Chunky monkey

I can't believe how much Noah has changed in the last 2 weeks! He has put on some weight and he's a little chunky monkey now! He is also starting to teethe alot more... he bites down on my finger HARD and just gnaws on it!
My mom is finally here and we are so excited to spend the next 2 weeks with her and she may be staying 3 weeks now!! We enjoyed Daddy's 2 days off work and are looking forward to the big changes coming up!
We are loving this little cool front...yesterday morning we loaded Noah up in his stroller and went for a walk around 7:30 and I didn't even break a sweat! That's amazing...and last night I could actually drive with the windows down and it felt great! It has made me ready for Fall that much more!!
That's about it for now! :)

Noah Andrew-18 weeks

I can't believe Noah is already 18 weeks old!
I took him outside today to take some pics since it was actually a bit cooler this morning and he got to play with the Kitty for the first time too!
Bad news...he got his first ant bite though! :(
He has been on formula now for almost 2 weeks and he has already gained 1 pd in less than 2 weeks! He's up to 12 pds now! He goes back to the doctor on Monday so hopefully by then he will have gained 1 more pound then he will be on track! :) He has adjusted well to the formula...his poopoo is nasty and he spits up alot more now but other than that he is a happy boy!
He is rolling around like crazy now! It is so much fun to watch him play!
He also has graduated from his swaddle while he sleeps...he doesn't like it anymore...he doesn't really like to sleep in his swing anymore either! He prefers his crib! He is such a good sleeper...for the most part, I can lay him down and within a few minutes he goes to sleep! Sometimes he fusses a little but never more than 15 minutes!
He is also doing much better in the car now! For a while there he would scream for almost 15-30 minutes every time we got in the car, but the last few times he hasn't cried much at all and has gone right to sleep! I am praying that continues...my nerves couldn't take that much longer!
We took him to visit all his great-grandparents last night and he did great in the car and while we were there! :)

Nate's last day with Klein is today! We are so excited...he has been praying for a new job for a year and God finally opened the door and he starts his new job on Monday with Center point Energy! He also just turned in his notice to Target so his last weekend there will be Sept. 13th!
There is a light at the end of the tunnel and we couldn't be happier!
My Mom and BFF, Karen, are both coming to visit this weekend and Karen will be here 1 week and my Mom will be here 2 weeks! I am so excited! I can hardly stand it! I have missed them so much!

Books

I have been making more time to read lately, which I love to do and I think it helps keep me sane!





I recently finished reading The Last Song, by Nicholas Sparks and I can't wait to watch the movie...even though I think the books are always better! That has been the case with the Notebook and Dear John!
I loved this book and found myself crying on many occasion just as I do in all his books! He is such an amazing writer and I love the way I can truly envision the story and characters in my mind which is why I think I never like the movies...they never get it right...at least how I see it in my head! :)

Another one of my favorite authors, is a Christian, fiction author, Karen Kingsbury...yesterday I finished reading her book, Shades of Blue. So good! Hers are easy reading but very real and Christ centered story lines!
Next on the list, that I just started last night is, Divine by Karen Kingsbury! Only through chapter one but so far, so good!

I also love to read author, Francine Rivers! She is so good at taking events and people from the Bible and retelling these stories on such a personal level and taking them from the story you've heard a million times from the Bible, into real life situations on a deeper level. I can't hardly think of people such as Rahab, Mary, Daniel, Bathsheba, Caleb, Gomer, and many others without thinking of her books and realizing how much more is to there stories than the few chapters in the Bible! They were real people who went through some truly awful things and yet God brought healing and wholeness to their lives!

Anyway, more to come soon on Divine and many, many more! :)

Motherhood

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?....Not me!
A day in the life of me...
I started to type it all out and just got exhausted trying to remember what all I have done today! It is seriously crazy how much I multitask and all I have to achieve in a single day! I will never feel unproductive again!
***Precursor...I'm going to get very real, so don't read if you don't want to know!
I used to get really upset when I would hear Moms complain about how hard it was to be a Mom or how tired they were or how they missed the days before kids, because we wanted kids so bad and I thought I would die to be in your shoes...how dare you complain!
BUT, now I realize that sometimes you just need to vent and eventhough Moms make those comments, it doesn't make them ungrateful, it simply makes them real! Of course they were tired, and of course it is hard! I was being very silly and self centered to get upset!
Being a Mom is simply amazing...I get teary eyed just thinking about it, but it is also the hardest job I have ever had! The responsibility and worry and pressure that are ever present can be overwhelming and I have never been so tired in my life but even harder than all that is remembering who I am!
Does anyone know what I mean...I was a young, passionate, energetic, woman who poured into others lives and enjoyed the challenge of teaching and loved to play games and be with friends and dance and write poems and sing and wanted to write a book and loved to read books and wanted to write songs and , and, and! Somewhere along the way life happens and even before Noah, I lost so many of these things, one at a time, little by little!
Marriage is hard and finances are stressful and trying to balance it all is so difficult and you find yourself just surviving or doing what is more practical instead of living life to the fullest and fulfilling your dreams! I didn't like the person I had become!
Now, after having Noah and being a stay at home Mom, I have time to remember and pursue some of these things that I had always wanted to, but at the same time finding the energy and motivation to do it is hard when Noah requires so much attention!
AHHH...I always feel like I end up rambling...why can't I just pick a topic and stay with it! My brain moves too fast and bounces around like crazy!
Anyway, bottom line...motherhood is so hard and trying to be a wife and friend too is even harder! Life is complicated and messy and a roller coaster but I wouldn't want it any other way! I am so completely blessed and happy but it is possible to recognize that and feel completely exhausted and overwhelmed at the same time!
Pastor Allan preached on love Wednesday night and how you can't depend on your feelings to get you through b/c if that were the case we would all be a complete mess...love is a commitment- a choice to act as Christ even when you don't FEEL like it! I may not FEEL like a good wife or mother or friend but never the less, I am a wife a mother and a friend and I do the best I can and I will continue to evaluate myself and I will keep trying for the rest of my life because the people that I love deserve that from me!
I will continue to write, and read and sing and play and dance and remember to live passionately rather than just have a list of "things to do" each day!
There is so much joy to be found when we just get a little perspective and that is what this blog does for me, so even if it doesn't make sense to anyone else it has been a lifesaver for me!
Now, when I look in the mirror, I may not be the fairest...with spit up all over me and no make up on and messy hair and unshaven legs, but none the less I feel like a princess...a beautiful mess! :)
I love my life!

Rough night!

Last night was pretty rough...Noah decided he would scream...alot! :( It helps now that I am able to feed him formula too, so Nate can help me more and last night he did but still not much sleep! Usually when Noah wakes up during the night, he just fusses and I give him the paci and he goes back to sleep...not last night! He woke me up screaming 3 times and would not go back to sleep! I had to pick him up and rock him every time! Exhausted! :(
It never ceases to amaze me though how the next morning after he eats he can be so peaceful and sweet and still make my heart melt!
As frustrating as it is I feel bad for the little guy...I think the congestion he still has, which is making him cough alot, plus the new formula on his tummy are causing him to not feel so good! :(
I am feeling better now which I am so thankful for b/c when we were both sick, nobody was happy around here!
We are going to church tonight which i am excited about...with Nate working Sundays it has been hard for us to make it to services so I really miss it!
Anyway, I am praying for some rest today and believing for a better day! :)

So Noah went to the doctor today for his 4 month checkup and apparently he is too skinny! :( I have been strictly breastfeeding and just started supplementing cereal about 10 days ago but he doesn't care for it, so now I have to start supplementing formula! I really didn't want to ever give him formula so i'm pretty upset but he hasn't gained 1 pound in 2 months so I have to do what's best for him! I was also getting excited about making his own baby food but dr says now we should probably wait till he's 6 months for that! :( He also had to get 2 shots so he was not a happy camper!
After the doctor and a trip to the grocery we were both exhausted and soaking wet...it is just too dang hot to do anything!
When we got home I tried to feed him the formula and it took me 3 tries over a 2 hour period and he finally ate 2oz.! I hope he doesn't keep that up!
Oh yeah, and the doctor told me that I need to start letting him eat in the middle of the night again! Not happy about that one at all...hes been sleeping through the night for almost 2 months now...he only wakes up a couple times but I just put the passi back in and he goes back to sleep, well, not anymore! Now, when he wakes up I have to get him up and feed him! BOO! :(
At least it's only till he gains some weight! Please pray with me that he puts the pounds on quick!
She told me I probably just have allergies and to give it a couple more days and if I still feel bad then she'll call me in an antibiotic!
SO, it hasn't been a very good Monday but at least we are about to get some rain...I hope! It sure got dark and windy and Nate said its pouring on 1960 so I see some sprinkles and am praying for a downpour! We need it soooo bad...our yard is dying and we can't afford to water it ALL the time!
I am really missing my parents and can't wait to see my Mom in 2 weeks!
Also really missing date nights and time alone with Nate! :( Its just so hard when we are on such a tight budget and plus I don't have many people I feel comfortable leaving Noah with! I'm probably over protective but oh well! It sure would be nice to have a break though! Feeling a little overwhelmed!
So enough about my WONDERFUL day and my poor pitiful me rant! :)
Joy comes in the morning and tomorrow will be a better day! :)

Feeling kinda sick? Just a spoon full of sugar make it better real quick

Wow! This is my first blog post! I'm pretty excited! I have wanted to do this for a long time but haven't had the time! I don't even know where to start!
I guess i'll start by introducing me and my family...
Nate and Noah are the sugar sticky sweet stuff of my life! Nate is an amazing father and Noah looks just like his Daddy!
Nate starts a new job in a few weeks with Centerpoint Energy and I recently became a stay at home mom!
I have worked since I was 15 so it has been a huge adjustment for me to be at home all the time! I wouldn't change it for the world though...we have had to make alot of sacrifices in order for me to stay home but we believe that it is worth it and it was the right thing for our family! I can't imagine missing all the little changes that happen everyday with Noah! He amazes me! It has come with its challenges though...I can feel a little stir crazy sometimes! That's one of the reasons I started this blog...I need an outlet! :)
For example, I am watching Baby Einstein for the 2nd time today and haven't been out of the house in 3 days because Noah has been sick! I think I am about to go crazy!
I want this blog to be very real, so if you can't handle it then you don't have to read it, but I won't pretend like my life is perfect and all sugar sticky sweet stuff...I am just trying my hardest to focus on those parts and keep a thankful heart!
I love my husband in a way I never thought possible when we met when I was 15 but our relationship hasn't come easy...we dated for 3 years and then were engaged 1 year and were married when I was 18! After 8 years of many ups and downs I can honestly say I am happily married! I have learned some things though...
Marriage takes alot of work! I was a very selfish, controlling person and had MANY unrealistic expectations when we first got married and Nate was VERY passive and had no communication skills at all! The combination made for some rough times but ONLY with God's help did we make it to this point and we have allowed the hard times to draw us closer together and make us better people! It is so rewarding to look back and see what we have been through and know that we have made it through to other side and we didn't give up!














Anyway, I am very family oriented and only live about 10 minutes from my parents which I am so thankful for! Especially since having Noah, my Mom has been a lifesaver! I don't know what i'd do without her! Love her! They are currently in New Mexico until October so it is killing me! I miss them so much! Mom is coming home to visit for a few weeks the end of August though and I can't wait! My Dad has also really surprised me since Noah has been born! He is so in love with him and is so good and patient with him, which is not how he has always been! :) I am just so thankful for both of them! I am surrounded by Nate's family as well and I think Noah has drawn us all closer together! A baby really does change everything!


There is so much more I want to say but I would just be rambling forever! I will stop here for today since Noah is starting to fuss! :)