Sleepies

Liesl is the first baby I've had since I got a smart phone.  The sheer glut of pictures I have of her asleep is in large part due to the fact that my sleeping baby and my phone are often in the same place at the same time.  And really, is there anything sweeter than a sleeping baby?  I hope you agree that there isn't anything sweeter than a sleeping baby.  If you don't agree, then walk away now.

For those of you still at your computer, I invite you to sit back, relax and enjoy my baby's oh so many "sleepies".

The above pictures were all just from the hospital!  If you're still with me, you might want to hydrate now.

I love it when she looks like a bit of a hot mess, because her hot mess is so not messy!

Sleep lines!

Here's a Ben and Liesl sleepie...and before we took this pic I was sleeping, too!

Liesl was baby Jesus at our family Christmas party.  Seriously?!  Such a sweet little baby laying down her sweet head.

Hot mess again!

Um, yes, this makes my heart skip a beat.

 A milky mess.

  

Major hot mess!  It's so bad, it's good!

Bwa ha ha.  I love that meaty paw!

Matt saw this post and said, "I have three words for you: o-ver-kill."  

Liesl Snow

Little Liesl came seven weeks ago.  She is perfect, beautiful, and so very sweet.

Her middle name, Snow, is in honor of my mother's side of the family.  We have had that middle name planned for a baby girl since my pregnancy with Jacob.  We honestly thought we'd never get a chance to use it!  Each of the boys have a middle name that honors one of their grandparents' families: Matt's dad's family (LeGrand), my dad's family (Gamette), and Matt's mom's family (James).  Each of the boys' middle names are perfect tributes.  Now it was my mom's turn.  My mother's first name is Hilda and she has always said that she did NOT want anyone to name a child after her, even though I maintain that she makes 'Hilda' seem cool.  Using 'Snow' was a way to name a baby after her without displeasing her.

Liesl's first name is in honor of my dad.  Two days before my dad died I was still in the hospital.  As my injuries were stabilizing, my dad's health was starting to deteriorate.  At that time we never would have dreamed that he was going to pass away in two days.  Because he was not doing well my nurse asked me if I wanted to go and see him.  As I was shuffling to a wheelchair for Matt to take me down to see dad I turned to him and said that we needed a name for this baby.  My concern was that she was going to come early.  The day of the accident I had contracted throughout the afternoon and evening, and even though we were three days out from the accident we were still under some threat of a 28 week delivery.  It was just a simple moment in time when I said, "How about Liesl Snow?".  We had always liked the name Liesl, but hadn't done more than put it on a short mental list of favorites.  We looked at each other in that moment and it just felt right.

When my dad was in his final hours and we knew then that he was going to leave us I felt that our name choice had an extra, unintended, and yet very welcome meaning.  My dad's name is Leland and their shared first syllable is so dear to me.  Gaining this little "Lee" has brought so much to our lives as we are all still reeling from losing my dad.  It felt like another small way that we were prepared for dad's passing.  The name we picked as our favorite was the perfect homage to him.

Liesl is a miracle baby in every way and such a blessing to our family.  She was born full-term and as pink and darling as we could have imagined.  Expect many, many, many, many, many more pictures of her and our new life together.

My Dad

I have put off writing this post for a long time, but I know that I need to write it before baby girl comes on Tuesday.  My sweet dad passed away unexpectedly on August 20th.  He and I were involved in a car accident that ultimately took his life.  A friend told me that it takes a full year before your mind can even comprehend that a loved one has passed away.  I tend to agree with her.  This year was supposed to be a year that we spent together because, as shocking as it still is to believe, Matt unexpectedly received a job transfer to Provo at the beginning of August.  We arrived here on August 14th and dad and I were hit by a careless driver on August 15th.

We were so sad to move yet again, but we turned our focus to spending the next few years living close to my parents and enjoying holidays, outings, and normal life with them.  That alternate reality where there was no accident is so achingly clear in my heart and mind.  But we feel that the Lord brought us here at this time to support my mom and that our circuitous path led us here because He loves her and my dad so much.  And while it's not how we expected it, our new reality is sweet and has many blessings.  The boys have adjusted very well to school and life here, Matt is loving his new job, and, while I fractured my pelvis and got a concussion in the accident, the baby and I are both doing well.  We also feel very blessed to be able to share so many special moments with my mom, who is such a loving, gracious mother and grandmother.

I am sure that I will be posting more about my dad in the coming months and always, but I couldn't post about this new sweet baby this week without posting first about my dear dad.  My life will never be the same because of his life and now because of his death.  I miss and love him so very much.