Mother's Day 2013

We had a very special Mother's Day this year.





This time last year, we were just starting to talk about our pregnancy. This year, we stood up beside five other families in our church to dedicate our sweet boy to the Lord.



"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord." -1 Samuel 1:27-28



Emmett has no idea what we were doing yesterday. He was busy babbling to the youth in the front row, spitting up on Casey, and flirting with the babies in pink. But one day I hope he understands the commitment that we made. It is an overwhelming responsibility to raise up a young man in today's society. I can't think about it too long or it will keep me up at night. But one thing I know... the Lord will go with us every step of the way. Casey and I will continue to pray for our son and ask the Lord to reveal Himself to him as he grows up. We are thankful for a church body that loves him as their own and will help us teach him about Jesus and show him God's love.

Yesterday is a day that I will never forget. What a blessed gift I have been given to be Emmett's mother.




I soaked up every moment yesterday and said a million thank you prayers to the One who answered my prayers for motherhood so sweetly. But I don't think a single Mother's Day will ever go by that my heart won't hurt for those I love who are feeling the ache of empty arms. Some of my closest and dearest friends are struggling in the depths of infertility, enduring the agonizing wait of the adoption process, or grieving the loss of their sweet angel baby. I have not forgotten the heartache that Mother's Day can bring, and I just have to mention here that my heart is heavy with them. We can't take any of this for granted or assume that we will be given any tomorrows. Hug your babies tight, hug your mamas tight, and love on those around you who are hurting.

April Recap

April started off on a wonderful note when Milla & Brad came to stay for a few days. Pittsburgh is a long way from Alabama, so we were thrilled to have them visit! Mom and dad were in Auburn that same weekend for dad's class reunion, so all six of us were able to be together which is definitely a rare treat!







Milla accompanied us to the pediatrician and celebrated her birthday with us. It was so much fun to have them here!





Emmett started eating solids and cut his first two teeth this month. He is rolling all over the place and is close to sitting up on his own. Needless to say, he thinks he is big stuff now!



Once on our day off, we went to Auburn to eat lunch at Amsterdam and spent most of the afternoon on their patio. While we were there, Emmett discovered a new trick: toes in mouth! He hasn't stopped since. We joked that we took him to our favorite restaurant in Alabama, and he prefers to eat his feet. Oh well!




We went to the zoo, squeezed in a quick trip to Dothan, and spent a lot of time in the back yard this month.







We also went to Auburn for the A-day game and one last roll of Toomer's Corner. We grossly underestimated the crowds and chaos that would be there, but it was fun to be a part of this day in Auburn's history.









Last week, I had a work conference in Athens, so my boys came along for the ride. I was sitting in the conference when Casey texted me the picture below. For some reason, Emmett looks less like a baby and more like a little boy in this picture! They had a good time watching ESPN and exploring Georgia's campus together. There were lots of bulldogs to look at which made everyone happy!



After the conference, we drove to Nashville for the rock 'n roll half marathon and my dad's 60th birthday. It was pouring rain for the half marathon, but mom, dad, Aunt Terry, and Casey all finished the race. Emmett and I stayed at the hotel and enjoyed the beautiful view off our balcony! Then we all enjoyed a wonderful evening celebrating my sweet dad on his very special birthday.







Baby boy, you are growing up before our very eyes. We love you more than you will ever know!

"Lord, I need You."

Every once in a while, a song just jumps out at me and wraps itself around my heart. I think the Lord has always spoken to me through music. Certain songs still take me back to a very specific time and place. I think this is going to be one of those songs, and I wanted to share it with you.
 
We have had a few days lately at our house that were just ugly. Most days, things go very smoothly. I think we adjusted very well overall to my going back to work and Emmett starting daycare part-time. But there are growing pains with any big change like that, and the root of it is my own selfishness. God is working in me slowly to burn away those selfish tendencies, but that’s not to say that the process doesn’t bring about a few tears every now and then.

Lord I come, I confess
Bowing here, I find my rest
Without you, I fall apart
You’re the one that guides my heart

I have had days where I acted disrespectfully to my husband and had short patience with my son. I have acted, basically, like the world (and my household especially) should revolve around me and the things that I would like to do. I have struggled to manage my time when it feels impossible to finish anything I start. There are days when the constant interruptions of raising an infant just plain wear me down.

Lord I need you, oh I need you
Every hour, I need you
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need you

Satan has a way of getting in my head and telling me that I am not keeping up well enough… the house isn’t clean enough, my cooking isn’t good enough, the budget isn’t tight enough. I am not spending enough time with Emmett, I am not spending enough time with Casey, I am not spending enough time in the Word. The list goes on and on. I struggle feeling like I am constantly distracted. The to-do list is constantly running through my head. The minutes are constantly ticking by. As a result... the attitude can be ugly.

Sin runs deep, your grace is more
Where grace is found is where you are
Where you are, Lord I am free
Holiness is Christ in me

One afternoon last week, I took our sweet baby and a blanket and just sprawled out in the front yard. The sun was shining, and we both needed to get outside. It was so therapeutic. We were listening to Pandora and this song by Matt Maher came on, “Lord, I need you”. It was just what I needed… a reminder that I am not meant to do this on my own. Every hour of every day, I need the Lord. When I try to do it on my own, I feel overwhelmed every time, because it is too much. Isn’t it wonderful that He never intended for us to live a single day outside of the strength He gives?

Lord I need you, oh I need you
Every hour, I need you
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need you

What I need is more of HIM. I get frustrated because I don’t have a full hour for bible study like I used to, but what He is showing me is how I can use the quiet minutes that I do have to be with Him. Every time I sit and nurse Emmett, I can turn the TV off and instead use that time to pray for Emmett and pray for our family. I can choose to listen to Pandora while I drive to work to fill my mind with Christian music and meditate on His truths before I start the day. I can incorporate Bible stories into our bedtime routine with Emmett. I am going to read to him anyway, why not read to him about Jesus? It is amazing how the simplicity of a children’s Bible can speak to my own heart. I can choose to put my phone down at night and have real conversation with Casey, undistracted playtime with Emmett. I can make it a priority to get outside and soak up this gorgeous weather, just enjoy being with my family. These are all choices that I can make, and it is these little things, I am realizing, that make all the difference in the world.

So teach my song to rise to you
When temptation comes my way
When I cannot stand, I’ll fall on you
Jesus you’re my hope and stay

I want so badly for our home to be a peaceful place. I want our home to be a place full of love and laughter and all those things. Many days it is exactly that, and I am so incredibly thankful. But, there are plenty of days that are mostly just full of dog hair, poopy diapers, and tears… but I can see that God is working through those as well.

Lord I need you, oh I need you
Every hour, I need you
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need you

Thank you, Lord, for meeting us where we are and holding our family together in Your hands. Every hour, we need you…

Easter

Happy Easter from our family to yours!







I have come that they may have life, and have it to the FULL! -John 10:10

Since we were last here...

I’m really not sure if anyone reads this anymore, so my motivation to post is lacking, but I am going to try not to give it up altogether! Here is a quick recap of the last few months around our house.







Maggie had her first birthday in January. She is a complete mess. I love that dog so much more than I ever thought I would! We are hoping to breed her next year so have now suffered through two heat cycles with her. She really does well in her doggy diapers, but I am never sad to see it come to an end. Maggie really loves Emmett and is so funny following him around the house. She wants to be right next to him (preferably touching or licking him) all the time. He doesn’t mind her at all usually.

Jasper generally ignores everyone in the house until it is meal time. Prozac worked wonders for his baby anxiety and jealousy!






One night I was in the laundry room and Emmett was on a blanket in the living room. He started crying and Maggie darted in there. When I got there, I found her nuzzled up to him trying to comfort him (it didn't help). I couldn’t resist taking a quick picture though, it was so sweet. Once I got her off of him, he calmed down and she planted herself right next to him for the rest of the night.





Emmett has come to life so much over the last few months. He is constantly laughing and smiling. He is also growing like a weed and stays around the 90th percentile for both height and weight. He has become a lot more mobile, rolling around and pulling his legs up by his head. We are amazed at his constant motion. Once he starts crawling and walking, I’m afraid I may never sit down again! I am so thankful for a happy and healthy baby boy. He brings so much joy to our house.

We have been fortunate to have grandparents visit often, and in between visits, we FaceTime!







I went back to Auburn twice recently for baby showers. It is always fun to go back and see friends. It is honestly hard for me to believe that it has almost been a year since we moved. There are a lot of things about Auburn that I do miss on occasion, but my sweet community of girlfriends is almost always on my heart. I really felt like I would go back a lot more than I have since we are only an hour away, but I’ve realized that life gets busy and it is harder than I thought to make it happen. I am thankful that these events gave me a good excuse to spend a few days catching up with friends. Baby Boy Nims and Davis Todd Wisner will be here any minute now, and I can’t wait to meet them!








I started back to work part-time in mid-February. I had actually worked several days during my maternity leave since it was our residency recruitment and interview season, so it wasn’t quite as much of a shocking transition when the 12 weeks finally came to an end. Thankfully, my mom and mother-in-law came to keep Emmett for those interview days and for my first two weeks back at work, so I could adjust to the idea slowly. To be honest, it was much harder than I anticipated! Thankfully I love my job and am busy at work, so the days go by quickly, but I really do miss him while I am gone. He is a champ and has done great. He is staying at a church which is only about two blocks from my work. I can go visit on my lunch break if I am out, and occasionally I sneak him out to go see Casey at his work too. He is really laidback and has such a happy disposition. He recognizes his room and his teachers now and smiles so big when he sees them. It does my heart good to see that he is perfectly fine to be there. He is usually asleep when I go to pick him up, and when he wakes up and sees me he starts laughing and kicking his feet. There is no sweeter sound in the world at the end of a work day. I am really thankful to have the job-share arrangement that I do which allows me to work part-time. I cherish those days at home with him so much!

 





We officially joined the church we have been visiting this month, and they threw a little “meet and greet” party for Emmett which was so sweet. I was honestly overwhelmed at the generosity and love we felt that day. I have realized that a small church is such a beautiful thing! It has not taken long at all to feel like family there. God has been so good to provide this wonderful community for us.







Daylight savings time is always a life-changing event for me. One thing that has always been true of me is that my mood improves 500% when the sun is shining and I can get outside. During my maternity leave, we could usually get out during the day, but when I started back to work, it was much harder to find the time. By the time I got home from work, walked the dogs and fed the baby, it was usually close to dark. I was starting to feel pretty discouraged in my efforts to exercise and have never been so happy to “spring forward” in my life! Thankfully, Emmett does really well in the jogging stroller, so Casey and I have been able to get out together after work now which is so therapeutic for us. We have always had our best conversations while walking/jogging together, and I am thankful that to have his company or I would likely never get back in the saddle post-pregnancy. We are going to Nashville for Casey to run the half marathon in April, and I am hoping to run some 5Ks this spring. We have switched Emmett from riding in the stroller with the car seat adapter to facing front with the shoulder harness, and he thinks he is big stuff now. The BOB is by far my favorite “baby item” that we have!





That's about all I have for now! Looking forward to Easter and family visiting in April!