Sofia's Blessing (6 Weeks Old) - June 29, 2008

Today Sofia was blessed at church. This is similiar to a christening. Sofia will be six weeks old on Tuesday. Simon was able to give the blessing and it was beautiful. We are so grateful that both of our families were able to make it from Georgia and Florida! We love you all for making the sacrifice to be with us on such a wonderful occasion! I wrote down some of the things that Sofia was blessed with in the prayer:
-That the light of Christ will attend her all the days of her life
-That she will be an instrument in the hands of the Lord in bringing many souls to the gospel
-That she will be happy
-That her mind will be sharp
-That she will have a life full of joy
-That she will one day marry in the temple and be sealed to a righteous husband
-That she will know that her parents are humbled to have been chosen By Heavenly Father to be her parents and that we are blessed to have her in our eternal family
Here are some pictures:

(us, everyone, BigMamma, Grandma and Grandpa Gray, GiGi/Mom Williams, Uncle Marshall and Ernestine, and Stacey)

First Day at Church

Today, we took Sofia to church for the first time. She did very well, considering everyone wanted to hold her...Who could blame them, Sofia is like extended family to all of them!

Here are a couple of pictures:

One Month Old

Well, believe it or not Sofia is now a month old! We can't believe it...Time goes by way too fast and we hope that it slows down so that we can enjoy this stage much longer!

Here area few things that Sofia does that we love:
-Lifts her head for long periods of time
-Loves falling asleep on her daddy's chest
-Crosses her ankles
-Loves to look up at us while we hold her. If we have her facing away from us, she will twist her body around so that she can see us
-Loves her hands and know how to use them to hold her pacifier in place
-Loves looking at ceiling fans and lights
-Loves music

Happy Father's Day

We went to Atlanta to spend time with the Williams/Dearing family. Cousin Tre' got to see Sofia for the first time. He is such a wonderful BIG cousin to Sofia! We love him dearly...

In thinking of Father's Day, I am grateful for a wonderful father! Dad has always been there for us and has been the perfect example of what a Father is to be. Thank you Dad and we love you!

Happy first Father's Day Simon! I couldn't ask for a better father for Sofia. We've only been parents for almost four weeks, but here are a few reasons why I love you and why you are a great father:

-Every day I watch you read the scriptures in Spanish and you then encourage us to continue reading the scriptures together daily. You also always encourage us to pray together on our knees morning and night together
-Every night I watch you sing and rock Sofia to sleep. At the same time, you talk to her about our hopes and dreams for her. But more importantly, you talk to her about Heavenly Father and her divine heritage
-You work hard to provide for us and take care of us and do it with such great propriety
-You are honest, virtuous, and kind hearted
-You do not seek the praise or attention of man, but only seek to do the will of the Lord

Here are some pictures from the day:

BigMamma

Auntie StaceyCousin Tre' Auntie Myrtle
GiGi and Tre' Auntie Dee-Dee

Auntie Samara

Belly Buttons and Baths

This has been such a fun week with Sofia. Her umbilical cord came off this week and she has the cutest belly button...Now, she can have tub baths and she had her first one this week. Here are a few pictures:

Sofia - 18 days old and STILL the center of our lives...

We had a friend come over yesterday to take some pictures of Sofi for our birth announcements. Here is a teaser...(You have to wait til you get your announcement to see the rest).

We are still loving every minute of parenthood! Sofia is so wonderful and beautiful that we can't stop thinking how blessed we are to have been prepared to be her parents. We went to the pediatrician this week and Sofia is a healthy baby girl. She is now 6 lbs. 9 oz. and 19 in. long. When she was born she was 6 lbs 3 oz. and 18 in. long. We are sooo excited that she is growing and gaining weight! She has definitely found her lungs this week...She now knows that mom and dad will pick her up when she cries. We love it and wouldn't have it any other way! We might change our minds pretty soon though if she keeps up at night any more :) just kidding...We are definitely tired, but wouldn't trade these precious moments of time with our daughter.

First Day out as a Family

Today, we ventured out for the first time as a family. We've been to the pediatrician and to San's office, but other than this, we have kept Sofia at home away from germs. It was fun to get the stroller out and to use it at the stores.

Here are a few places that we visited:

We love Barnes and Noble! We are avid readers and love looking at all the new books and items. We have a tradition of taking our journals and books there on Saturday afternoons. It's nice to be able to share these times with Sofia. We also love DSW...San needed to replace some shoes that she loves and has had forever! We got two pairs of shoes for VERY cheap. And finally, Chick-fil-A is always awesome! No more needs to be said other than thay they have caffeine free Diet Coke that is wonderful!

Here are some pictures of us all from today:

Our little Angel

She's only 12 days old, but as we are with her more, we realize how very precious parenthood is! It is truly a gift and blessing from Heavenly Father. Sofia has blessed our lives from the moment she was born. Here are a few things we love about her already:

1. The way she sleeps just like Simon, with her arms stretched out by her head.

2. The way she looks up at us while in our arms, so trusting of us.

3. She might not be really smiling, but to us when she smiles it melts our hearts.

4. How content of a baby she is. She never just fusses for no apparent reason. She either cries, when she has a wet diaper, is hungry, or needs a good burp.

5. How small and petite she is and how she looks like the both of us.

Here is a picture of Sofia in her new car seat (Isn't it cute how big her hat is?...):