Welcome Baby Jude!

We are excited to introduce Jude Michael to the world! :) He was born on Friday, April 17th at 8:41am. He was a healthy 7lbs, 10oz and 20 inches long. My prayers were answered and I was able to stay awake for the c-section, so I got to hear his first adorable cry! He was then taken to the NICU b/c his respirations were 80-90 per minute, and they are supposed to be 30-60. He also had a rash on his chest and his coloring was not just perfect. It could have been something as simple as a little too much fluid on his lungs, but as bad as pneumonia...so the neonatologist was safe and sent him the the NICU for IV antibiotics and oxygen. He was put on 30% Oxygen until late that night, and remained in the NICU until Sunday at about 1:00.

It was a very hard first day b/c I couldn't even go see him because I was required to stay horizontal until 12 hours after my surgery...so I got to touch him for the first time when he was already 12 hours old. Because he was under the oxygen dome, we couldn't hold him yet. But the next morning, I got to hold him in my arms! :) And by about noon on Saturday, they allowed me to nurse him for the first time. I went to him to feed him every 2 to 3 hours from Sat. noon to Sun. noon, and was then transferred to the care of the regular newborn nursery, so he was in my room! :) We were required to stay until about 1:00 Monday, and then allowed to come home.

We are now home, and SO glad to be here! Monday night was tough...Jude needs to learn the difference of night and day of course...but that will come in time! But last night was great! I hope he sleeps like last night from now on! :)

Emmalyn was very excited to see him, and has already offered him her beloved bear...an incredible sacrificial offering to a toddler who is so attached to her lovey! :) We are doing very well this evening, and I am healing. :) Nursing is going very well, despite the rocky start...so I am very encouraged. Kris and I feel so blessed! God has been so good to us!!!!!!!!!

An Award! :)

Lindsey at Our Journey... gave me this award. Thanks for the award!!!!

Here Are The Rules:

1. Link Back to the person who gave you the award.
2. List 7 Things you LOVE!
3. Link to 7 Blogs and let them know you have an Award Waiting for them on your blog!

Seven (random and silly) things I love ... not counting my God, my family, and my friends because y'all know I love them:

1. I love American Idol! :) I used to hate this show, but when I married Kris, he was into it and forced me to watch it...now I don't miss an episode when it is on!

2. I love my sleep! I am the type of person that can get 10 hours of sleep in a night, and still want a nap the next afternoon. Yes, I have been tested for sleep apnea, and much to my husband's surprise...I did not have it. I guess I just really like to feel rested! :)

3. I love Crystal Light Peach Tea. If you have ever come to my house for dinner, or lunch, or anything else for that matter...you have probably been offered some peach tea. It is lovely...I drink a pitcher just about every day or two.

***stops to sip her peach tea.***

4. I love to dance. I loved drill team in high school, and have always loved to dance! Now that I am , ahem...older, and well....larger...I don't do this much anymore, but I am not ashamed to admit that I get silly and dance around the living room with my toddler VERY often! :)

5. I love dogs. I have never lived anywhere without a dog (except those years in the dorm in college...but I had a dog at home even then.:)) I find it VERY hard to pass a dog on the road and not check for a tag and try to find it a home. I am getting better at this, since my husband won't typically stop...but I will grieve for the dog for a few minutes. If I had my way, I would live somewhere out in the country, just so I could have a dog of every breed that I like (which is most of them!).

6. I love Blue Bell Dutch Chocolate ice cream. 'nuff said! :)

7. I love organization. Not that my house always looks like I love it...but when I do accomplish an organizational task, I have a tendency to "admire" it for days...maybe longer. Sometimes it gets photographed. :) And I guess hand in hand with this comes my label maker. Oh, how I love my label maker!!!

So, there you have it...a few things that make me who I am. :) Now let's see...I think I shall pass this on to:

Jana at Faithfully Following

Kim at Weaving a Tapestry

Micah at Finding Shae

Jessica at Journey with Jessica (We are all ready to hear from you again, Jessica! :)

Glenna at I am not a mom, I'm a Zookeeper!

Emily at Assorted Sketches

and Kristy at JeffandKristy.com (if she's not in labor yet.:) )

Thanks again, Lindsey, for the award!

Herdin' cows the size of schnauzers...

Have you seen this commercial for Jack in the Box? I just about sent myself into labor laughing so hard the first time I saw it last night! And I just found it on YouTube...and nearly fell out of my seat again! Hilarious!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut0WDb-xzks

btw...how do you get a YouTube video to show up directly on your blog? I for some reason can't figure it out!!!

Brown Paper Packages, Tied Up With String...

These are a few of my favorite things!

I thought in my present tired, overwhelmed state, I should stop and, well...count my blessings, as they say! So, here are some of the things that make me smile these days...

*Emmalyn has finally started saying "I love you," and it is so incredibly sweet! She usually responds to an "I love you" by cocking her head to the side a little and saying "I love you too" in the softest, sweetest, most loving voice! She is such a loving little girl, giving lots of hugs and kisses on a regular basis! Oh, how I love being this precious angel's mommy!!!

*I had an amazing weekend...Kris got to play golf and I got a girl's night out on Friday. Saturday, we spent lots of quality time with Emmalyn, taking her to Waffle House for breakfast (you have to understand how waffles thrill her soul!), to the nursery to play with Grandma and Grandpa and chase down some lizards, and taking her to the fish shop to look into setting Kris's 55 gallon salt water aquarium again. She had a blast! So did we! Then, we got a date...ate a yummy dinner and saw a good movie (I recommend Duplicity...very cool!)! :) And Emmalyn got some fun, quality time with her grandparents. On Sunday, we were refreshed by the Lord at church and made another trip...this time to Petco to look at more fish options, and came home and cooked dinner together! It was a practically perfect weekend with the ones I so dearly love! Have I mentioned how much I adore my sweet hubby?!!

*I am really enjoying Emmalyn's ever-growing vocabulary these days! She picks up new words daily, and is putting together sentences that are just amazing her (already enamored) parents! :) She even seems to understand quite a bit about Baby Jude coming, and talks about him a LOT!

*I am also very pleased with this pregnancy! Emmalyn's last month of pregnancy was troubled by high blood pressure and 3 trips to the hospital with kidney stones. It was NOT fun! This time...with only 10 days left (yikes!), I still have very low blood pressure, and no pain in the kidneys! :) I have stayed a healthy weight, and have really enjoyed carrying this little blessing! I am sooooo very excited about holding my new baby in a short week and a half!!! I smile every time he wiggles and remember what an incredible blessing it is that God allows me to take a part in the miracle of bringing a life into this world! What a loving God!!!

*I am very grateful for my friends! I have met some really incredible people since moving to this little corner of Texas almost 5 years ago, especially through our wonderful church family, and M.O.P.S. It is such a blessing to me to have women in my corner that understand what I am going through, that will pray for me, and offer such sweet words of encouragement. It is great to have friends to just spend time with and get to know on a deeper level! Thanks, Heather, for starting our MOPS group...I am so very thankful to have it, and to be a part of it! :)

*I am LOVING these little shoes I found for Jude last week! :)

*Last, but not least...my landscaping is starting to bloom. It looks so pretty out there!

I'm so very tired

and I don't think it is just physical exhaustion from the pregnancy. Although that is VERY real these days. Emmalyn was 5lbs,9oz at birth, so I never got big and miserable with her. But this baby...oh my goodness. He was almost 5 pounds about 7 weeks ago...I can only imagine how big he will be. I am physically exhausted from the moment I wake up in the morning. The cramps and contractions are all too frequent, but I am trying not to let them keep me from doing things around here that need to be done. Emmalyn has not slowed down, and she still demands attention, as do the household chores that don't seem to go away. Okay...this sounds like a whiny post from the get-go, doesn't it?! And many of you have gone through this and are thinking "Get over it and quite your whining!" You're right, I need to quit whining and appreciate these last few weeks of the blessing of pregnancy. I do recognize that each night as I feel Jude wiggle inside of me, and know that I will miss that terribly, all too soon. I guess I just set out to explain my absence from my blog...and got more negative than I thought. I'm sorry.



But it is not just the physical exhaustion. For some reason, I feel emotionally and mentally exhausted too. I have one particular personal struggle that has me confused and frustrated. I think about it a lot, and it seems to cause a certain "numbness" that is somehow tiring. I am also concerned about having another baby around here. I know many of you have more than one child, and might think I am worried unnecessarily and need to get over it, but my concerns are very real to me. I really had a hard time with Emmalyn as a newborn...with the sleep deprivation and the post-partum depression. I can see that I am short with Emmalyn these days all too often b/c I am just tired...how will I handle that with newborn-induced sleep deprivation? How did you ladies with toddlers when you had babies handle it? I don't want to treat Emmalyn any differently, but things are bound to change around here, right? Don't get me wrong, I am VERY excited to welcome a new blessing to this family, but just worried about the practical, daily grind of having a newborn again.



So, this is why I have chosen Isaiah 40:29-31 for my memory verse for this month. It seems like a perfect reminder for me right now, and a reminder to rest in HIM. My prayer is that I would take this promise to heart this month, and leave my worries and struggles at the foot of the cross....daily!



"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." -Isaiah 40:29-31



Would you pray for me as you feel led over the next few weeks?

Princess Photos

So, we went to the third dance class last night, and I got the same reaction I did last week. She ran right in and said "Bye Mommy!" She talks almost daily about bouncing like a frog...although I am quite certain they do SOMETHING else. Surely they don't bounce like frogs for 45 minutes! :) Oh, how I wish I could watch! I can't wait until parents' night!

We did get a couple of leotards this week. When we tried it on in the store, she looked down at herself in the mirror and proclaimed "I a princess!" It was too cute! :) Here is how adorable (in my very humble opinion :) ) she looked, ready for class last night...

At home, refusing to smile for me:

Mom, why are you still here?!:

Okay, I am staying, and you are leaving, right? :)
***SIGH*** I can't believe she is old enough for this already! Wasn't just yesterday that these baby movements in my belly were from HER?!