A year ago today, Josh and I got to “see” our little baby for the first time and we found out that we were going to have a little girl. When people first find out you’re going to have a baby, they often ask, “Do you want a boy or girl?” It’s a rather awkward question to answer. If you say you want a girl and then have a boy, will people think you’re unhappy with your new baby? Of course, ultimately what we all want is a healthy baby, boy or girl.

I had always thought I wanted a boy first – boy first and then a girl. In fact, I was going to be happy with six boys and no girls. I remember the night in July I told Josh that I had had a change of heart and wanted a girl. (I felt bad for even voicing what I thought I wanted, since I knew I’d be happy with a boy or girl.) I think God was putting in my heart the desire to have a girl – since he knew. A year ago when the sono tech said we were going to have a girl, we both got teary-eyed – God was blessing us with a beautiful baby girl, our Rebecca Grace Jensen.

Last week Becca, Josh, and I were delighted to attend the NICU annual reunion. We saw both of the doctors and several of the nurses who took care of Becca during her stay in the hospital. We are so grateful for these precious people, who did so much for us when Becca was born. I still remember many of the tips the nurses gave us about taking care of Becca. I still hear Miss Kathy’s voice every time I give Becca a bath.

At the reunion, Becca loved meeting Build-A-Bear (the big live one!). She wouldn’t talk for anyone else, but when Build-A-Bear came by, she would squeal and hold out her hands to touch him. We decided that we need to buy a bear costume to use when Becca is grumpy. We’re looking forward to attending the NICU reunion next year and hope to see more of our nurse friends again.

This week I experimented with making baby food. I have a good friend who is very resourceful with tips and ideas about what to do. My “experiments” turned out well, so next week I’m planning to make a few big batches for the freezer. Becca did a great job eating her green beans and loved having bananas added to her oatmeal – yum, yum!

We’re enjoying the fall weather that arrived in Texas last week. It’s so nice to be able to have the windows open. I “introduced” Becca to grass this week. She’s not so sure what she thinks about standing or sitting on it. Yesterday, we went outside and played in a puddle on the sidewalk. Becca liked that better than standing in the grass.

Yesterday we celebrated Becca’s adjusted 7-month birthday, and this Sunday we’ll celebrate her 10-month birthday. Becca continues to be a delight and is the cause of much laughter in our home. We’re enjoying giving her new foods — this week I made her sweet potatoes and I think she liked them!

When people ask us why we chose Rebecca Grace as our daughter’s name, I never feel like there’s enough time to explain all that her name means to me, especially her middle name.Before I started my music teaching job at Cochran Elementary School, I’d been reading a lot about a wife’s role of having a heart for her home. One of the things I worried about as I started my new job was the misplacement of my heart’s affections from the home to my work. At the end of my first year of teaching, things were going great, and I was loving teaching and looking forward to the next school year. I realized then that teaching could consume me  — there were so many things I wanted to do with “my kids” — so many ways I could help them.

A couple weeks after school let out for the summer, we found out that we were expecting our first baby. We were thrilled and so excited! I also saw our baby as God’s grace in my life in keeping my heart fixed on our home. I’d been reading Piper’s Future Grace with a friend and thought that if Josh and I had a girl, I’d like her middle name to be Grace to remind me of the act of grace she was to me. Josh liked my idea and so we settled on a middle name before a first name.

Little did we know how much that name would mean to us in light of the events to come. When I was admitted into the hospital “indefinitely” because of pregnancy complications, I truly needed God’s grace to trust Him with all the unknowns. When Becca was born at 27 weeks and then stayed in the NICU for 76 days, I truly needed God’s grace to rest in His hand. As a friend share with me “God is giving you grace.  How little did you know how much you would need that when you decided on Becca’s middle name being Grace.”

I saw Becca as a gift of God’s grace in my life, but little did I know how much I would need His grace in her birth or how much I would be learning about God’s grace as I continue in this adventure of motherhood. I now smile at my healthy, happy little Rebecca Grace. My heart is firmly fixed on my home and my family. Whether it’s feeding Becca, watching Becca play with her daddy, comforting her as she cries, or teaching her to swordfight with spatulas — my heart is loving the role God has given me of wife and mommy.

This week, for the first time since coming home, Becca moved into her “own room.” We live in a one-bedroom apartment, and Becca has been sleeping in a pack-n-play in our bedroom. When my mom came to visit right after Becca was born, she helped me clear out the closet, so we would have room for Becca. Monday, I decided it was time for Becca to have her own room, and it’s been working wonderfully. (The photos on the left were taken before the switch; the photos on the right, after. Becca’s bed used to be where the  black stacked drawers are now located.)

When Becca was sleeping in our room, her bed was right outside of the bathroom door. We always had to be careful about going in when Becca was napping. We now have the freedom to go into our bedroom or the restroom anytime we want without the fear of waking Becca. It’s been really nice, and the move has made our bedroom seem more spacious. It’s also opened up some extra play space for Becca and Mommy when Josh needs to get something done in the living room (where his desk and computer are).

Becca is doing well with eating solids. She typically has rice cereal two times a day, and we’re practicing how to open our mouth wide (say AH!). Yesterday, I cooked her some carrots to try with her cereal. I’m not sure yet whether she prefers raw or cooked carrots – raw ones are definitely more fun to chew on. I spotted Becca’s first tooth making it’s way in, so she’s getting ready to chew those carrots.

We’re having lots of fun with Becca. She’s a very happy little girl and loves playing with her parents. She started rolling over both ways quite regularly and is reaching for objects. I love watching her examine new things. She is quite serious in her detective work.

Happy 41-week birthday, Becca-Bear! We started out our week by sending in my prospectus to my committee at BJU. We’re very excited that the Lord answered many prayers, helping me meet my summer goal of completing the first draft of my prospectus. Becca is very happy to have some extra time with her mommy (and so am I!). I’ll continue to do some research for my paper, while I wait to hear back from my committee. Please pray that my committee can get back to me quickly, so I can proceed with completing my degree.

The day after I turned in my prospectus, we took a surprise trip to Greenville, SC. When Becca was born, we had to cancel our flights for Christmas. We were planning to use them for Christmas this year but found out we had to use the tickets before October – use them or lose them. So, we decided to take a surprise trip to Greenville to visit Dad and Mom Jensen. We worked very hard to prevent them from finding out about our visit and were delighted to surprise them both! (We did end up waiting 4 hours for them to come home, but that’s all part of the surprise package!)

We had a great visit and enjoyed our time with Dad and Mom. It was nice to relax and not have a busy schedule. Becca enjoyed playing with her Grandparents.  We got to visit with my brother Joey, as well as my brother Jon and sister-in-law Ashleigh; Jon helped us surprise Ashleigh on Monday morning. We also got to spend time with Rebekah Pringle. Rebekah picked us up from the airport and took us to the house.

One thing we found out on this trip is that Becca has a preference for her own bed. Becca also learned to reach for her mommy and daddy this week, so now we know she knows who we are!

This was a big medical appointment week for Becca. She had an appointment with the gastroenterologist, the eye doctor, her pediatrician, her OT, and the lab to get some blood drawn. At her pediatrician visit, the doctor gave us the go ahead to officially introduce Becca to solids. Becca performed like a champ on her first try with rice cereal, and then she decided she didn’t like it. So now we’re not making progress in getting her to eat her cereal. But Becca does seem to prefer her cereal with her nasty tasting vitamins mixed in.

Becca received good reports at all her appointments. I have to stay on my special dairy-free/soy-free diet for another 2 months, and hopefully after then Becca will be over her protein intolerance. Becca’s weight was 15lbs and 1 oz (50% for her adjusted age), her length was 25.5in (25% for her adjusted age), and her head circumference was 44.5cm (70% for her adjusted age). We’re delighted to have a healthy little girl!

Last Friday, we found a wonderful park about 3 miles from our home. We’ve been trying to visit the parks in the area – there’s a lot of them to choose from! The park we found had a wading pool, a few different playground areas, a nice walking path, and cute statutes. We’re looking forward to going there again and enjoying the facilities.

We’re getting adjusted to our new semester schedule. Josh has lots of preparation to do for the class he’s teaching, Phonetics and Phonology, and I’m hoping to turn the first draft of my prospectus in by the end of this week. A big thank you to Aunt Ashleigh for sending Becca a box of fall and winter clothes!