Loss of control

So, I have a confession to make...as a former teacher and a fairly organized person, I like to be in control...I love making lists and doing things to make my family's life run more easily. I loved the nesting phase of my pregnancy b/c my house was so organized and clean. And then came baby, and the Lord decided to teach me a lesson of dependence. I am in control of nothing...my energy level, my baby's moods, my emotions, my body, my appetite; it is all out of my hands. I really thought that after two weeks, I would have gotten into the swing of things, but as we head into the fourth of week of life with baby I feel like I am slowly returning back to normal, and that normal is not the normal I knew before. I think like with many other things, I want to get this right the first time, and if I can't I get frustrated. The Lord continues to show that He is ultimately in control. So even if my sweet baby girl hasn't learned how to sleep through the night, my God is still all powerful and knows what I need before I ask. The lesson in faith continues day by day....everyday brings a chance to learn more reliance on the Lord instead of my own strength. More updates soon:)

A Baby Story

We have celebrated one week of time with Charlotte. She is so sweet and good most of the time; the only time she gets really fussy is when she is hungry...she takes after her mama in that way. It's been great to have Cole home this week and have together time, just the three of us.

I thought I would take the chance to tell you about our baby's arrival. Last week, I was involved in a elementary music workshop for four days. Even though I won't be teaching next year, I still have to keep up my professional development if I want to keep my license current. I wasn't going to do the workshop, but I had a very good friend who convinced me that it would be better for me to get more professional development hours instead of staying at home, waiting for Charlotte's arrival. So I went to the first two days of the workshop. The morning of the third day was going involve a lot of movement activities...nothing that hard core, but movement nonetheless. The workshop was at the U of A. I joked with some friends, one of whom was due a week before me, that all the movement would put us into labor that night. Well, I got my wish; while at lunch in the union, my water broke. I felt like I was in a sitcom. So few women actually have their water break at all let alone in a public place. Three of my music teacher friends sprung into action...two walked me to go get my stuff from the band building and the other went and got her car. I called Cole and had him meet us at the BCM on the U of A campus.

Cole and I then hightailed it to the clinic to make sure it was my water that broke, with a short stop at home to grab our hospital bags. When we got to the clinic, I was checked by the nurse practicioner, who said it was definately my water that broke and that I was dialated to a three...I had been a one on Monday. We were then taken downstairs where the hospital actually is....our hospital is a women's clinic and hospital in one. We were put in triage b/c the hospital was CRAZY busy. Not long after I got hooked up to the monitor I started having contractions. At first, I told the nurse that I wasn't sure about getting an epidural. I really wanted to experience natural labor if I could stand it, but an hour later I was singing a different tune. I told the nurse I wanted an epidural. Not long after that, I started getting sick, b/c I had just finished eating lunch before my water broke. It was miserable trying to relax your body for a contraction, but being in so much pain that you can't help but tense up b/c you're about to be sick to your stomach. The clinic was so packed that we didn't get into a room until 4...and by that point I was dialated to a 4.

Luckily, an hour later I got an epidural, about 5 o'clock. By this time I was dilated to a 5. After I got the epidural, they went ahead and put me on pictocin to help along my labor. Everything before the epidural is fuzzy, but after the epidural, life was good. I will definately do it again the next time we have a baby. The pain was just too much for my body to handle. My parents arrived shortly before the epidural (poor them) and Cole's parents arrived shortly after. After the epidural, we just relaxed until 7. The doctor came in and said i was at a 9...and we would start pushing in the next hour. We kicked everyone out of the room at about 7:30 so I could get some rest. That half hour was so precious for me and Cole. We went through some psalms and prayed together for the birth of our baby and for wisdom on how to be good parents. At 8:15 we started pushing and by 8:48 we had a baby!!!

We are so blessed by Charlotte already. You know when your mom tells you "you'll understand when you have your own children." She was so right! First of all, the gospel has become so much clearer. I wouldn't give my daughter as a sacrifice for anyone, so it is so much more powerful when I think about the sacrifice God made in giving his ONLY son. Charlotte depends on me and Cole for everything. Sometimes she doesn't like what we do, like changing her clothes or her diaper, but it's necessary for her to be healthy. So much of the time we time, I act like Charlotte. I cry and complain b/c I don't want to experience momentary discomfort. But God, in his sovreignty, knows what I need...more than I could ever know. What a lesson that I know I will keep learning through the years.

Nesting=craft projects

Did you go through the nesting instinct when you were pregnant? I would say for me it has been one of the more intense symptoms of the last part of pregnancy...forget about braxton hicks. I was officially done with school on Wednesday and proceeded to make an UBER-long list of to-do's to keep myself busy over the next couple of days. Can I just tell you that half of that list got done on Thursday, which is ridiculous! But, I did get some really cute craft ideas done for Baby Penick's room. The first project involved taking embroidery hoops and painting them white, then placing three different, but coordinating fabrics in the hoops and then hanging them on the wall. It turned out so cute, I may have to make some to put in our bedroom as well. The second project was shelf with hanging pegs that I painted bright pink first. Then, I went over the pink with a bit of white paint and sanded down the whole thing with a little bit of sand paper to make it look worn. I love this crafting stuff! Better enjoy this energy while I can, because in a few weeks, a little one will be taking up all of it. I included some of my other creations for Baby Penick's room from earlier in my nesting phase. Hope it inspires you to get creative yourself.

Lasagna made easy....

I absolutely love Lasagna, but I hate the amount and time and the amount of dishes it takes to make it. Imagine my surprise the other day when I ran across this website called "The Girl Who Ate Everything" (a girl after my own heart). One of the recipes on her blog is a crockpot lasagna...and you don't even have to boil the noodles. It turned out good, except for the cheese layer that was a little dry, but I think I needed to use two eggs instead of one in that layer. Go check it out for yourself, and be free to make lasagna without the burden of all the dishes. Here's the link: http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/easy-crockpot-lasagna-recipe/2/

32 Weeks (almost 33) and Counting!

32 weeks....in 8 weeks I will be a mom. Isn't that crazy to think about? Something will happen in the next 8 weeks that will change my life forvever....I will be responsible for someone else, for her every need. That is a huge responsibility. But honestly, I am so ready in the sense of being ready to meet my baby. I know that I don't know everything about how to be a mom and I will need lots of help from the Lord to learn, but my heart aches to see this baby and hold her and kiss her. I hope to enjoy the end of one phase of my life as I look expectantly to the next one! Hope you all have a blessed week!


32 Week Belly!!! Almost there!

Praises!!!!

God is so good...and i don't just mean in the generic sense of the term. He is so good to give us blessings that we don't even ask for. At our 20 week ultrasound, everything looked good, but there were a couple of small things that the doctor wanted to keep an eye on. He told us our biggest worry was still finding a name for our baby girl. One concern was that one of baby girl's kidneys was bigger than the other, not by much, but still something they wanted to watch. Another concern was a muscle or something that they could see on her heart which was unusual to be able to see...also explained as a minor concern. To be honest, I didn't give it another thought until today's ultrasound. As the doctor looked over our ultrasound pictures everything was NORMAL or GONE...his words, not mine. Isn't God good to bless us with that kind of reassurance even after he has already blessed us with peace of mind over the problem in the first place. He is so good to give us abundantly more than what we ask.

Baby Shower #1

Sorry I haven't written in awhile. It's been a crazy busy month and will continue to be probably until school gets out. Two weeks ago I had baby shower #1 put on by some sweet ladies from our church, University Baptist Church. I don't think I could have planned a better shower than what they planned for me. First of all, it was the most gorgeous spring day. I commented as I came into the house that I hoped somebody was getting married that day, because it just seemed like a good day for celebrating. Secondly, my hostesses did an amazing job with the food and decorations; the food part is especially important to a pregnant lady. And I was absolutely blown away by the number of people who came. I felt so blessed and so humbled by the love and generousity people have shown us since we found out we were pregnant. It makes me hope that I am showing that same kind of love and support to those around me not only in times of celebration, but also in times of trial. I was especially blessed by the college students who showed up. Our students lead such full lives and for them to take time out of their busy schedule to come to a baby shower blessed my heart. I so love the opportunity that God has given us in Fayetteville to minister to students and I am looking forward to being more involved in ministry after Baby Penick comes. I was so blessed by this shower; it was a great time to visit and catch up with friends and family and what more could you ask for than that!