Grace is 1 Years Old Today.

So our Pippa girl is 1 years old. Where has the time gone? We have called her Pippa for a very long time. I read a book and in that book the girl's name was Philippa and they called her  Pippa. It suits her and stuck. I am afraid this isn't just a quick happy birthday post. It is more of a book. I have a lot to say. Her birth was a beautiful day and an answer to so many prayers.

This first picture is my favourite right now. She has one slanty eye and one round eye just like me. I love her tanned cheeks, her crazy hair, the set of her mouth and look in her eyes. She is my girl! Yikes, she is going to give us a ride! (o:

 I had a reasonably good pregnancy with Grace considering the stress my (emotional) heart was under. It did affect me physically at little bit I think. I have so many memories of rubbing my belly in the hospital as we heard more and more bad news. At one point, they told us that if we couldn't get this cancer somehow we would most likely lose Micah in June.  I can't even explain the sorrow. The thought of giving birth to one and losing another so close together was just too much. We praise God as we look back at how He sustained us and that He saw fit to spare and give life. 

I love carrying babies. After my babies are born, I often miss them being inside of me. It is so beautiful and special. We knew she was going to be a girl. I did have a few names in mind, but when Grace Micaiah clicked into my mind, that was it. It had to be. Ken loved it right away too.  Grace is a special gift from the Lord, just like our Grace would be. Micaiah is named after Micah of course. We thought that if he didn't get to meet her, that it would be a beautiful thing for Grace to have a little part of Micah. If they did get to know each other, it would be a special way to remember the timing of her birth.

We had quite a few ultrasounds throughout my pregnancy. At first they thought that there may be an issue with her kidneys. But it was nothing. I knew the ultrasound tech from all of my other babies so I felt comfortable talking to her about Micah and about the fact that Micah and the baby would most likely never get to meet. She called me the day after an ultrasound and she offered to give us some extra ultrasounds so that Micah could get to know her as much as he possibly could. There were so many tears shed on that table.

I was induced on my due date. Since I was already dilated a little, the midwife offered to do it for a few reasons. I am always late and that would put us into the time of Micah's next scan. Also, Micah was very healthy and it was so important that Grace be born when things were good. Our lives at that time could have changed any day. Also, I would be on the mend and Grace would be well established into our family before Micah's next scan. She offered this option on Monday and Pippa was born on Tuesday.

Here, Ken and I are just walking out of the house at 6am to go to the hospital. I looked ready to explode! (o: We were emotionally drained. We were tired, excited and scared. We were praying for an uneventful birth. We just didn't know how we would be able to handle any bumps that day. We shouldn't have worried. God knew. 

It was another quick smooth birth. Four out of five isn't so bad! (o: She was the juciest yummiest baby, I have ever seen. Natalie was a close second! It is something about those girls. They were only a few ounces heavier than the boys, but they were so chubby. This next picture is my most favourite. Ken's finger is in the picture, but it doesn't matter to me. I still love it. 

Not only did her birth mark the day that we received a perfectly healthy daughter from Lord, but it was also the day that we had 5 kids in our house all together. Bringing her home a few hours after she was born to 4 waiting kids was so beautiful. I love looking at Ken's face in this picture. Life was still emotionally difficult for us at this time. That is a smile of true happiness. It sure was an indication of things to come. Ken is still smitten with her. (o:

This next picture is precious beyond words. Ken was trying so hard to keep his emotions together. 

This next picture makes me cry when I look at it. It is what we were praying and longing for. Thank you Lord, for giving us the desire of our hearts. I am not sure exactly why, but Micah was very emotional when Grace came home. You can see it plainly in his eyes. Maybe he understood more than we knew.

A few more....

Josh was amazing with her from the start!

Natalie looks so little here.

Father's Day.

These are Grace's shoes. Micah asked me to take a picture of them. They melt him! (o:

Grace girl, if you ever read this, we are so thankful for you. You are a delight and have brought so much joy to this house. God knew we needed you. You were exactly what we ordered! (o:

To finish it off,  I was going to put a pretty Sunday dress picture, but this one seems to capture her more. (o: