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Pics - Sept '07

Below are some random pics of Bailey and others from the month of September 2007. Bailey turned 3 months old on September 16th while Harrison turned 4 months old on September 25th.

Serving God with Enthusiasm and Boldness

Each morning when I arrive at work, I try to spend my first five minutes or so reading a short devotional from a copy of “The Upper Room” and praying. This morning, one thing stuck out that I knew I didn’t want to forget so I have decided to post it here so that it will not only remind me, but may encourage anyone who reads this post, as well. The thing that struck me was actually the following one-sentence prayer: “Dear Lord, help us to serve you with enthusiasm and boldness. Amen.” It seems simple enough, but it’s funny how God uses the simple things to get his message across to us (i.e. salvation for all of mankind sent to us in the form of a baby). As I read it I thought, “Why do I so often not serve God with enthusiasm and boldness?” I am a Christian, which means, among many other things, that I am loved without measure by the one and only entity in both the natural and supernatural world that is powerful above all else! If that’s not something to spark enthusiasm then nothing will! I also thought, “Why am I so timid to serve God?” Actually, the answer to that one is easy…fear of rejection, unacceptance, etc. The list goes on. I shouldn’t be the least bit timid, though, b/c, as I mentioned earlier, God is all-powerful and I am on his “team”. Therefore, I have direct access to an infinite amount of power and might that will be freely distributed to me if I am in line with God’s will! The only thing that keeps me from that power is the strength, or lack thereof, of my own faith. I’m not saying that I have instantly turned into one of those enthusiastic praise-and-worship leaders or that I am another Billy Graham who will start preaching with boldness to the masses, but it is refreshing, encouraging, and motivating to be reminded of where exactly I stand as a Christian in the world and who is standing there with me. May God help each of us to serve him with enthusiasm and boldness!!!

Smiles All Around!!!

Beach Trip - Gulf Shores July 2007

On Friday, July 13, 2007, Melanie, Bailey and I made the long trek from Greenville, SC to Gulf Shores, AL to spend a week on the beach with each of our families. It took us about 11 hours to get there and, amazingly, Bailey only cried for about 10 minutes total!!! She's like her mom, in that, she passes out pretty quickly when riding in a car. The first three days we stayed with my mom and dad and my sister and her 7-wk old son. It rained most of that time so we spend a large majority of the first weekend inside the condo holding the babies...which is pretty much what everyone wanted to do anyway. The rest of the week we stayed in a beach house with Melanie's extended family (about 25 of us in total). It was a great trip and we're already looking forward to doing it again next year. Below are some pics (in no particular order) that were taken during our vacation.

Bailey (foreground) at 4 wks old and Harrison (background) at 7 wks old.

Me, Mel, and Bailey taking advantage of a break in the rain to get a quick beach picture.

Justin, Cassie, & Harrison

The new parents with their new prides and joys on the beach.

The new parents, new babies, and new grandparents on the beach.

Me, Mel & Bailey again, but this time it was sunny.

Me, Mel & Bailey on a post-dinner walk.

Bailey taking her first stroll on the beach.

Bailey's first feel of sand between her toes.

Mom and daughter playing at the water's edge.

Bailey Edith Williams - Our Firstborn Child

Our precious gift from God reaching for her Mommy and Daddy less than 10 seconds after birth! She was born on Saturday, June 16, 2007, at 9:41am and weighed 7lbs 5oz and measured in at 20 inches in length. PERFECT!!!

First meeting between Mom and daughter.

Me and Bailey together for one of the first times. Yes, I'm already whipped.

The Williams family

Bailey in her first (of many, I'm sure) outfits. We're both passed out after a long, hard day. Mom's shoulder makes a good place to pass out. The Stutts family [Paul (baby name = unknown), Paula (baby name = Gran), & Kenneth (baby name = Uncle Kenneth)] with our family. The Williams family [Becky (baby name = Grammy) and Jeff (baby name = Granddaddy)], less my sister and her 3-wk old son, Harrison, with me and Bailey. Welcome Home, Bailey!!! One of Mel's good friends, Robin, was the only person lucky enough to make it to the hospital for the birth and, as a result, was the first person (besides Mel and I) to hold Bailey. Chad and Kristi, neighborhood friends of ours, came by for a visit. Bailey took an instant liking to Kristi. Bailey chillin' in her Papasan swing. I'm looking for an adult version myself. Bailey in her "Going-Home-From-The-Hospital" outfit.

Bailey's First Pictures

Say hellow to 21-week-old Bailey. It's almost like she knew she was having her picture taken. At the time of this posting, Mel is nearly at 39-weeks so we really have no clue what Bailey looks like now. In this picture, Bailey measured 12cm. As you'll see below, she was only 5cm at nine weeks. So, she grew 7cm in length and developed a lot of facial features in only twelve weeks! Amazing!!! In this picture (also at 21 weeks) you can really see a large portion of her body.

This was our very first glimpse of our daughter, Bailey, at 9-weeks old. She measured about 5cm in length at the time and looked like a Teddy Graham, but she was already moving around and had a strong heartbeat that we got to listen to. There were no tears shed, but it was definitely a thrilling moment for Melanie and I.