Monday, December 17, 2012

True Hope

This morning it all feels so much more real. Watching the beautiful tiny faces and hearing their names...it's just so incomprehensible to actually fathom. I am sobbing thinking about the reality of waking up this morning and instead of getting your son or daughter ready for school, you pass by their empty room. I posted this video on Facebook yesterday not really thinking about that reality. I watched it again this morning just sobbing over it because even though my son is a 2 1/2 month baby, he is already so ingrained in our family. His presence brings such joy and we are so incredibly in love with him. It's hard to imagine him not being with us and a part of our family. We dream about his life and have been since we first knew we were having him- what will he look like when he's a toddler, what will his favorite subjects and sports be while he is in school, what will he be like as a teenager, where will he go to college, who he will marry and so many more things. I think about these things with hope, excitement, and anticipation and not once with the thought that they won't happen. Even as a Christian and knowing we aren't promised tomorrow, I don't think that way with my son, my nieces, my nephew, my cousins children, our friends sweet kids. But then horrifying tragedies happen like what happened at Sandy Hook, and you realize it isn't far from any of us.

 
Yesterday at church our pastor said that in the face of such a horrible reality, we must affirm three things.
1. Evil exists in the world
2. God is sovereign
3. God is good

This is displayed in all of scripture and is true today. Knowing that such a disgusting act is even possible we know that evil is very real. But because we know that evil is real, good must be real. There must be a moral author who has established what is good and what is evil. God is this author and has written the ultimate story on each of our hearts. And the truth is, we have evil in all of our hearts. That is why we need a perfect Savior who took upon every dispicable sin for us. He bore the weight of the black, ugly, hideous evil ever committed. He took it to the grave and rose again so someday we get to live with him in perfect peace. He did all of that because he loves us- so much. He knows our hearts- even the ugly parts- and he intimately passionately loves us and pursues us. He wants to wrap his loving arms around us and give us true peace.

So it's in times we must cling to Jesus because its in Him true hope is found. It's not found in more funding for mental health programs, increased gun laws, better security for schools...although those things must be discussed and aren't bad ideas, they aren't the answer. Jesus is the answer and until he comes back to restore true peace to the world, nothing can come close to solving problems that we have.

If you are reading and you have never known true peace that only Christ brings, please know that God longs to give you that perfect peace through Jesus. He wants to be the comforter to your heart. All you have to do is ask him...

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Two Months- Finished Post! :)

I am sorry that this post has been unfinished for over a week!  The blogger app on my phone won't let you save a post- it has to be published and I started this one and didn't want to lose it so I "published" it unfinished thinking I would get right back to it and that didn't happen.  Thankfully Gray can't read yet so he won't be able to be mad at me for not finishing his 2 month post. ;)

Two Months :)
Weight:  13 lbs 5 oz
Height:  24 1/2" long


I can't believe my sweet little butterball is 2 months already.  I love this boy so much it makes my heart ache sometimes.  His sweet little smile and happy demeanor bring such joy to our lives and our family is so enriched by his little life.  The second month of G's life was a great one!  He had his first smile fest, his first playdate with friends, his first road trip, he started sleeping through the night (hallelujah!), he met his cousins for the first time, celebrated his first Thanksgiving, and we started getting in a good little groove.  (Haha- well, as much of a groove you can be in with a baby.  I was just telling my sister the other day that as soon as you feel like you are in a good groove, things change.  That is just life with a sweet little bundle.)

 
I am sure many moms say this, but he is THE BEST BABY!  He is such a happy little guy and rarely cries.  We figured out last month that my eating chocolate was upsetting his little tummy so I cut that out of my diet and since that change Grayson seems much happier and I feel much better to not be causing a hurt tummy.  My sweet little angel really only has one time of day that he doesn't nap well in his crib which is from 5-7 PM but is content on mommy and daddy's chest, in his bouncer (we are borrowing a swing soon from one of my friends and I am hoping he loves this too), and in the carrier on me.
 
 


Grayson eats 6 times a day- 7, 10, 1, 4, 7, and a dreamfeed at 10 PM.  He is a little champion eater and can pretty much be done in 10-15 minutes.  Including eating time, he is awake for about an hour and then takes a two hour nap.  Sometimes he wakes up early from the naps and either has a burp that needs to be released or just has a little trouble going from one sleep cycle to the next.  I absolutely LOVE waking up now because one of my favorite things in this whole world is going in his room, taking off his sleep sack, watching him stretch his sweet little body, and then looking up at me and smiling the sweetest smile when I tell him good morning.  This literally happens almost every single morning.  It's almost like he's telling me, "It's so good to see you mom after sleeping 11 hours."

Yes, I am super blessed.  Grayson is sleeping through the night and has been since we got back from our Thanksgiving vacation at my parents house when he was about 7 1/2 weeks old.  After he eats at 7, we hang out with the little man until 8, sometimes reading from the bible and then put him to sleep.  I then go in at 10 and do a dream feed which he is pretty much asleep during and put him right back to bed.  Matt is amazed that he can be sleeping and eating at the same time, but it's this last feeding that makes it so that his little tummy gets just enough to then make it until 7.  I am a Babywise believer because I do think that the pattern of eat, wake, sleep during the day helps make it so that he sleeps through the night.  It's crazy because sometimes I think he is sleeping too much during the day but then he goes all night long too.    

 
Likes:
Daddy singing to me
The Hippapotomus Christmas Song & Circle of Life with daddy moving my hands and arms & making motions
Bathtime
Waking up and seeing my mommy's face
Doing the Florida State Chant (not kidding- he LOVES this)
When other people laugh (he laughs too!)
 
Dislikes:
When I wake up early from a nap
Having to burp but can't quite get it out
When I'm over tummy time
 
Oh Grayson, my sweet boy, YOU are loved beyond measure.  I can't fathom you not being in our lives and just thank the Lord so much because he gave us YOU.  It's amazing to me that God knew exactly who needed to be in our family and gave us you as that gift.  Always know how much your Heavenly Father loves you and has a purpose for your life.  Also know how much we love you and treasure you as our greatest earthly gift.  Your dad and I just said the other night if we knew that all of our children were going to be like you, we'd have 10 more.  (Although not really because mommy isn't cut out to be Michelle Duggar. ;))  You are mommy's precious angel and I am so thankful for you.  It's so fun to watch you grow and watch your little personality develop.  I am trying to treasure each day and soak it up because time is already going by so fast.  So keep growing but try not to let it happen at lightening speed, okay?  Mommy and daddy love you, angel bear.
 
 
 
 

Sunday, November 4, 2012

One Month!





Grayson is one month old!! We go for our one month check up on Thursday so I don't have his stats yet but he is growing like a weed and becoming a little chunk-a-munk. When we left the hospital, he was 7 lbs 14 oz and a week and a half later for his weight check, he was 8 lbs 10 oz! Our pediatrician was shocked and so happy and so was I at his growth! By week 3, he was pretty much busting out of his newborn clothes. I tried to make them fit as long as I could because it made me sad thinking about him outgrowing them, but it's a good thing to know he's growing & is so healthy.  :) Now he wears 0-3 and 3 month sizes and except for the length of the pants, pretty much fills them out! He wore newborn diapers until mommy ran out (they were getting a little snug anyways :)) during week 2. He went through a growth spurt during week 3 and I felt like I wasn't making enough milk for the little peanut. That week he had a time of fussiness at the end of the day and I truly think it was due to his little growth spurt. 





This month our sweet boy smiled for the first time! Some may not believe me, but the first morning we were on our own after both moms had left and daddy was at work, at 3 weeks old, I got up to feed him in the morning and laid him on his changing table and I got the sweetest real smile! It melted my heart and made my day! He also literally has been holding his head up since he was born and he gets stronger and stronger at it every day.  This month, he started following Matt and I with his eyes. He loves his daddy and sometimes when he gets a little fussy at night, I hand him to Matt and he instantly stops crying. What can I say...I love daddy too. ;)

We are very blessed with a great sleeper and mostly napper.  He eats every 2.5 - 3 hours during the day but goes 5 hours between feedings at night so I am really only getting up once at 4-4:30 AM in the middle of the night. Our last feeding before bed is 11-11:30 and wake time is 7-7:30 although this doesn't really count as true wake time thankfully because we both go back to bed. :) We are trying to follow the Babywise schedule of eat, wake, sleep and I would say we are doing pretty good. Some days are better than others, but for the most part Grayson is such a precious little angel and is just such a good baby.  He is so good at going right back to sleep at night which makes this mommy happy because I like to go right back to sleep too.  :)  Honestly, the middle of the night feedings are WAY better than being pregnant and waking up and staying up to pee and for no reason because I get to snuggle a sweet little body.  Also, thankfully once I get back in my bed I have NO problems whatsoever falling asleep.    


Sweet baby Gray really only cries if he's hungry, has to burp or poop, or is sleepy.  (That sounds like a lot but honestly he hardly cries at all in comparison to some babies...and usually if you fix the problem or help him "work it out" he's a happy little clam.)  We have had a couple nights where his tummy seemed to hurt him and it made me so sad.  I thought that it could either be something with my diet or reflux but it seems like this is getting much better over time and after reading what reflux really is, I don't think that's what he has at all.  Some days after his 6:30 PM feeding, he will fuss for a little bit but we just have learned what he likes- to be swayed from side to side, being held in front of a fan or in the bathroom with the fan on :), and praise and worship music. :)  He now calms down pretty quickly because we're getting into a groove and some nights he goes right to sleep after this feeding.  It's funny how the Lord keeps me humble because some days things are going so well and I'm like, "I got this" and other days Grayson changes it up and I'm crying not knowing what to do or what he needs.  It's pretty wonderful learning about our sweet baby, though, and I know that it is a daily process.  It also keeps me going to the Lord and asking for his help.
 

Grayson has been in our room for the first month of his life, but tonight (if we can muster up the courage :)) we are putting him in his crib!  I'll keep the blog updated on our progress with this. :)

Have a blessed Sunday! 

Friday, November 2, 2012

The Story of Sweet Grayson's Arrival: My Birth Story

During pregnancy, I always loved reading other people's birth stories and towards the end of my pregnancy, I just was just so desperately ready to know MY story.  

WARNING:  This is incredibly long.  I was going to do several parts but know that I am just not that efficient of a blogger to do that. I have been working on this for several weeks and it has taken me much longer than I thought!

Without further avail....here it is. :)


After trying pretty much everything to get him to come for weeks, Grayson just wasn't quite ready to come into the world yet. :)  I was drinking raspberry leaf tea, taking evening primrose oil, walking, doing the thing that married people do ;), eating spicy food, you name it....I tried it.  I am here to say that I don't believe any of those things actually work and that your baby will come when he is good and ready.

Anyways, Grayson's due date was Sunday, September 30th.  Matt and I were so hopeful and were both thinking that he would come the night of his due date because it was a full moon (which we later realized was actually the night before on September 29th) but to no avail, I woke up the next morning on Monday, October 1st and had a doctor's appointment bright and early at 8:00 AM.  We had talked with her the week prior about inducing soon after my due date because at my 39 week ultrasound, he was already measuring at 8 lbs 4 oz (which is EXACTLY what he weighed at birth!) and because I am not the largest person she really didn't want me to wait much longer which I completely agreed.  So we scheduled an induction for Wednesday, October 3rd at 5:00 AM.  I felt much better knowing that there was an end in sight, even though we had to coax our little muffin to come out. :)

The night before the induction was very surreal.  Even though we had waited and were SO ready to meet our sweet boy, it was hard to imagine how our lives would change forever the next day.  Matt was super sweet and said it was my night and we could do whatever I wanted.  So, we went for a walk, ordered yummy pizza, and relaxed in our bed playing games on the ipad together and watched a movie.  It was perfect.  I will always remember and cherish the last night we had when our family was just the two of us.  


We set our alarms for 3:30 AM and were off to the hospital by 4:30.  We settled in and I put on my pink and white polka dot gown that was the talk of the labor and delivery unit. :)  My sweet friend Sarah had let me borrow it and I am so glad I did because the gown that they wanted me to wear was pretty disgusting.  Okay, so not the point. :)  I had a super sweet nurse named Tracey who sadly was leaving at 7 AM, but she got things going for us.  She started me on pitocin and we waited for my doctor to get in and she was going to break my water.  The monitor showed that I was having contractions, but I could hardly feel them.  Dr. Arona, my sweet and wonderful doctor, arrived around 9:30 AM and checked me- I was at 2 cm and 70% effaced.  She broke my water which was the weirdest sensation ever!  It literally felt like I had peed everywhere and just kept peeing.  I felt like I was leaking for a while!  My doctor encouraged me if I wanted to walk around the hallways for a bit and that it might progress things a little faster.  I had to go off the pitocin in order to walk around and Matt and I walked for 45 minutes around the tiny halls and saw the same nurses and people.  It got a little old but we were high tailing it to try and make labor go a little faster.  I was having regular contractions at this point but they still weren't bad yet.  I would have to slow down a little when I had one, but didn't have to stop for them.  One nurse saw us and said that I should have gotten a speeding ticket for how fast I was going. :)  I was thinking, "Great!  I am going to be at like a 4 or a 5- I can feel it."  Oh how wrong I was! :)  We got back in our room and my nurse checked me to find I was exactly the same spot I was before but my contractions were less regular.  Back on the pitocin I was!  





My mom and dad arrived about 15 minutes after we got back into our room at around 12:30 PM and it was SO good to see them.  Matt and my dad went to Chic-Fil-A to grab lunch and my mom and I chatted except during a contraction when I had to close my eyes and deal with the pain.  I definitely started having MUCH stronger contractions at this point, but just felt like a wimp for getting the epidural when I was only at 3 cm.  My nurse came in at about 2:00 PM and said that it would take about 30 minutes from the time I said I wanted the epidural to the time I got it so just to keep that it mind and let her know.  Fifteen minutes later Matt was calling her on the phone telling her I was ready for it.  I looked over at him and told him I was sorry for getting it so soon, but he was the sweetest and said that I was doing such a good job and he was proud of me.  The anesthesiologist came in and administered my epidural around 2:45 PM and boy was I happy to see him.  I had to lean over pretty far and I remember him asking me if I was a gymnast because I was so flexible and could bend so far.  That made a huge pregnant woman feel pretty good but he probably says that to everyone. :)  Matt was in front of me and was there for me to squeeze his hands as the needle was going in.  I had a contraction right as the needle was being put in and freaked out because my nurse kept saying, "Whatever you do, just be as still as possible" butjust squeezed Matt's hand as hard as I ever had to make it through.  It took about 30 minutes for the epidural to make it's way everywhere, but when it did I was feeling good.  It's so awesome to watch your contractions increase and strengthen and not feel a thing.  I tried taking a nap but was woken up by two nurses coming in and frantically moving me from one side to the other and putting an oxygen mask on me.  Matt was sleeping on the couch-bed next to me and woke up to see me wearing an oxygen mask and several nurses in our room. He was out of it and in his sleep induced state looked really worried and said "Is everything okay??" Thankfully, I had an epidural at this point and didn't feel a thing because apparently my body is crazy and I had a 4 minute long contraction that little Gray baby didn't like so his heart rate dropped and stayed down for several minutes. I was so thankful to the nurses who were monitoring him even when they weren't in the room because when they rushed in that was a very scary moment. Grayson's heart rate came back up and was stabilized but I needed the oxygen mask on for he next half hour. 

After that scare, my mom and dad came back in the room after being in the waiting room for a while to let me sleep.  The nurses took me off the pitocin and thankfully I didn't have to go back on because my body really took over naturally and my contractions were regular and looked intense. I was checked again around 6 pm, after 12 hours of labor, I was only at 4-5 cm. I tried not to be disappointed but inside I was very disappointed.  I started to get a fever and nauseous and was just tired and ready to meet my baby but felt like that was still so far away.  My mom and dad went out to get dinner and I got a new sweet nurse Dana. I felt more and more nauseous and I told Matt to get the nurse and that I needed something to throw up in STAT. Dana brought me the bag and pretty much as soon as she left the room, I got pretty sick. My sweet husband wasn't grossed out in the least and was there by my side. I didn't really know it, but getting sick meant my body was going through transition. Dana came back in and checked my fever and told me that I needed antibiotics to make sure my fever didn't turn into an infection and also asked if I wanted medicine to help with my stomach sickness. She added two bags to my IV and I felt like I was being pumped to the max with so many different things. She then said while she was in my room she was going to check me.  I tried not to anticipate anything but at this point I was pretty exhausted and so hoping I was at least a little bit further along than a 4. Dana's words were music to my ears because she said, "Girl, you are fully there!!" Oh my gosh I was SOOOO excited! I wanted to make sure I heard her correctly so I asked, "You mean I'm 10 centimeters??" She smiled and said that I was but I still had a small lip so she said that this would be perfect because we could wait for a little bit while my body did the rest of the work. At this point I learned some pretty interesting information. She preceded to say "I knew this was going to happen! Dr. Arona and I have another patient across the hall who is at a 10 and ready to start pushing." Matt asked her, "So you think it will be about an hour until we can start pushing?" and she said yes! I would be meeting our little man so soon and there was an end in sight!  My mom and dad came back right after we heard the good news and we were able to all share in the excitement! 

Fast forward an hour later and my doctor and nurse are still across the hall with the other woman. By this point it was about 10:30 and I was feeling veeeery ready to start pushing. I had Matt keep going in the hallway and every time he came back he would give me the thumbs down and say that she is still pushing and there is no baby yet. One of the thousandth times (it seemed) that he went out there he came back with a disturbed look on his face and said "She is saying she can't do it." Well to someone who feels as though my baby just might come out with one push that just wasn't working for me and I started to get frustrated with this chick I have never met and yelled, "Well tell her I CAN!!"  I was half joking, half serious but I tried to just remain patient and calm and pray that she would have her baby soon so I could have mine! About an hour later I told Matt I felt like I really needed to push and to go get someone! Dana kept coming in to check on me and she said that it wouldn't be much longer (yeah right- it had already been 2 hours!!) and she introduced me to the charge nurse who I could start pushing with. I tried not to get upset but this was pretty disheartening. Will this woman who is not friendly AT ALL actually be delivering my baby while another woman gets my doctor and nurse?? My doctor is seriously the sweetest, kindest, most encouraging and experienced doctor I know and I wanted to make sure that she would be delivering my baby, not some lady I just met. I think I said a little prayer just asking for God to work everything out according to his plan but I was really hoping his plan was for Dr. Arona to come in my room and deliver Grayson. So I started pushing with Mrs. Not Nice Nurse ( I honestly don't remember her name- that is horrible) and was doing some serious pushing. After every set my precious husband would say so sweetly "Great job babe! That was awesome!" and the nurse was silent. At one point Dana came in the room to say that the woman across the hall had her baby (hallelujah!!!!!!) and asked the nurse "How's she doing?" And she just nonchalantly said "Okay". I kind of wanted to kick her with my leg. Okay?? Just okay?? Lady I am pushing with all of my might and that's all you can say? Anyways, praise The Lord Dana told her pretty much that her work was done and Dana took over. She was so encouraging and said that Dr. Arona would be in very soon and we were going to have this baby! I looked at Matt and we were both relieved that things were going to work out. Dr. Arona came in and her smile along with her "How's my girl?" were just what I needed. Dana said I was doing awesome but the baby just wouldn't quite come out. He was right there but my even my hardest pushing just wasn't cutting it.  After an hour and a half of pushing, Dr. Arona said to me "I know we can get this baby out if I just make a small cut...are you okay with that?" I had heard about episiotomies and before would have not wanted one but everything in me said "Yes, that is fine! Do what you have to do!"  I was BEYOND ready!  Literally right after that, I pushed twice and my sweet baby boy, the little man we had prayed for and couldn't wait to see was on my chest. 

Everything was playing out differently though than I had imagined it because as soon as I saw his beautiful self, they whisked him away from me and I heard Dr. Arona call for a team of nurses. Five nurses come rushing in and started working on my sweet baby in the corner of the room. My heart sank. I didn't hear him cry. For two long minutes I didn't hear him cry. I was crying uncontrollably and looking over at these women working on Grayson who were yelling out things like "Pulse- zero. Appearance- one." I knew what that meant. They were doing his apgar test and I literally think most everything I heard were zeros. I remember I just kept crying and yelling "Why is he not crying?? Why is he not crying?" This is when my husband stepped in and with tears in his own eyes, became my rock. He looked at me and with such a calm voice kept saying over and over "He's okay. He's going to be okay." Finally I heard the most beautiful sound my ears had ever heard- his precious cry. Oh my tears were flowing at this point and I just praised Jesus. Even though none of the nurses answered me when I asked if he was okay, things were slowly becoming more calm and Grayson was crying more.  I was so out of breath and couldn't really catch my breath from the shock and Dr. Arona said "Sweetie, he's okay. I need you to breathe." Matt kept his eyes glued to mine and just calmly repeated "Breathe" and allowed me to calm down. One of the nurses said "Dad, do you want to come see your son?" and Matt went to look at him. He was grinning from ear to ear and I just couldn't wait until I could hold him. Finally the moment that I had been waiting for was here. My sweet boy was brought to my arms and as soon as I said "Hi" his little eyes looked right into mine. He knew me. This little person that God created perfectly that was half me and half Matt recognized my voice and knew I was his mom and was going to take care of him. The feeling is one I will never forget and one that brings tears to my eyes just thinking about. I instantly fell in love. I had already loved him from the moment I first found out about him but this was where everything connected. This is where I forgot the 20 + hours of labor and everything up to that point. This is when I look at my amazing husband and precious baby and just thank my Heavenly Father for blessing me so much. I later learned that Grayson's cord was wrapped around his neck and that his apgar score at one minute was a 1 but at 5 minutes was a 9, could have been a 10. Our God is so amazingly faithful and has a great plan and purpose for Grayson's life. I pray that our Father would pursue his little heart and guide us to raise him to know Jesus.  













Our little Gray baby is almost 1 MONTH old and I can't quite believe it.  On one hand, I can't remember what life was like without him and on the other, it feels like it's hardly been that long at all since he's been a part of our lives.  He's SUCH a sweet baby and life with him is pretty wonderful.  There have been a few trying moments, a difficult few things for me to get through like surgery and an infection afterwards, and times where I think, "What the heck am I doing?" but all in all, the Lord has richly blessed us with our precious baby and we just want to praise His name! 

I will be back to blog about my ONE MONTH OLD in a few days! :) 

Monday, October 8, 2012

Grayson is Here :)

Our precious baby boy is here!  

Grayson Patrick Garlich was born Thursday, October 4th at 1:38 AM. 8 lbs 4 oz and 20 1/4 inches.

We are head over heels in love.

Birth Story to come!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Nursery Reveal

 Well, I must say I have a new favorite room in our house.  

Our sweet little man's nursery is officially ready for his arrival. :)  It's exactly what I imagined in my head- sweet, calming, and happy.  I know it sounds silly for a room to be happy, but it really is.  This room wouldn't be what it is without my amazingly talented mom.

 While working full time, my wonderful mother made these beautiful, gorgeous drapes, and amazingly beautiful crib skirt.  We wouldn't have been able to afford these items if it weren't for my mom's talented and generous self.  She gave so much of her time and energy and I am so, so grateful and thankful for her. :)

 I wish the lighting was a little better but it's more true to life with the flash off so I kept it off.  The changing table and crib are Legacy and were a sweet hand-me-down from my cousin Katie.  Her two sweet kiddos are 7 and 5 and she was ready to part with them so I gladly welcomed them into our nursery.  They are beautiful & extremely well made.  
 
 We ordered the fabric for the bedding from Carousel Designs.  With my mom's help, I was able to design everything and it is even more custom made than I could have ordered on the website. 

 The shelves and frames are from Ikea and I made his little name banner out of burlap and extra fabric from the bedding. 

 The rocker/recliner was ordered from Amazon.  I tested it out at Babies R Us but it was much cheaper online and there was free shipping.  It is The Rockabye Glider and you can find it here.  The prints in the frames were free printables that I found on Pinterest.  The large frame in the middle has ABC cards and the one to the right says "I am a Child of God".  In the small frame I have yet to put a picture from our maternity photo shoot but that's what's going in there. :)  I have had the G for a long time and got it on sale at Pier One.  The lamp base is from Target and the shade is World Market. 


I can't WAIT for my precious man to come home from the hospital so he can come home to this room.  I have been having my quiet times in here and just praying that God would bless our son and his life.  I'm so excited to see his sweet little face and so thankful that the Lord has blessed us with his life. 

Monday, September 10, 2012

Nesting of the Heart

My poor husband....he comes home on his lunch hour and I am asking him to put up shelves in the nursery and install the car seat and put together the stroller and clean out the garage. I tell him, "I'm nesting and I feel like you are at the opposite end of the spectrum because you are so laid back about everything!! Don't you know the baby could come THIS WEEK???"

Oh goodness, when you step back from yourself sometimes you realize how ridiculous you are being. I am realizing I have been so caught up in physically getting everything ready for our son that I have neglected spiritually preparing my heart for this next chapter. I would be naive if I said I can totally prepare my heart and emotions for what is about to take place, but I feel God pricking my heart to slow down and spend time with him. I need to be less worried about shelves hung and more concerned with praying for our little man's heart and that we would shepherd it well, Matt and I's marriage and that we would seek the Lord through the trying, sleepless nights ahead, and that we would create a home where worshiping the King is our focus. I need to immerse myself in scripture so that when in a few weeks I sleeplessly stumble to Grayson's crib to pick his little self up for a middle of the night feeding, I can praise and worship the One who gave us our son.

Of course it's not a bad thing to have shelves hung in the nursery and a clean garage but if those are what my focus is on, I am missing out on what the Lord wants to show me through the birth of my baby boy.

Just some random thoughts for today. :) Happy Monday friends!