Elizabeth Grace Richards was born on Thursday, September 12, 2013 at 8:01 AM. She was 7 lbs 4 oz and 22 inches long.
Mom and baby are both doing GREAT! At a newborn's 2-week checkup, the goal is for them to be back up to their birth weight. Our little Elizabeth is a little overachiever - at her 2-week checkup, she was 7 lbs 9 oz. Mom is back on her feet (albeit slower than usual) and is adjusting to the responsibilities of juggling a newborn, caring for the home, and working her Premier Designs business. Dad is being extremely helpful, enjoys holding his little girl, and is continuing to work at Henderson's Custom Cabinets while searching for a job that would provide benefits and better pay.
We are absolutely enjoying getting to know our Little Bit. She's VERY expressive (both with her hands and her facial expressions), sleeps in the most adorable positions (see above), and loves Celtic music and Acappella, as well as a random Swahili lullaby Summer learned in high school. She also has this cute curly cowlick on the back of her head, and gets the hiccups several times a day (which she did en utero as well). It's a little hard to believe she'll be a month old on Thursday - has it been that long already?!
We're looking forward to a visit from some of Summer's family from San Antonio in a couple of weeks, and Jon's mom, JoAnn, is coming for a visit in early November - we're excited to share our little one with so much family (not to mention Summer's dad and stepmom who came for a visit the weekend after Elizabeth was born, and great-grandma Mops, who's seen her several times, as well as others in Summer's family)!
As far as holiday plans (because everyone is wondering, we're sure): We're not sure yet what we're doing. We would LOVE to visit Jon's family in New York (since we haven't seen them in almost a year, and they need to meet the newest addition), but we're not sure if we'll have the funds at this point to make the trip - we'll see how things work out.
How to pray for us: Please pray that Jon is able to find a better paying job with benefits, and quickly. Also, please pray for our continued adjustment to a new baby, and that Elizabeth will grow "in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man," and that she will come to know the great love that God has for her. Please pray that we will be wise as parents, and for our own refinement that this treasure will bring us.
