7.06.2008

Highly Requested Pictures...Just for you Emily!!!

Well, it's been a little while since we last posted and not much has been happening around here. Grace has been doing well since her Catheter procedure, Topher is still working at school and I'm still training for my Triathlon, (which is getting closer and closer!!). Other than that, there's nothing really new to report. Which is a good thing in my opinion, because it means that we've been living as normally as we can. Grace is doing great and that's all we could possibly want. :) We finally got a new camera charger and have since gone crazy taking pictures. And it's a good thing we got it when we did, because Grace has blossomed over the last few weeks. She smiles all the time and they aren't just fleeting little blips across her face- they are big, apple cheeked, squinty eye, open mouth smiles- and they're to die for!!
What baby can be happy in her car seat??? Not normally Grace, that's for sure. But on this occasion, she was all smiles. Flashing smile after smile at her Daddy to melt his already big soft heart.








These are probably my favorite pictures recently. We have about 20, if not more, of her sitting in her swing, holding tight onto her bunny and just grinning from ear to ear. She's SO ADORABLE!!!





For the past 2 nights IN A ROW...Grace has been waking up in the morning with NO TUBE IN HER NOSE!!! What a stinker huh? She thinks that when Mommy and Daddy are sleeping is the perfect time to yank her tube out, because we won't figure it out til' morning. *sigh*. But, this did give us another opportunity to get some pictures of her little face, tube free!! We also took her to church with no tube yesterday. It was crazy!! We felt like we had a totally normal baby! No one would ever guess she was sick!!
Isn't this such a cute outfit?!! It's from Karen. Rachel wore it as well, in fact, she probably still fits in it. ;)
Although it is indeed a very cute outfit, Topher and I don't really think it looks like her personality. Too Polyanna or something. ;)
Look at those big beautiful eyes!!! She seems to have the most innocent little face, you'd never guess there was such a sassy demeanor underneath!!
Grace also loves to take showers with us. Normally, getting her out is the worst part because she gets really angry, but again she surprised us and had lots of smiles for us. It was cute because she kept stretching her arms up into the little head pocket, and pulling the towel over her face, then she'd freak out until we pulled it off again.




For the 4th we went to my Dad's house in Eagle Mountain. We had a "barbecue" inside, on the Foreman...lol. We played games, had pie, went running and biking, and took over 300 pictures of Grace. hehe. These are some of the best ones we got because she wouldn't hold still!! All the ones where she had a big grin on her face were blurry because she'd get excited and bobble her head all over the place!!



Don't you love her outfit?!! I actually bought it for the 4th of July back in May. I have been so excited to put it on her and have shown it to anyone that would look...and, drum roll please, I made her bow. I personally thought it matched perfectly.


Also, because I'm a complete dork, I insisted that Topher and I wear red, white and blue, to match Grace. I really wanted a picture of all of us in our Patriotic clothes, and of course I forgot until AFTER I went biking. Seriously, sometimes I don't think I'm so smart. So, for pictures I was hot and sweaty, and my hair was flat and sticky. But oh well. It's the most recent picture of the 3 of us, and hey, at least she's smiling. And my husband looks dang cute too. :)
So, there you have it. Our recent antics. Life has been good. Grace has been adorable. All is well. Again we feel amazingly blessed. No one knows better how to care for us than our loving Father in Heaven, and he makes this evident time and time again. We are so grateful for our families, friends, and ward members that try their best to make each day a little easier. Thank you thank you thank you!!!
Please continue to pray for little Grace that she will be as healthy as possible, and that she might get a transplant soon, or if not, that she'll be able to have as healthy a heart as she can. I know it's hard to pray for a transplant, I rarely do, because I can't stand the implications of what that means. But, I feel there is nothing wrong with praying that she get a healthy heart, by whatever means Heavenly Father deems right, whether it be surgery or Transplant.
Please also if you could pray for the other heart babies, some of them are going through very hard times. A "heart family" friend just lost their little girl, and I'm sure they could use all the prayers they can get, her name is Eden, and she was and still is a dear sweet angel. Please pray for her family.
We love you all and hope everything is well with all of you!!
Love the Andersen's

14 comments:

Rachel's Mommy said...

What great pictures! Thanks for such a good post. Cool how your dad and I managed to sneak into that last pix, huh? And FYI, the Pollyanna look is IT for girl babies!!!

Super Daysh said...

Oh my goodness!!!!!!!! !!! !!! Those are the CUTEST pics I've seen of Grace - EVER! She is so adorable and I'm so glad she is getting more smiley and happy every day. She is so cute! You guys have the cutest little girl! We love you guys so much and are excited to see you and your little one again soon!

Sara and Company said...

How cute is that ear to ear grin?!!! Not only is her face just darling, but you truly can see all of the excitement running throughout her whole body. I'm glad you get "normal" moments and that things are going well. Love ya!

my life: said...

This may sound like madness (because I'm a total stranger) but I feel that since I'm a "heart mom" as well, we have some connection.....It is so good to see recent pictures of her! She is soooo beautiful. We match on the 4th of July as well, so your not a dork. I loved the family shot! Anyway, she looks great, and I am keeping her in my prayers.

Bev said...

Wow guys shes soo cute. I haven't checked for a while.

Thoughtful Runner said...

Hey - and just in case anyone was wondering, Grace really thinks I sing well! She almost always stops fussing and listens in rapt attention! A couple of times I think she even tried to applaud! (Or at least she was looking at me intently and I could tell she wanted to!)
It was great having them over for the 4th and little Grace has definitely won our hearts over. We enjoyed really seeing some personality and smiles - and it was fun watching Rachel sing to her, as well.

kalani said...

Thank you so much for putting up more pictures. Since I never actually get to see her I atleast want to see pictures. (I would really love to see her again in person sometime soon. hint hint) We love you guys.

Mythreesons said...

Yeah, I'm not so sure how smart you are, either... but those pictures are so dang cute! oh my goodness... she has changed so much! I seriously go back and look at the pictures over and over... Even Jared had to come and admire them. I'm thrilled she's been so smiley for you and I can't wait to see her again! And your pictures weren't super dorky because you weren't wearing matching shirts... just colors. That makes it OK. I love the pictures Bug!

Em said...

Good to see the adorable pictures of Gracie smiling! What a doll! I love her eyes. My favorite picture is of her with no tube, she looks like a normal, healthy baby. You guys are amazing and are truly blessed with such an incredible little girl. I pray for her, and continue to pray for a healthy heart for little Gracie!
Heart hugs,
Emily and Mike

Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com} said...

Those are the cutest pictures of a baby EVER!!! I'm glad you took 300 of them in a single day. I would think you were exaggerating, but I've done that very thing with my own girls :)

I'm so glad Grace is doing well! We pray for her morning and night. I'm so glad you wrote such a long, fantastic post. I want to call you every day and ask how she's doing, but I'm always afraid I'll call right when you've just gotten her to sleep, or you're sleeping yourself.

I love those pictures!! I'm going to look at them all day long :)

Lots of love!

Auntie A

princess jen said...

Did you have fun at the zoo today? I picked up Alan's flag. He is SUPER excited and will probably put it up on Friday. I'm excited to go out on a date with you on Saturday night!! And I missed you in St. George. I can't wait until you can go on vacation again. But I'm glad that you had fun at your dad's house. And I love all the beautiful Grace pictures. She is darling! And I can't wait to see her again.

The Simmons Family said...

YEAH for an update!! Grace has grown up so big... those gorgeous eyes and smile are to die for! Good luck telling her "no". Love the 4th of July bow you made.

I am so in awe of you training for a marathon.. where do you find the time????

Andrea

Alan J said...

What a cute little smiley girl! I'm excited to see her and you guys this weekend.

Lauren K said...

ALLY!! She is ADORABLE!!! And her smile is beautiful! PS my mom says hello and gives you a hug and a kiss from far away.