Did I miscalculate??? Is she really 9 months old???

It just doesn't seem possible that Baby Sister can be 9 months old. It can't be!!! I know I say this every month but she is SUCH A DELIGHT! When she beams from ear to ear she makes everyone in the room melt into mushy-baby-lovingness!!! Especially her adoring family! See what I mean? Are you turning to mush yet?

Within days she will be crawling around the house and lookout world!

She is a mover! She is a shaker! She is a dancer, a kicker, a roller, a giggler! She loves to bathe, loves to splash, laughs with her brother, jabbers and sings! She delights in eating, playing, standing, playing, jumping, sitting, playing, laughing, and did I mention playing??

Here's our cutie valentine!

Her sleep habits are not the best at present. While she CAN sleep through the night, she hasn't done it for a couple of months. :( Mama Bear keeps assuring everyone that she is teething, but no teeth have appeared yet. She takes two regular naps a day and is on a pretty regular bedtime schedule which works great for a family who loves routine. She still eats milk from Mama Bear a few times a day and enjoys meals at the table at least 3 times a day. No one can make her laugh as hard as her big brother can. They adore each other! We are thankful everyday for our little Braun blessings!!!

Visiting Daddy Bear

What a relief it was to finally arrive in Daddy Bear's neck of the woods...Er, desert. We spent all week making lists, packing, preparing, and quarantining ourselves to keep from getting sick AGAIN which could potentially keep us from going to see Daddy Bear! Friday finally arrived and we were ecstatic!! We barely made it to the airport in time due to the extra rain and extra traffic but we got on, got seats, and buckled up for a straight flight to our Daddy Love!! With the exception of a little motion sickness for LB (nothing a complimentary "barf bag" couldn't take care of) we made it through the flight with little trouble. It was hours past bedtime by the time we spotted DB at baggage claim but both children were wide awake and LB was bubbling with excitement! It had only been a month and a half since DB had left but what a long 6 weeks it had been!

We played at the park.

Played in the room.

Visited a "circus" and rode the carousel.

We saw dolphins.

And white tigers.

Rode the monorail.

Danced.

And played some more.

(this is LB's photography--not bad for a 3 year old!)

I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful and complete it felt to be together again as a family! We left after a much too quick weekend with tearful faces and sad hearts. We aren't quite a third of the way done with this icky chapter of our lives but we are doing all we can to communicate often, love much, and pray more!

“For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:11-13

God brought us here and He will show us the way out!