Whitley's Blessing Day

Whitley was blessed by her father on August 5, 2012. It was a gorgeous summer day & we were overwhelmed with the amount of family & friends who came to support us on her special day. Tyler did an amazing job blessing our first child & Whitley was so good during the blessing. We had a luncheon afterward & we would love to thank those who helped out with the delicious food.

Whitley: Tiny Details

About a month ago I decided I wanted to make a little collage of all Whitley's little details. I thought it would be nice to reflect back on when she's older & remember how tiny she was.

Whitley's Newborn Photos

We only sent birth announcements to family so for those who didn't receive one in the mail, here is a glimpse at what her birth announcement looked like!

Whitley had her newborns taken when she was exactly 1 week old. I love them!

Our 4 year Anniversary

This year for our 4 year anniversary we decided to take a short trip down to St.George to get away & also so Whitley could meet her Great Grandparents on my side. We figured our anniversary would be drastically different this year, and we were right. We didn't really focus on ourselves but on our little family by just spending time together. Tyler & I were able to get away for an amazing lunch at Benja's which is now our favorite Thai restaurant we have visited.

I am so grateful for my incredible husband. I feel so blessed to have him in my life & for eternity. He is such an amazing father & I have seen this even in this short time we have been parents! Seeing the love he has for our daughter just makes me fall deeper in love with him. I hope he knows how incredible he is! I love you Ty!

{Whitley in the arms of my Grandpa - Don Harris - whom my middle name is after (Dawn). When I posted this photo on instagram I put "a 4 week old in the arms of a 4,516 week old"}

{Whitley with my Grandma - Janeen Harris - whom Whitley's middle name is after (Jane)}

I always knew I wanted to name my first girl after her. She is an amazing example to me of a genuine woman. She is so kind hearted & loving. I don't ever recall a time when she has raised her voice around me. She is amazingly patient - a quality I could use that's for sure. It has become even more evident this past couple years as she has faced difficulties & trials. Not only did she go through surgery to remove cancer from her kidney, but she has experienced multiple bouts of pneumonia - the last of which sent her remaining kidney into incredibly low function. It's functioning so low that she is now living by getting kidney dialysis done 3 times per week for 3 hours each visit - getting poked & drained of energy/extreme exhaustion just to stay alive. Not only dealing with all of this - she now has the responsibility of looking after & taking care of her sweet husband - my grandfather - who has been diagnosed with stage 5 Alzheimer's. He cannot drive anymore & short term things are the hardest for him to remember. It seems to be progressing quickly as well. But never once have I seen her get angry with him or voice her frustrations. She has so much on her plate & so much that she COULD complain about or be unhappy about yet she is always happy & always saying nice things. I look up to her so much. Every since I was a baby I have had a special bond to her. Maybe it was because I would see her everyday but I always remember her being there & loving me & always being happy to see me. Ever since we moved away from St.George I've missed her. I get so excited when we get to drive down & visit. I am so glad that Whitley was able to finally meet her & I pray that Whitley will gain an understanding as to why I have chosen such an extraordinary woman to name her after!

July Photo Dump

I have tons of photos of Miss Whitley from July that I need to post! Mostly just for journaling purposes but for those who haven't seen these on instagram - enjoy! :)

{@ Aunt Devanee's softball game}

{Sleepy Smiles}

{We love taking pictures of Whitley & all her many sleep positions}

{adorable rat tail @ 2 weeks old}

{getting her newborn photos taken @ 7 days old}

{We've had to get creative in order for Mommy to get things done!}

{Sometimes we find these lovely hickies on Whitley's arms - silly girl!}

{Looks like she's in the happiest sleep ever}

{Grandma Judy with Little Bug}

{funny faces}

{First official bath!}

{Long eyelashes}

{Daddy & Whitley}

{Uncle Carson taking care of little Bug}

{Whit meeting her friend (future husband?) Bradley!}

{Whitley's all ready for her first time at church!}

Independence Day

Whitley was born just in time for Independence Day. She was 6 days old & had only been home for 4 days. We didn't plan to do a whole lot since I was still on the mend & standing in the hot sun at a parade wasn't on my list of good ideas.

My Grandpa (whom I hadn't seen in about 10 years) was visiting from Ohio, as well as my Aunt Uncle & cousin from Tennessee. Since they were here, they planned a family reunion BBQ in Provo. They first went to visit the gravesite of my Great Grandparents, Sam & Hazel Doty because July 4th was Sam's birthday. Then they went to a park for the BBQ. We decided we would just come for the BBQ to see everyone.

Here is tiny Whitley on her first 4th of July!

{Porter & Meghann}

{Devanee & Priya}

{Karli & Chase}

{Grandpa & Whitley}

We had fun visiting with everyone! We didn't go to any fireworks because we didn't know how Whitley would handle them & we really didn't want to be in any crowded places just yet.

Before my Grandpa left to go home, we were able to get together and take some pictures with everyone. I am happy we took these since we really don't know when we will see him again. I am so glad that he was able to meet Whitley though!

{A bunch of the extended Gelter family}

{My immediate family with Grandpa - minus Tim & his family whom had just moved to San Francisco - we miss them!}

I am sure next year's Independence Day will be a lot more eventful & exciting. We didn't mind sacrificing a bit though because we were ecstatic to have just became parents! The best part of every holiday is spending it with the ones you love anyway :)