He's so "kissable...huggable...lovable...unbelievable!"
I laid him down and went to get some of his toys,
and came back to find him asleep. I was gone less than a minute. I then looked at the clock and saw it was his nap time. He's like clockwork!
Selah likes to lay next to Eli and say, "Eli's holding my hand!" or "Eli's so little!"
____________________________________________________________
I feel as though I have been in a slump lately, and am finally coming out of it. I struggle with change and there have been a few major changes that have happened to us these past few months. The first change, albeit an exciting one, came with the birth of our son, Eli. He is now almost three months old and just melts my heart each day. After he was born I had a long recovery, and I was okay with that. I had a C-section with Selah too so I knew what to expect. Just as my body was feeling somewhat normal again Dan took me to the ER (Thursday). This was 3 weeks ago. I was in the WORST pain I have ever felt! It was horrendous, and I have a pretty high tolerance for pain. Test after test was ran, and finally my wonderful OB/GYN, Dr. Kean, had a suspicion that it was my appendix. This was not a medical issue that she normally diagnoses, yet the doctors who specialize in internal medicine could not figure out what was wrong with me. Hmmm... Anyways, I am thankful that she took the time to come see me. To back up a bit, the only reason she was summoned was because they thought it was a uterine infection. Okay moving on...she ordered a CT scan, called the general surgeon, and five hours later I was in surgery (Friday night). My appendix had burst and they also found an infection in my pelvic region. Apparently my abdomen was full of this evil pussy infection. My milk also stopped coming in, because my body was going into defense mode. Eli stayed with us in the hospital those few days, but we had to give him formula for about two days until my body decided to produce milk again. The lactation consultant was great in helping us figure that problem out. Since that surgery I have had to go through the recovery process again, and that is when being immobile or limited in certain aspects to mobility were beginning to bother me. I had to rely on others a great deal more than after the C-section, and I was not accustomed to this. It has been quite the humbling experience. Through this health issue I have had a huge amount of help from our family and friends at church. My dear friend, Elaine, deserves an incredible amount of praise and thank you's. Words cannot convey how appreciative I am of her help. She brought us food (along with other folks from church :D), did our laundry (despite the awkwardness of folding Dan's underwear :p), cleaned our house, chauffeured me to my doctor's appointments, and is helping us look for a place to live (which I will get to in a bit). I consider her a super-mommy, as she did all that and took care of her own household with 4 kids. Yikes! Jenni has also been a huge help taking care of the kiddos. The little energy I had was no match for the vast amount of energy my darling daughter has. Thank you ladies for your friendship, support, and help.
Another big change is that I am graduating in two weeks. All I have to do is attend two more classes and write my final paper. I am excited...thrilled...leaping for joy!!! It has also hit me recently that that part of my life is over. Sure, I might go back to earn my MS, but not any time soon. From the time Dan and I were dating until now I have been in school, only to take breaks when the kids were born. We've been together 7 years, so maybe it took me 5 years! Yeah, it took me a while! Anyways, I am excited but also a bit sad. I'm sure I'll get over it quick...hehe. I mean come on...I am graduating!!!
We are also moving. Oy, has this been stressful! We are not able to buy a house at this time, so we must rent a little longer. Dan and I both are done with apartment life. We want a house, with a yard, in a quiet little neighborhood where our kids can grow up and make memories and we can have guests over. We thought about renting a house, but realized that would push us farther away from our goal of actually becoming home owners. It will happen, though, hopefully in 2-3 years. God has always provided a home for us, and this time is no different.
Through all of these big changes we still seek the Lord's hand in it all. But to be honest, for a while there I was not seeking God's guidance. That is why I was in a slump! I was so focused on the pain my body was constantly in, or the stress of moving, and completing my final class. Instead of sitting at His feet I was camped outside. Knowing I should go in, but instead I wallowed in the stress that was overcoming me. I think that we all go through seasons where we wallow in our own self-pity, but no matter what we are feeling we must choose to let the Lord in. It is easy to say the right Christian things during one of these seasons of hardship, but our robotic attempts at faith cannot be fooled for a real heart change. I had to be honest with the Lord and myself. God would much rather have us spew words of discontentment than ignore Him completely. Even then we are acknowledging we need Him. We don't even have to say much at all, but just sit at the feet of Jesus and listen for His words of comfort. So, once again I have learned to just sit, and acknowledge that I need Him. Nothing else needs to be said at that moment, but rest in His unchanging grace and place my issues in the hands of the one who created me. I am reminded of Psalm 103. I won't put it all here...so get out your Bible's.
"Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things.
So that your youth is renewed like the eagles."
On a lighter note, Selah is doing great with using the potty. She wears underwear all day and a night time pull up during "sleepy time." One of the incentives to sit on the potty is that mommy or daddy will play with the princess' in the doll house with her. We have it all set up in the bathroom. She just loves those princess' and often likes to take them swimming. Now normally I let her take them swimming in the sink. She stands there on her little stool and plays with them in the water. Well I slipped away for a second to go upstairs to change Eli, and she decided it would be a good time to take the princess' swimming. Since mommy wasn't around the only water source within her reach was...you guessed it, the toilet. Yes, I came down and she announced what she did with such a proud look on her face. So, twelve princess figurines were floating in the pee water (because I can't justify flushing her little tinkles every time) with wet toilet paper around them. Oh my sweet girl...*sigh*...the closer you get to 3 the more mischievous you are.
I have been blessed by two babies who like to sleep. It is so important to get them on a good schedule, as sleep is a necessity for their growth and development...and honestly, my sanity. It takes persistence and consistency, but it can happen. Eli basically put himself on a good schedule, and I just stuck with it. I've slowly moved his bedtime back these past few months and he is doing pretty well with it. Started at 11 and now we are at 8:30. He'll lay there for a bit kicking and cooing before he falls asleep. Thank you God for peaceful evenings with my husband!
Wow! That was a long post! See ya later Alligator!
