12 Weeks Old

Hannah is 12 weeks old today.  She is getting so big and really coming alive.  I'm not sure how much she weighs exactly, but my estimate is about 13 pounds.  She is such a happy baby (most of the time) and such a blessing!  I love spending everyday with her and am so thankful that I have the opportunity to stay at home with her.

Her schedule is about to change a bit, now that she is closing in on 3 months.  Right now her schedule looks like this:

6am - Wake, feed, put back to bed
9:30 or 10am - Wake, feed, playtime
1:20 or 2pm - Feed, put down for nap
5:30 or 6pm - Wake, feed, playtime
9:30 or 10pm - Feed, put down for the night

She does great with this schedule and is finally starting to get into a good routine.  But at 3 months, Dr. Denmark suggests putting them to bed earlier and doing a "dream feed" at 10pm.  She also suggests starting solids at this age.  We still aren't sure if we will do this now or at 4 months, but when we do begin, it will be very slowly.  We are excited for Hannah to be moving into this new stage, but also a bit sad to see our newborn baby grow up into an infant.

These days Hannah is smiling up a storm and cooing and squealing.  She still hasn't laughed out loud, but she is so close!  Any day now....  She hasn't rolled over from her tummy to back in a while, but I keep trying.  She holds her head all by herself now and has such a strong neck and back.  She loves to try to stand up and "walk" and we are practicing letting her sit up on her own too (not even close yet, but she likes to try).  I wish I could stop time right now and freeze Hannah at this age.  I LOVE 3 months (or close to 3 months)!!  I know I will probably say that at other ages, but this is definitely my favorite so far.  She is no longer a sleepy baby, but a happy, playful one!  I love her so much!

Vacation

Sorry I didn't post the last few days....we were on a short vacation.  We went to Blowing Rock, NC where my parents rented a cabin for a few days.  My sister and her family came also and got to meet Hannah for the first time.  It was great to see everyone and get to spend a few days with family.  Oh how we wish they all lived in Atlanta!! 

Hannah did great on the trip.  The only rough time was in the car on the way they when she pooped through her clothes.  She hadn't pooped in several days, so you can imagine!  She did this again, two days later while we were driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway, seeing the beautiful sights.  I have learned to always bring a spare outfit for her! 

We are all feeling so much better after the nasty cold we had.  Thankfully Hannah never got worse and was feeling much better after a couple days.  I still have a runny nose, but I can handle that. 

Hannah will be 12 weeks old tomorrow, which I can hardly believe!  My little girl is growing SO fast! 

What Makes You Happy?

Our lives are full of stuff.  Some of it makes us happy, some makes us sad, some makes us anxious, and some of it just makes us exhausted.  Our homes are overtaken with stuff.  Our minds are boggled down with stuff.  Our relationships are bombarded with stuff.  It's time to clean out the closets (in our homes, in our minds, and in our relationships).  The "stuff" in and of itself is great.  What makes it not so great is when it starts to rule our lives and make us crazy.

In the weekly bible study group I attend, we have been talking about idols.  This has made me really examine my life in an attempt to pinpoint the idols of my heart.  What is it that I can't live without?  Well, if I am honest with myself and with you, I would say that I couldn't live without Brian, Hannah, and the rest of my family.  I also can't live without my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  He is my everything.  But is He enough?  What if, like Job, I lost all my loved ones?  Would I be okay?  The thought is excruciating.  Life without family doesn't sound like life to me.  But where is the line between something you love unconditionally and something that has become an idol? The following are a couple quotes that I think answer this question:

• "Idols are not sinful things, but good and basic things elevated into being ultimate things.  We look to them for meaning in life, for covering our sense of insignificance, for developing a 'righteousness' or worth." - Tim Keller
• "An idol is anything in our lives that occupies the place that should be occupied by God alone." - D.M. Lloyd-Jones

What if you lost all the "stuff" in your life?  Would you still be content?  What have you placed on an 'altar' in your life?  Is God in His rightful place or something else?   Is He enough?

My Sick Little Girl

Hannah caught my cold! :-(  I feel so guilty!  Thankfully it doesn't seem to be bothering her (not nearly as much as it is me).  She has a stuffy nose, a cough and lots of sneezes.  Poor baby!  She slept most of the morning (during her normal playtime) and is now down for her normal afternoon nap.  She barely even fussed before falling fast asleep.  I'm glad she is getting lots of sleep, as I know there isn't much else that I can do to help her feel better.  I have been using the bulb syringe that we got from the hospital when she was born and that seems to help get some of the boogies out, so that's good.  Other than that, just lots of cuddling!  Thankfully she hasn't had a fever (at least not a noticeable one), so that makes me feel better.  I just hope she is 100% healthy soon!  Seeing my little girl sick breaks my heart!

On another note, I haven't been able to take any pictures for the last week because we left our camera charger at my in-laws house.  Boo!  It is in the mail today and should arrive tomorrow, so that's good.  It kills me to not be able to take pictures of my little peanut.  We missed her 10 week picture with her lambie.  UGH!  If you read my previous post about capturing memories, then you understand my frustration.  But hopefully the camera will be fully charged again for her 11 week picture tomorrow. :-)  And once it is fully charged, I will be sure to share some pics of the little peanut...she is changing so fast!

The Life of a Stay-at-Home Mom

Being a stay-at-home mom...aww, it's wonderful! haha  So often that's the impression you get when you talk to other stay-at-home moms.  But the truth is, it's not all roses and sugar plums!  I have only been a stay-at-home mom for a two and half months now and I've already seen how tough this job is.  People that say a stay-at-home mom doesn't work are idiots.  They obviously have never done the job.  I have had the experience of having a job outside the home (as a second grade teacher) so I know what I'm talking about.  I can compare the two jobs and speak from experience.  Here's a quick comparison of pros and cons...

Working outside the home (as a teacher) vs. Being a stay-at-home mom (SAHM)

• Working outside the home meant I had a set schedule.  I woke up at 5:30am, got dressed, went to work, and came home by 5pm everyday.  Being a SAHM means I am at the mercy of my child.  Yes, we have a daily schedule, but Hannah doesn't always adhere to it. ;-)
• Being a SAHM allows be to stay in my pajamas all day, if I want.  Working outside the home meant I had to shower before work, do my hair, and wear makeup.
• Working outside the home allowed me to have a lunch break (even if it was only 30 minutes).  Being a SAHM means I don't eat lunch until Hannah goes down for her afternoon nap (somewhere around 2pm).  And that lunch is often interrupted by a crying baby.
• Being a SAHM means I don't miss any part of Hannah's life.  Working outside the home now would mean that I would have to miss out so many things with Hannah.
• Working outside the home gave me an opportunity to interact with adults and have friends I saw on a daily basis.  Being a SAHM means that I rarely see any adults, beside Brian and friends are few and far between.
• Being a SAHM means I don't have the stress of a boss looking over my shoulder. Working outside the home meant I had to meet certain criteria and perform to someone else's standards.
• Working outside the home meant I could go to work and then come home to relax.  Being a SAHM means I am never done with my job.  I don't have the luxury of leaving work at work.  I am on the clock 24/7.

There are many positives and negatives of being a SAHM.  Some days the negatives seem to win out, but most days the opposite is true. 

So why do I do it?  Why am I am SAHM?  I do it because God called me to be a mother and care for my children.  I do it because my family needs me to do it.  I do it because I feel that it is in Hannah's best interest for me to be at home with her.  I do it because if I didn't, I know I would regret it someday.

Life Abundantly

We live a full life.  We have been blessed with so much!  My husband has a great job, we have a home in a safe neighborhood, we are able to buy the things that we need (food, gas, clothes, etc.),  I am able to stay home with Hannah...the list goes on and on.  We thank the Lord daily for His many blessings and are constantly in awe of how good He is to us.  However, all those things do not come freely.  We are very wise with our money and feel that whatever the Lord gives us, we should use it to the best of our ability.  Many people wonder how we are able to live with only one income.  It's not always easy.  We do have to make sacrifices, but to us, it is worth it.  Thanks to our frugal way of living we are both able to do what we love!

So, I thought I would share some of our money-saving strategies with you.

1. Grocery Shopping - I rarely pay full-price for anything. I shop the sales and use coupons on top of that.  Yes, it does take extra time to plan out what I will buy, but we save over 50% every time we shop.  I get all my shopping lists from Southern Savers and plan my meals around what is on sale each week.  I also keep a running price list of the items I buy regularly.  That way I always know what the best price is and don't get sucked in by the "SALE" signs.  Our grocery bill is rarely over $60 per week and often WAY less! :-)  
2. We eat dinner at home every night during the week.  Even if I don't have a meal fully planned (and believe me, these days I don't!) we still find something to eat in the house.  But we do eat out on Friday and Saturday nights (most of the time).  This gives me a much needed break from cooking and gets us out of the house! :-)  However, when we do eat out, we often use coupons.
3. We don't have the latest and greatest gadgets.  This is hard in the society we live in.  We are bombarded with new gadgets and gizmos on a daily basis.  It is so easy to think, "I need that new ___.  If I don't get it I will not be fully satisfied."  We rarely buy new electronics and the ones we have were most likely gifts. ;-)  When we do finally decide to upgrade on of our electronics (cell phone, tv, dvd player, etc.) we do a TON of research and find the very best price available.  
4. We save a lot of our earnings.  Thankfully I married a finance major, so I don't have to worry about balancing the check book or saving money in a ROTH IRA.  Because he is so great at doing these things, I stay out of his way and let him do his thing. :)  So I can't speak much about the actual investments, but what I do know is that he has the money automatically taken out of his paycheck so that we never even see it.  That way, we don't miss it!  We have learned to live on less because we see less.

Even though we are frugal with our money, we still leave room for fun and spontaneity.  We love to travel (well, I should say "loved"...not doing much traveling now that Hannah is here), we love good food, we like to shop, and we have the freedom to do those things.  Being frugal doesn't mean you have to live a boring life.  For us, it is just the opposite.  We are able to live a life filled with joy and peace because we are wise with what the Lord has given us.

Sick! :-(

I'm sick.  Ugh!  It started on Friday night with a sore throat and is now a full-blown cold.  I have a fever, body aches, headache, REALLY stuffy nose, and still a scratchy throat.  I feel awful.  It seems that I get a cold twice a year (once in the Fall and once in the Spring).  I hate being sick!  Who doesn't, right?!  But this is my first time being sick since Hannah was born.  It's a whole different ball game now.  I am consumed with fear that she might catch my cold.  I can't imagine how awful it would be for her to get this sickness.  But I keep trying to remind myself that since I am breastfeeding, it is very unlikely that she will get sick.  Apparently when she nurses, she is taking in the antibodies my immune system is creating to fight off my illness.  So she is getting the antibodies before she even needs them...building up her immunity to my cold!  YEAH!  But I still find myself questioning every sneeze and feeling her forehead constantly for the slightest indication of a fever. 

The hardest part of being sick is having to take care of Hannah even though I feel like poo.  It is really tough!  There is no time to sit down and relax and try to recover.  I have to entertain her and tend to her needs before my own.  I guess this is what parenting is all about.

My parents came for an overnight stay last night.  They made a pit-stop on their journey to my brother's house in St. Louis.  They were here for less than 12 hours, but it was great to see them.  I hate that I felt so awful and wasn't much fun to be around, but thankfully we will get to see them again next weekend.  We are taking a trip to Boone, NC to stay in a cabin my parents rented.  My sister and her family will be there and this will be the first time they meet Hannah!  We can't wait.  Now I just have to work on feeling better before we head up there.