Growing Pains...: Happy Birthday Baby Grace!

It's so hard for me to believe that our sweet little baby Grace is one year old! She came as a shocking miracle...a true blessing...a "grace" from God! She has brought, and continues to bring, SO much joy and happiness into our home! We all love her so much...and to this day, I'm still in awe as to the sheer miracle that she is! She was sent to us when we least expected her...but when we needed her the most! Karlee and Carson are the best big sister and brother to her (and they love her more than one can comprehend). Daddy still comes home each day and says, "hi baby Grace"...I'm sure she'll always be his baby Grace! If you want to read more about her miraculous "debut", you can go back HERE in the blog.

So happy birthday baby girl, Gracey, baby Grace...Grace!!! We all love you "to the moon and back!"

And I decided that it is only fitting, on her first birthday, to revisit some of the highlights of her first year!

Meeting my sweet baby girl for the first time...a moment that I will never forget (as I have never forgot those first moments with any of my children...no matter how they came to join our family :) )

Weighing in at just 4 pounds 11 oz and 19 inches. Born via c-section at 11:37 pm on July 19, 2010

Finally...I get to hold my sweet baby:

At 2 weeks old, Grace stopped breathing (thankfully we were at her pediatrician's office at the time). We were sent to Primary Children's Hospital where we spent 3 days while Grace was evaluated for everything and anything under the sun (including a spinal tap...)

Sweet baby Grace at Primary Children's Hospital...she had lost weight and was just 4 pounds 9 oz. They had a hard time keeping her body temp up...it was definitely a very scary time for our family. Thankfully, baby Grace is a fighter...

Some of my very favorite pics...taken just a few days after our cross country move to Tallahassee, Florida, when Grace was just 4 weeks old (and barely 5 pounds)

In October, she finally fit into the blessing dress that my sister, Mindy and I had purchased before she was even born! We blessed her on Sunday, October 10, 2010 (also Karlee's 11th birthday). My sister and her husband, Kyle, flew out here to be with us for this very special occasion!

November 2010...what a smile!

Thanksgiving Day 2010 (see what I told ya about how much these two love their baby sister)!

Gracey's first Christmas!

Gracey's (and all of our) first visit to Disney World! Our home in Utah had finally sold and so we celebrated by purchasing season passes! March 2011:

Beach Baby! One of the perks of living in Florida! Grace is a fish...a natural...she absolutely loves the water!

In June, we returned to Utah for a month long visit with family and friends! Here Grace is eating her first taste of our families favorite dessert, "Potato Bug Pie" at a BBQ at Grandma Yvonne's house: