Join Me in Welcoming a Special Lady into the World

I honestly believe that everyone needs a little hope in their lives. Tammie and I have now received ours in the most beautiful 9lb package. Please join me in welcoming Bailey Hope Acuff (yes, she finally has a middle name) to the world. I took her all of 5 minutes in this world to open her eyes and start trying to figure things out.

Meet Bailey Hope just a few minutes after she was born. They let me carry her out of the delivery room and place her in a crib to go to the nursery, and this is the beautiful picture she took. It is also my favorite!

Bailey was born on Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 7:30 pm. She weighed in at 9lbs and 3oz and measured a whopping 21 inches long! We have already tried to get her into some of her new born clothes and, as feared, they don't fit. She is not too chubby for them at all, just way too long! Tammie said that a newborn one piece she tried to fit her into only came up under her arms. (So if you were one of the generous people who sent her a newborn one piece, I'm sorry to say, but there probably won't be any pictures of her in it...)

Bailey has been very alert (when awake) and has a very calm personality (she gets that from her furry "sister," Rosie the dachshund). My favorite time is sitting with her in the chair when she is awake because she will watch you intently, furrowing her brow in desperate attempts to figure out just who you are and what you are saying. She loves being held (especially by Tammie...just look at the picture) and LOVES to sleep (just trying to wake her up to eat after 4 hours is enough to exhaust me and Tammie. Don't worry, the doctors and nurses SWEAR that is normal). One thing she does not like is getting her diaper changed. Oh she loves it when you take off the diaper and clean her up, but just try to put that diaper back on... Now the kicking and screaming starts (since when were Tammie and I diaperless hippies?).

Bailey has long fingers and long toes, a trait that she definitely gets from her dad. It looks like pianos and bassoons are in her future (I've already contacted a great bassoon teacher and I'm pretty sure I could con Julie Boltz into piano lessons. What do you say, Julie?). She has beautiful blue-gray eyes that watch you constantly when she's awake. The color is similar to my own and I hope that they stay that way (but of coarse I'll love her no matter the color of her eyes). Pediatrician saw her today and the nurses gave her a hearing test which she passed with flying colors (and I do mean colors. Whenever I get more of the pictures off the camera I post the one with her blue and red headphones...Rock On Austin!).

I know that I'm rambling just a bit (and who wouldn't...just look at those cheeks!) so I'll end with a couple of links. Here is the link to pictures of Bailey, and here are some movies. More to come (I've got a camera and a camcorder and I intend to use them!). Wish us luck; now the REAL work begins...