A couple more pictures my mom took

Ilya is growing more and more every day. I feel like every time I look like her she changes. On Monday she will be 2 weeks old! We had our first outing on Friday...we went to OHanas (a Japanese steakhouse). Sean and I have gone every year on the last day of school to celebrate the completion of another year.
Today we finally went to church as a family. I wanted to go last Sunday but due to the jaundice we were unable to take her off the light. It was wonderful holding her in my arms and sitting next to Sean. We were late because I was desperately trying to feed her before we went so that she wouldn't get hungry during the service but she flat out refused to eat and slept through the entire thing. She is more about schedules than I am! If you try to do things early she wants nothing to do with it. I must have somehow taught her that in the womb, along with her cute scowl! These last 2 weeks have been amazing...an up and down roller coaster at times but I wouldn't change anything! She is my angel.

May 18, 2009

On Monday Ilya will be one week old. Thousands of memories of that day flood my mind. I was a ball of emotion and didn't get much sleep the night before. So many thoughts, so many feelings...We were instructed to call the hospital at 5:00a.m. and then report by 6:00 a.m. Once they had me hooked up to the machines the only comforting thing to me was Sean and his strong hand beside me. He opened his bible and read from 1 Samuel 1-3. The story of the birth of Samuel, Hannah's Dedication of Samuel, Hannah's Prayer, and when the Lord Called Samuel. So many people had constantly asked when Sean and I would have kids...and it seemed to intensify once my sisters both had their beautiful boys. Sean and I were not in any hurry and we had both decided to wait upon the Lord...his timing is perfect. We had prayed for Ilya though then she was merely an unnamed dream. Sean was finishing his masters at LCU in biblical studies and ministry, coaching, and teaching. I was busy teaching...and when you work in Meadow you do it all. We were perfectly content and knew that when God called we would answer and obey. We found out I was pregnant on Sunday September 22nd. I had woke up with a little bit of a headache and was looking for my medicine when Sean said I may be pregnant and should take a pregnancy test first. I rolled my eyes and said "I'm not pregnant" but took the test anyway. I didn't want to get my hopes up and I really didn't think I was. The test result was one and a half lines. What does that mean? Two lines mean your pregnant, one line means your not...but one and a half, there is nothing on the box about that. My heart started racing and tears filled my eyes because in my heart I wanted it to be true so bad. Sean and I decided not to tell my family at church since we were unsure and as soon as church was over we raced to the store and bought some more pregnancy tests, this time the digital ones that read pregnant or not pregnant. Because I felt that there would be absolutely no way for it to read "not sure, try again later." And the result was a definite pregnant...all three times I took it! We cried, laughed, and jumped up and down with joy and then spent the next few days calling everyone we knew! As the months progressed we talked all the time about what it will be like, and possible names. One thing that was sure was that this girl was a blessing, a gift from God and we knew that like Hannah, we to wanted to dedicate Ilya and her life to the Lord. While we are not going to leave her at the door of the church once she is weaned we understand that we are raising her for God alone and will do everything in our power to teach her about Christ. Her name came once we found out that we were having a little girl. I was driving home from Brownfield and on Air 1 they were talking about baby names and a man called in saying he named his daughter Ily (I love you) so that she would know that no matter where she is she is loved. I came home and told Sean about it and he said he liked it. We decided to add an "A" to it to be a little original and came up with ILYA (I love you always, pronounced "I-Lee-Ya").

When Dr. Belle-Henry came in to break my water she said "Are you ready for a birthday today?" And I knew that sometime that day Ilya Ruth Grose would be born into the world. I was in labor about 10 hours and at 6:44p.m. I gave birth to Ilya, weighing 7 pounds 9 ounces and 21 and 3/4 inches long. She is beautiful and now my life is forever changed. Its almost been a week and I am still brought to tears at the sight of her. She is truly a miracle and I am beside myself to think that just a week ago she was wiggling around in my stomach. When I look at her I see a perfect mixture of Sean and myself and think how amazing God is. Knowing God is love, and seeing how God can take two people madly in love with one another like Sean and I and create such a beautiful child that truly represents two people becoming one. All I can say is I am in love.

Welcome to Earth Ilya

Tomorrow my life will change forever
is what everybody seems to agree upon
Well yeah
I think as I think do they think I don't know?
Maybe they do - and maybe I don't.
Tomorrow will tell how tomorrow my life will change forever.

-Sean Grose (May 17, 2009)

..........today is tomorrow forever..........