One Cool Chika

These photos just make me smile. I figure if they put a smile on my face, maybe they're put a smile on yours as well. Enjoy our little girl looking super trendy...

(Please note, we know we forgot to take the sticker off of her sunglasses.)

St. Louis Fun

The past week and a half was full of adventure for the West family. We loaded ourselves onto a plane in Houston and headed to the home of many of our favorite things - family, friends, Ted Drewes, Cardinal baseball, a free zoo and more - St. Louis!

We packed as much as we could into our time which can be tricky with an infant who needs her naps. We were blessed to see all of Micaiah's grandparents, a few aunts and uncles, a cousin, and even some great grandparents and a great aunt!

Micaiah had a blast. She was grins from ear to ear more often than not, especially when Tally, the dog came into the room.

Thanks everyone for such a wonderful visit. Hopefully we'll be able to do it again soon!

Fotos and the Fourth

It's been a while since Mom went on a photo spree. For those of you who are in Micaiah withdrawl (and I know you're out there) here's some foot fun fotos for you!

To celebrate the Fourth of July, Brian and I took Micaiah to the zoo. She stayed awake during most of the trip, but we're pretty sure she didn't see many animals. Some day she'll care! Here's a few fotos of our trek and some of the animals we saw. Enjoy!

Love

Have you ever met the person who insists that you can't truly understand God and his great love for us until you are a parent? I have. And I have always promised myself I would never be one of those people. I'm still not. Not only do I find the concept ridiculously narrow minded, but unfair and demeaning to those who are following God's leading, either by choice or circumstance, in a different direction. Please note: God speaks to ALL of his children. He loves ALL of his children. He reveals himself to ALL of his children. Bar none.

This being said, these past few weeks I have been repeatedly reminded of a truth I know well and God did use my daughter to bring this truth to the forefront of my mind. God has been pretty clear and it is on my heart to lay this truth in the forefront of the minds of our blog readers as well. If God means this for you, I pray you are blessed by his message...

I love my daughter. I love my daughter without thinking twice. For better or for worse, she has become the center of my world. This makes naptime hard. Really hard. You see, recently she has started crying. Hard. Red from head to toe. Nap time is not a happy time. I thought I had done everything right. I was dilligent about watching for tired signs. I worked hard to have her in bed while drowsy yet still awake. My little girl was going to learn to fall asleep by herself. We were doing well. Until a week or two ago. When the end of the world came.

Don't ask me what changed. I don't know. Don't tell me what changed. I'm not sure I want to know. But the time came for me to let her cry it out. And while she cried, I cried. I hovered outside her door. And prayed. And found myself remembering this one simple truth...

God knows what's best.

He knows what I need and he knows when I need it. He hears me cry out for him to come quickly. He does not turn a deaf ear to my pleas. Rather he sees an end that I cannot fathom and blessings and benefits beyond my scope. Trust. Could he reach in and end my misery? Yes. But... His time is better than mine. And he is closer than I think.

They're Here!!!

Caleb Matthew Soppe and Joshua Andrew Soppe are here and healthy! Alison and Russell (Erin's sister and brother-in-law) were twice blessed today with twin boys. Now the fun begins! Head on over to their blog to see the two little bundles. We're in love already!

Congratulations Alison and Russell!!!

A 4 month birthday and so much more...

4 months old... WOW! Time flies.

Micaiah started rolling from her front to her back last month some time. It was feast or famine with her. She'd roll over multiple times a day and then boycott for a couple of days before resuming her new feat. Then she just stopped. We don't know why. Was she bored? Who knows.

This morning she had wiggled her way out of her swaddle and was hanging out in her crib when I went to retrieve her. Being the morning person she is, I left her to hang out in her crib chewing on her feet while I made her bottle. Upon return I found her hanging out on her stomach. This is a first. We'll see how long it lasts!

We have survived yet another trip to the doctor's office which means yet another round of shots. Micaiah was a real trooper as always. She sought the comfort of her lion on the way home in the car and is now working on sleeping the day away upstairs.

Here are her current stats...
Weight: 13lbs 3oz (50th percentile)
Length: 25 3/4 inches (85th percentile)

Long and lean continues to be her theme!

In even more exciting news, the 16th continues to be the perfect day for nieces and nephews! Isaac, Micaiah's cousin on her Dad's side, was born on November 16th last year. Micaiah was born, as most of you know, on February 16th this year. We have just received word that her two unnamed cousins from her Mom's side will be arriving today, June 16th, by C-section up in the Chicago area! Wahoo!!! We are very excited and ask you all to keep Alison, Russell and the twins in your prayers as the day moves on. As soon as I know more, you'll know more!

What a GREAT day! (minus the shots, of course)

For those of you in need of a picture fix, here's a few I took of Micaiah yesterday hanging out in her exersaucer...

A Weekend with Grandma

We were blessed to have Grandma Witbrodt come to town over Memorial Day weekend. The weather was HOT so we stayed inside quite a bit. We did manage to squeeze in a late evening stroll although I'm not sure the venue mattered much, as long as Micaiah was a part of the fun!

Our little girl has changed and grown in so many ways since Grandma was here in early March. It was great to watch them reconnect. They had some good heart to heart conversations and shared some hearty laughter.

Thanks for visiting Grandma! We'll see you in July!

Our 3 Monther

She's a gem and we love her. Hope you enjoy the newest pics of our little one!