from mom and dad, a radio flyer bouncing horsie (a cowgirl must).

When it came time for cake, Faith was all about her chocolate cake with chocolate icing! She did not dive in, but carefully, she started with just a taste of icing, and after several minutes, dug right in! Faith fell into a sugar coma, as you can see below with her pic with Grandpa and Grandma. She had to be undressed in the kitchen and taken promptly to the bathtub. After her party, she slept in mommy's arms. Mommy noticed that there was still cake in her ear even after the bath and hair washing!!!

Thanksgiving---a little belated

So, I've felt overwhelmed with the task of explaining our Thanksgiving Break...I have finally drawn the courage to attempt a synopsis.

Our break began on Tuesday the 24th, when we piled into the truck 3 dogs, 1 baby, 2 adults, and loads of luggage. This was the first time Faith had ridden in her seat facing forward, and I thought she would absolutely love it! Um, no. She could see us and therefore wanted our attention...that is full attention at all time please!

We made it to the farm at a decent hour and spent some QT with Grandma and Grandpa Sullivan before falling asleep. While there, Bubba went duck hunting the first several mornings. He would get up at 5:30 and leave at 5:50 or so, then Faith would be up soon after! Once she awoke in a new place, there wasn't much chance of her going back to sleep. So we spent several cold morning playing with Grandma in the living room. I waited patiently for her to get sleepy again and get another little nap!

On Wednesday afternoon, Faith's cousins started to arrive. We gathered firewood and had a huge family bond fire Wednesday night with SMORES! Yummy. Other than my brothers trying to catch us all on fire by putting leaves on the fire as we were standing near it, we really enjoyed our time together. Faith sat most of the night with Uncle Sully. She actually fell asleep in his arms.

Thanksgiving Day came, and Faith dawned her Turkey shirt that I made her. See pic. She watched her cousins put up an artificial tree and decorate it . When it came time to eat, Faith was up to trying new things. She really loved Aunt Jill's sweet potato casserole, and Uncle Sully's fried turkey. Grandma Nina's mashed potatoes were a hit as well.

That night, once we recovered and got back from hunting, Uncle Sully bravely put on his Santa suit for a photo shoot with Faith which yielded one, yes one, picture of Faith with a smile. You can look in your snail mailbox for that pic. The others looked more like this:

Faith also got her first kiss that night. From her second cousin, Matthew. Ahhhh....so cute!

We left the farm on Friday to head to El Dorado where we stayed at Aunt Chasity and Cousin Lauren's new place. They were sweet to have us and we loved our time with them. Faith and her cousin attempted a bath together, but Faith did not, I repeat, did not like the bubbles and immediately demanded to be taken out of the tub!

Saturday and Sunday we spent some time with Nanny Betty and Papaw T.J., Uncle Dean and Aunt Rose Marie and John. Faith learned a new trick while visiting them, she learned how to do the Indian call. She even tried to do this to herself in the cutest little uncoordinated way if you can imagine!

On the way home, it rained. Oh, and everyone was on the interstate! Bubba got a great idea to cut through the backwoods. We went through places that didn't even have a convenient store! Faith was not that sleepy, unfortunately, and she watched her Baby Faith dvd about 18 times. NOT kidding. The Lord brought us safely home. Though cranky, we were all so happy to be back home.

F.A.I.T.H.

One day, when Faith asks us why she was named "Faith," boy do we have a story to tell! Faith was a shining gift of light on an otherwise dark year for us and our family. I ran across this neat interpretation of faith and thought I'd share with you and with our Faith some day...


F is for Forgiveness.
We cannot have eternal life and heaven without God's forgiveness. "In Him (Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sin" Ephesians 1:7

A is for Available
Forgiveness is available for all. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" John 3:16, But not automatic:"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of heaven" Matthew 7:21

I is for Impossible
It is impossible for God to allow sin into heaven. God is Love, John 3:16Just, "For judgment is without mercy" James 2:13 Man is Sinful" For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23Question: But how can a sinful person enter heaven, where God allows no sin?

T is for Turn
Turn means repent or change directionTurn from something- sin and self" But unless you repent you will all likewise perish" Luke 13:3 Turn to someone; trust Christ only" Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" 1 Cor. 15:3-4"If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" Romans 10:9

H is for Heaven. Heaven is eternal life
Here "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" John 10:10Hereafter" And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" John 14:3 How can a person have God's forgiveness, heaven and eternal life, and Jesus as personal Savior and Lord? Romans 10:9

F.A.I.T.H "Forsaking All I Trust Him"

Opening Weekend at the Farm

Here is our future little deer hunter! Notice the boots courtesy of Uncle Sully and Aunt Maria. Her outfit is complete with pink camo pants (hard to see here) and a pink camo hat that her dad got her that has a pic of a little deer and says "I'm aDOEable." You might be wandering what it is that has her attention. Well, she is witnessing her first deer skinning. She was fascinated with the entire experience!

This particular night, I went hunting with Bubba, and Faith stayed at the house with Grandma. When we returned and knew that a deer had been taken, we picked Faith up and put her between us on the four wheeler (which she loved!) and rode over to where they were skinning.

Other firsts of the weekend included eating her first piece of mud and having brown slobber ooze out of her mouth as I wrestled her to take out the clump of mud!

Her daddy got an 8 point on Sunday, and I have a pic I will post soon!

Look out, She's Walking !

Look out World! At lunch today Faith starting walking behind her push toy. She's pulled up behind it before, but she's never walked. She went all the way across the living room like four times before I had to leave and go back to work :(

Grandma Nina is keeping her right now. She rode down with Uncle Sully, who was on business, and is staying with us all week! We are taking her back when we head back to Arkansas this weekend.

Check up

Though this is belated, Faith's 9 month check-up yielded surprising news...Faith is 31 inches long already! yikes! Thankfully, everything is proportional. She weighs an even 25 pounds now.
Her dad and I are convinced she will be driving us around all too soon!

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins

Faith had the opportunity to meet with some friends at a local church's pumpkin patch this past weekend. The three, all within several months of each other, enjoyed their time despite all three had been woken from a nap by their parents. Payton, who just turned one year, brought her new radio flyer wagon and Faith absolutely loved it! Thanks for sharing, Payton!

Later, we carved pumpkins at the house. Much to my dismay, Faith wasn't too keen on getting all the pumpkin gook all over her. I tried desensitization with her, and I rubbed the gook all over her...that didn't work out to well. I finally got some finger paint out and put a glob on the pumpkin and let her smear it around with her fingers. That seemed to work just fine!

~~~~~This IS her first Rodeo~~~~~

We took Faith to the Heart of Texas Fair and Rodeo several nights ago. Faith already loves horsies...Daddy's horsie, Aunt Bibi's horsie, and her stuffed horsie. She recognized the horsie's on the arena floor and was instantly mesmerized. She stood and squealed!

Faith got a from The Texas Rodeo Princess...ewwww...ahhh...No, the girl was really sweet and she took a picture with Faith and gave her a personalized autographed pic of her. Mom and dad didn't plan ahead too well. We had to take turns with Aunt Bibi and Uncle Josh carrying all 26 pounds of her. We did get to see Payton and her family. Payton is in Faith's class at school...she just turned one last week! After the Rodeo, we went off to see the sights...mostly the animals...I got home and my card had lost most of the pics :( Going to have to get a new card for the camera...

First Trip to Briggsville

Grandma Nina with her Girls!

Briggsville, AR

Faith assisting uncle Mark with breakfast.

Faith with her Nana and Papaw Sartor

Mommy apologizes for the belated updates....we've had a lot going on! Several weekends ago, Faith got to take her first weekend trip to the family farm in Briggsville. She got to play with her sweet cousins and see Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Mark and Aunt Maria, Uncle Brad and Uncle Wes, Nana and Papaw Sartor, and her second cousin and future farm playmate, Matthew (age 1).

Just the weekend before, Faith had started to crawl. She warmed up to everyone and began displaying her skills, going from table to table pulling up and reaching for all types of treasures that Grandma used for decoration. This was her first time with most of the family together since February. She definitely brings a new element to the get togethers. One night as everyone ate, Faith sat slap dab in the middle of the dinner table, eating whatever people would feed her and reveling in the center of attention.

Faith with her Daddy

Faith's First Cousins' Twist

Sullivan Girls

Crawling---for real this time

I finally caught it on camera today....seems like Faith really likes my flip flop. She will crawl for it over any other toy she owns! She's really getting the hang of it now, so I wanted to capture it to share with ya'll!

Daycare Developments...

Faith has been learning a lot from the older kids at daycare. She's also been teaching them a few things, like how to be her prop...and when she wants to play with you, then either come over to her or be forced!

She has recently (within the past week or so) started to pull up to a standing position. She stands up in her bed at school and at home. She first started standing at day care using the ladybug play mat which you can see in the picture late in this post. She's gone from just standing, to crawling in and out of that play mat. As for crawling on the floor, her daddy and I and the teachers at school all believe she is just going to skip crawling and go directly to walking. She does get up on all fours and will rock and inch around here and there, but when you hold her hands and let her walk...she will walk all the way across the room and quickly!

The pic below was sent to me from Faith's teacher...who took it on her cell. Apparently, Faith's favorite thing to play with is the piano. This time, she had smaller toys in both hands and was feverishly pounding the piano with both hands! Sorry this is fuzzy, but you will get the idea...

And now, to explain more from the opening paragraph. She is using the other kid's hair to help her get what she wants. If she wants to pull up, she grabbing their hair and pulling up. If she wants a kid to play, she will grad their hair and pull them to her...hmm...When the kid cries, Faith is looking at them wondering what in the world is wrong with them!?! Hopefully this is just a phase....

Go Horsie Go!

Aunt BiBi has been a trooper while Mommy recovers from surgery. For several weeks, she would come over and give me a bath or take me on a walk. My favorite thing to do with Aunt BiBi was to ride her horsie....it is so much fun and a perfect way to keep myself awake when i don't want to give in to sleep. Thanks for taking care of me, BiBi!!! ~Faith

Labor Day Weekend with Family

This past weekend, my back was strong enough to ride again, so we made the journey to El Dorado to see Nanny Betty, Papaw, Uncle Dean, Aunt Chasity, and Cousin Lauren. We stayed with Aunt Janice and Uncle A.








Faith was a trooper. She is a great car rider, and I cannot believe that in only 3 months, she will be able to sit forward facing in the car seat!!!! Faith had lots of fun with cousin Lauren, she sat in the floor and played and played with her and Aunt Chasity.





We took Faith to her Grandma Mary and Papaw Erick's grave site for the first time. We all sat around and reminisced about them. I was between their passing that we found out for the first time that we were pregnant with Faith. They would both have enjoyed her so much.

Splish Splash!!!

Just a Tease---Arkansas

Daddy snapped these shots of Faith after her midday nap with mommy today. They were too cute to not post, though a little blurry. Faith cheesed it up so that all her family in Arkansas could see what they are missing! We hope to see you all soon, by the way!

And this cheesy grin shows off her teeth! Look closely!

8 months old

Faith, you are 8 months old today! You are so precious and the light of our lives!



It's hard to believe that Faith has been apart of our lives for only 8 months. We can't seem to remember life before her or without her. One smile will make a bad day turn bright! She is a very loving little girl, giving lots of hugs and sweet sweet sugars.

Yesterday, her friend Cilla came to visit. Notice the look on sweet Cilla's face as Faith borrows Cilla's toy from her for a taste test!!



That afternoon, Dad got Faith's toy laptop out of the closest to introduce it to her for the first time. Faith quickly learned that it made a loud sound when you open the screen. She proudly opened and closed the screen over and over with a look of triumph on her face... she must've gotten that tongue thing from her mom. I remember all my sports shots always had my tongue hanging out a little,,,it's good for concentrating!

Mr. Mom

I am recovering from back surgery. I'm doing well, but consequently, I cannot do much with Faith for a while. I feel so bad about it. I do hold her in my lap, and her dad "lets" me change the dirty diapers!

Hat's off to Faith's new Mom, "Daddy." Daddy has inherited the household reigns as mommy can't do anything with Faith and is recovering from surgery. Mr. Mom is exhausted, but at the same time he is relishing his role and loving his interaction with Faith. I do think he is contemplating his escape to the woods or to the lake as soon as mom is able :)

Grandpa's Girlie

In fairness, a post like this needed to be made in response to the "Grandma's Girlie" post earlier this summer. During the last week, when my parent were both here to visit Faith and help us out as I had surgery, Faith really got to know and love her Grandpa Sullivan.

My dad has always had a knack with all of his grandgirls. They love just sitting in his lap, playing with his watch, and in Faith's case, eating his shoestrings :) This fascination with Grandpa is just really developing, as Faith is now old enough to be away from mommy and daddy long enough to enjoy the company of others.

Truthfully, Grandma and Grandpa really haven't got to be around her much since she's grown up. They didn't know she was sitting independently, and they quickly learned that she has both a great personality and a quick little temper. One time, they were both playing in the floor with her and she got up on all fours and started rocking. We really thought she was about the crawl for the first time! That would've been great!

She did some pretty cute tricks for them though. She started copying Grandpa when he would make a noise and hit his chest with his hand. She would do the same, and they would go back and forth for a while. Grandma got her started with a cute little tilt of the head. She would give her a bite to eat, then turn her head sideways and say "is it good?" Faith would turn her head, smile, and say "ahhhhh."

Uncle Sully Visits Faith

Uncle Sully came to stay with us monday night, and he got to see Faith for the first time since Mother's Day. His previous experiences with her were when she a little grumpy/clingy/afraid after long car rides and a house full of family. This time, Uncle Sully had the magic touch, and Faith went to him with no frowning or fussing almost instantly :)

The big difference in her monday night was that she was quiet. Britni and Josh were over and Faith was just sitting in Uncle Sully's lap and watching. We were trying to explain to Sully that usually Faith is loud all the time in the evening (we usually can't even hear the TV). He got a taste of her jabbering as he was getting ready the next morning.

We took Sully to the same little mexican restaurant as we took Brad, Jill, and Bethany. While there, Sully was saying that there was no way Aunt Maria would believe him about how good he was with Faith. So, I took the video below...

Faith's First Toofies

If your gunna start something, may as well go big! Faith cut her first TWO teeth this weekend! Yay! I'm going to attempt to get pics to add to this post, so everyone say a prayer, and I may get lucky getting a 7 month old to show me her bottom row of gums while holding her tongue at just the right angle...lol.

Luckily, she hadn't had too many adverse side effects. She is eating a little less, pooping a little more, and chewing on EVERYTHING! My baby is growing up! :) :( :)

update!!! got a pic!

Playing Hookie for Lunch with Mom and Dad

Dad picked Faith up early today to take her for a check-up with the plastic surgeon. As you can see, her nose is looking really good! Afterwards, she came to lunch with us. It was so nice to have her with us for lunch! On the way back to the daycare, she feel asleep...Bubba took this picture before taking her into the daycare and putting her down for a nap. Gotta love those sweet cheeks!

7 Months Old...and Hungry!

Yesterday was Faith's 7 month birthday. Wow! The time has flown by! I was doing dishes and cooking last night, and I'd set her bowl and spoon on the counter for when it was time to mix her cereal up. I turned and looked to see Faith with both spoon and bowl in her mouth...little booger!

Hmm....guess someone's ready to eat?

Brad, Jill, and Bethany's Visit

Last Wednesday, we were blessed to have my brother, Brad, his wife, Jill, and their daughter, Bethany visit us for a brief time. They got to tour my new office and our new facilities. We took them to McCalister's to watch Faith devour a pickle as Uncle Brad held onto it for dear life! Later, we introduced Brad and Jill to "Bahama Bucks," a place with the best snow cones in the world! Bethany had been there on a previous visit. We spent the evening catching up, watching Faith, and reminiscing about Hannah.

Faith really got to know them all a little better. After all, she was born during some of the worst parts of Hannah's storm, and though they physically saw her a couple of times in Arkansas (once to visit Hannah and once for Hannah's celebration service), they didn't really get to know her as their attention was understandably elsewhere! If you are not familiar with Hannah's amazing story, please visit their blog http://www.thesullivanfour.blogspot.com/

We were sad when they had to leave thursday morning, but we did introduce them to some authentic mexican breakfast burritos before they left. At the restaurant, Faith was a show-off as usual, using every last bit of air in her to blow rasperries....over and over....

Faith with cousin Bethany. She liked her sometimes and sometimes not...depending on her tempermental mood (talking about Faith, not Bethany! lol).

Faith's Solution to the Heat

First let me qualify the picture below with "Yes, this was a last resort!" We could not figure out what was wrong with Faith this afternoon. She was crying uncontrollably. Wouldn't eat, wouldn't sleep, wouldn't do anything but scream! She was only in her diaper...had been all day. Walking around the kitchen, I could tell she was really hot from all that screaming...so, I opened the freezer and stood in front of it with her in my arms. Silence. She actually started leaning towards the freezer! I sat her on the ledge of it and she turned and started playing with the things in the freezer and started to smile and laugh!!! Silly girl! I picked her up after her daddy took this picture, and her diaper was cool to the touch!

It is no surprise to us that Faith is hot natured. She gets it from her daddy who got it from his daddy. When Bubba holds Faith, both of them start sweating profusely! Faith will not allow socks on her feet, and i think she would rather never have any clothes on at all, though day care may not appreciate that! Sorry, Faith.

You may notice that her nose is looking better. The big scab fell off today, and the incision is looking really good. It's only been two weeks, 2 days since the surgery.

Faith--The Next Big Beat Boxer????

Faith loves her lips....she gets in these moods where she does what's on the video for like 30 minutes at a time....I love it!

DaDaDaDa DaDaDA DA DADADA

Let the babbling begin! Faith started this last Thursday night, and she hasn't stopped for long since...

Six Month Check-Up

I can't believe we've already made it to another milestone, the six month check-up. We took her earlier this week for the check-up, after her daddy took her for a post-op check-up with the plastic surgeon. Both visits yielded no news, which is good news.

My post about her four month check up showed her sleeping on the patient table in the room while waiting for the doctor. We tried that again this time, but Faith was way too interested in the noise that paper makes every time she moved. After she ripped most of the paper off the table, she fell asleep, providing Dr. Loden the optimum circumstances to listen to her heart and lungs.

Faith now weighs 20 pounds, 12 ounces and is 28 inches long...still topping the curve on the growth chart. The doctor and nurse were both impressed with the way Faith's nose is healing. We can see improvement every single day!

Papaw Sartor Takes Faith to the Zoo

This morning was yet another first for Faith...a trip to the zoo! Her Papaw and Nana Sartor came to see her yesterday, and today we decided to get up early this morning and check out the local zoo.










Thank goodness for strollers...that is all I have to say. Faith is heavy, and Papaw and Daddy's arms gave out quick! Faith watched the birds and the fish, but by the time we got to the last of the exhibits, she was asleep for the big animals like the giraffes, the elephant, and the rhino. Oh well, we have pictures...not that she will remember a visit to the zoo at 6 months of age!







It was just a fun family outing for sure. Nana got some good pics of the animals for the scrapbook. Later today, Faith also set in a high chair at a restaurant for the first time. She did really well, except for wanting to teethe on the table!

Surgery Day

Well, it's over. Faith's surgery took place this morning at about 8:15. She is good as gold now, with a rockin new profile :) Here is a summary of our day. When reading, keep in mind that Faith likes her bottle immediately when she gets up in the morning...but because of surgery, she was not allowed to have anything after midnight.

5:00 AM: Mom hears a strange noise, and figuring out it was the alarm, she hits snooze.

5:30 AM: Mom and Dad getting the last of our things together to leave. We look over at Faith who we hope is still asleep...but what we see is Faith with a huge smile on her face! Please go back to sleep, honey...you can't have a bottle!

5:50AM: Mom is pushing the stroller. She has the shades drawn, hoping Faith will be lulled to sleep by the vibrations of the stroller. She sneaks a peek and sees those two big blue eyes looking back at her! Faith then proceeds to grab her carseat toy butterfly and play with it. We are thinking "ticking time bomb!"

6:00 AM: We arrive in outpatient services and go to a room. I put Faith in her tiny hospital gown and lay down on the bed with her, eventually getting her into a light snooze. Surgery is not until 7:30.

6:30 AM: Nurse comes in, turning on the lights, and talking baby talk to Faith. Bubba and I just look at each other. We are thinking "Oh, No!...not now lady! Do you know what you've probably done?" Faith starts screaming as she takes her vitals and continues to talk to her. It took me 5 minutes or so to get her calmed back down and back to sleep on my chest. Bubba and I exchange a glance, "whoa, that was a close one." I thought we were good to go.

6:40 AM: Nurse bursts back into the room exclaiming she forgot a couple of things. She needed to measure Faith's length and her head? "Why?" we are asking ourselves, "is this so important as to wake a sleeping, hungry baby?" The nurse assures us that we will be left alone until close to 7:30 because they don't come get young children until just before surgery. "ok, we can handle it."


7:00 AM: Surgery transport opens the door and says "they're ready for you." Wow....I was thinking maybe the doctor got here early??? That would be amazing! I wrap Faith in a blanket, Bubba grabs our things, and I carry her a really, really, really long ways to the pre-op room. In the pre-op room, there are like 10 patients getting ready for surgery, talking to doctors, and receiving anesthesia. We are scared to death that Faith will wake and scream until the doctor arrives, disturbing all the adults who probably have enough on their mind waiting on their own surgery.

7:15 AM: We meet the Dr's OR nurse and our anesthesiologist. There are nice, and say that our dr. sometimes runs a little late. Ok, 5 minutes won't hurt anything, we are thinking... We apologize in advance to the nurse and tell her that if she wakes up, Faith will be wanting her bottle...immediately!

7:35 AM: No Doctor.

7:45 AM: No Doctor. All the other patients have gone into surgery.

7:58 AM: Doctor arrives. He comes in, apologizing...saying he had a long night. Not exactly what you want to hear from your doctor...he leaves, and I hand Faith over to the anesthesiologist, giving her a kiss for good luck.

8:50 or so AM: Bubba and I have been in the family waiting room. The phone rings for us. I answer and am told that surgery is taking longer than expected, but Faith is doing great.

9:20 AM: Doctor comes out and meets with us in the hall. Surgery went well. The cyst was a little embedded in her bone, so he had to scrape it away. The cyst had burst while he was removing it, but he felt that he had managed to get it all. He tells us that she has internal dissolve able stitches and glue on the external area. He directs us to wait for Faith coming out of recovery.

9:25 AM: We see her coming. One nurse is carrying Faith, and another nurse is holding her IV. Faith has her little eyes open and looking around...but really no expression yet. We walk behind her back to our room. Faith keeps her eyes fixed on us as we all walk. She was wide-eyed!

9:45 AM: We are back in the room. Daddy fixes her bottle, and Faith gladly partakes. She was groggy, but that didn't keep her from downing that bottle. After the bottle, she wouldn't really go back to sleep. She wanted to sit up and look around. Bubba brought us breakfast, and Faith was reaching for my tray and watching me intently as I ate.

10:15 AM: IV gets taken out. Faith didn't even whine. She just looked at the nurse and looked at her hand....watching what the nurse was doing. The nurse leaves to get our discharge papers in order.

11:00 AM: We walk out of there! I carried Faith at first, because she was in such a cute mood. She smiled and screamed and flapped her arms for the nurses. We got stopped at every nurses station for them to swoon over her. We were told she was the happiest patient ever seen leaving surgery :)

11:15 AM: At home, having bottle number 2. Dad and I are ready for a family Siesta. ahhh!

1:30 PM: Faith wakes up. I gave her her morning bananas and all is well. She's been playing ever since!


Bubba and I are so thankful for a successful surgery today. The Lord really took his little girl in His hands today. We are thankful for the skill of the surgeon and for a good reaction to the anesthesia. We thank everyone for your prayers and calls and texts.

Faith proved again today that she is our perfect gift of Life after a rough year. We were told multiple times by different nurses that we had indeed named her correctly. She is such a good baby. We would not have blamed her if she had screamed from 5:30 on!

She's our little miracle...with a rockin' new profile :)

Faith's First Swim----Water Baby!

Faith went for her first swim yesterday evening. We weren't sure how she'd react, but she absolutely loved the water! She was in an infant floaty, and she started kicking her feet and motor boating around the pool. Bubba had to swim to catch up.

This was also her first time to wear her cute bathing suit that Aunt Maria picked out for her :)

I took this short video of Faith and her daddy playing in the water: