Saturday, May 11, 2013

A Thought for Mother's Day

It's hard to believe a year went by so fast. Looking back to last year the weekend of Mother's Day my heart reflects on what I was feeling and thinking that day. I look back on my post Mother's Day Thoughts... and I clearly remember it was a day filled with lots of mixed emotions and a church service I will never forget as Pastor Chad reflected on Mary mother of Jesus and what she must have gone through when losing her son.  I sit here now holding my son and can only thank God for His Grace, love, and provision of allowing me to be Noah's mother. Noah is a gift to me and a testimony of God's grace in my life. I can't help but feel burdened and heavy hearted for those women who are experiencing the same pain I felt last year after losing my first baby just 2 months prior to Mother's Day. Although I have my son now I was a mother before Noah came in to my life but never got to experience the earthly relationship with that precious little one. As I fully embrace what I have been given now with so much gratitude and joy, I will always look forward to the day when I will meet that little one in heaven :). My cup is overflowing this year and I am forever thankful.

Mother's Day is a day to celebrate Moms for their sacrificial love, guidance, teaching, etc. they give to their children each day, but it should also be a day to love and encourage those women who have lost, are struggling with infertility, trying to adopt but are having problems, etc. I know last year my dear friend Katie Rulketter did just that for me and it was one of the most touching things anyone has ever done for me. Yes, be joyous and celebrate your motherhood on this day as you fully deserve it for all you do for your children but remember and pray for those who may not get to do the same and love and encourage those you know who have lost those they love or are deeply longing for a little one to call them mom.

Thank you Katie R. for reminding me last year and today of what the beautiful gospel looks like! :) I love you sweet friend and praise God for your precious little one who was so graciously given to you in your times of trial. Your compassionate heart  serves as a gracious reminder for everyone else to always put others needs and emotions first and I am grateful for that! Happy Mother's Day!

Hebrews 11:1- "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."




Monday, May 6, 2013

Noah's 3 Month Update!

Time is just FLYING by!! I rarely have time to get on my computer so I am writing this at 3:30 in the morning as I feed him haha! Multi-tasking has become an art of mine! Noah is 3 months old as of May 1st and has really become quite the little ham! :) He is constantly giggling and trust me I will make a fool of myself to hear that precious sound come out of him because it just makes my day! He weighed 12 pounds 14 ounces at his appointment but I am sure he is 13 pounds now :). He is 24 1/2 inches long! I think he is going to be tall like his daddy.

His little personality has just blossomed and there is rarely a time when he isn't smiling. He loves to play peek-a-boo and be sung to and thinks that whistling is the funniest thing ever. Any time you sing to him he smiles from ear to ear. He is such a happy baby and so so good! He has gotten to the point now where he always likes to be sitting up so he can see all the action around him. He is always so curious and doesn't want to miss anything! He will talk your ear off if you get him going which is so cute! I love his little cooing voice he has and he will sometimes scream with joy if he gets really excited! Mornings are the best because when I go in to wake him up he is smiling from ear to ear! It's a great way to start my work day :)!

A new game we have started playing is having him lay on my legs and then I say "are you ready" and he lifts his head up and pushes himself up on his feet while I hold his hands. It amazes me how strong he is for a 3 month old and how great his neck control is whenever he is sitting or standing up! I don't even have to support his head anymore because he holds it as stiff as a board! The dr. said he has motor skills of a 4 month old :) so I was a pretty proud momma! :) He also likes having something in his mouth ALL the time so I gave him Sophie the giraffe last week and he LOVED it! Mainly he has his hands in his mouth 24/7 and is trying to master his entire fist fitting in there! He has been working on that for days ;). He just discovered his feet but has yet to try and fit those in his mouth.

His sleeping patterns have been so back and forth lately. There is absolutely no consistency right now but its okay. He used to cry in the middle of the night when he was hungry but now when he wakes up he just lays there and talks to himself for 10 minutes or so. I have tried letting him go back to sleep on his own but after 10 minutes of talking and then realizing I am not coming he starts to cry. It's pretty cute though to hear him talking on the monitor :). Usually he only wakes up once in the middle of the night but right now I think he may be going through a growth spurt. I have tried the paci, letting him lay there for a while, rocking him back to sleep, etc. etc. etc. but I truly think he just wants to eat because these past couple of days it has been every 2-3 hours throughout the night which isn't normal! After feeding him though he goes right back to bed so its never an issue of being up for hours trying to get him back to sleep. I know everyone has their method and who knows if I am doing any of the right things haha but he is growing and is healthy so thats all I care about! He is so good about going to bed though! I usually lay him down awake every night around 8:15 and he just puts himself to sleep. I couldn't ask for a better baby and I am truly blessed by how good he is :)! I absolutely love being his mommy so lack of sleep doesn't bother me because its just precious moments I get with him at night :). We have also stopped swaddling him completely because those little legs of his get going and he busts out of it every time! I thought the transition may be a little difficult for him to go from being completely swaddled to nothing at all but he hasn't seemed to mind it one bit!

Noah has settled in well to the routine of going to my sister's house every day and to the babysitter's house on Friday. His little cousins just LOVE him to no end and on Fridays they just don't really understand or get why Noah isn't at their house. It's so cute! I am truly blessed by my childcare situation and couldn't have asked for anything better! Everyone tells me being a full time working mom will get easier each day...still waiting for that to be true but I am blessed to have a great job and wonderful family so I can't complain. I absolutely embrace every moment of my weekends and time at night with Noah and it has made the time I do have with him so much more special! I try not to have an envious heart towards stay at home moms and try to focus on the positive. I am happy for mommy's that get to stay home with their little ones and hope one day that will be a reality for me but right now it isn't and thats okay because the Lord knows what I need :)!

I used to put the number on his shirt but he wanted to eat it so for now on it will go on the pillow :) sorry these pics are so blurry!

 Love that little smirk!

 Total Aaron face!!

 First time in the Bumbo seat! He absolutely LOVES it!
 Leslie getting some snuggles :) I can't WAIT to snuggle her little Hadley due in August!!

His first outing to the zoo with Laura...he slept the entire time!

He loves his Sophie :)
He has really big hands! Ha!

Couldn't make it through dinner...sleepy boy!