Anna Ruth had her first tummy time yesterday! She was a champ and did great!! She didn't cry at all.....and here she is lifting her head.She raised her head and moved it from one side to the other. (which of course her momma thought was the most amazing feat EVER)
she also looooved raising up on her toes like this. Brett asked if she was walking yet :)

Anna and I also "played" with a toy and read a Karen Katz book. Awake time is so much fun!
"Daddy's Little Princess" and I (and Brett of course) went on a walk last night and all the neighbors wanted to come down and see her. I've never heard a girl get so many compliments in one night. :) She won't be short on attention around here.
Caleb and Lainey's birthday parties were at my parents house on Sunday. This is a picture of the beautiful landscaping job my parents have done to their yard!

My mom made these ADORABLE cupcakes. :)
Meet your cousins, Anna Ruth!
:) Sweet moment with Nathan and "Uncle Brett"
Brett is such a good husband/daddy. I appreciate him taking most of the party pics, without me even asking! :) It gave me a glimpse of some of the fun I didn't see because I was inside. He adores Anna Ruth and looks for opportunities to give me a break when I need it. He scoops her up the minute he gets home from work. Reminds me of another great daddy I've known for even longer :) :) :)

Jana, the kids, and Brittany came to visit last week! Caleb was making the "Daddy bear hold the elephant baby". HAHA
Art time at Aunt sara's! Caleb picked out the beautiful flowers in the background for me and came walking up to the house with them. SO sweet.

Lainey enjoyed Anna's swing! This is what Anna sleeps in each night.

Brett and I talked over several conversations about what we want to stand for in our house and family....and this is what we came up with. I made this canvas and it hangs by our bedroom/great room.
It hangs to the left, above the thermostat. We see it often!
Farm beauty

Anna Ruth's big adventures

Anna is almost one week old, and each day just keeps getting better and better! My momma brought me these beautiful flowers......I sure do enjoy looking at them.
Part of Anna Ruth's big adventures included going into town today, and we had quite the time! We went to Nana's house, to eat lunch, and to Target. Target was quite a workout for me because we were hurrying as fast as possible and had a somewhat long list. However, we made it! :) :) Success...We went to eat at Olive Garden! I got the soup and salad....They are a baby-friendly restaurant and had a sling type seat to set Anna Ruth's car seat on at the table..
Of course, Anna Ruth didn't need the carseat :) That's what Grandma's are for! Our waiter was shocked when he found out how old A.R. is :)
The day also included a first trip to Nana's house :)

daddy rode in on the tractor, and mom braved the first car rode solo :) (and yes I gave the stink eye to everyone who followed me too closely-that's my girl they're on the tail of!)

Another big adventure-first bath!! Anna screamed through most of it, but loved having the water run over her hair! :) First family photo at our house. This was taken on Tuesday, for "Gotcha Day"..the day we celebrate Lillie and the day she was adopted from China. We had delicious burgers and banana splits for dessert. It was so fun to have company :) and to celebrate Lillie!
Lillie with Anna Ruth
The many expressions of our girl!

Jana and the kids are coming to visit tomorrow. Jana hasn't seen Anna Ruth since the peek in the hospital nursery. I can't wait to introduce the two of them! Brett returns to work tomorrow and I am not looking forward to it one bit. However, I know Anna Ruth and I will get used to him being gone in a day or two. His boss let him have one of his vacation days he took back so that's a blessing! I also got a bonus in the mail today from Springdale Schools, which was a much-needed, appreciated blessing from God. Tithing pays off :).

Quick version of Birthing Story:
Last Friday we arrived at the hospital at 5:00 a.m. We had prayed previously over our nurse and that we would have a kind one :). God answered our prayers in a huge way! I recognized the nurse, and discovered we'd both gone to Tech! So cool. She was considerate, calm, reassuring, etc. They broke my water (weird feeling and Brett and I laughed about it because it wasn't like what we expected at all!) and tried to get things going on their own. By 10:30 nothing was happening still so they started the pitocin. I requested an epidural, and then kept getting the pitocin. The day was spent getting more pitocin, and eventually more of the epidural pain meds. Progress was happening, but slow. I traded off reading, sleeping, watching t.v., and visiting with Brett and his mom. Finally at 5:00 p.m. the Dr. came in and said I was ready to push! I started, and Anna Ruth got stuck in a particular place. The Dr. started mentioning a c-section, which I did not want! I started praying (in my head) and thought "I WILL get this baby out!" Kept pushing...and at 6:19 p.m. Anna Ruth was born! It was a hard labor (the pushing was rough and I had "damage" because of it) but I made it. :) Moms are the strongest people I know and I am happy to join the club!