The Greatest Blessings of All...

...are those that you never fathomed...like 3 a.m. feedings, turning over at 7 a.m. to a wide awake 4 week old, sitting on the couch for hours with her on my chest sleeping, her unexpected smiles and giggles that most likely don't mean anything at this age but we can still imagine they do.

These are moments that I thank God for every day. I have to admit that the first couple weeks of being a mother were difficult and I often found myself wondering if I could do this. I found myself thinking, "in just a few months it will get easier..." and then I would catch myself and think..."soak up every minute!! You'll never get these back!!" And so as each day passes I find myself falling more in love with this little blessing from God - another child for His kingdom.

Last night I put Emory in her little bed after a feeding and as I lay back down I couldn't help but thank God for her. Even though I lose much more sleep than I ever did before and even though I don't have the freedom that I once did and yes, even though this control freak has had to give up all control to this little one, I still thank God every day for her. There are some difficult times when I'm tired, or cranky, or Andy is tired or cranky, or I feel like I'm suffocating in this house and just want to go shopping all day like I used to...but the blessings majorly outweigh those difficult times to the point that they just...fade away.

Emory is 4 weeks now and changing so much every day! Last Thursday we went to see the lactation nurse/nurse practitioner at our pediatrician's office. She wanted to weigh Emory and then watch a feeding to make sure everything is going okay and then weigh her again. Emory weighed 9 pounds!! We were so excited to see that she had gained. The feeding went great and Nancy (the nurse) said that she was "a piglet!" She said everything was looking good and then when we weighed her after the feeding, we discovered that she had eaten 3 ounces! Nancy was very impressed and said that is just great for her age!

Emory and I had a pretty uneventful Friday night. Andy left on Friday morning for Fayetteville for his last class of the semester so my mom came Friday night to stay with us. She left pretty early Saturday morning so Em and I just laid around all Saturday until Andy came home around 4. Since it was Andy's 30th birthday (!!) we ordered Copeland's and ate a birthday dinner here, together, since we didn't want to take Emory out in the cold weather. The food was great!

Sunday night my parents had a get together at their house for Andy's birthday. They ordered barbeque and Andy's mom picked up his favorite ice cream cake from TCBY. It was Emory's first time meeting her great-grandpa (my grandpa) "Pop"!! He just loved her, of course!

Emory and her Pop meeting for the first time!

Emory and her Nana and Pop

We had a great time celebrating Andy's birthday!! Tuesday morning (Emory's 4 week birthday!!) we got up to finish our newborn pictures with Ashley. They turned out so beautiful and we are so happy! I will post two since there are so many that I love!!

Both pictures taken by Ashley Sheesley - AS Photography (ashleysphotography.ifp3.com).

Have a great weekend!

I Chronicles 29:13

"Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name."

3 Weeks and Growing...and the Baby Blues

Tomorrow is Emory's 3 week birthday! It's so strange to count the weeks since she's been born when I was previously counting down the weeks until her birth.

Today we took Em in for a weight check at the pediatrician's office. Last week (2 weeks) we took her to Baptist to have a weight check and we were surprised and a little worried that she wasn't up to her birth weight - actually less than her one week checkup at the doctor's office also. I was really worried since she's exclusively breastfed, so today we went to make sure she is gaining. Great news - she was 8 lb 11.6 oz today! I was very relieved and when I got home, the lactation consultant called and we set another appointment for Friday so she could weigh her again and watch a feeding to make sure everything is going okay.


I have tried some compression techniques to get Em to eat more at each feeding. I don't think at the beginning she was eating enough to get to the hind milk - which has the most fat and calories - because she was only eating about 10 minutes at each feeding and then would fall asleep. I wonder now if that was why she was so incredibly fussy for a few days. She as really been a lot less fussy the past few days so I'm thankful for that!!


Yesterday was a particularly tough day for me. I woke up feeling exhausted and had a splitting headache that had carried over from Saturday night. I was overwhelmed and very fatigued, had no energy, and was just...sad. I am very aware of the signs of postpartum depression so I have really been watching for something along those lines, but I know that these feelings I have every once in awhile are normal. Andy was getting ready to go to his friend's house but decided not to go since I was in no shape to take care of Em by myself...I was so exhausted and just couldn't stop crying. Overall I just felt like I was doing a terrible job at being a mother! Andy really made me feel so much better. He sat with me and talked with me for awhile and then let me sleep on the couch for a couple of hours, which is all I really needed to feel better. He even cleaned the house like crazy while I was sleeping!! I woke up and he had cleaned the kitchen, did some loads of laundry, and cleaned out my shower drain and scrubbed the shower clean. I have such a wonderful husband!!


I'm feeling much better today, though I know it's normal to feel overwhelmed at times. With hormones going crazy and a newborn that won't stop crying and feeling restless from being cooped up all day in the house, it's pretty easy to see how it can happen!!


I can't believe it's already almost Christmas. I have yet to do ANY Christmas shopping! I hope to start soon and maybe do a lot online to save from going out. I really thought I'd be more on top of everything while on maternity leave, but that hasn't happened at all! I think I would've had a better shot at that thought if I hadn't gotten sick after bringing Em home, but then again, I'm glad I have been able to rest as well.


One last thing - I have finally finished my MBA! I'm very excited but now not sure where this will lead me. I'm just going to try to put it all in God's hands and pray that it will take me somewhere that will be good for me and my family.


Proverbs 16:9
"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."

Happy 2 Week Birthday!

I can't believe my little girl is 2 weeks old today. It has already been such a crazy whirlwind that it's hard to believe. I only have 4 more weeks off with her, which makes me incredibly sad to think about, so I'm trying to enjoy every moment...even the hard ones!

We have definitely been adjusting to life with a little one. There have definitely been some hard times! Mostly, figuring out why Emory is crying or what we can do to soothe her has been difficult. Finally, with some advice from other moms, I finally started reading the book "The Happiest Baby on the Block." I am only to the 3rd chapter and I feel so much better!! I really had gotten to where I was so upset everytime Emory cried and felt like I was doing something wrong. The book has made me realize that it is only natural for her to cry and that our society puts way too much emphasis on having a "good" baby. Today has been a lot better just because I have tried some of the techniques in the book and already feel like it is helping to soothe her when she is upset.

I have had sort of a tough time recovering, as I indicated in my last post. Starting the nursing process was difficult, as I'm sure any mom knows. I have been in constant contact with the lactation consultant, which has been a huge blessing. Yesterday after talking with her we determined that I had come down with mastitis. I figured that is what it was; I felt terrible and kept having rotating chills/sweating episodes as well as just felt awful overall and was in pain. Hopefully with the antibiotics and rest, fluids, etc., I will get better soon.

My mom also helped calm me on Sunday night. I was talking to her about Emory's poop (favorite topic of conversation I guess for a new mom) and was worried she wasn't pooping enough. Mom finally told me I was worrying way too much! And she was right. Today I feel a lot better just trying to enjoy her being this little and all the new things she is doing. Hopefully I will continue feeling like this and not have too many more breakdowns :)

Saturday night we went to Ashley's to get our newborn shots. Em was so great for most of the shoot until she started getting really tired! She slept through the beginning which was great. Below are some shots that Ashley got. I just love them and we are so grateful to have such a great photographer and friend!! (Her website: ashleysphotography.ifp3.com).








I can't wait to see more! Em has changed so much in just 2 weeks, it's so amazing!

Until next time...

John 15:11
"These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full."