Aunt Nora

Have you ever seen the movie Enchanted? You know, that Disney film where an animated Princess comes to life in Manhatten?? Well, Micaiah has a similar experience this past week. You see, she has a book that contains picutres of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. We've shown it to her on a daily basis with the hopes that she'll recognize her family whenever they're in town. Well...

We were blessed when Aunt Nora came to town. She was here for a couple days and it was soooooooo good to see her! Though for Micaiah, it was if the charachter in her book came to life!!! She had a sort of quizical look on her face...but over time, Micaiah became accustomed to this real life princess [or Aunt in this case]. It was a sad day when Nora "had to return to the book."

Thanks Aunt Nora for coming to life for a while!!!

The Olympics

Do you mind? Gymnastics are on!

6 Months

Well the time is here for the 6 month report. Hard to believe it's been that long already! Micaiah was a champ at the doctor's office today. Well, mostly. She screamed and wailed like it was her job when it came time for the shots, but wouldn't you?

Here's her stats:
Weight: 15 lb 8 oz (50th percentile)
Length: 27 1/2 inches (90th percentile)

We took some pics of her on Saturday, her official 6 month birthday. A few could use some cropping (the background wasn't quite large enough) but you'll get the idea. Enjoy!

Food + Sitting =

Almost six months old!

These photos are a little old (a week or two) but I thought I should get some out there. She is just having a blast these days.

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.