Beautiful, Baby Girl

She’s finally here.  Abigail Jenae was born yesterday, July 14, at 12:25 pm.  Weighed a whoppin’ 9 lbs 12 oz and 21 in long.  I had a feeling she’d be a bit big since her brothers were both close to 9 lbs and they were early.  She decided to take her time and arrived 4 days late and she only came then because I was induced. 

It was a beautiful delivery.  I labored and delivered in the tub, just like with Seth.  Although Abby wasn’t quite as easy to deliver and took a bit longer to push out.  I was able to hold her in the tub for a bit and then after they checked her out, the nurses gave her back to me to hold for several hours before taking her to clean her up and stuff.  She is a hungry baby already and was smacking her lips and so I was able to feed her right away.  She wanted to be fed almost every 2 hours last night.  So if this post has lots of typos or doesn’t make sense for some reason…it’s because I didn’t get much sleep last night. 

Abby’s middle name “Jenae” is after her mommy (my middle name is Renae) and Grandma DJ (my mom’s name is Janet).    Abigail means “Father’s Joy.”  

Here are a few photos of our precious little one:

Waiting…

We are awaiting the arrival of our baby girl.  I honestly thought she would have been here by now.  I am trying to be patient..not something that comes easy for me.   I thought she might be a 4th of July baby, but maybe she wants to share her birthday with her daddy (July 6).  We’ll see what God has planned for our little one. 

In the meantime, we are enjoying staying at Joe’s parents and being extremely spoiled.  Mom V is an awesome cook and it has been wonderful to have a pool to jump into with how hot it has been lately (over 100 degrees almost every day this week).

We’ve done lots of fun things. Went to Brookfield Zoo, swimming almost every day, out for dinner with my family, a maternity photo shoot by my sister in law, I got to meet friends for dinner, Joe & I went out for a wonderful dinner to Asparagus to celebrate our birthdays and anniversary which are all in July, Grandpa DJ took the boys on a tractor ride, Joe & Isaac went to a Sox game, and 4th of July spent enjoying yummy food and homemade ice cream (if you’ve never had homemade ice cream you are missing out!).   Our boys are loving spending all this time with the relatives.  Every time we leave Grandpa & Grandma’s house to go somewhere the boys ask if we are going to go back there.  It’s going to be so hard to say good-bye when we do have to leave.  But for now we are enjoying our time here. 

Hopefully soon I can announce the arrival of our little girl.  I’ll try to be patient…

A little announcement…

For those of you who have not been told, or who are not on facebook here is our family’s most recent announcement:

If you only knew what it took to get these smiles from my boys…after they were done fighting over who got to hold what sign, I ended up barking like a dog and playing peek a boo behind the curtain and somehow that got these smiles out of them.  Prior to that were lots of tears.

We find out next week if this little one is a boy or girl, so stay tuned for our next big announcement.  I’m hoping Isaac isn’t disappointed since he’s already been calling the baby a girl.  I’m 17 weeks along and feeling great and also enjoying all the little movements of this little one inside me.   Most precious feelings ever.

Well, stay tuned for next week’s announcement….

May God be glorified in our health and in our sickness...

Came across this quote today on Ann Voskamp's blog:

We give thanks to God not because of how we feel – but because of Who He is.

Exactly what I needed to hear today as I lay here in bed with a migraine headache from the spinal tap I had for surgery on Friday. I've been dealing with this headache since Friday evening and if I lay on my back and drink caffeine (as doctor recommended) it eventually lessens and does go away for a bit. I keep thinking how so many others have it so much worse than me and I am so thankful for all those who are helping me care for my family through all of this. I hate not being able to take care of them. But if I can't at least others are there to help. It's been a long month between Seth and I being sick with rotavirus and then 2 weeks later I get a kidney stone and have to have surgery. I keep thinking....even in my sickness God is being glorified in some way, some how. I am trying to learn patience in all of this...it is so hard for me. And then I read the above quote today and see..God is glorified because of WHO HE IS! That is how he is glorified. It has nothing to do with me or how I am feeling. That is so true and I am so thankful.

May you all have a blessed Thanksgiving...

Our God is greater…

I’m loving this song right now and thought I’d share. I may just have to put this CD on my Christmas List

Chris Tomlin: Our God - And if Our God is For Us

It has been a long week and a half and this song just reminds me of the verse "If God is for us, who can be against" - even if we ourselves get down about life's difficulties, we can always look to Him that is there for us.

Thankfully we are on the mend. Seth came down with rotavirus 4 days after we got back from the whirlwind trip of to Indiana/NW Iowa/Indiana/fly back to Chattanooga.... So we barely caught our breath and then Seth was really sick. He started symptoms on Thursday and by Friday night I was really concerned. So I called the emergency number and they said to bring him to the doctor on Saturday. Once at the doctor's office they said to take him to the ER because he was severely dehydrated and needed fluids and also should have some tests done to figure out what was wrong. They diagnosed him with rotavirus (kind of a severe form of the flu, which he was vaccinated for but I guess it's like the flu vaccine...there can be different strains of the virus out there that kids can still get). He ended up being admitted overnight and was released Sunday evening. It's amazing how fluids got him revived and well again. I was so concerned because he had been so lethargic, it was scary. He literally sat on my lap for days straight and even slept by me. He wouldn't even let me put him next to me on the couch. Poor little guy.

Then Monday night I started feeling icky. I also got severe stomach cramps and by Wednesday I was at the doctors office hoping they could give me something to relieve the pain. Instead my dr was concerned about appendicitis and sent me to the ER (the last place I wanted to end up). After a long night of tests they sent me home with pain meds and zofran to keep them down. Diagnosis: colitis. Really, I could have told them that from the beginning. But I guess they have to be sure.

Throughout this all, God has shown me how much of a loving, Christian community we are surrounded by. We had people bringing meals, and ladies came and cleaned and helped watch the boys. Another watched the boys while I went to the doctor and even after that while I went to the ER til all hours of the night. All the while they could have easily gotten the virus themselves. What an amazing witness these women are to those around them. I will always be grateful for their help. I am also grateful for all those who have kept us in their thoughts and prayers this past week. I know they made a difference and it was a comfort knowing others were praying for us. Also, I know it comforted our moms, as well, that we had people helping us since they live too far away to be able to come quickly and help out. So they were grateful as well.

Simply put...

God is so good! God is amazing and all powerful. May we all strive to glorify Him!

Isaac turns Four!

4 years ago today this sweet, little boy made me a mom. I’ll never forget that last month of pregnancy and the lllllloooooonnnnnngggg delivery (15 hours) and then the 4 days in the hospital afterward, due to my high blood pressure, and the 5 weeks after that of trying to get it back to normal. Through it all, he was a trooper though. The picture above was my favorite way to hold him. He loved to snuggle. He was a big boy, born 8lbs 14 oz. But I loved all his chubbiness and until he started to walk, he kept getting chubbier. I remember when we got home from the hospital, Joe & I looked at each other and said “Now what?” This little baby was ours to take care of and our responsibility. What a great calling it is to be a parent. I am so thankful God is the one who is leading and guiding us along because He is the only one who can work in the heart of our little boy and turn him to Jesus. I pray that God will be in our little boys heart and that Isaac will live his life glorifying our Lord and Savior. Thank you Lord for this wonderful, sweet boy that you have given to us.

Full of smiles

Here is on his first day of school at LMPC MDO (in Joyful Giraffes).

I love this kid.

He is very energetic, full of energy, a loud talker, talks non-stop about anything and everything, loves and adores his baby brother, loves going on outings with daddy, he’s quite the social kid and always has been, loves bugs and dinosaurs and cars, has quite the imagination and often thinks what he’s saying is true even though it is not even possible, he loves school, and most of all he loves Jesus.

For his treats tomorrow we are going to make cake pops. Check out the recipe here. You can actually make little animals out of them, but I’m going the easier route since this is my first time making them. Check out this site for more cake pop ideas. Also, here is a helpful video on how they are made.

Happy Birthday, Isaac!!!

Yard Sale..

Sold some stuff in our subdivision yard sale yesterday. Super excited because I only had a $1.00 to my name in the morning and made $88.00 from all the stuff I sold and spent $9.00 on some clothes for Seth that I got for a $1.00 each. I'm not always sure if all the time and effort is worth it when putting together the stuff to sell, but this time I think it definitely was. The only things that I was disappointed in not selling were some bookshelves. But I already got some people that can put them to good use: our pastor's office might need one and a friend in need might need the other two. So if I can't sell them at least I can donate them to a good cause. Oh and this isn't a disappointment, more of an annoyance...I also got bit by fire ants. I must have stood on a mound without knowing it and they were all of a sudden all over my shoe and up my one leg. I have about 7 bites and they hurt and itch like crazy. I put some Benadryl cream on them, but they are still super itchy. They are nasty little things. Joe said he looked them up because he had an incident with them while mowing the lawn. I guess they bite onto your leg and then inject their hind end into you where they then proceed to inject their venom into you. No wonder they hurt so bad. I at first didn't know what was biting me and it was hard to get the ones out that were up my jeans. I kept thinking I had gotten them all and then there would be one more and then one more after that. People looking at me probably thought I was a little nuts with my hand up my pants leg. :)

Saturday was a busy day. Yard sale, then off to church where I vacuumed and mopped the floors and then ran a few errands. So I proceeded to spend the rest of my garage sale money on gas, groceries and pizza for dinner. Amazing how quickly money disappears. I did find out that Papa Johns has a rewards program. For every time you order online, every $5 is a point and with 25 points you get a free pizza. We will definitely be ordering online from now on.

Hope the rest of you had a good weekend as well.

A chance to be a blessing to others...

Check out my friends blog, Vintage Dutch Girl, to see the recent giveaway. If you have a heart for others and especially babies then this is the giveaway for you. Go here to see the giveaway.

What a blessing it is to be able to bless someone else.

Happy Mother's Day!

I am surrounded by some great women in my life. I am so thankful for my mom. She is the best example I know of how to give yourself up totally for others. She is best described as one with a servants heart. She puts others first always before herself. I honestly think that she wouldn't know how to put herself first and I can't think of any time when she has done so. We usually need to encourage her to go out and do something for herself. Or have her friends take her out. Otherwise she would spend all of her time serving others and putting herself last. I thank God for her and that she has shown me how to have a servants heart.

I am also thankful for my mother in law. She is a great example of how to be a Godly wife and mother. She cooks the most awesome food and always does it with such grace and elegance. I'm always impressed by what she does and how she does it with such a kind and loving heart. Whenever we stay at their house we all feel so loved and welcomed into their home. Isaac has been asking when we will go see grandpa and grandma lately and we are very excited that we can tell him we will be leaving in 6 weeks!

God has blessed me with a wonderful family. He couldn't have given me a better husband that compliments me and knows how to calm me when I'm frazzled or upset. I can be all in a tizzle about something and Joe can come and hug me and immediately I am much more relaxed. I am blessed with the two most amazing little boys. It is so fun to watch them grow and see their little personalities. The way they interact as brothers and love to wrestle...yes, already. I don't always understand it, I guess it's a boy thing :)

We also have some exciting news. Baby #3 is on the way. Due to arrive around December 8. We were a bit surprised by this little ones arrival. Not expecting to be pregnant so soon and Seth will only be 20 months old. Although I am encouraged when I see others who've had children much closer in age. A friend at church has a 3 yr old, 14 mo old and a newborn. So I know it can be done. I'm just nervous to have a baby in a new location, with a new doctor, at a new hospital and without family nearby. Thankfully the Lord has blessed us with friends right in our neighborhood and just not one family, but LOTS of friends we can depend on if we need help. It's amazing to see how God is taking care of us. He never lets us go. I am so thankful to Him for all He has given us. We are truly blessed.

For moms who need encouragement, this blog has really helped me focus on the little things lately.