New haircut and Claire's 7th month stats

I finally did something with my long, nasty-wavy, post-pregnancy hair. Hormones sure did a number on my previously perfect hair. I woke up one morning and suddenly had waves... but not the good kind. The kind that crinkle at your scalp and then die out halfway down. The kind that make it look like you have bed head everyday. The kind that make straightening a necessity. Ugh. So I chopped about 5-6 inches off and added side bangs. 

Ta-da!

In other news, Claire is now 7 months old. And man! that girl loves the water :)

Her 7 month stats:
~Weighs about 14.5 lbs.
~Height - 26 inches as far as I can tell.
~As previously mentioned, she LOVES the water!
~Is sitting up completely on her own.
~Took her first crawl steps last week! But doesn't go far.
~Plays rather than naps in her crib now that she can move on her own.
~Wants to "taste" everything!
~Has a new smile where she winkles up her nose :)


I can't believe my baby is so old!!!

Baptism Pictures!

The whole Nickell/Marshall gang!

"What is happening to me?"

Pastor Mike - thank you for baptizing our baby!

Our little family :)

Thought for the Day

I love Sovereign Grace Music. For those of you that have never heard of them... you should check them out. They sing the Gospel in a way that lifts my soul no matter how down I am. Every song comes straight from Scripture. It's wonderful.
Anyway, all that to say that they sing a song called "In the Valley" that's taken from The Valley Of Vision devotional. It is an amazing song for anyone suffering loss or hardship. So, my thought from the day is that Valley Of Vision passage:

Let me find my light in thy darkness,
thy life in my death
thy joy in my sorrow,
thy grace in my sin, 
thy riches in my poverty,
thy glory in my valley.


Here's a link to the song on YouTube. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT8aTjVZHVI

I might possibly be...

Maybe, just maybe, I might be crazy enough to sign up for a triathlon that's less than two months away. It's a possibility. Just wait and see....

Claire enters God's Covenant Family

On Sunday, we had Claire baptized with all of our immediate family watching (except uncle Ryan). It was so special to see Claire's grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and uncle's girlfriends surrounding her with love! However, it didn't hit me until later that night what a serious thing we had just done. Don't get me wrong, I've always believed in baptism and known that it was an important sign for Christian parents to show their children, but as I was lying in bed, it really hit me that we had just committed Claire to God and were trusting in Him to make her His one day. How awesome is that?! The God who promises that nothing can separate us from His love is watching over our daughter and guiding her little life! Obviously she will have to claim that promise as her own one day, but I felt an immense calm and joy as I grasped the reality of what baptism means.

Pictures to follow! 

Okay... I CAN mow the lawn

Smartypants me... just didn't know how to operate it. Had nothin' to do with strength. I apologize to Crossfit.
My lawn is now freshly and neatly mowed and the driveway nicely blown off. Not bad for a first-timer. Cole will be proud :)

(Yeah, and I totally look this good doing it)

6 months!

Here's an update on my tiny little girl:
~ She's finally doubled her birth weight - 14 lbs!
~ Her little round head is only in the 10th percentile
~ 26 inches long
~ Rolls around all over the floor. No leaving this baby alone on the changing table anymore!
~ She has weaned herself already :( sad face. About a month ago, she started showing no desire to nurse and started losing her fat cheeks and belly! So the doctor suggested supplementing with formula, but of course once I did that, she realized how much easier milk flowed from the bottle and has now rejected me completely. My feelings were hurt for a while, but now I see the upside of being able to leave her with Cole more often :) Yay freedom!
~ She loves jewelry already. Watch out if you're wearing a necklace around her!
~ Can almost sit up alone
~ Laughs and makes everything else ok :)

If you have facebook, enjoy this video on Dana's profile! I promise you will laugh!

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=147526775258126&comments&ref=notif&notif_t=video_reply

Cole's gone so I'm being productive...

In fact, I have a whole to-do list that I'm rapidly checking off. Clean house - check! Pay miscellaneous bills - check! Organize closet - check! Paint the guest bathroom - check! Mow the lawn - ohmmm, yeah, not so much. I tried but I couldn't get the lawnmower started. CROSSFIT, YOU HAVE FAILED ME! I can't even start a lawnmower! So yeah, I'll probably get my father-in-law to help me with that part :)

Anyway, Cole's in Haiti with ten others from our church for the next week. They're in Chantal, a small village outside of Les Cayes, over on the southern coast. It's a place that NCPC has supported for the last several years. They'll be building things for the new school, leading a VBS, and doing other odd jobs. I'm sure they'd appreciate your prayers! 

Ahhhh Vacation!

I have a good reason for not posting recently. I've been extremely busy lounging around, getting tan, reading books, eating good food... you get the picture. Last week we were at Folly Beach with Cole's family and this week it's Litchfield Beach with my family. It's been wonderful and I'm so thankful that we're able to take time to be together. Here are some pics with my family. I don't yet have any from last week.

5 months stats...

Well now that she's almost 6 months old, here are her 5 month updates :)

~ 13.5 lbs
~ 15 1/4 inches long
~ Drooling all over the place (teeth maybe?)
~ Rolls around all the time - both ways now! No more getting stuck on her stomach until I can rescue her.
~ LOVES the water! We dunk her often and she never minds. We plan to have her on swim team by next year :)
~ Trying out new sounds and whining a bit more to let me know when she's had enough
~ Giggles and laughs often
~ Focuses and grabs things, always pulling them to her mouth
~ Loves her toes and enjoys sucking on her big toe
~ Still not much hair - her mohawk barely has enough for a bow
~ Is so much fun to play with. We can't get enough of her!