His Laugh

One of my favorite things about Kyle is that he chooses joy. I know that there can sometimes be  an inward battle going on, and that he works hard and is tired, but at the end of the day when he comes home, he chooses joy.

2 nights ago I wasn't feeling super well so Kyle slept upstairs so that he could help me with Jonathan during the night if I needed it. I went in the room to change Jonathan's diaper and our little man started crying louder than ever and of course woke Kyle up. Instead of being annoyed at his loss of sleep (he had to get up at 4) or rolling over and trying to drown out the noise, I just heard him start to laugh. He loves all the noises that our little boy makes and enjoys every moment with us... even at 2 in the morning.

Tracy Dodson Associates/ jandlphoto

I hope that whoever is reading this is catching onto a theme... Kyle and I have been SO abundantly blessed by friends and family through this pregnancy and birth of our little boy.

Last week Jessy Dodson took photos of our little man and I think they turned out fantastic! Look up Tracy Dodson Photography if you get a chance, and follow jandlphoto on instagram!

"How is being a mom?"

My younger sister sent me a text and asked me "How is being a mom?"... I told her it was the best and she wanted to know why.

Well I am only 2.5 weeks in, and so I am SURE I could answer this question a lot better later on, but so far here are some of the highlights...

1. I have the privilege to just be home and spend time with this little guy that I love and is mine to care for. Sure, I am exhausted! But once I look at him, it's like an energy boost.. and the Lord just gives me the grace to keep going.

2. Being a parent alongside Kyle is a huge blessing. Seeing how he has changed into a dad has been so sweet, and one of those things that I could never have had explained to me, it's just something you have to experience. It has grown our marriage, and our love.

3. Just being able to be home and function within my role is fabulous. I am SO thankful that the Lord has provided for me to be a stay at home mom.

4. Jonathan is so much fun! He makes silly faces and already has this cute little personality. I lose track of time just looking at him.

5. I guess it's the best because this is what I have been called to, and I get to fulfill that calling.

His most common faces in the fist 2 weeks

Blessed beyong measure!

Kyle, Jonathan, and I have been blessed beyond measure, both by our family and our church body. Every time we turn around someone is showering us with love. The Lord has filled so many needs through the church body.

A good friend and photographer, Amber came to bring us dinner, then went above and beyond by bringing Jonathan rainbow sandals (my favorite) and took newborn pictures of him! The pictures she took are now on my parents fridge and framed. They are also in his great-grandmothers home.

I was offered another photo shoot by some friends of ours. How precious to capture these moments. I will treasure them forever!

Even the younger friends at church couldn't wait to share in our joy and excitement!

Somehow I haven't captured any pictures with the Tracy family... probably because through this whole process they have been behind the scenes serving my entire family! We will be posting some pictures with our second family soon!

time with granddad, nanna, and aunt abigail

We were SO blessed to have my family here! Jonathan learned their voices and loved his time with them... So did kyle and I. We miss everyone so much.

Family time in the hospital

This picture was the one they used for his announcement at church. I was told there were cheers and applause from the congregation. How sweet is that!?!?

Kyle has mentioned over and over how blown away he is by the love my sisters have shown to us. He says it's crazy how they are as excited as if this was the first grand-child. It can almost bring him to tears... I agree, I have some pretty amazing sisters.

oldest grand baby, and youngest grand baby.

The Labor and Delivery story

(Warning! the next posts are all a catch up on Jonathan and our first 2 weeks. Prepare for baby overload! :) )

Well, I was finally induced on Friday, February 7. I had to all but beg to be induced and I am so thankful that we did. We discovered the my hypertension was worse than we realized, and took a bigger toll on my body than expected (some permanent loss of vision in my right eye and difficulty producing milk) However, I can truly say that I can see the Lord using it all to increase my dependence on Him.. as I am sure all of parenting will do.

Anyways... I labored for 24 hrs. and then we did a c-section. A couple of funny moments during labor.

1. They told me I needed an epidural to keep my blood pressure down ( much to my dismay, I didn't want one) I agreed to it, but was confused, and thought they were waiting to give it to me for some reason... so in the meantime I was in a lot of pain from the contractions. The nurse asked me if I wanted something for the pain, meaning the epidural, and I said "Yes! That would be wonderful! Do you have any extra strength tylenol?" .... she stared at me for a while as if I had lost my mind and then told me the weakest strength medicine they give is morphine.

2. After the morphine I was a little loopy and talked to kyle in my sleep... which really isn't that out of the norm.

3. I ended up getting the epidural.. and it was the easiest part of the entire process... Wow did the Lord answer those prayers!

Here are a few pics from our night in the hospital.

Kyle trying to sleep in the chair.... he wasn't very successful

I couldn't sleep... the contractions had just started and I hadn't agreed to the morphine yet

The beginning of contractions...

the 24 hr. mark

 

He is here!!!!

Oh! I do not want to forget how the Lord so kindly answered my prayers!! My Dad, Mom, and youngest sister made it just in time for us to have Jonathan! I so badly wanted them there when he was born, and they were! So were my oldest sister and brother in law, and younger sister Deb. (Jess couldn't make it and was sorely missed... but hopefully I'll be home with Jonathan in April! I missed the birth of her youngest baby, the first Nephew or Nieces birth I had missed and it was SO hard.. so I know how she feels) 

Right before they wheeled me away, my dad slipped back to my bedside and prayed with me. It was one of those moments I don't think I'll forget, ever. It meant the world to me. 

The waiting game

Kyle and I went in for a routine Dr appointment on Tuesday expecting everything to be status quo and found out I have pregnancy induced hypertension... Sounds scary and dramatic right? Its not. It's something that could be bad if not caught or monitored, but my doctor is all over it! My symptoms are there, however, not bad enough to induce labor, but bad enough to put me on modified bed rest. Basically I have been told to lay down most of the day and relax.

The symptoms include high blood pressure, headaches, blurry vision, a liver that isn't functioning properly, and a lot of swelling in the face hands and feet. There are more, but those are the ones I'm dealing with.

This is just one more time in my life where I get to wait on The Lord. To be honest the worst of it all is just being patient. I've basically begged the Doctors to induce me, but they have said to wait. ( and I can't even try all of those fun home remidies to induce labor since I'm on bed rest... I went on a 4 mile walk and wound up in triage the same night)

I am being forced to have a quiet heart and it is so good for me to see the depth of my impatience. I have a VERY patient husband, just one of his many incredible qualities. He is just as excited for me to go into labor, but he stays quiet as he takes care of me, and works on the house so it's ready for the baby, and works! He doesn't complain and keeps a happy heart. I'm learning a lot from him and can't wait for him to teach our son! .... If he'd just hurry up and get here! ;-)