The Reagan Adventures

Dear Erik,

I love to speak to you through our blog. I pretty much say it all to you in person so this is more to share your awesomeness with the world wide web. 

I mean, he is awesome. He won’t tell you that because he is a pretty humble person so that leaves me and Brady to let everyone know how awesome Erik Reagan really is.

So, here is our Father’s Day homage to Erik Reagan.

First came love

Then came marriage

Then came a baby…

In an isolette. Not quite a carriage but close enough right?

And you became a father. From the beginning you had to be there for our little girl, and your wife, in a way that many fathers don’t experience. You had to be our earthly rock, something tangible to hold onto while our world seemed like it was crashing down around us, showing us God’s strength by standing strong in the face of a very scary beginning to fatherhood. Of course you rocked it. 

You are an awesome father and it became real the the day I saw you lovingly and gently hold our teeny baby girl.

I know how awesome you are and so does your daughter.

I asked Brady what made you a great Daddy. Here are her responses.

1.) Because he loves me.

2.) He always cuddles with me.

3.) Hugs and Kisses

4.) Always plays with me.

And her FAVORITE thing about her Daddy…

5.) He races me!

Brady might only be 4, almost 5, but she knows in her heart that her Daddy loves her. It’s because you show and tell her day in and day out how much you love her.

I am so thankful that I get to see you be a Daddy to our little girl and I am beyond excited to get to see you be a Daddy to our little boy on the way!

We all love you dearly! Happy Father’s Day!

This pregnancy is flying by. Although I’m not 20 wks I know that this pregnancy is halfway over. It’s pretty crazy. 

Saturday was very eventful. Erik and I were rear ended at a traffic light. I consider myself someone who is typically calm during emergencies. You get used to that a little when your first pregnancy ends 12 weeks early. I typically can keep at least some sort of composure.

Well, any sort of composure left the car about 1 second after I realized we had been hit. I was absolutely hysterical. Looking back it was slightly comical from a bystander’s point of view. I was looking at my phone thinking, ” I have to call my doctor… No I have to call 911… No, I can’t call anyone! I’m hysterically crying.” At that point I kind of threw the phone to Erik and said something like, “Call SOMEBODY!”

Of course Brady is in the back seat listening to me and my hysteria and somehow calm as can be. Once she learned that I was just worried about the baby she was just sat back and chilled. That was of course until we opened the doors. Brady has a very strange bug phobia, and love bugs were getting in the car. She was still harnessed in her car seat so she’s ducking and swatting and freaking out about bugs. Yes, she was more worried about bugs than her hysterical mother and not even phased by getting hit by another car. My child is definitely one of a kind.

So, I am finally calm enough to call my doctor’s office and talk to someone on call. The person I spoke with said to head to the ER just to make sure everything was okay.

We dropped Brady off with my parents and headed to the ER. I am so thankful that a very good friend from college — we actually claim each other as cousins since we share an Aunt and Uncle but didn’t meet until college — works in the ER. It was great to see a familiar face which helped calm my nerves a little. We saw a doc very quickly and he did an ultrasound which showed that everything looked good. 

Baby was very sluggish yesterday which didn’t help my concern. I was a little worried, but figured all was well from a few well placed jabs to the bladder. This kid loves to hang out on my bladder. Should be fun as the weeks go on :/

Thankfully today was much better! Baby has been very active. It’s so weird to feel him/her move. It’s such an odd yet really awesome feeling. I can’t wait till Erik and Brady can feel all the kicks. 

Our anatomy scan is next week. I hope that baby cooperates and we can find out what it is. I’m ready to start buying stuff! It makes it seem a little more real.

I am definitely hoping the rest of this pregnancy in uneventful. I would much rather have a boring pregnancy than things going on all the time!

As I was wiping something off of Brady’s arms this morning I couldn’t help but notice her battle wounds from her 3 month NICU stay.

I don’t notice the little scars often, but I today I happened to see them. Little scars from a time when she was poked and prodded to help her live.

Those scars are little reminders of some not so happy times but they are reminders of how far my little girl has come.

My baby graduates pre-school today and I can’t help but think about how amazingly far she has come. On the day she was born I couldn’t help but say, “She’s not going to make it.”. The unknown of delivering prematurely was overwhelming.

Now not only has she survived, she has thrived. She is smart, sweet and nothing short of amazing.

I am now overwhelmingly proud of my little preemie. There are still a lot of unknowns, but I am excited, not scared to experience them.

Congrats Brady Faith! Mommy and Daddy love you so very much!

Well, I survived the first trimester. It’s very exciting to say goodbye to it and hello to the second trimester. I’m 14 wks today and according to every one out there I’m definitely in the second trimester. People can’t agree so some say 12wks, 13wks and then there are those who say that 14wks is the beginning of the middle trimester.

It’s exciting and scary to be here. I barely made it out of it the first time around thanks to pre-eclampsia so it’s still a familiar and a slightly scary place to be. 

Baby seems to be doing well. It’s finally letting me get some peace. I haven’t had to take my nausea meds in over a week! That is just awesome. I am definitely feeling much more like my normal self. The first 9 wks of knowing I was pregnant were no fun. The bright side was seeing baby two times in those weeks. It was so neat to see it at 9 wks wiggling around and waving it’s little arms like it was saying hello :D Absolutely amazing!

I went to the doctor last Thursday and got to hear the baby for a second. It was moving around so much the nurse couldn’t get a good reading. Half the time I didn’t know what I was hearing because it was so short of a time. We also got all of my visits scheduled for the next 4 months! It’s pretty insane. I’ll be seeing this baby a whole lot starting June 6th which is when we should find out what Baby #2 is. I say boy. Brady wants a sister, but I think we’ve done too good of a job telling her it might be a brother. She’s going to be great big sis no matter what the baby is :D

I’m also feeling little flutters every now and then. Mostly when I am in the car with the seat belt pressing against my pants and full bladder. Baby is not a fan and really makes its presence known then. 

So, hello to a new trimester! We’re weren’t very good friends 5 years ago, but I hope we can get along a little better this time around :)

And here are some pictures of my babies. 

Baby # 2 at 9 wks

Miss Brady Faith my sweet amazing little girl who is going to make an awesome big sister!

Once Upon a Time there was a boy and a girl. They met and soon fell in love. They both liked to write little notes to each other and one day the girl wrote a note on a piece of journal paper that had a verse on the bottom. That verse was John 1:16, “From the fullness of his grace we have received one blessing after another”. The boy and girl got married and lived happily after ever.

Well, of course I am talking about me and Erik. Duh right? We’re still living our happily every after, but right now I am not so happy. Pregnancy hormones can stink. I am cranky, mostly don’t feel well, I’m tired, I already look 20 wks pregnant at 8 wks (hurts my feelings) and that negative list could go ON AND ON.

So, what do I do when all I can think about are the negative things? I reflect on that verse. It helps ground me and realize that there are blessings even in the midst of trying times and sometimes because of them.

This blog is to bring me back to where I need to be.

My blessings

1.) God’s grace. I don’t deserve it. What have I done but been more than a  sinful human being? In spite of that and probably because of it, God gave us Jesus and the possibility of salvation through him. Yeah, that’s pretty awesome if you think about it.

2.) Erik has been AMAZING. I’m serious. He loves me and he also constantly shows me grace and forgiveness. I have been so mean since getting pregnant. I’m ashamed of it and try to apologize the minute something comes out of my mouth, but he never gives back and just takes all the junk that I have been dishing.

On top of that he has taken over pretty much morning and night time routine so I can lay down or just take my time getting ready in the morning. Have I said that he is amazing? 

3.) Brady is my beautiful sweet little girl. She is growing up so fast and sometimes it makes me want to cry. She is also being amazing. She has listened well and will nap with me when I need it. She is constantly telling me she hopes I feel better and giving me love. She is so excited about our new addition. I know she is going to be an amazing big sister.

4.) This too shall pass. This is a season for me. It’s a blessing that I know eventually all of these yucky feelings will be over and I will feel “normal” once again. I’m hoping that is in about 4 weeks, if not sooner, but we’ll see. If not then I might need to write another one of these posts ;)

5.) My friends and family. I appreciate all of the support kind words and those of you who check in in me!

6.) Zofran! It helps me function. I love it.

7.) Baths. Sometimes a nice bath helps calm my stomach and they are so relaxing.

8.) I’m pregnant! That’s such a huge deal for me. I never thought I would be here again, but I am and with healed heart. Another blessing with this is that there is no spirit of fear. I’m just excited and hopeful for a very nice long pregnancy!

So that is a short list of the blessings in my life right now. I already feel better after writing it!

We’re going to have a baby!

I know this is shocking to many of you since Erik and I both have been pretty adamant that we were one and done. Brady’s birth scarred me pretty bad and I just didn’t want to go there again.

Well, several months ago God just changed our hearts. I had this overwhelming desire to add to our family. We talked about and well, about 7 months later here we are!

I wanted to wait till our Disney trip to spill the beans. I had dreams of Brady gazing at the castle with Mickey Ears that had “Big Sister” stitched on the back. We would get home and get them printed and hand out personal announcements. 

Those dreams were shattered yesterday as I was driving home and had the unfortunate experience of puking all over myself in the car. Too much info? Sorry, it is what it is and it’s should not be called morning sickness. I have felt pretty yuck off and on since Friday. Pretty much all day yuck as of yesterday.

Morning sickness seems to be hanging out for way longer than its name implies that it should. Because I have been sick we decided that it was best to go ahead and tell so I didn’t have to answer questions about why I look like crap. No glow here yet!

So, we’re having a baby! Brady is going to be a big sister and I pray that I can keep this kid in for a good long 9 months. It’s still really early, my first appointment is Tuesday and we are beyond thrilled to be adding to our family! 

I haven’t done one of these in a while, but man oh man I HAVE to share this.

I have been chilling on the couch perusing Pinterest and Brady was in the kitchen eating her snack of cheese. Kid loves cheese.

Anyway, I hear her get up and she came around the corner and said, “Momma, I think you are confused.”

Considering the fact that at the time I didn’t feel very confused I just had to inquire what I was confused about.

Brady responded, in a very serious tone of course, “You said a few minutes ago that I couldn’t watch TV. You are confused.” There was a few more explanations that aren’t very easy to type out, but that is pretty much what she was getting at.

I just had to laugh… and share. Lucky you ;)

Goodbye 2012! I might just miss you a little bit.

The Reagan Family sure did have an amazing year. Probably one of the best years yet. I am so excited to see what 2013 will bring us.

Erik and I had the awesome opportunity to New Year’s Eve day with just the two of us. Brady was kicking it at her Nina’s. Definitely way more fun than spending the day with Mommy and Daddy shopping.

We discussed a lot of things. What were our best moments as a couple, as a family and with Brady. Paying off debt was a big one. The one with Brady for me was the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique during our THIRD trip to Disney in one year. The whole experience was perfect. For Erik it was her beginning to pray all on her own. He just had to go and get all spiritual on me ;) I’m so shallow. Thankfully God loves me in spite of all of my faults.

Truthfully seeing Brady learn more about faith and God and trying to figure some of it out has been incredible and definitely more precious than any Disney moment could ever be.

We have lots of goals. One thing is to go on a non-Disney vacation. For those of you who know me realize how big of a deal that is. For those of you that don’t know me, note a couple paragraphs above where I mention the THIRD Disney trip in a year. That should give you an idea of how much I love Disney.

I’m kind of lost where to go. I’m not a planner so this should get interesting.

We’re going to buy a car WITH CASH. Yep, our not so faithful Saturn finally kicked the bucket so we need a new vehicle. We plan on using my mother in laws van until we can get the funds. Thankfully she loves us and is letting us do that so we can buy they vehicle that we want and we think will fit us best.

Some of the best moments for me were towards the end of the year. Some sermons at church really hit home with me. One of them was during the Christmas series about about extending grace because grace is what God has given those of us who love and follow Jesus. I’m obviously ( well I think it’s obvious) not a “bad” person, but holy cow have I been quite bitter towards a person for YEARS. Yep, years. Most of the time it’s easy to not think about it because this person is not in my every day life, but when this person is mentioned I seriously see red. 

So, thanks to this sermon and some serious conviction (I was totally in tears) I made the decision to extend grace to this person. It’s just in the form of forgiveness. This person probably doesn’t know that I have  had such harsh feeling towards them, but I had to let them go. I’m such a sinner yet Jesus loves me. I am imperfect, how can I hold someone else’s imperfections against them? I am no better.

So yeah, big things happening in my heart. What a way to end the year! 

I am looking forward to so many things that might or might not happen in 2013. I am excited more than ever to see what this year brings!

It’s November 17th. The day that Preemie Parents around the world join in an effort to make you more aware of prematurity. 1 in 8 babies are born premature. That’s a lot. I also saw a post on FB from the World Prematurity Day page that every 30 seconds a baby dies because of complication of being born to early. That is just tragic. 

I’m so very thankful that although Brady is a part of the first statistic she isn’t part of the second one. It’s because people have a desire to figure prematurity out, stop it and help babies born early survive and thrive. This is one reason that Brady is where she is today.

I’m sure all of you reading this already know Brady’s birth story. If not, it’s actually a few posts down in July since I get sentimental around her birthday, but I’ll do a short recap.

Brady was born July 16, 2008 at 3:31. She was born 12 weeks early weighing in at a whopping 1 pound 7 ounces. She came home on a very rainy and cold October 18th which was day 95 of her hospital stay. That is 3 months and two days. It was also a full two weeks after her due date. She weighed 5 pounds 13 ounces.

Brady is a very active 4 year old who amazes me daily. The amazement might come from how insane of an attitude this tiny little girl can give me or the same ability to whine me to tears. But it’s still amazement.

It’s hard not to be amazed when I remember when she struggled to do the simplest things like eat and breathe. Even though her attitude and penchant for whining these days drives me insane, I have to remember without that strong will she might not have made it. So, because of that I thank God for that strong will that I struggle with daily.

Brady is also in pre-school! Sometimes I wonder where my baby went because a little girl has definitely taken her place. A little girl who knows her letters and many numbers and who is starting to read. I could not be more proud of her! She is starting to sound out words that she hears and figuring out what letters the toys she has start with. This is so she knows what to take to show and tell which is by far the favorite part of her school week.

She’s definitely a rock star in my eyes. She has come so far and overcome every obstacle that prematurity has thrown her way. She has grown and thrived and for the first time ever hasn’t missed a day of school for being sick!

Kiss that prematurity! 

Happy Birthday to me!

Erik came home today early and I cried. I’ve actually cried a few times today. I told him, “One day I won’t be an emotional mess on my birthday.” So yeah, birthdays for me in the past five years have been incredibly bittersweet.

I share a birthday with one of the most special people that has walked this earth. His name was Nelms Edward Brady, but most people called him Teddy. I called him Papa. He passed away in March of 2008. This is my 5th birthday since he suddenly and very unexpectedly went home to meet his Jesus. I think about him often during the year, but I miss him the most on our birthday.

I have such fond memories of him calling me at the butt crack of dawn to sing happy birthday and me singing it right back to him. I miss that. I miss sitting and listening to him playing guitar and his awful but beautiful singing. I miss walking in and saying “Hey handsome!” and him laughing and saying “hey beautiful” back to me. All of these memories are vivid on my birthday. So, I cry. I cry because I miss his awesomeness and I cry because it’s sweet to be able to recall all the happy times with him.

So, it’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to, but I can smile and laugh and enjoy the day as well knowing my Papa would want me to be happy :) 

So typically when I do these posts I just put the basics of what was said. This post needs a little bit more than that.

Last night we were eating dinner and Brady knocked her drink off of the table. The orange juice and water combo went all over the table, chair, floor, Brady and her plate. The plate that her Daddy had just some cheese pretzels put on it. The cheese pretzels that Brady earned after eating all of her fruit and carrots.

Erik jumped up and ran to get a towel. While he was gone Brady was sitting in the mess and looked at her plate and noticed that her pretzels were wet.

She picked one up, with a disgusted look on her face, and grumbled, “You have got to be kidding me.”

Oh the things that come out of her mouth!

I have changed a lot over the past 4 years. I have grown in so many ways and many of them are because I am a mother and wife and relationships are supposed to grow. How can I not help but grow with them?

Birth Story Ahead. If you have read it feel free to skip ;)

4 years ago around this time I was still very ignorant to what my short term future was going hold.

I had been sent to the hospital to have some testing done to see if I had pre-eclampsia. Well, more like to see how severe it was. I had every stinking symptom you get so it’s not like there was any wonder if I actually had it. I was still in one hospital and had no clue that I would be leaving there to deliver my baby almost 12 weeks early. I naively didn’t understand how sick I was or how serious the heart decels that Brady was having were. The day I had her I was more worried that she was still a girl. Looking back, I just can’t believe that I didn’t get it, but I didn’t come close. Don’t, get me wrong, I was worried, just not consumed with fear.

Of course that changed quickly. Doc came in looked at the print out that showed Brady activities through the night. He said that he would come back in a few hours and reevaluate the situation. 5 minutes later he changed his mind and put in the orders to have me transferred to the local hospital that had a level III NICU “just in case”.

Side note: I hated that phrase for a while. “Just in case”. I heard a few too many times during that season of my life. 

Well, the “just in case” because very necessary. I was SICK. My protein levels put me into the severe pre-e range. I was promptly put on a medicine I was told would make me feel like a bus hit and given an ultra sound. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the technician realizing something was wrong. She just kinda went quiet, said she needed to take measurements again and then went to get the doctor. 

Around the same time the doc came in to review the results from my tests. I was told that I had pre-eclampsia, but it didn’t really matter because I had to have a c-section because my baby needed to come out now. Talk about a whirlwind of emotions! I was scared, I just knew Brady wasn’t going to make it. I means seriously, before you knew me, how much did you know about prematurity? I knew nothing. They told me that at 28 wks 4 days that my daughter was an estimated 1 pound 3 ounces. I didn’t know babies that early and small could survive. It’s unfathomable, especially when you are in a raging sea of emotions that you have no clue how to process.

By the time I went down to have her I had all the support I could need. I had friends and family up there and they all prayed with me before I was taken down to the OR. In the midst of the storm God was a calming presence. You know, where two or more are gathered… I was still scared, but I was much calmer than when they had first broken the news.

At 3:31 PM my tiny baby was born. She didn’t cry, at least not that I heard, but she was alive. I wasn’t allowed to wear my glasses in the OR so I got the fuzziest glimpse of this tiny little thing that was my child. She was whisked away to be worked on. She was vented and escorted to the NICU by her proud (and scared) Daddy.

I don’t remember much of what happened after that. The meds they had me on for my blood pressure have helped me forget the good and the bad. I do remember puking all over myself in front of a couple of friends. Not my best moment, but it’s ok, I’m sure they forgive me for my lack of decorum. 

I don’t remember actually seeing Brady for the first time. I remember getting in the wheel chair, washing my hands and talking to my OB who happened to call when I was sitting there. That’s it. I remember a few days later when my entourage helped down the hallway to visit and coming out and almost collapsing in dispair. But I don’t remember seeing my baby. I don’t know if my mind has blocked it out because it was so painful or if the meds just kept my mind from processing, but most of the early days have some pretty huge gaps in them.

Birth Story Over

So, this is what I get to think about every year on Brady’s birthday. I can’t help but reflect. I   need to. I need to remember how far we have all come. I need to remember what God has done in my life and he has done huge and amazing things. Brady being the most amazing gift I have ever been given.

The years have made it easier. Her first birthday I was a mess. I still cry and I’ll probably cry at some point today. Heck, sharing this is making me all teary eyed. I now have several years of amazing memories, but they’ll never erase the pain and fear of what we went through to get her to where she is now.

4 years later, I’m not a mess weeks before Brady’s birthday comes around. I enjoy celebrating her birth and making new memories. I wish I could explain to you what a huge deal that is for me. It’s HUGE. 

July 16th will forever be bittersweet. I’ll never forget what we went through, and I don’t think anyone expects that to happen. It gets a little easier every year and maybe one day I her birthday will pass and I won’t even think about the day she was born, but I hope not.

One thing about Brady’s birth is that it made me stronger. Even though it was a very painful time in my life, why would I want to forget an event that helped shape me into the person I am today? I don’t want to forget and I can’t forget. Forgetting would allow me to minimize the person that I am and that Brady is today. We are who we are because of what we went through.

4 years later I can accept that. I am so thankful that I can accept that.

I wrote this to help me remember. I need to be reminded every now and then what God has done in my life and Brady’s birth plays a huge part in that. I also write these thoughts down because I need Brady to know where she started and how much she has impacted my life in a positive way. I can only hope day that one she really understands how special and amazing she is to me.

Happy Birthday to my sweet (not so little anymore) baby girl!

July 16th 2008

Getting some love from Mimi and Grumpy. I love this picture because it shows you how frail she was which in turn shows her strength.

Spring 2012

July 14, 2012. 

When Brady’s birthday comes around a new Nikkie comes out. It’s quite odd actually. I don’t know who replaces me, but it happens. 

I am not a planner. I hate planning, organizing and getting things together in general. For some strange reason I decide to do all of these things for Brady’s birthday. It stresses me out and I can’t wait to get it over with. I guess I do it because I want Brady to have awesome birthday parties and have something she can look back and remember (and hopefully be thankful) that I put a lot of thought and hard work into her special day. She won’t be a kid forever so I’ll take advantage of it while I can.

It all starts with a theme. Brady decided that she wanted a Cinderella party this year. I thought that it would be a piece of cake (ha) but boy was I wrong. Last year’s party was so simple. There were a billion and one Tangled theme ideas online and I didn’t really have to put much thought into anything.

That was not the case this year. I searched and searched and didn’t come up with much. So, I asked around and got some ideas from friends and figured out some things on my own. Pinterest, while very helpful, gave me a too many ideas.

First came the invitations. They had to be home made (this is where the person that is not Nikkie starts to come out) and they had to be perfect. Thankfully I have an amazing husband (who has an awesome business partner who helped us out) and he did all the work in creating the vision in my head. I adore how they turned out!

Of course then there was the cake. The cake. Oh the cake. It turned out great. Almost exactly like I imagined it in my head. Making a cake is hard work. It was all worth it because it was yummy and at the end of the day Brady told me it was her favorite part of her party.  That made my heart happy. 

The big dilemma was how to entertain the kids. They ended up mostly hanging out in my nephews’ room playing, but my awesome sister in law cut out some crowns for me (that only a few kids ended up decorating) for the kids to make, I printed out some coloring sheets and I made some sugar cookies for the kids to decorate. The cookie decorating was a messy hit. I am pretty sure the kids loved it.

Brady was so cute! My mom bought her a Cinderella dress and she looked so precious in it. She is very comfortable in her Princess finery. She loved opening presents and was so thankful each time she opened a gift. Erik only had to remind her to say thank you a few times. I seriously have the most grateful child I have ever met. It makes me happy to know that she is truly grateful for everything that she receives. I love it!

Overall the party was a blast. Brady had a great time and so did the other kids. Now I have about 10 months to recoup before the planning start all over again. :D


And I’ll end the blog with Brady’s cuteness. I love this kid!

Brady: “That is just adorable!”

Me: “What is adorable?”

Brady: “The gas station!”

Nikkie and I: lots of laughing

Brady: “Why are you laughing at me?!”

“God said that I need to sleep in y’alls room.”

She must have a direct connection ;)

Thank you for all you do for our little girl. 

Before we were married I knew that you were going to be a great daddy. I didn’t know how that would play out, but in my heart I knew that you would be the father that our child needed you to be.

You have completely surpassed anything I could imagine. From the time our daughter was born you stepped up to the plate and did what you could to care for her when I know you felt hopeless. You cared for her when allowed. You waited weeks to really hold her for the first time. I’ll never forget how amazing it was to see you cuddle our tiny baby after weeks of just interacting with her in an isolette. It’s a moment I hope I never forget.

Brady has had two epic adventures today.

Adventure 1.

“Once upon a time…” Noah scratched my arm… he laughed at me (cue evil laugh from Brady…). 

Adventure 2. 

“Once upon a time…” The furniture scratched my arm. And there was “Bad Queen Mommy…”

Not quite sure what went down after that because I was trying not to choke on my chicken while laughing.

I advise that if your child wants to tell you a story to swallow your food first. 

Brady: “Momma I told you to go make me a sandwich.”

Me: “Sorry Kiddo. It doesn’t work that way.”

There are moments in parenting where you think, “Oh crap! Am I doing this right?” They probably aren’t few or far between. This parenting stuff isn’t easy. Often I find myself wondering if I am handling a situation in an appropriate manner. 

Then there are times when my heart smiles because I get the “I’m doing something right” feeling. It’s an amazing feeling to have.

That just (literally like 5 seconds before I opened my blog) happened to me. 

Brady came into the room to show me the crown in her hair. Of course I told her that she looked soooo pretty. It’s true, she does ;)

She said, with a slightly sad voice, that she couldn’t see herself. I suggested that she go to her bathroom and get on her stool and look in the mirror.

A minute later I hear, “Oh, I am beautiful!”. Melt my heart why don’t ya!!! 

The thing is I am reminded that while I want Brady to believe that she is beautiful on the outside, I also want her to realize that she is a beautiful person on the inside, made in the image of God.

Really, what can be more beautiful that that?!?!? Nothing!

Yes, crowns are beautiful and there are so many things out there that can enhance what we were born with, but in the end it’s what in our hearts that is important. 

I am so thankful that I have the ability to share that with my daughter and I hope and pray that one day she realizes that she is so much more beautiful for what is in her heart than what adorns the outside of her person.