Saturday, November 20, 2010

A Weeks Worth of Gratitude

Well here it is over a week later and I am just getting around to posting again. This last week has been very different and busy. I have started doing more than just take care of my child which has been refreshing but yet tiring as I balance my new life. This next week will hopefully be a much slower week as we take time to enjoy Thanksgiving with each other. I am looking forward to Aaron being off all but one day this week and getting to spend some uninterrupted time with our families as well. We are so very blessed!!
11/14~I'm grateful for our friends at Access church Asheville. It was such a joy to go back this week and share our son with them. We loved the warm welcome back we received and are thankful for the friendships we formed with the great people there.
11/15~I'm grateful for being able to drink Diet Coke again. As silly as it sounds I am glad to have this wonderful beverage back in my life again. As unhealthy as it may be I am glad to be able to enjoy it again. While I really did not miss it that much while I was pregnant I have certainly enjoyed it this week as a treat :) My goal is to continue to drink mostly water while enjoying my sweet Diet Coke as a treat.
11/16~I am grateful for heat. It has been getting cooler lately and I am so thankful that we have heat to keep us warm. I hope that the Lord does not allow me to take even these simple things for granted-there are so many who do not even have these luxuries.
11/17~On this day I am thankful for the life my grandmother lived. She had such a huge impact on my life and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to know her as well as I did. I love every moment we had together and miss those moments more than ever. I still struggle with not being able to introduce my son to her but am so thankful that she is no longer in pain. I'm thankful that one day the Lord will reunite us together in heaven. Happy 2 year home coming Grandmother!
11/18~I am thankful for the Lord's financial provisions. While we are not wealthy we have been blessed far beyond our deserving. We have come many times during our short marriage to wonder where the money is coming from or wonder how we are going to make ends meet but yet the Lord has been so faithful to provide not just our needs but so many of our wants as well. I pray that we always remember we are simply stewards of what is His and that we always recognize His provisions for us.
11/19~Today I am thankful for weekends. I am thankful for the layed back and relaxed relief that comes with Friday afternoons. I love that my sweet husband comes home on Friday afternoons and that we have two whole days to spend as a family. Even though I dont work outside the house any longer I still love and treasure weekends.
11/20~I am so thankful for my "sister" Abby! Words cannot express what she means to me. I am thankful that nine years ago the Lord brought us together. I am thankful that she has been there for me through the thick and the thin. We enjoyed our college days together, we were in each others weddings, we traveled together both short trips and abroad---I could go on and on trust me. She is wonderful. She truly is a blessing in my life!
11/21~I am thankful for naps. I have always loved squeezing in the occasional naps but they are especially special to me during this newborn phase when sleep is only coming in spurts during the night.
11/22~I am grateful for the internet. I love staying connected with family and friends. I love being able to catch the latest news and information from both family and friends as well as whats going on in the world around us. I am thankful for email and sites like facebook. I also love reading blogs~having both a place to record my own thoughts as well as keep up with family and friends.
11/23~I am thankful for our fireplace insert. Aaron has worked so hard over the past year to accumulate wood for us to use this winter. While we have baseboard heat in the ceiling it is expensive so we use our fireplace insert as our primary source of heat. It is so nice to have a more affordable way of keeping our family warm. We also love that we can have heat regardless of whether or not the electricity is on :) Plus who doesnt like to have a fire going?
11/24~Today I am thankful for the health of our son. We took him to the doctor today and he is doing so well! He is gaining weight like a champ (now up to 8 lbs 9 oz) and has grown almost two inches since he was born. We are so blessed.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Thank you God for Chrysalis

Chrysalis always has and always will have a special place in our lives. I am grateful that God chooses to meet us there. I am grateful for all of the amazing things that happen in our lives and the lives of others there. I am grateful for all of the wonderful people that come together to share the love of Christ. Today we had the privilege and joy of taking Jeremiah for the first time to Chrysalis. It was so special to share our son with this very important aspect of our lives. We loved introducing him to our friends. We even took a picture so that we will have a chance to share with him later about his first time at Chrysalis.

Friday, November 12, 2010

I was doing so well

I was doing well keeping up with my days of gratitude until this week. Sad since we arent that far into the month yet. Oh well. The good thing is my son is well fed and happy, not that my blog has been updated. I'm going to make tonights post quick since I'm tired and we have a busy weekend ahead of us.
11/10 I'm grateful for my meals our friends/family have prepared for us in this new season of our lives. It has been so nice to focus on our son and not what we need to do about food.
11/11 I'm grateful for the time I had with my grandmother and that she is now with Jesus and no longer suffering. There have been times where I catch myself wanting to introduce her to Jeremiah and I find myself thinking about her a lot during this season since it is close to her birthday, the day she passed away and also the holidays which were so big for our family. And while I get sad for a few moments I cant help but be grateful for the many years we had together.
11/12 I am grateful for cameras and the blessing of capturing memories. Words cannot describe what having pictures of my family and friends means to me. I love having both the important events and the daily moments captured for us to look back on.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Lovin where we live

Today I am so thankful for the beautiful area in which we live. I love living in the mountains of Western North Carolina. I have visited many places in the world, many of them very amazing and wonderful but nothing compares to home in my heart. I love fall in the mountains. God just shows off in amazing displays of color.
I also feel very blessed to live in the neighborhood where we live. We are definitely the youngest around yet I wouldnt trade it for anything. We love our neighbors and the connections that we are forming with them. They are excited about us being here as well. It is sweet to have people tell you they are glad you are around and hope that you have no plans to leave. So many of our neighbors have come over to meet our son and seem really excited to have a baby in the neighborhood. It is neat to see them be so excited about him :).
We took Jeremiah on his first neighborhood walk today. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed taking him out, enjoying the warm weather and introducing him to a few more of our neighbors. I look forward to many more walks around our neighborhood with him in the future.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Yesterday and Today

Today I found myself very grateful for our church families and my hard working husband. Yesterday we went to the birthday celebration service for New Covenant Church. It was a great service and was a blessing to see where the Lord has brought the church over the past 33 years. I am grateful that the church has recently added a crying babies room where nursing mom's can go and have a private place to nurse and care for their babies. I missed that yesterday when we were at the community college and I needed to nurse. I love the people that make up the church. Nothing compares to the love of those Christian brothers and sisters. We have really appreciated all of the love, meals, prayers, etc our Christian family has given us. I am grateful for the teaching and worship we receive through our church. We are very blessed to have found a place where we feel God move and where we feel we can begin to connect and grow.
I am also very grateful today for my hard working husband. He has been such a blessing to me since we got married. He has encouraged me to stay home and does not complain about having to get up and go to work. He works so hard to provide each and every day for our family. Even when he comes home he keeps up with household work, especially the harder outside work. Since the birth of our son he has been amazing at getting food ready for me and keeping the kitchen clean. He has also stepped up and takes care of his son (esp. diaper changes) when needed. Thank you Lord for blessing me with such an amazing husband!!!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Grateful for rest

My heart overflows today. I am so grateful for lazy restful days with my family. Today the three of us spent time snuggling together in the bed. Now we are not a cosleeping family but occasionally we do pull our little man in the bed for some extra snuggle time. This morning was so perfect. We got a few pictures of him outside in the first "snow" of the season and then went right back and crawled up in the bed together. Hours later we managed to get up and make it to the living room for more lazy day moments together. It is nice to have lazier days where we can just enjoy each other and catch up on much needed rest together. I love pajama days, especially with my sweet family!

On a side note: I am getting super excited about the holidays. We have nearly all of our shopping completed. I am looking forward to enjoying the holidays with our son this year. While he will be too little to grasp anything related to the holidays I am looking forward to having the stressful parts over with so that I can enjoy being with family and all of the sights, smells and sounds of the holidays.

Friday, November 5, 2010

First Friday Club

A couple of months ago the women on my dad's side of the family started the "First Friday Club". Basically they just wanted to get together once a month. I am grateful for these opportunities to spend time with my family. It is nice to see everyone outside of holiday functions. This month we went out to eat and made sure that everyone had updated address books and birthday calendars. This month was also special because Jeremiah went with me. It was wonderful to introduce him to more members of my family and watch everyone love on him.
Now I'm back home and ready to snuggle up with my boys :)

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Grandparents and Great Grandparents

Today I am grateful for family, especially our grandparents. It has been such a joy for us to introduce Jeremiah to his grandparents and great grandparents. I have always been close to my grandparents and there is a special joy that comes with introducing them to my son. I love watching the joy on their faces and hearing/seeing them love on him. It is awesome for me to know that he will at least have the pictures to look back on but even more exciting that he will have the chance to know them during these first years of his life.
Today my grandfather and his wife drove up from Atlanta to meet Jeremiah. We enjoyed watching them hold him and snap pictures of him. Thus far Jeremiah has had the opportunity to meet all of my grandparents who are still living. Hopefully in the coming months we will be able to introduce Jeremiah to Aaron's grandparents.
Overall we look forward to Jeremiah growing up with all levels of family around him. We love living fairly close to everyone and the opportunities he will have to grow close with his family as he grows.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

In a week and a half...

In a week and a half:

*I have given birth to a beautiful baby boy.

*Missed my pregnant belly and the flutters within more than once.

*Stared at my son for HOURS and wondered how I ever lived without him.

*Fallen even more in love with my husband.

*Dropped over 20 lbs.

*Fit back into a lot of my prepregnacy clothes (just in time as it is getting colder and my maternity clothes were all summer clothes)

*Had many uncomfortable places in my body.

*Marveled at the human body and how God designed us.

*Learned that sleeping in two to three hour stretches is not that bad.

*Found that meals from family and friends are absolutely the best blessing in times like this.

*Spent more time thinking about bodily functions than I ever thought I would.

*Discovered that my son has gained over a pound in a week

*Taken hundreds of pictures

*Only left my house a handful of times and most of those have been visits to the pediatrician's

*Discovered how wonderful the Moby wrap really is

*Enjoyed the simple pleasures of sleeping in my own bed, using nice toilet paper, and showering



I am amazed at just how much has taken place in this last week and a half or so.

Days of Gratitude

Last year I spent each day in November remembering things that I was grateful for. While my schedule is a little busier this November I thought it would be nice to try and do the same thing this year.
11/1~ I'm so grateful for my sweet husband. He has done so much for me over the last few weeks of the pregnancy and then through this first part of Jeremiah's life. He was such a pillar of support for me during labor and has not hesitated to do what has been needed for our son. I am grateful for all of the work he does to provide for our family. I am so very blessed that he goes to work each day to allow me the opportunity to stay home with our son.
11/2~ I am grateful for the safe and healthy delivery of our son. I am still in amazement of how labor and delivery went for us. It was much faster than I had imagined it would be. I am grateful that the Lord looked after each and every aspect of our hospital stay and care. I am thankful that the induction process went as it should and did not result in more medical interventions/procedures.
11/3~ I am so grateful for the blessing of staying home with my son. Before the birth of my child I often took the blessing of being able to stay at home for granted. Since his birth I have so deeply enjoyed the blessing of staying home and caring for our child. I love being able to meet his needs and learn new things about him each day. I love that I dont have to hand him over daily to someone else but that I can spend each day with him.