Best Year of My Life

Last year, I was glad to say goodbye to 2008 with hope in my heart and my tummy for a great 2009.  And 2009 did not disappoint...it was by far the best year of my life.  Sure there were trials like bedrest for six weeks, but I only look back on that time with the fondest of memories. I absolutely loved being pregnant with Henry.  It was such a precious time.  And of course the highlight of this year and my life was the birth of Henry.  We just love him to pieces.  There are times where we just have to pinch ourselves because we can't believe that Henry is our son and how blessed we are to have him in our lives.  Shaun and I had a moment like that the other day riding in the car.  Shaun looked back in the rear view mirror, and Henry was completely out asleep (we have a mirror so we can see him).  "Just look at him," he said with obvious amazement in his voice.  I looked back and just took a moment to see him sitting there with his chunky cheeks asleep with his head over to one side.  I can't describe the joy that filled my heart.

This year might have been full of trials for you.  It could have been the worst year of your life (like my 2008), but rest in the knowledge that we serve a most faithful and sovereign God.  Our timing isn't always His timing, but His timing is always perfect.  2009 wouldn't have been so sweet without the trials of 2007 and 2008.  So I raise my glass to all of you my sweet readers who have been there through the good and bad and who have treated me (a complete stranger!) as one of your good friends.  Praying that 2010 will be a most precious year for all of you!

Never Say Never

The first four months of motherhood have been the most challenging and rewarding time of my life.  It is hard to put into words the joy that I feel in my heart when Henry giggles with me or even just looks up at me with such a deep serious look on his face.  I'm so in love. But it is hard to believe what a huge transition having him in our lives has been for us even when we waited and prayed so long for him.  I thought I was "prepared" and that surely since we went through all of the infertility treatments and emotional pain that the actually having a baby part of this journey would be easy.  I was wrong.  Before I continue, let me be completely clear that suffering (and yes I do believe it was suffering) through infertility was definitely the hardest part.  It was a daily/hourly/minute by minute constant struggle and life consuming trial.  It is just that my perception/dreams of how it was going to be and actual reality...well there is a big difference between the two.  I listened and watched as mothers around me would say and do things, and the thought would pop in my head..."oh I would never do that."  Or "it is not going to be like that for me because all I want more than anything is sleepless nights." So many things that I said or thought that I would never do...I have done.  I no longer give advice to friends with older babies than Henry as I get that I really have absolutely no concept of what awaits me in a few weeks let alone in a few months.  So for everyone's entertainment...here is just a little sample of the never say never lessons learned.
-never will i ever breastfeed in public--let's see where has henry eaten?  restaurants, park benches, backseat of my honda, underneath cape at the hair salon, parties...my personal fav...in the waiting room of a car repair shop while the repairman discusses repairs with me.  I do attempt to cover up though!
-never will i ever leave a shirt on that is drenched with spitup--daily occurence.  I have also abandoned burp cloths...my shirt and hands are so much easier.
-never will i ever let my baby cry it out--as much as I hate this...it actually does work.
-never will i ever put my baby in bed with me (too dangerous!/also hurts sleep training mentioned above)_...I do it all of the time.
-never will i ever get mad at my baby--I know it is hard to believe how I could ever get mad at such a sweet little guy but it is possible when sleep deprivation takes its toll.
-never will i ever still be getting up several times a night at four months--haha.
And there are sooooo many more where that came from!  So grateful for the opportunity to learn these lessons the hard way.

Yawn.

I'm exhausted.  Soooo tired and no matter how much sleep I get...I can't seem to feel better.  I finally broke down today and went to the doctor.  Dr ran a thyroid and CBC that they will get back on Monday.  Apparently there are several postpartum thyroid conditions so dr wants to rule those out.  Will keep y'all posted!

4 Months Old!

4 Month Update!

Stats: 

75th percentile in height and weight...16lbs 2 ounces, mainly still in size 3-6 months, size 1-2 diapers (need to move up as soon as we are done with our big box from Sams!)

Milestones: 

Almost rolling over!  He completely moves his body all the way over except for the last little bit so he could probably do it any day now.
Laughing- He has been doing a short giggle for weeks now, but Henry is starting to belly laugh, and I don't think I've ever heard a more precious sound in my entire life.  Shaun found a spot this morning (right under his chin on his neck) that gets him to laugh just about every time.  I'm very excited about this!

Hands- Starting to grab objects and check them out.  Still putting his hands in his mouth every chance he gets.

Kick, Kick, Kick- Henry still loves to kick, and he can kick very hard.  He has actually hurt me a couple
times.

Talking- Henry is still a very talkative baby and a good listener.

Favorites:

Music and Singing- I sing to him all of the time, and he smiles and coos every time.  My favorite song to sing to him is "I've Got My Baby" by Fatih Hill (post with lyrics coming soon).  I also have two songs that I've made up called "I Love My Baby" and "It's bath time or It's nap time."  Henry loves music!  If he is a little fussy, a little music usually makes him stop and his eyes light up.

Daddy Time- Henry LOVES his daddy.  They play airplane and make silly noises.  He gets a big smile on his face when Shaun gets home from work, and he follows him around the room with his eyes.
Favorite Toy- A little blue dinosaur that plays music

Sleeping and Eating:

Naps- We've been doing some major sleep training for naps (babywise) around here the past week, and I can't believe the difference it has made in our days.  I never thought I would be able to let him cry it out, but he made the decision easy for me because he was crying hard while I was holding him before every nap.  So I had the choice to either try to bounce and rock him to sleep every nap while he screamed or I could lay him in his crib and let him fuss a little before falling to sleep.  I figured out after looking back at some babywise info and this awesome blog that Henry's awake time was too long and that he was getting overtired which was causing him to fight his sleep and only take short naps.  Once I started putting him in his crib at the right time, there was much less crying and longer naps.  For my records, current awake time is only an hour for the first morning nap and somewhere between an 1:15-1:30 for the rest of the day.
Night Sleep- Don't even get me started!  We are experiencing the "four month sleep regression," and it hasn't been easy.  Currently, I'm waking up about 3-4 times a night to comfort or feed Henry.  Here is a link with more info.  We will be working on this soon once we get our days straight!  Henry's doctor thinks the nightwaking is Henry asking for more calories so we are also starting solids.

Eating- Henry says, "Shhhhh Mommy!  I'm trying to eat here, and I want complete silence."  Henry has become a very distracted eater so I'm having to feed him in silence and sometimes in a dark room.

Starting solids- We started Henry on rice cereal mixed with applesauce in a jar last night, and he LOVED it.  He just kept kicking his little legs in delight.  It was soooo fun!  But a little sad for me because from now on I won't be his only source of food.

Summary:  I can already tell that this is a great age!  We are starting to get into a routine which is nice.  I'm really enjoying motherhood, and I'm starting to feel a little more settled into my new role.  Henry is adorable, and he needs to stop growing up so fast!

P.S.  Y'all were right about Shout--it is the best at getting out poop stains!  I have the best readers!  And feel free to give me some advice on this nightwaking!

Baby It's Cold Outside

It snowed here in Mississippi last night!  When it snows in Mississippi, it is a HUGE deal.  Everyone stops what they are doing and goes outside to watch the snow.  Shaun and I were actually out on a date (thanks to our friends Jessica and Jay for keeping Henry) when the snow started coming down and everyone was freaking out at the restaurant (including us!).  Here is a pic of us enjoying the snow before getting some coffee (not the best picture of us but still it was SNOWING!).  We love the song "Baby It's Cold Outside," and we have memorized all of the words because we are dorks so we sang the song while driving around with the snow...so much fun!

And the best part about it is that it stuck (another huge deal) so we got to show Henry his first snow this morning.  We love his new hat :)

(yes my husband is hot...he lost 25 lbs of baby weight so far)

What a Difference...

a year can make!  This was me last Thanksgiving...the day we found out we were pregnant!  (yes I took that many tests...actually I took more)

Thanksgiving Day 2009