Merry Christmas everyone!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Mason update

Hey everyone,

Thank you for your prayers for this little guy! He is still in the ICU, but a lot of his labs and cultures are coming back negative at this point. Right now his kidneys are the highest concern. They are functioning at about 1/4-1/3 of normal capacity, causing all the swelling and discomfort. They think this is caused by the numbers of antibiotics he has been on in recent weeks/months. Hopefully through several different things they're doing right now they can pull some of this extra fluid off of him, and he will begin to recover quickly.

Thank you for your continued prayers!!

Plead for prayer

Some of you have heard about the little boy Mason from my NICU from last year. This is just a message asking for urgent prayer for him. He is in the ICU at Hopkins right now, with lots of bleeding, fluid, swelling, low blood sugar and even some seizing this morning. I don't have much information at this point, but his mom just called and asked for prayer. He is really not doing well at all. He is one sick little boy with a very tired little body, and they are a very tired set of parents!

Please please please pray. I will let you know when I know anything else - probably not until tomorrow.

One whole year

It's been a year. A YEAR!! One whole year since we welcomed our dear sweet little boy into this world, and our lives were changed forever. I have so many fun memories of this past year, some definite challenges, and a certain level of nervousness to go along with all of it!




My sweet little Logan, although I've had twenty three years without you, and only one with you, I can't imagine not having you here with us. You have brought so much joy to our lives, with your sweet little smiles, goofy little faces, and all the funny things you do. One year ago today you came into our lives, and we will never be the same. It is an honor and a joy to be your momma, and although I don't feel worthy of it at all, I am grateful that God has given me this opportunity.

I miss the days where we snuggled on the couch for hours upon hours, with your tiny body tucked on my chest. I miss those first smiles that we had to work so hard for!! But I wouldn't trade them for the hundreds of smiles I get every day now, and how sweet each little voluntary snuggle is. I miss your "baby days", but I love watching you grow, learn and explore. You're turning into a little toddler now, and while that is a tiny bit sad, it is such a joy to watch your personality unfold. I am so grateful that God has given you to us and kept you safe, we love you so much.

Thank you for being such a good sweet little boy, for knowing somehow just when your Momma needs a little snuggle and kiss, for making us laugh so much, and for being just enough not perfect to keep me on my toes, helping me daily to remember that I cannot do this in my strength. We love you our sweet boy.

The terrible horrible no good very bad day, and Philippians 4:13

Warning: Long post ahead!!

Maybe it started with the baby that woke up screaming at 7:30 instead of talking and playing, like normal. Maybe it started with the 2 night shifts over the weekend, and then not really sleeping well yesterday or last night. Maybe it started a month ago, when my baby boy got sick and hasn't quite been right for a long time now. Maybe, just maybe, it started with my own selfishness and agenda of what I thought my day should/would look like.

As I just mentioned, Logan has been sick, teething, or both for a solid month now. We have not had more than 2 days without a fever, and just when I think he's getting better, he gets worse again. I've wrestled with how much to do, what to take him to, what to stay away from, etc. We can't stay locked up in this house until he has all his teeth, we'll both go crazy. He's happier when we're out at least a little bit, as am I! However, when we're home, he's been very fragile, temperamental, almost just downright moody. And I don't blame him! He feels rotten. He's got a snotty nose, teeth coming through, a fever, no balance (because of all the fluid in his head) and as of Sunday, a busted fat lip (due to the no balance!).

Needless to say, I am tired. I'm tired from working and not sleeping well. Tired from getting up with him in the middle of the night again, and to be honest, I'm tired of the whining and meltdowns! Mostly, I'm tired of him not feeling well and not being able to fix it.

So, today...today's plans were supposed to look like this: Bible study this morning, followed by a trip to the grocery store on the way home, a nice afternoon nap for Logan, and maybe even for me, then dinner and finishing off the day with caregroup.

However, today looked like this: Logan started running a fever again last night and woke up screaming twice last night and then again this morning. None of us slept well last night, and with him still being really fussy, Bible study got taken off the schedule for the day. I put him down for his morning nap and he proceeded to talk/whine/play/cry in his crib for an hour and a half. I finally gave in and decided he'd get up, we'd go to the store, and then just take one long nap today instead. The store was wonderful...crazy, I know. He was in a fantastic mood - singing and doing his cute little lip trills the whole stinkin' time. Adorable. We came home, got groceries inside, I gave Logan a bottle and he went to sleep. Perfect! I made snack for caregroup, ate lunch, and cleaned up a little bit, went upstairs with what should have been 2 hours left in his nap, so I was going to get to nap too! Do you think it happened? My little man woke up exactly 4 minutes after I laid down, and wanted nothing to do with going back to sleep. So...I gave up on that. After an okay afternoon, I tried again for another nap around 3:45. Dinner was ready to go in the oven, so I was going to lay down for an hour or so too! NOT! He wouldn't sleep. Scratch that off the list. We decided that Logan and I would stay home tonight from caregroup so he could go to bed on time, and I could chill out a little bit as well. He did, and I cleaned the kitchen and a little bit of pickup upstairs just in time to watch NCIS at 8. Then, it was the last straw for me. Taking my brand new fall decoration off the table to wipe it down, one of the hurricanes hit the chair and fell to the floor, shattering into...literally...thousands of pieces.

My pretty decoration minus one hurricane :(

I sat down in my kitchen and cried!! I thought..."I just can't do any more!! Now I have to vaccuum and mop the whole downstairs so Logan doesn't find any glass in his little hands when he's crawling around." I found glass from my front door all the way to my kitchen sink.

Somewhere in the middle of my own internal meltdown and temper tantrum, the Lord brought this verse to mind. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" ~ Philippians 4:13. All day I've been thinking...I can't do it, I can't stay awake, I can't discipline him one more time, I can't fight him through one more diaper change, I can't do one more load of dishes, etc. WHAT?! I CAN!! There is no reason whatsoever that I can't do these things. I have a Jesus that gives me the strength and grace to do one more thing, one more time, with one more attitude check.

So...I'm feeling a little defeated since it took me until 9 o'clock tonight to recognize this horrendous attitude I've had all day. I'm feeling like a bad momma who had a rotten attitude with my sick little boy all day. I'm feeling like a wife who should have been far more cheerful this evening than I was. And...I'm feeling convicted that my attitude was as awful as it was, and all for really minor circumstances. There are people, lots of them, out there today in far worse places, dealing with far harder things, and I have been so nasty all day! But, I'm trying to remind myself of Christ's forgiveness and grace, both of which I do not deserve. I'm thanking God for reminding me of His strength, and giving me the strength to mop the house and get through the rest of my evening. And I'm praying for a better tomorrow.

Sorry for the long rambling post, my brain is not functional enough to get more concise!! And sorry for the bad pictures, they're from my cell phone

This boy...

likes to shake his booty!




Our little man loves his music, that's for sure!! He's such a goof. Sorry it's not the best quality, it's from his daddy's cell phone. Still pretty funny though.

His first little "tooph"

Every once in a while, when Logan starts to act a little strange, I mention it to Danny, and a few times recently he's responded with a very sarcastic "Maybe he's getting teeth!" Apparently I've said and thought this too many times.

However, last weekend he finally did. The day he turned 10 months old, he was chewing on my finger when I felt a little something sharp, and there it is!

He's been such a good boy with these teeth. I can tell he doesn't feel good, and he frequently looks concerned about it. As you can see from the pictures, he's aware that something is different, because he's fooling around with his tongue all the time. but he's been so tough!

Such a cutie :)

Fells Point Fun Festival

This festival is one of our favorite things in the city! Going this year was our second time, and it was every bit as enjoyable as the first, although a little more work pushing the stroller on the cobblestone through VERY large crowds. It's so fun to see the vast array of people that come out to this day - it's the full spectrum! This is one of the fun thigns of living in the city. At this festival, you'll find your more traditional craft fair items alongside the very modern and artsy photographers, with the one-man band drummer, guitar player and singer across the street. It's great to see the diversity.

This year it was pretty chilly and we waited until after Logan's nap, if you can't tell from the sleepy eyes above! He was very interested in the Raven's game on the tv, but was okay with turning it off once we opened the door and he realized we were going outside. Going outside ALWAYS wins, above everything else.

There were a lot of people on Thames Street that day! The weather was beautiful, just warm enough to be comfortable, with a nice crisp breeze. It was definitely fall, but that was great.

Just a shot of me with my boy at the end of the day. I love that smile.

On the charts!

As of October 8th, at almost 10 months old, our little man has finally climbed his way back onto the growth charts!! It's been a few months of occasional anxiety for me as I've tried to do everything I knew how to make him gain weight, and often wondered if I'm doing the right thing, or doing everything I can.

Yesterday, Logan weighed in at 17 lbs. 6 ozs. and 27 1/2 inches long. This puts him at the 5th percentile for weight and the 10th for length. I'll take that!! For the past several visits his weight has not been on the chart, so this is a definite improvement.

I'm learning, ever so slowly (SO slowly), that as much as I want to, I just cannot control everything about my little man. I want to do everything right, and know exactly what I'm doing, and that's just not how it works. If that were the case, there would be no need to learn to trust in the Lord and HIS plan, and I would probably take any successes as my own, and not give the credit to whom it is due.

In the past several weeks, our baby boy has gotten so much bigger! Not necessarily in size, but in his activity and actions, and attitudes.

The silly things he's doing:
~ Clapping his hands when I come in to get him out of his crib, or out of his carseat.
~ Standing up in his crib, or sitting with his legs through the bars swinging his feet and talking to himself.
~ Blowing lots and lots of raspberries!
~ "Hiney scooting" around our house, instead of just regular crawling :)
~ "Reading" books...by himself...out loud...and often in the stroller with his feet up on the tray.

The sweet things he does:
~ He's turned a little more snuggly again, and when I get him up from his crib, he lays his head on my shoulder for a few minutes and pats my back - this is probably my favorite thing.
~ He LOVES his daddy - and the look on his face when Danny walks through the door every night is priceless!

He's precious, and we love him. We are so blessed.

Welcome Braden!!

This past weekend, we were up in New Jersey visiting my brother and his wife for a few days, and then also got to spend my sister's birthday with her! I know for some of you who have local family, the birthday thing might not seem that exciting - but we rarely see each other on our birthdays, and they were a BIG thing growing up!

Well, my brother and his wife are due to have a baby on October 2nd, and one of the main purposes of this trip was to take up the crib mattress, swing, and some baby clothes for the little guy. We got there VERY late on Friday night and chatted until about 2:30 or 3 I think, then spent a wonderful day together on Saturday. It was rainy and a little chilly, definite fall weather, but it made for a perfect day to sip lots of coffee, snuggle up on the couch and comfy chairs in their living room, let Logan get full naps, and just spend time together!

We had a wonderful lunch and dinner that Cherilyn prepared for us, and after dinner I was just getting Logan in his pj's when Cherilyn came up the stairs looking a little uneasy. She talked to Matt for a minute or so, and then called me back into the bedroom. With her words "I think my water just broke", the whole weekend changed!

We all scurried around getting her and my brother ready to go to the hospital, and then we packed ourselves up to stay at my aunt's house, which was only 5 minutes from the hospital instead of an hour.

Little Braden Scott Magee was born at 4:41 am on Sunday, September 13th. The joy of being there to share in the experience of his arrival was such a blessing! As I said before, my siblings are not local, so many of these special things are experienced from afar. It was absolutely wonderful to be there.

I can't make the pictures work right now (is anybody else having picture issues with blogger?) but if you go to our flickr page, you can see them there!

Not quite like I thought

We were all prepared, psyched up for the big day. Our boy was starting solids! We waited until a Saturday so Danny could be home to share in the fun. (And yes, this is old news - but a fun story and some funny pictures that I just had to share!)

We went out the night before to buy the perfect little spoons and bowls, and even his highchair, which we didn't have yet. It's still exciting to me that I get to have all these fun little things in my house! I love opening the cabinet and seeing baby accessories. It brings a smile to my face almost every time.

We were walking through Greetings and Readings on our way out to the car when Danny saw the little cup below, and decided that our little boy just had to have it. Logan loved it, and carried it all the way out to the car, and proceeded to chew on it all the way home.



I made his rice cereal from scratch the day before - and I just knew he would love it. Here we are - ready for our first big bite!

So...he wasn't quite so sure of it - and looked at me wondering what I had just given him! I was sure that after a bite or two that he'd get the idea and love it.

But, after a bite or two - this is the look I got. A beautiful face, isn't it? This is what he thought of my homemade rice cereal. Not quite what I was hoping for.

It's been almost 2 months now, and rest assured - this little boy has learned to love his food! Some of his favorites at this point are sweet potatoes, peaches with cereal, avocado, and his newest favorite is pears! The cup? Not so much yet. He still has no idea what to do with it, other than shake it on his tray when I have the valve out, hoping he'll get the idea. Oh well, one day he will! We all do, right?

I am having a blast making his food and watching him get one step bigger. I love being this little boy's momma!

I keep waiting

So...I've given up. I keep thinking that in just a few days, our computer will be fixed, and I'll be able to write all these posts I have in my head, complete with pictures and all. But...it's just not happening yet! So, I'll write them, and just add pictures later!

I do have a few pics that I might be able to add, but I just have too many things to write about to keep waiting. Keep your eye out for some new stories around here!

So many things!

I have so many things to catch up on!! It's been a busy few weeks around here, and hopefully sometime in the next few days I have just a few things to blog about...

• Logan's eating solid foods
• Our trip to Cape May
• Our wonderful Independence Day week with my family
• Our new nephew and the week we spent with cousins!
• 7 month update

Hopefully I can get to it soon! We're still alive over here :)

Can anybody tell me...

where the last 6 months have gone?!




I can't believe that it has been half a YEAR since this little angel of a boy entered our world. Our little Logan has brought such joy to our lives, more than either of us ever could ever have imagined. We are so grateful that God has given him to us to raise.

6 month stats:

~ 14 lbs. 11 ozs.
~ 26.5'' long

So...he's only gained 5 ozs. since our last appointment. Not quite what he should be at this point! He's dropped from the 60th percentile in weight to just under the 5th, which means he is about 2 pounds underweight from staying on his curve. We are planning to start solids this week anyways, but may be adding one nighttime feeding as well. We'll go in for a weight check in 4 weeks to see if it's helping. Gotta chunk him up a little more!

Fun things he's doing:

~ "Clapping" his feet together
~ Giggling at lots more things!
~ Flirting with anyone who will look at him when we're out
~ Kicking his legs and moving his arms like he's swimming when he's really excited (usually in the stroller or Baby Bjorn)
~ Tapping his hands when Danny is drumming on things (which is almost all the time) ;)

Some of his favorite things:

Being outside, in the stroller, the Baby Bjorn, on a blanket, or any other way you can think of!

His Daddy!


His Jumperoo (Thank you Camden for letting your buddy borrow it!!)

We love this little boy to death, and can't believe it's already been 6 months, but in a way, can't believe it's only been 6 months. Craziness. Thank you Lord for this good gift.

3 years already?!

**Warning - very long, sappy post ahead!! And yesterday was actually this wonderful day, but it was a little crazy***


Happy anniversary baby! Today I am freshly aware of God's grace on our lives as we hit this milestone of 3 years of marriage - craziness!

This wonderful journey started 4 1/2 years ago when you leaned over to me across the picnic tables at lunch on Fall Retreat and asked what I was doing after lunch, and if we could talk. We walked around the lake, found a rock to sit on, and after a few hours of wonderful conversation, we walked back up to the camp officially in a relationship. I never knew that day would be life-changing, but it was. The next 9 months together were filled with joy as we got to know each other, went on fun dates, served in CRU together, and spent many late nights hanging out with the CRU folks, many afternoons in coffee shops, and anything else we could think of, as long as we were together.

4 years ago, we found ourselves again at Summit Lake for a picnic lunch to "celebrate your birthday"...or so I thought! That afternoon you expressed your love to me and asked if I would spend the rest of my life with you...and through tears and a little bit of dizziness I was thrilled to be able to tell you that I loved you, and of course I would!

Then 3 years ago on that wonderful, beautiful sunny day...we pledged our love and our lives to each other. I will never forget the joy of that day...and the joy that has filled our lives since then. We've had rough days certainly, but through it all, the joy of being together and living life together has never left.

We've been through so many seasons since we got married. That first precious summer that we saw each other every evening, had dinner in our little apartment all the time, grilled out, went to the pool, settled into our new home, had friends over...we had no idea what would hit us once August came! Then it did, and we both went back to school - you went part-time for your MBA and I went full time for my last year to get my BSN.

In March we moved into the city...who ever would've thought we'd live here?! I think we probably would've laughed if anybody told us we'd be here...ever! It was a wonderful year spent in that beautiful home we rented...and my first year working as a nurse. It brought all kinds of new challenges - early mornings and all night long shifts. At times we went days without ever even passing...between your work and school and my rotating work schedule, they were busy days! Day after day you reminded me that life wouldn't be like this forever...and I could do it...no matter how many times I told you that I just couldn't! Not for one more day...I was sure of it.

Almost exactly a year later, we moved into our very own home - again in the city! As if that wasn't enough change, 5 days later we learned just how different our lives would become when that second pink line showed up on that test. We entered a new season of trials, with a wonderful cause, but trials nonetheless. Morning after morning of throwing up, days (months really) gone by that I could hardly open the fridge to get my orange juice, much less cook a meal?!

Then on that wonderful day in December, our little guy entered this world and our lives, latched onto our hearts (as if he hadn't already), and we became Mommy and Daddy. I still can't really believe he's ours. It just doesn't feel like we're old enough to have him!

It's been almost 6 months since he was born, and it still feels like a dream. This day, this season that we waited for so long to arrive, can it possibly really be here? These wonderful days where you're home every evening for dinner, not in class, I'm not at work, we're just here as a family. These wonderful days that I get to spend at home with our little Logan, being the momma I've wanted to be, getting to take care of our home (although it hardly shows!). I must be dreaming!

As we walk through whatever our Lord has next for us, I thank Him for the good gifts He's given us, so many of them, and pray that we would find His blessing in everything. I thank Him for the gift of you in my life! Our days together are sweet...and I don't ever want to take them, or you, for granted.

I love you. I love being your wife, being the mother of our child, the homemaker of our home, and I love knowing that no matter what, we're in this together. Thank you for changing my life that day 4 1/2 years ago.

Giggly boy!

Finally! A giggle on video :) Our little guy has the cutest little giggle in the world, but is awfully picky about when he chooses to share it with us! Usually he giggles the most when he's REALLY tired! Things that he finds funny one day are completely non-interesting the next....goofy boy.

Ahh, such a fun sound!

Ponies Ponies Ponies!

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of keeping my sister's girls for a few days. Emily and Grace were such a huge help with my little guy, and it was especially fun to think back on the many times that I spent weekends and weeks with Jeni when I was about the girl's ages and they were about Logan's age! Craziness.

The girls are doing a unit study on horses in school, so we spent 2 full days at the barn enjoying the horses! I have some pics of all of us, but they're not uploaded yet...however, in the middle of this...Logan also got to sit up on Jazz for the very first time!

Lovin' it!

"Mom, what is this big thing?!"

5 months and Mother's Day!

Our little man turned 5 months old on Sunday, which was also my very first Mother's Day getting to hold my own little one in my arms...what a fabulous feeling! I even got my very own Mommy's day card signed with the footprints of my little boy.

We had such a wonderful day on Sunday! We went to church with my parents and got to introduce Logan to some of the folks out in Frederick he hadn't met yet. Then we went to lunch at the wonderful Fairfield Inn, a wonderful Bed and Breakfast where we've gone for multiple Mother's Day lunches. Logan was a DREAM through lunch, sitting in his carseat for a while and then playing with Gramma, Grampa and Daddy while I got to finish my amazing lunch.

This is the wonderful smile that we get to see so often these days! This particular one

was aimed at his Grampa at lunch on Sunday.

After lunch, we took a few minutes to get some pictures outside, which turned into a faceplant for Mom and a few minute break for that! Luckily, she is doing fine, albeit very sore for the past few days. To help her feel better, we headed to the outlets for some shopping ~ one of our favorite pastimes!

Such a handsome little man.


Ahh, the fun parts of being a mommy :) Nothing like the feeling of warm spit-up dripping down the inside of your shirt to make it feel like Mommy's day. :)

3 Generations - I still can't believe I have my very own baby!

Some of the fun things our little man is doing recently.

~ Smiling a TON and giggling, but only selectively. You have to be VERY funny and he has to be pretty tired to get a whole lot of giggles. Needless to say, we make ourselves look pretty dumb trying to coax out some of these adorable giggles. Hopefully soon I'll capture it and be able to put up a video.

~ Rolling over from his tummy to his back, where he is much happier!

~ Almost rolling from his back to his tummy, but mostly just spending a lot of time curled at a very odd angle on his side so he can see whatever it is he wants to.

~ Blowing raspberries at us.

~ Watching LOST with Mommy and Daddy...this little boy loves him some tv!

~ Getting distracted when he should be eating. He's far more interested in Daddy, the radio, the book I'm reading, or anything else to be interested in eating. Of course, as soon as we take the food away, he wants it right back! Luckily the food usually wins, but he sure does like watching what's going on!

~ Giving a very pouty lip when he's realized that whoever is holding him isn't his Momma.

I can't believe he's 5 months old already...I still feel like I was just pregnant and dying for him to get here a few days ago! I love being a momma :)

My new car!

Our car search has finally ended! Last Monday, my hubby bought me a beautiful Honda Pilot that I love! No more back breaking trying to get Logan in and out of the back seat of my 2-door VW Cabrio, thinking bad words in my head while I try to get the stroller in and out, and sitting with my knees touching the dashboard on the way to church.

Now, parallel parking this baby has proven to be a greater challenge than with the Cabrio, but so far not too bad :)

Come on road trip - we're ready for ya!

I will be sad to see my Cabrio go, it's been a great, fun little car. But, it just isn't really practical any more.

I love my new car - it's been so fun every day to go out and climb in, drop Logan's seat in nice and easy, and zoom out to wherever we're going. :)

Missin' my honey

Logan and I are out of town for a few days in New Jersey with my siblings - and this is the email I got from my honey yesterday :) (You'll have to click on it to make it bigger) Love you honey - thanks!

Not exactly what I had in mind

About an hour ago, I was taking a wonderful bubble bath while Danny played with Logan. (It's my weakness - I love hot water!) Well, Logan needed a bath, so when I was close to done, I told Danny to bring him in so I could just bathe him in there with me.

I thought it would be fun, he could be in deeper water because I'd be holding him, etc.

So...he was having a blast, not so sure about how deep the water was, but enjoying himself still. He'd been in the tub with me for about, oh maybe a minute when he tooted, and proceeded to fill the tub with nice yellow seedy poop!!!

I had such nice dreams of what those 20 minutes would be, and they did not include a little man's poop!

Mmm, gotta love 'im.

Let it snow!

Here are a few pics from the snowstorm 2 weeks ago - we took Logan out in the snow for about 3 minutes - it was SO cold and windy! He was not very happy about it, but was okay...

until I put him down. Look at that sad face! :(

My Love

Random facts about us:

What are your middle names?
Lawrence and Bethany

How long have you been together?
Married 2.5 years

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
We knew each other for just about a year before we "DTR'ed"

Who asked who out?
Danny asked me, at Fall Retreat with CRU.

Whose siblings do you see the most?
Danny's - they're local. We see mine for more extended periods though when they're in town (or we're out of town)

Do you have any children together?
Our little Logan!

What about pets?
Well, I don't know if he qualifies as a pet, b/c he doesn't live with us. But, I have a horse named Jazz that my parents gifted me with when I was 13.

Did you go to the same school?
Yup - Towson University.

Who is the most sensitive?
Me.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Panera probably, but when we're going out for dinner dates we try different places in the city.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic for our honeymoon.

Who has the worst temper?
Not really either - we're not really hot headed people.

Who does the cooking?
I do, now...although when I was pregnant Danny did pretty much all of it.

Who is more social?
We're both pretty social people, but probably me.

Who is the neat freak?
Danny is. He doesn't care if there is dirt as long as there isn't clutter. I don't care if there is clutter as long as there isn't dirt! It gets interesting :)

Who is the most stubborn?
Danny probably is, but it is rarely towards me.

Who hogs the bed?
Depends on the night, but most of the time me. I like to snuggle when I sleep!

Who wakes up earlier?
Danny does. At this point, I'm just beginning to get out of the "sleep when the baby sleeps" phase.

Where was your first date?
We went to Chiaparelli's in Little Italy for my birthday, then to Vacarro's for dessert, then walked around the Inner Harbor and Barnes' and Noble. It was fabulous :)

Who has the bigger family?
I do.

Do you get flowers often?
I wouldn't say often - but they wouldn't be special if they were often!

How long did it take to get serious?
We were pretty intentional the whole time, and knew that the goal of our relationship was marriage, and until it was clear that wouldn't work - that's where we were headed. We got engaged after 8 months, and married a year later.

Who eats more?
I hate to say it, but probably me. I shouldn't, but I probably do.

Who sings better?
I do.

Who does the laundry?
I do. He doesn't believe in sorting.

Who’s better with the computer?
Danny is by far.

Who drives when you are together?
Mostly Danny.

Who picks where you go to dinner?
If it's a special date, usually Danny. Otherwise, we choose together.

Who is the first one to admit when they’re wrong?
Danny is definitely better at this than I am.

Who wears the pants in the relationship?
Danny.

Who has more tattoos?
None at all.

Who eats more sweets?
Me - I love 'em!

Who cries more?
Honestly, does anybody think that Danny would cry more than me?

2 months old

This post is a little delayed, due to a certain little man's miserable cold that has occupied our time this past week. But, he's not too much older yet!

I can't believe my little Logan is 2 months old! It honestly seems like just yesterday that I could've sworn he was never going to come, and I would be pregnant forever. Not so!

At his appointment last week, we were shocked to find out that our not-so-little man weighs 11 lbs. 11 ozs! He has definitely gone through a growth spurt, and is significantly chubbier than he was when we came home. I love his chubby little thighs, and the rolls on his wrists and ankles. He's so stinkin' cute.

He has had several firsts these past few weeks...
~ First smiles and cooing conversations
~ First cold (and it has been miserable)
~ First road trip! (We went to TN for my niece's 3rd birthday - it was a blast! He did really well in the car - it was still long, but totally worth it!

I'm sure there are others, but that's all I can think of for now. We sure love having him around and watching him grow. So fun :)

Some of the best days of my life!

These have been some of the best days of my life. I have been very sleepy, in a certain level of pain for a while, and felt emotions I didn't know existed. I have gotten to the end of many days and wondered what on earth I've done all day! I've never questioned myself as much as these last 2 months. Time after time I've thought I just couldn't do it for one more second. I couldn't go through one more contraction, one more push, one more step. I didn't know how I could handle one more middle of the night feeding, one more sleepless night, one more time being spit up ALL over, or one more day where he doesn't nap well.

But you know what? I have. By the grace of God, I've done it. And you know what else? I'd do it again, and Lord willing, I will. I love it. I love every second of being this little man's momma, being my hubby's wife and a homemaker. It's hard, and it's different, but it's what I was made for.

Day after day our little man is a delight and a joy to me. He is growing so fast I can't believe it. I constantly wish that I could just slow it down. I can't believe how quickly these last 2 months have gone! These days are fleeting, but so much fun. I am trying to soak in every second, because I know they will be gone before I know it. The days that I feel the most content are not the ones when I get to the end and the laundry is done, dinner was good and on time, the house is clean, emails and blogs are updated. No, the days I love the most are spent snuggling, playing "aahhh" (cooing back and forth at each other), reading books to a little man who has no idea what I'm saying, and even spending time just watching him play.

I am so amazingly blessed to be in this place. These are days I've anticipated, and I'm lovin' it! I am so grateful that God has chosen to give me these days.

Psalm 37:4 ~ Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Prayers answered!

Thank you so much for all of your prayers! The meeting went beautifully.

We got there in time, and Logan had eaten right before we left the house, so he was happily resting/sleeping in his carseat. My boss was very friendly and open to hearing my reasoning. When I finished explaining my thoughts, she sat quietly for a second and said "Well, we'll give it a try!"

It was nice to be back on the unit and get to see people for just a few minutes. I truly do love my job, it has been such a blessing, and I am thankful that she is letting me come back.

Thanks again for your prayers!

Prayer needed!

Many of you know that I am planning to go back to work part-time at my position in the NICU. My goal is to go back at 30%, which means one 12-hour shift per week. When I brought this idea to my boss in late October, she was not very receptive to the idea. As in, she was fairly shocked. She said she would think about it, and never said anything to me about it again before I went out on maternity leave.

Well, I emailed her last week to see if I could come in and speak with her about my hours when I return, and I am going in tomorrow at 1:00. I am extremely anxious about the whole thing. #1 - I am anxious just about the meeting. I want to keep my job, but working 2 days a week isn't an option. In the year and a half I have been there, I have fallen in love with what I do. I love the babies, the families, my coworkers, and I feel at home there. I am comfortable with who I can ask for help and advice, and with the routine there. I want to stay! #2 - I am taking Logan with me, and I am afraid that he will need to eat around that time, or scream through the whole meeting, and I don't know what to do about it!

Please pray for peace for me. Peace that God is in control of this situation, peace that Logan will do okay, and peace to say the right words. Deep down, I feel like she will let me do 30%, but I think some of that is pure denial of the fact that I just might not get to stay there. I don't want to question God if she won't let me come back.

I will let you know how it goes. Thank you!

Isn't it wonderful...

When God chooses to show us how He cares about the little things in life?!

A little bit of background...my mom is making a baby blanket for Logan. She crocheted a blanket for me when she was about 6 months pregnant, in the hospital trying not to have me, and it has been well loved! So, when we found out we were pregnant, I asked her if she could make a replica for our baby. We spent several weeks trying to match the colors of the yarn, and couldn't find the colors exactly. Then, Mom called one day to say that she had found the yarn...the EXACT yarn, in the basement, leftover from my blanket! She thought it would be enough to do another blanket.

Last week, I got the following email from her.

“As I finished almost the last row of color last night on Logan’s blanket, um, I began to worry if I’d have enough purple left. Check the picture for the end result."

If you look VERY closely, you can see about one inch of yarn left. How neat! It is such a little detail, but I'm very glad to have this blanket for Logan, one that matches, exactly, the one I had growing up. Made by the same hands, with the same yarn.

I love how our God loves us!

5 weeks

Wow!! What has happened to the last 5 weeks?!

So, this post was originally going to be one about the first month of my little Logan's life, and the week got away from me. He's already 5 weeks old, I cannot believe it!

These last weeks have been full of joy and smiles, with a few tears and some frustration thrown in the mix as well. The first 3 weeks of Logan's life, we were greatly blessed for Danny to have time off to spend with us. We were also able to spend a full week with my family in Frederick over Christmas - and it was a wonderful week. :) Logan was snuggled and loved by a combination of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. I got to spend a ton of time with my mom, sisters and aunt...it was so much fun!

We have had the typical challenges of having a newborn - lost sleep, new family interactions, high expectations (mine of myself). In addition to this, Logan has had some tummy issues that have been a little challenging. He spits up, a ton, and his tummy definitely hurts him often. Usually he spits up the most in the middle of the night, straight down my chest or my neck...sanctification in progress, I suppose. ;) My wonderful sister has been a huge help to me, walking me through eliminating certain foods to see if he's sensitive to anything, and it seems to be helping in the past few days. We'll see!

Overall, we're doing very well - loving this new season...one where we're both home, a lot. It's been refreshing to spend time together, and in our home. We are feeling greatly blessed!

I love being a momma. It is so much more than I ever thought it would be! It definitely has challenges, for sure - but I love it. All the rough nights and days are more than made up for when he snuggles into me and falls asleep, or makes eye contact with me, or any of the other number of cute things he does! I love him so much.

I'm hoping to catch up in the next few weeks on posting, updating pictures, etc. I still can't believe that 5 weeks have gone by without 1 post. We're still here, I promise!