She calls me Mom

To my surprise momma has been one of Emma's first words. I was so excited the first time I heard her say mom! But sometimes it can be exhausting to hear, because she doesn't say momma when she's happy and playful, she says momma when she's sad, upset, hurting, or crying. She doesn't want to be consoled by anyone else but her mom. 

My baby girl is also battling through a narcotics wean after months of being on large doses of them, so she cries a lot. The best medicine to help her through this has been the comfort of being in her mommas arms. I'm so glad she wants me, but it's exhausting. For months on end, we have been confined to a small room full of medical equipment that beeps at us, lights that stream in night and day, nurses and doctors in and out of the room night and day. The only way to hold her is standing up or in an uncomfortable rocker. There's no privacy and very little rest when your child is in the hospital. It's a common occurrence to be woken up at 5am because she needs a blood draw or an X-ray. It doesn't matter to them that you had just finally gotten her back to sleep at 4:30am and were trying to get some sleep, so you could function the next day. You try to make up for the lack of sleep by taking a nap the next day, only to be woken up by a new doctor who comes behind the curtain (your only tiny bit of privacy) and wakes you up to ask you questions about your child. You are expected to know her entire medical history off the top of your head, even if they did just wake you up and you are sleep deprived. I'm not blaming the medical professionals. They are just doing their job, to take the best possible care of your child. I am so thankful for all they do! All I'm saying is that living in the hospital, caring for a sick child is exhausting. I try to leave for at least an hour a day, to get some food and fresh air, but there have been times where I've gone days without leaving, where I've wished I could just take a shower at home and go to sleep in my own bed, but I can't, because my baby needs me. 

It would be so easy to complain about all of this, and to be perfectly honest with you, I have. But this morning at 2am when I got up to hold my crying baby I was overwhelmed with thankfulness for this crying baby. I was flooded with gratitude because I have a baby who needs me. A baby who CAN cry. A baby who is alive and getting stronger every day. My baby who was rapidly declining six weeks ago and would not have left this hospital if she hadn't gotten a new heart in time, is alive. She's not only alive, but she's breathing on her own, talking, eating, and smiling! When she had a breathing tube in, she couldn't talk or make noise at all. Without it, she can smile and cry and say momma.

I only know what it's like to be a mom to a sick baby, but even though my baby requires extra care and attention, I think I can speak for all new moms when I say that taking care of a baby is hard work. There's very little time for yourself anymore because a little person needs your constant attention. But what an amazing gift that is! I have the opportunity to raise the next generation, and that's a privilege and a blessing. Emma brings me so much joy and I am so thankful to be her momma.

They say never wake a sleeping baby. But as she lay in her bed last night so peacefully sleeping. I had to pick her up and give her some goodnight cuddles, because much too soon this season will pass and I will wonder where the time went. I want to enjoy it while it's here, no matter how many sleepless nights it takes! 

New job!

This post is a bit late, so many of you have already heard our recent exciting news, that Mickey was offered a full-time job locally at an engineering company! We have been praying that he would get a full-time job ever since we got married, and he had applied many places and God kept closing those doors. So we are very thankful for the Lord's provision! It is a swing shift position, so we will have to get used to that. It's going to be hardest while I'm still working at the tax firm, because we will be working opposite hours and will likely only see each other on the weekends. But after tax season ends in about five weeks, when I'll be staying home with Baby, it will work out just fine. He'll just get lots of time with Baby and I in the mornings, instead of evenings. We are thankful that it will be steady hours, fewer hours, and much better benefits, which will provide stability for our growing family.

He started the beginning of March with two weeks of training - during day shift. Then on Monday he will start swing shift. He is also going to continue working at his news reporter job (with significantly fewer hours) until tax season ends, since we won't be seeing each other during the day anyways. He really enjoyed that job, and was sad to leave it, so it's nice that he can stay a little longer. It will also help us save some more money before Baby comes.

Before this full-time job came along God had closed quite a few doors for us, which was an answer to prayer, because we really wanted to go where God was calling us. We still don't know what the future holds for us. But, we are very thankful for this open door so that we can take the next step in following God's lead.

Life in January and Babymoon

It's hard to believe the month of January has already passed, and we are now well into February! Our lives have been sooo busy lately. Mickey works long hours, six days a week, between two different jobs. Plus, one weekend every month he drills with the Air Force Reserves at a base that's six hours away. They used to have a flight he could take from Spokane (which meant only a two hour drive followed by a one hour flight), but that got canceled in December. So, in January he drove the whole way.

The last few weeks, I've started working a lot more hours at the tax firm. It's in Lewiston, so the commute can make for some long days. It's about a 45 minute drive each way.

We also go down to Lewiston every weekend for church. Since I'm in charge of the preschool there, our one day off together isn't really a day off at all. All of this working doesn't make for much time together. But I just keep reminding myself that this is just for a season. My tax job will end in April, just in time for baby (I'm hoping to have at least a couple weeks to prepare before baby makes his/her grand entrance!). After that we can go back to eating lunches together, and seeing each other a little more. :)

As you can tell, we've really been needing a break! Mickey and I had been planning and saving to go on a babymoon for a few months, and we went this last weekend! We really wanted it to be low key, so we could just spend time together, rest, and relax. So we drove up to Spokane where we stayed in a hotel for a couple nights. Our first day there we went shopping, tried a few new restaurants, and hung out at the hotel. The second day we went to a really nice spa and got a couples massage. The spa was so nice and so relaxing. I got a pregnancy massage, and it felt amazing. I think my body really needed it. Carrying a human inside of you, can sure make you sore! ;) Here are some pictures from our trip:

                                        

    At the La Rive Spa 

As a souvenir from our trip we bought our baby his/her first stuffed animal!

And I am now 25 weeks and 5 days pregnant! Here's a picture of the baby bump. :)

If you think of it, please pray for us as we go through this busy season the next three months. Please pray that we would both be able to get good sleep so that we can stay healthy, keep up with work and baby preparations, and make the most of our time together before baby comes. 

A look back at our year

2014 brought many incredible changes for us.  It wasn’t all easy, but I look back and see what a blessed year we truly had, and how it was filled with so much joy and excitement.

The New Year of 2014 began just days after Mickey had proposed. So, it was full of excitement and delight as we looked forward to our upcoming wedding and becoming husband and wife!

We set a date that was six months from our engagement. Those months went by quickly, because they were so full of wedding planning and marriage preparations, as well as both of us working, and Mickey finishing up his bachelor’s degree.

Mickey graduated in May, followed by a graduation party for both of us, with family and friends. The following week, I officially graduated as well. The day after my graduation, was my bridal shower. So, as you can imagine, we kept very busy!

The week of our wedding we had the joy of having lots of family and friends come to town, who we really enjoyed spending time with, and appreciated their help in putting together last minute wedding details. All of the stress and anxiety from wedding planning and the excitement to be marrying my best friend culminated in one big day…OUR WEDDING DAY! It felt surreal that the day was actually there. It was better than I had ever dreamed of.  Everything turned out absolutely beautiful and perfect! As nervous as I was that morning, my nerves melted away when I saw Mickey, and felt his loving embrace during our first look session.  We were both so excited to finally be getting married! The ceremony was beautiful, and was so full of peace and the Lord’s presence. I just remember being so focused on Mickey and the commitment we were making to each other, before the Lord, that it didn’t matter that I was on stage and a roomful of people were watching. The reception afterwards was great fun. It was full of celebration, smiles, laughter, and dancing!

After the wedding, Mickey and I went on a road trip to Victoria, BC for our honeymoon. It was so fun going on our first big adventure as husband and wife, as we began the rest of our lives together! Victoria was beautiful, relaxing, and a fun place to explore! We also got to learn the art of riding on ferries, and that it’s a good idea to check the ferry schedules ahead of time. But, it didn’t really matter. What mattered most was that we were together.

When we got back we moved into our new apartment. Most of Mickey’s things had been moved in the week before the wedding. But, we had to move my stuff, and get everything unpacked and set up. It took several weeks to get our apartment set up. But I wasn’t working much, so I really enjoyed having the time to make this place a home. I also really enjoyed cooking dinners for my husband!

It took us a couple of months to get settled into married life, establish routines, figure out finances, etc.  We also spent a lot of time praying about and seeking out jobs and direction. Mickey had a part-time job, as well as being in the Air Force Reserves.  I had a part-time job as well. I also ended up getting some babysitting jobs and found out that in November I could start working at a tax firm. In September, Mickey was offered a job as a radio station news reporter. It’s still only part-time, so he works two jobs now. But, it was a huge answer to prayer!

A couple days later, we found out that I was pregnant!! Mickey was serving a two week assignment with the Air Force at the time, so I had to tell him over the phone. I couldn’t keep it a secret from him for more than a few hours!:) I was able to join him for the second week of his assignment, and we got to celebrate the good news together!  Ever since then we’ve been preparing for baby! There are lots of decisions to make, and those aren’t always easy. But, we have really enjoyed getting ready to meet our precious baby.

In November, my older sister got married. So, I spent quite a bit of time helping her prepare for her wedding this fall. It was a fun, fall wedding, complete with burlap and cowboy boots! One of her friends, my other two sisters, and I were the bridesmaids. It was my first experience as a bridesmaid, and I have to say it’s a lot less stressful than being the bride!

Over the holidays we keep looking back and remembering all of the wonderful blessings from this year, and thanking God for them. We aren’t sure what all this next year holds for us, but I think there will be quite a few changes. One change that we do know about is that we will be adding a baby to the family in May!