God's Answers

So I know I'm a dorky mom, but Finley received her first official piece of mail today (Grandma and PaPa Curran sent her a Halloween card) and I took a picture of it! It's so fun to see her name in print. When we went to our first pediatrician appointment and I had to fill out all the paperwork, I couldn't help but smile as I wrote her name. For so long, Finley Ela was a name on a list or a name that Devin and I would throw around as a possibility, but now it actually belongs to our wonderful little girl. In a weird way, it just makes her more real to see her name in print. I wonder who she is going to be as she grows up and whether her name will seem fitting as her personality develops more and more.

God is so gracious in His answers. I prayed my whole pregnancy that Finley would have a "quiet, gentle spirit" and so far she truly has one. Even though she cries at times, she usually just whimpers when she needs something and only fully throws a fit when she's cold or we're trying to let her put herself to sleep and her pacifier has fallen out of her mouth. She usually sleeps 3 1/2 to 4 hour stretches during the night and has been a great eater since the beginning. I am amazed at just how perfectly God created our little girl for us. In her, I see God's answers in the smallest details (such as her belly button healing super quickly since I have such an issue with belly buttons!) and am blown away by His grace.

Why do I ever doubt Him when I look back on every major event in my life (as well as the small events, of course) and can clearly see that God has always given me exactly what I needed and answered my prayers even when I couldn't understand why my life was on the path it was on? He has never failed me and yet, I still seem surprised with His answers. What a lack of faith I have sometimes... that and a short-term memory of all that He has done for me! Because He created me and knows my heart, He always knows what is best for me. And that gives me the promise that because He created Finley and knows her heart, that He will also guide the path of her life. I can't wait to see His plan for our little girl!

Hafer Park

So this weekend, we took Finley to Hafer Park to take some pictures. It was a beautiful day and a lot of fun to take her to the park. We took a million pictures, but because it was so bright, it was difficult to see the screen on the digital camera and therefore, impossible for us to tell if the pictures were turning out. Here are my two favorites....

Devin's Birthday

Devin and Finley blowing out candles!

Finley with the cousins!

So Thursday was Devin's birthday... Finley and I went shopping for him and let me tell you that the mall looks completely different when behind a stroller! I never knew malls had elevators! Or that my main paths in the mall included stairs instead of ramps. I had to completely relearn how to manuever the mall in the quickest manner!

Anyway, I cooked Devin a nice meal and his favorite dessert for his birthday and then we spent some quality family time together. I was really disappointed because I had ordered Devin something from Finley and it hasn't come in yet. I did get her a card to give him and I wanted her to "sign" it. I found my pink inkpad and pressed her little hand in the ink. She immediately made a fist and I soon realized my 2 week old daughter is stronger than I am! I was finally able to at least wash most of the pink off of her hand and Devin received a footprint as a signature instead!

On Saturday, we had Devin's family over to celebrate his birthday and watch the OSU game. Cousin Adam is so sweet with Finley. He always wants to hold her and is surprisingly very gentle with her. He is very curious about her and wants to make sure she is okay. When we were eating dinner, Adam asked whether Finley could eat cake and icecream and Amy explained that she can only drink milk until she is a bit older. Well, Adam held up his sippy cup of milk and said "She can have some of my milk!" It was precious! I hope his protection of her continues so that she will have a big "brother" in her life. I loved having an older brother to look out for me and would love Finley to have that as well. So far, Cousin Nathan isn't too interested, but as the picture shows, he did hold her for a little while.