Feeling Good

Well, I have to say it has been easier healing up this time around.  I wasn't sure how that was going to go with having to take care of TWO kiddos.  I was in a lot of pain in the hospital, but I've felt pretty good the past couple of days.  I took this picture this evening.  The kids' room is pretty much a hazard zone for the time being.  BUT, do you see two of the most precious kiddos peacefully asleep?  :)

So with 2 kiddos sleeping peacefully, I will ignore the chaos for the time being.  :)

1 Week

Happy 1 Week Birthday Nathan!  We're so glad you're here.  You are bringing so much joy to us.

Beware of Needles

THE WORST BLOOD DRAWN JOB EVER!!!!!!!!

This is 4 days after I've come home.

Yes, both bruises are from having my blood drawn in the hospital.

The side of my arm is this lovely purple hue, and the inside has scarry swirls of yellow, brown, and purple.

Part of my battle wounds from Nathan Day.

Still totally worth it. :)

Nathan Joel Fanning

WE are so very excited to introduce you to our precious buddle of joy - Nathan Joel Fanning. He weighed in at 8 lb 1 oz., and he is 19 inches long. He almost had Natty beat by a pound, but Natty was an inch longer. Here are some of our favorite pictures of Nathan-Day!


Being induced wasn't as conveient as people make it out to be. Our appointment was at 8 A.M., but we were still at our apartment at 10 A.M., when we called in the morning and there were no beds. Finally arounid 10:30, we got the green light to head over to the hospital. I have to say, the drive there was weird. A lot different than when I was pregnant with Natty. First off, it was freakist driving to the hospital in labor, but that morning, it was even more freakist driving to the hospital NOT in labor - an eerie silence/calm.


We got to the hospital, got hooked up to all the machines, and the party got started. Surprisingly, I was already in labor, but wasn't feeling the contractions. I got to the hospital, was at a good 3 according to the nurse, and surprised her when I said I wasn't feeling any contractions.

Well, that good news ended after my water was broke and I felt a lot of labor - back labor. Yuck! I had a weird epidural that only numbed the left side - that felt really weird. But at 16:36, Nathan arrived! Overall, it was a very relaxed and calm day. Tim was awesome support, and above all, the Lord's hand was upon everyone who worked with us and has provided us with a healthy, handsome baby boy.

He was a tough guy! He did not want to cry for anyone! I wasn't thrilled about being induced, but the moment I saw him, I was just so thankful he was finally here. He is the most handsome baby I've ever laid eyes on, and I am so in love with my little man.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day...

8lbs. 1 oz. & 19 in. long

One Eyed Nathan

(inside joke from when Natty was born - we used to call her One-Eyed Natty)

Proud Big Sissy Natty. She LOVES to hold him and give him kisses. She is a FANTASTIC big sister.

Thankful Mommy

Proud Daddy (Twice Over!)

Last Night Before Nathan

Well, it is the night before we go in for our induction appointment tomorrow.  I think my nerves are pretty much shot.  I do not like anticipating things - so this is really just killing me.  Don't get me wrong, I want to see Nathan SO badly.  I just really had hoped to go into labor on my own.  Guess that is not part of the plan.  :)

I have been going crazy double checking, triple checking everything.  I know I cannot control everything, but I guess there is a small compulsiveness in me.  There is food in the fridge, diapers & milk for Natty, and I've checked and checked things again.  Agh!

Tonight was especially hard leaving Natty's bedroom.  Tonight was the last night I'll be able to cuddle with her for a while.  She only lets me lay in her bed with her, so I know when I put her to bed, it is really "our" special time.  I will be busy with Nathan and healing, but I will greatly miss it.  Our little Princess is growing up SO fast.  She has learned so much, and now gets to be a big sister.  I cannot be more proud of her.  :)

Well, if you think of us tomorrow morning, please keep us in your prayers.

• Pray that I will actually SLEEP tonight, peacefully.
• Pray that the induction process will be smoothly and Nathan will do well.
• Pray for a safe delivery and for Nathan to be healthy.
• Pray for Tim and Natty - as they'll be along without "mim-mee" for a night or two.
• Pray for Natty that she won't be too upset tomorrow morning when we leave and that she will have a blast with Grandma tomorrow.
• Pray that I will trust that whatever happens tomorrow is God's plan, and nothing will happen tomorrow that I will not be able to handle and endure.
  

Tomato Girl

John Waller

Read it, you'll really like this song.


John Waller - While I'm Waiting Lyrics

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Takeing every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

Excerpt from Weekend Devotion

Here are some highlights from Pastor Greg's Weekend Devotion I read this morning.  I hope it blesses your heart as well.

• Today, God primarily speaks to us through His Word. Therefore, the Bible is the bedrock of truth that we must measure all other truth by. We must not interpret the Bible in light of contemporary culture; we must interpret contemporary culture in the light of the Bible. It is the absolute.
• Psalm 1 tells us that the blessed, or happy, person meditates in God's Word day and night. This is something we all need to do in our lives. And as we search the Word of God, He will speak to us. When you read the Bible, you are disciplining and preparing yourself to think and act biblically.
• God has given us His Word, but we must look for His will. As you apply the principles of Scripture to your life, pray and ask the Lord to lead you. Nothing is too insignificant or too minute to pray about.
  
  As the Jewish proverb says, it is better to ask the way ten times than to take the wrong road once. 

   

I'm a Big Girl Now!

Well, Tim and I certainly feel Natty is! WE are so incredibly proud of her. She has gone in her potty consistently at least once a day for 5 days now. I cannot believe it.

She likes feeling like a big girl. We call her Pull Ups, princess panties, so she really like that - especially the one with Cinderella. She is such a girlie girl. =)

We've tried to keep her away from sweeties, so this week we decided to get her another DVD serious of Curious George when she gets up from her nap. I was so blow away that she went 3 times in her potty (once on her own) on Monday (I know, the things I get excited over now), that Tim and I decided she deserved soemthing special.

We give her lots of hugs and claps (because she knows good girls get claps), and she has been doing great! When she does her puzzles, she won't clap unless she matches the pieces and puts it in herself. If I show her or help her, she doesn't clap - how funny is that? Oh, and she can match (completely on her own) 50% of the alphabet now. She favorites seem to be V, W (worm), X, Y, Z (the bottow row of her puzzle), J, K, L, A, B, C, E, F, and O. She'll actually match a few more, depending on her mood, but she always matches these first. She knows the letters (by sight) B, O, X (so can I say she can spell box yet? lol), L, A, B, C, E, and F.

What a big girl we have. :) We are so blessed!

7/7 Has Come and Gone...

Well, well, well....  Today is July 8th, 2009.  I've made it a day past my #2 due date.  We'll see how much longer he is going to make Daddy and Mommy wait.  =P  Now I am exactly 1 week away from the original due date 7/15.

Well, in the mean time, I'll share some highlights of the week.

7/5 - Natty went swimming, loved the pool.  She didn't even want to be in her floaty.  Well, she WAS having a great time - until she got stung by a bee.  Thank the Lord she is not allergic.  We also bought Natty a potty chair.

7/6 - Potty training begins!  She went 2/4 times I prompted her, and she went once totally on her own.

7/7 - No Nathan, but Natty used her potty chair again - once.  It's still progress.

Highlight of the evening includes going back to Chick Fil-A for some more free food.  I've really liked not having to cook so far this week.  Tonight's special item is chicken nuggets!  Oh, yummy ranch, here I come!!!

My Big Girl

Natty is just a week and a half shy of being 20 months.  I am so glad I'm off track now, and get to spend time with her.  She has really been making leaps and bounds in her learning.  I've been off track for about a week going stir-crazy waiting for Nathan to arrive, so we've decided to tackle a "fun" project together.

POTTY TRAINING!!!

We actually just started today.  We picked out a "Princess" Potty Chair for her from Target.  Here are the "equipment" we've been using today.

 

  

 

She has been such a big girl.  She loves her "Princess" chair and her "Princess" panties (Pull-ups).  She has done really, REALLY well.  I really didn't expect anything of it until after Nathan comes.  BUT, she has gone TWICE today!  She went the 1st time I put her on within like 5 minutes into watching Curious George.  The next 2 times she wasn't interested.  Then she went again this afternoon.  She gets excited because the chair has as sensor that plays a tune when you go potty.  

Well, that is our BIG news for today.  Tomorrow is due date #2, maybe we'll have more news.  In the mean time, we're so proud of our Little Princess.

Whoops, a Day Behind.... =)

 This was my Pastor's devotion from Thursday.  A day late, but still, a very much needed reminder.  I'm a mommy to a wonderful toddler, and soon to be (when he decides he's ready) newborn.  Often I find myself barely able to get into God's Word.  Things that need to get done boggle me down.  The next thing I know it's time for bed.  However, none of these things excuses me out of being in my Bible and praying.  Otherwise, how else will I know how to be a godly wife to my husband and a godly mother to my children.  Wow, "children," that's weird to think that I can say that.  =)  Well, hope you all enjoy the devotion, and Happy "early" 4th of July.  


Oh, and FYI, tomorrow was my grandfather's, William Cagie Wilson, birthday.  He passed away in 2004, about a week before my graduation.  As we celebrate the freedom we have in this country, don't forget to remember those who gave their lives to give us our freedom - not just the fireworks.

 

This is my Grandpa and Grandma Wilson.

Oh, and of course, Dutchess (their baby) 

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Why Pray?

Men always ought to pray and not lose heart.

— Luke 18:1

If God knows what we need before we ask Him, why should we even bother to pray? If God is going to do what He wants to do and He knows what He is going to do, why even bother praying?

First, we should pray because Jesus told us to. Do we need a better reason than that? Jesus said, "Men ought always to pray and not lose heart" (Luke 18:1). That is not even to mention the blessings of watching our prayers being answered, such as the salvation of a loved one or a divine healing or a wonderful provision.

If Jesus said we should do it, then let's do it.

Second, we should pray because it is God's appointed way for obtaining things. God works in our lives through prayer. James 4:2 tells us, "You do not have because you do not ask." This means there may be things God wants to give to us that are not yet ours because we have not specifically asked.

Third, we should pray because through prayer, we overcome our anxiety and worry. The Bible says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6). When we are tempted to worry, we should pray.

Lastly, prayer is one of the ways we make ourselves ready for the return of Christ. Jesus said, "Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is" (Mark 13:33). So pray in anticipation of the Lord's return.

Why not put these things into practice today?