The most important Christmas yet

Christmas is a special time for most everyone. I have fond memories of laying in bed at night hoping to hear Santa land on the roof and waking up in the morning to the fireplace lit and a mound of presents under the tree. As I grow older though, Christmas has truly taken on a completely different meaning. Even more so this year as a first time parent.

I have always grown up going to church, but it wasn't until my adulthood that I truly understood the role Jesus, my Lord and Savior, played in my life. I read scripture and I understood it. I consistently started meeting with God, investigating His Word, and craving daily time alone with Him. The more I understand Jesus, the more excited and important Christmas is in my life.

Reading the Christmas story I get lost in the thought of how amazing it would be to be around when first hearing the Messiah had come. The long awaited King, had came. How sovereign God was in his planning of Jesus' birth. How God took on the form of flesh, not a king that was born in a palace, but a simple man, born in poverty in a dirty stable, and worked hard with his hands. He was born poverished and died disgraced. He was a human that we all could relate to. He endured pain and suffering, and even cried out to God to make it stop. But he was faithful and perfect. And his sole purpose on earth was to save me, a sinner, and imperfect person. I still have a hard time fathoming God's grace over my life, forgiving me for my inequities every single day, as I continue to fail over and over.

This year as a parent, I am even more emotional thinking of Christ's birth. God sent his son, his baby, knowing fair well the life of suffering he would endure. The heartbreak that God had for him, and for all of us. That God loves us so much, that he would send His only son down to save us. A love that never fails, a love I could never return.

 As Macy and our future children grow, I want to make a vow that Christmas will always be about Jesus. About what a gift he is, and that he is enough. Of course we will get our children gifts, and have traditions just like I did as a child, but we will worship Jesus, not the presents that lay under the tree.

After this past weeks events, I am even more confident in my Lord. That I need him, that I can't live my life without him. Since the day Adam and Eve sinned against God, the world has been a dark place. It is not a question of "how could God let that happen" but a statement of "wow, we need a savior". And God sent us just that. Your salvation is so important, this world of darkness can easily consume you, and now we must cling on the the Promise. The promise for redemption, forgiveness, and for salvation. Life here on earth is but a breath, our eternal life awaits us. Let it be on Heaven, let it be in a place of no pain, no darkness, no monsters.

I can't wait to share my first Christmas as a mommy with my family and sweet baby girl. Rejoicing in everything that Christmas truly stands for!

"O holy night!

The stars are brightly shining

It is the night

Of the dear Savior's birth!

Long lay the world in sin and error pining

Till he appear'd and the soul felt His worth

A thrill of hope

The weary world rejoices

For yonder breaks

A new and glorious morn!

Fall on your knees

Oh hear the angel voices

Oh night divine"

6 months of Macy

6 Months! Wow, I know I say it every month- but where does the time go? I feel like I also say this every month, but I think this is one of my favorite ages so far. She is learning so quickly, full of personality, and I feel like I'm finally really in-tune with her needs. Love my precious girl!

Sitting up unsupported like a big girl!

Weight: Macy girl weighs exactly 18lbs. I was shocked to hear she has remained right in the 50th percentile. I was convinced my little chubster would be off the charts.

Happy happy girl

Height: 29inches long. This was off the charts! No wonder we are having trouble squeezing her in to her jammies at night!

She seriously cracks me up.

Clothing size: We just started buying 9 month jammies, but I think we aren't going to buy anymore and go straight to the 12 month size. Otherwise she still fits in her 6 month onesies and wears 6-9 month clothing in everything else.

Diaper size: Still wearing size 2 diapers (which goes up to 18lbs). Size 3s are up next as soon as we finish these size 2s that we have.

Feeding/Sleeping: We have started Macy on fruits and veggies this month- which she loves. We got a Beaba Baby Cook that makes making food SO EASY. It steams and purees the food all in one. All we have to do is peel and chop whatever we throw in it.  Our freezer is overflowing with frozen bananas, apples, carrots and sweet potatoes. As far as her feeding schedule goes- I nurse her every morning when she wakes up around 6:30-7, she eats breakfast (cereal and fruit) around 8:30, a 6oz bottle around noon (my sitter usually feeds her lunch too -she loves to feed this baby), another 6oz bottle around 4, dinner at 7 (cereal and veggies) and then a bottle or nurse right before bed. So 4 bottles/nursing a day plus food. Doc says that's right on track.

Her sleeping has vastly improved too. We have been able to get her down to 2 solid naps a day. She usually wakes up around 7 every morning and goes back down for her morning nap around 9:30-10 and sleeps for 2 hours. Her second nap of the day is usually around 2:30-3 and again, she sleeps for 2 hours. After dinner at 7 we usually give her a bath, give her last bottle and put her down by 7:45-8. By that time she is ready! She could be wide awake but does not complain at all when I lay her down. Sometimes she goes right to sleep, sometimes she plays for a little bit and falls asleep within 15 minutes. She is the easiest baby to put to bed at night ((knock on wood)). Naps are hit and miss. Sometimes I can just go up stairs and lay her down without a whimper, other times she cries so I pat her butt for a bit, and if all else fails I pick her up and rock her for about a minute before I lay her back down.

She is such a good little eater. She literally keeps her mouth open like this the entire time. I can't help but laugh!

Milestones: Besides trying new food, her biggest new trick is sitting up unsupported. But we are always near, because she topples over easily. She also army crawls across the floor and will get up on her hands and knees and rock back and forth really fast. Its super cute. She has also started making new sounds with her mouth. She has always made "Ah" and "Wah" noises but this month she has started making "Bah Bah" noises too. It's pretty much adorable. Like everything else she does.

Loves her bath time!
(not a huge fan of this seat - but it was $40 so I feel like I have to get my money's worth out of it)

Loves: We got her a "Johnny Jump Up" and this kid could spend HOURS in it. It is hilarious to watch her in it. She still loves her activity center and playing with toys. She also loves to grab on to Peyton's fur and pull her down to the ground. Surprisingly, Peyton just lets her maul her.

Bonding with her sister.

Dislikes: I'm going to have to put being tired on this list again. She definitely needs her rest. We've also experienced her first head cold as well as signs of teething this month. Neither of those have been fun.

First Thanksgiving! We let her have a tiny bite of mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie!

Adventures: We took her down to Nashville which was a blast. She is a pretty good littler traveler. And we love the opportunity to make memories with her.

Happy and healthy... we are so blessed!

What we couldn't live with out: This list hasn't changed much this month either. She loves her activity center and jump-up. We love her sound machine and we can't forget her paci!

Dear Sweet Macy Jane-
It was only 6 short months ago that I held you in my arms for the first time. I had no idea how to be a mommy, but you have taught me every step of the way. You are so sweet and light up any room you are in. Everywhere we go we get stopped by strangers commenting on how beautiful you are, and you always smile at their compliments. You love to explore things with your little fingers and put anything you can find in your mouth. You whimper when you are tired but a little cuddle time with mommy and you go right to sleep. You love to eat and aren't picky at all. If you are fussy all we have to do is go run errands and you are a happy girl. You love to look around at people and buildings. I can tell you are going to be a smart little girl. Your doctor told me that you are reaching milestones that 9 month old babies reach and that you are absolutely perfect. I told her that I agreed. My favorite sound in the entire world is your giggle. Sometimes you think you are so funny, and it almost seems like you are trying to get me to laugh at you. You skin is so soft and you are my little chunk-a-munk. I love your little rolls and love to blow raspberries on your tummy. Thank you for being the missing piece to our family's puzzle. You make getting up in the morning exciting each day. I can't wait to get you up out of your crib each day and give you a thousand kisses every morning. I love being a mommy and my heart is truly overflowing with a love I never knew existed.
Happy 6 months baby girl! I can't wait to see what the next 6 months brings!
Love, your mommy



Our First Family Roadtrip

This last weekend we took our first "real" family road trip down to Nashville, TN. I was born in Nashville, and have a lot of family strewn through middle and east Tennessee, so I always look forward to visits to the capital of country music.

Hopped in the backseat on the way down - she loved that!

Kyle at the wheel. It was weird riding in the back!

My cousin Allison is recently married and a mommy-to-be so we were excited to go visit her and her new hubby. I would have to say the hardest part of preparing for the trip was figuring out what to pack for Little Miss. I didn't want to over pack, or forget something we really needed- but I  must say, I actually think we brought the perfect amount of things. For entertainment we brought a blanket and toys and her johnny jump up. We also brought her Bumbo that has a tray on it to feed in her in, her pack and play, our monitor and her sound machine too.

Saturday we went out to eat for breakfast in a cute little area near Vanderbilt University then headed to Opry Mills outlet mall to walk around. Later that night we grabbed yummy pizza and watched Notre Dame go 10-0.. Go Irish!



Ally and I at lunch

Little Miss helping her daddy pick out something to eat

I was so proud of my little bug, she slept great both nights in her pack and play. And even slept until 7:30 Sunday morning (which would have been 8:30 Indy time!) We put her in the empty spare room with a sound machine and monitor. I am not a fan of sleeping in the same room as her because I feel like we would have to go to bed when we put her to bed (at 8pm) and I'm sure we would be waking each other up (us and her) between all the noises we make. So sleeping in her pack and play, in an empty room, was the way to go!

Auntie Ally at 23 weeks with cousin Jackson!

My cousin Tonja and her family drove in from Knoxville to visit with us as well. Her dad, my dad, and Ally's mom are all siblings. It has been fun growing up with them and sharing life together through out the years. Kyle and I have always said we "want to be parents like Tonja and Steve". Their two boys are well rounded, love to play outside, don't own a cell phone or a game system! They can hold a conversation with you and aren't constantly glued to an electronic device. Model parenting right there!

Took Macy on her first Carousel Ride at Opry Mills



She absolutely LOVED it!

On Sunday we headed down to Franklin, TN, which might be the cutest town I have ever been in, and walked around and grabbed lunch before we hit the road. Tonja was sweet enough to capture a couple of pictures of us that I just love to death.

The two loves of my life in Franklin, TN

Overall, our first family road trip was a success! Macy did great, although 5+ hours in the car may be her max at this point, and it was so nice to escape the daily nuances of homework and housework.

Just us 3. Not a worry in the world.

(( Have to say though-So glad we are FLYING to Texas over Christmas. We had debated driving and now I know that would have been miserable))

So very grateful for this special angel. God is good!!

5 Months of Macy

Once again, I am amazed at how quickly Little Miss is changing, growing, exploring and learning. Literally, before our eyes in a matter of a couple of hours she is learning new things every day.

Always full of smiles

5 Month Stats:

Weight: According to our home scale tonight, she weighs 18 lbs! She is solid as a bag of bricks!

Height: I have no idea... But she is long! We will find out at next month's appointment

Clothing size: 6 months in Carter's that just fit, and some 6-9 months too.

Favorite new trick

Diaper size: 2 - Poor girl, finally upgraded her to a bigger size. We get diapers from Amazon and had a ton of size 1s I was determined to use. (Imagine low rise, bikini cut diapers) I never claimed to be mom of the year...

Feeding/Sleeping: Eating about the same- nursing/bottle every 3-4 hours and cereal at night. Our sitter feeds her cereal in the morning too. This month we are going to get together and make a bunch of baby food to freeze. Something I'm convinced I can't do on my own because I literally don't know how to "steam" fruits and vegetables. And that's step 1. The week after I bragged about Macy sleeping at night she turned around and started waking up again. I've learned that it goes in about 1-2 week cycles of good sleeping/bad sleeping. And this has been confirmed by lots of other mommies too. As of this week, she is going down about 7:30-8 and sleeps until about 6:30-7, with the occasional intervention around 4am. Because she is so active she has been flipping herself over from her stomach to her back in the middle of the night -so every once in a while we have to go in there, flip her on her tummy and pop in her paci and she goes right back to sleep. Not ideal, but I think she's doing pretty good. Plus, now that she is going down earlier we have a couple hours each evening to hang out, do housework, or whatever we want! It's nice.

Excited to celebrate our first Halloween!

Milestones: Her new name is miss Rolly Polly! She has mastered the back to stomach roll this month and now rolls and rolls and rolls. She also squirms and scooches towards toys or shiny objects, and mostly our cat Peyton. I think she loves the feel of her soft fur, and luckily Peyton is very tolerant of Macy tugging and pulling at it. She can also grab and pick up anything, if I give her her paci she can put it in her mouth every time, and likes to gnaw on stuff. Between the drool and the gnawing, I'm pretty sure she's teething, but there is no teeth popping through yet.

Loves: Talking, her activity center, being tickled. She has also found her feet which may be her favorite new toy!

Fun in the activity center! (we still have to put a pillow under her feet to prop her up)

Dislikes: Being too tired. Which is pretty much the only time we get a fussy baby. She is also starting to show signs of separation anxiety, like whenever we go somewhere she hasn't been recently she seems scared for the first 20 minutes. It's so weird, and because I'm a mean mommy, it cracks me up.

Adventures: First pumpkin patch adventure -love starting new traditions!

Fun at the Zionsville Country Market

What we couldn't live with out: The activity center, our sound machine (she is very sensitive to sounds- always wants to know what's going on) and pacis of course.

And now a look at my busy 5 month old and why it is impossible to take a picture of her!

The 31 Day Challenge

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well"
-Matthew 6:33

As a new mommy I have found it hard to balance everything. Balancing being a good wife, a present mommy, working full time, school work, and unfortunately- my time with God has suffered as well. In the past, I have found that consistent time alone with God (lovingly dubbed TAWG) keeps my life on track- spiritually, emotionally, relationally, and physically. Over the course of the past couple years I have been involved in some sort of bible study, discipleship or marriage group that has given me structure and "homework" that keeps me on track. Since having Macy I haven't been involved in a group and I haven't been good about carving time out to spend in devotional. I feel like I have a strong praying life and this summer Kyle and I made a commitment to pray together every single night before bed, which I love. But my actual time alone with God, in his Word, has suffered. When my time is inconsistent I feel like my life reflects it. My convictions become more loose and I become my own God (by trying to control my life and the happenings with in it).

Thankfully, this last week I started back with my original discipleship group and have women(friends) to help me stay accountable in my time in the word. The three of us are all in similar places in life (one of which just had her first baby this summer too) and have known each other for awhile now, allowing for deeper conversations and openness.

This week we kicked off the "31 Day Challenge" where we were given a list of 31 verses and asked to get in the word every single day. Ideally it would be enough time to pray, meditate over the verse, and answer a couple questions. The key would be no distractions, (TV off) and in an environment that would foster talking with God and being able to hear what he is laying on our hearts.

I could not be more excited about this! I am looking forward to my TAWG and to see how He is working in my life. I know that it will make me a better wife, mommy, friend, etc. I recognize that I am unworthy, and that I fail daily -but I've got renewal and a fresh start every single day. For this I'm eternally grateful!

A day in the life

I want to capture what my life looks like right now as a new mommy, full time nurse, and part time student. I've seen this type of post on several blogs before and I thought it would be neat to write one, especially to be able to look back at it one day. To do "A day in the life" properly, I need 2 seperate days. One of what a day looks like when I am home, and one when I am working.

A day I am working (every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday):

6am- Kyle's alarm goes off, I am typically annoyed and keep my eyes closed pretending to be sleeping. He"quietly" gets up and gets dressed and heads off to the gym/work.

6:45am- My alarm goes off. Wasn't it just 6am? I quickly get dressed in scrubs (so glad I don't have to pick out an outfit) and do my hair/makeup. At this time I usually hear Kim, our sitter, let herself in and get settled downstairs.

7am- Macy starts to stir and I go in her room to wake her up/ feed her. I quickly nurse her then Kim comes upstairs to burp her and get her dressed for the day.

7:30am- I grab a bite to eat (usually peanut butter on a slice of bread) and head out the door for work. I only have a 10 minute commute which I love! I have to get there a little early so I change in to OR scrubs.

8:00am- Clock in and take care of patients for the next 10-12 hours.

8:30pm- Get home. Macy may or may not already be down for the night. I eat a small dinner and cuddle with the hubby on the couch watching TV.

10:30pm- Get Macy from her crib and do a quick "dream feed". (Hoping to drop these soon!)

10:45-11pm- Pass out in bed! Say our prayers, kiss each other, and never look back.

A day at home with the babe:

6am- Once again, Kyle's alarm goes off and I am wishing it wasn't. I need to sleep!

7am-ish-Macy starts making noises in her crib that wake me up. I usually let her lay awake for at least 10 minutes in the morning so she can get used to entertaining herself in her crib. I am still drifting in and out of sleep at this pont.

7:30am- Go get her up, change her diaper, and bring her in to my bed to play for a little bit, while mommy struggles to keep her eyes open. She usually just lays there and talks to herself for awhile.

8am- Feed the babe. Get her dressed for the day, get myself dressed as well. Typically yoga pants and a tshirt. Who have I got to impress?

8-10am- Bring Macy downstairs and put her on her playmat. Give her tons of toy options and make myself some breakfast. (Usually a bowl of cereal) Once she gets bored on her playmat I get on the floor with her and we work on her rolling and sitting up skills. Once she starts to get fussy I know play time is over.

10-10:30am- Lay Macy in her crib for her morning nap.

10:30-12p- I try to catch up on homework and housework while Macy sleeps. Lately I've been avoiding my treadmill workouts that I used to do at this time. Once everything is cleaned and accomplished I usually veg out on the couch watching TV until Little Miss wakes up.

12p- Macy wakes up from her nap and I feed her again. If we have errands to run this is usually when we do. Or we go on a walk, or we just do some of the same things we did earlier this morning. Play on the floor and work on our exercies.

3p- Macy finally is worn out and goes back down in her crib for a nap. This nap is usually shorter.

4p- She is back up and ready to eat. I feed the babe and Daddy usually gets home around 5. We all hang out, talk about what we want to do for dinner and lounge around, catching up on each other's day.

6ish- Macy lays down for another shorter nap. Kyle and I make a final decision on dinner, which usually requires him going out to pick something up (like Qdoba or Subway)

7p- Like clockwork she's back up and ready to eat. I feed Macy cereal and nurse her, give her a bath and put her in her jammies. Then more play time to wear her out.

8:30ish- Macy starts to get fussy so we lay her down in her crib and then watch some TV and relax. I will make lunch for the next work day and clean bottles/breast pump stuff, pick up all her toys, and any other sutff laying around the house.

10pm- Go upstairs and get ready for bed. Teeth brushed, jams on, lay in bed for a little bit struggling to keep to my eyes open. Like I mentioned before, hopefully we can wean the dream feed soon.

10:30- Get Macy and bring her in our room for a dream feed. Kyle is most likely asleep by now so that doesn't help. Lay her down right away afterwards.

11ish-pm- Crawl back in bed, wake up Kyle for our nightly prayer and quickly fall asleep! Zzzzzzz!

There it is. A day in the life.

After going over our typical day when I am home, I realize there is definitely room for improvement! My two biggest imporvements would be to work out while Macy takes her long morning nap. And to make dinner while she takes her evening nap. I never know what to make, therefor to don't know what to buy at the grocery, therefor don't have anything in the house when it comes time to fix something. Looks like I'll be going to the grocery this weekend!

4 Months of Macy

After reading over Macy's 3 month stats I can't believe how much has changed! Likes, dislikes,  and feedings have all evolved so much even in one month. This month has FLOWN BY, probably because I am back at work, but man - I would like time to slow down a little bit!

Happy Girl. September 24, 2012

4 Month Stats

Weight: 15lbs 7oz (50-75th percentile)

Height: 26 inches (95th percentile)

Clothing size: Some 3-6 month clothing, depending on the brand... But mostly 6 months (definitely in Carters) She is a long baby!

Diaper size: 1

Feeding: We have officially started on cereal! Macy's pediatrician told me that the new guidelines are to wait and start babies on cereal at 6 months. I contemplated this for a couple days, then decided that I am the mommy and I think my baby is ready for cereal- for a couple of reasons. A- She is taking an 8 ounce bottle for my sitter every 4 hours when I am working... 8 ounces! B- She had been sleeping through the night like an angel (10p-7 or 8a) then BAM out of nowhere she was waking up several times through the night. Also, the reason the new suggestion is 6 months is to promote breastfeeding... And Macy is a great nurser. She has zero issues with it and I just didn't feel like adding cereal was going to change that. And furthermore I had heard that if they weren't ready they wouldn't eat it. So last week we tried it.. AND SHE LOVED IT. She couldn't get enough. She was literally grabbing the spoon and shoving it in her mouth to the point of gagging herself. That night (and every night since) she has gone back to sleeping through the night. At this point we are still only doing cereal at night, around 7, and nursing/bottle feeding her every 3-4 hours during the day while she is awake.

First time trying cereal -YUM YUM!

Milestones:  Sleep! Sleep! Sleep! Besides a brief couple days last week (before cereal) Macy has been sleeping like a champ at night. We have also found out that she is a belly sleeper. Our sitter discovered this when Macy wasn' taking good naps for her while I was at work (even in her swing). So one day she just laid her on her tummy and she took a 2 and half hour nap. So now, all of her naps are in her crib on her tummy. She takes two to three 1.5-2.5hr naps each day. She hasn't slept in her swing at all. It is so nice to be able to lay her down in her crib, usually awake, and she can drift off to sleep and stay alseep. It has really freed me up during the days to get a lot more accomplished! Just this week we decided to go ahead and lay her on her tummy at night too since she is so strong- and she slept like a little angel as well.


Sometimes sleeping on her stomach leads to weird positions like this one.  

Loves: Toys! She loves exploring things with her little fingers and mouth of course. She sucks on her paci clip holder all the time. She also loves looking at herself in the mirror. It is probably the cutest thing ever. Every time I hold her in front of the mirror the moment she notices herself she gasps and then starts laughing and flirting with herself. I die.

One of her faves

Dislikes: Believe it or not, we can (almost) remove tummy time off of the dislike list! She has become a master roller from tummy to back, so that helps alleviate her hatred towards it.

Adventures: Mom and dad had our first overnight adventure away from baby. Macy did great and because she sleeps through the night now I was a lot less worried about her.

Mom and dad's first night away!

What we couldn't live with out: Toys, her play mat, and cute jammies! Now that we are out of the swaddle jammies have become an official part of the wardrobe now, and oh my goodness- jams are so stinking cute!

No more swaddle for me! I love my jams!

Growing Growing Girl!