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Saturday, September 25, 2010

Isabella was grinning up a storm this morning. She grinned at everyone that talked to her. We are going to worry her to death for those grins! We'll have to try to catch one on the camera to post. She really follows us around with her eyes now as we move around the room.
She definitely knows me now. She quiets every time I get her, no matter how distressed she is. She loves to nurse, but has not mastered the techinique for getting her meals that way. I am still nursing, incessantly pumping, and bottle feeding her. It's tiring, but worth it for her to have breast milk.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

First Smile

Isabella smiled at me today. The first one I count as real and wide awake. Yeah!

First Smile

Isabella smiled at me today. The first one I count as real and wide awake. Yeah!
She has rolled over several times since she was born, back to front in the first week in her crib on the little positioner, which has a little incline to it that probably aided the roll, later back to front on our bed when Rachel had to set her down for a minute, and today on the floor front to back, with the aid of my hand to push off of. She was on a slippery blanket on the floor. Every time I put my hand close to her feet, she pushed until she turned over.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Wholehearted Joy

I am wholeheartedly praising God because she is wholehearted!

Isabella had her echocardiagram yesterday. It was three long hours long, but after 2 solid hours or more of looking at her heart and vessels, the doctor decided that her heart was OK. He heard an aortic stenoisis, but couldn't find any physical evidence of it. That was why they studied her so long. I am wholeheartedly relieved that she is wholehearted! Big brother, William held her and comforted her through the whole procedure, doing an amazing job of keeping her peacefully asleep. Thank you my big boy!
After crying for the first 5 minutes of the echo, William gave her a bottle and got her to sleep. My big boy held her in a very uncomforatble position (for him) for those 2 hours, and worked to comfort her so that she wouldn't wake and cry again as they poked around. They couldn't study her heart with her crying so it really was a necessity. They needed her to be quiet and still to do the procedure. By God's grace, she stayed asleep.  He is good even in the details. Can you imagine that visit if she hadn't slept.?

I am so grateful!

After our doctors appointment, we treked by the nursing home to see Laura's parents, my best friend while growing up. I learned so much of what I know of life and how to live it from them and from her. She is one of those friends that I will eternally be grateful to GOd for. I never would have navigated many of the trials of my life without her help.
It was such a blessing to see them. They ate Isabella up. I love them so much . Some of my best memories of childhood are with them. I praise my sweet God that I got to share Isabella with them today. It brought tears to all of our eyes, theirs and mine. It was so precious to see them hold my sweet baby and love her.

Of course the appointment was in Jackson, which is 2 hours away. It takes me forever to get everything I need for a day together, pump, pump supplies, diabetes supplies for William, all of Isabella's stuff, etc. By the time I did her last feeding before going to bed and got bottles sterilized and filled, the requisite load of laundry, pumped one last time before going to bed, etc. it was 2 AM. We got up at 4:30 to feed, pump, get ready and load up, so I really only napped for a couple of hours that night . I went by Babies R Us to pump and feed again at 9 AM, pumped and fed in a hotel parking lot at 3PM after the appointment , and then pumped as I drove home after our visit with the Colemans, LOL! I bought a nursing apron at Babies R Us and draped myself so I could drive and pump. I cut a sports bra up to use as a harness when I pump so I can be relatively hands free! Do you think that's what they mean when they say multitasking?

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Supply

OK, I pumped 2 or 3 times an hour today to get my supply back up to almost 2 oz every 3 hours. I am going to keep it up as long as I can. Hopefully, I can get enough milk that Isabella doesn't have to work for it so hard.
Thinking of supply...............
I love that God promises to supply alll my needs. Not only does He promise to supply them, but abundantly, according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. He loves me. I need to be loved. It makes me feel safe when I think about it. I helps all my problems to think about His love and His promises to supply my needs.

That means that when I have a problem with one of the children, I can come to Him. When I have a problem in my marriage, I can come to Him. When my world has fallen apart, I can come to Him. And I have in each of those instances and He, He has not disappointed me.
He has carried me through earth shattering marital crises.
He has carried me through life threatening illnesses with my children.
He has carried me through the death of those closest to me.
He has carried me through the spilt milk and endless laundry and chores that overwhelm a mother's day. And He has  made my work joy.

He has made my trials a blessing and given me peace and joy in the raging storms of life.

Father,
I love you.

Cheryl

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

First visit with Gigi

This week we went to Jackson to a doctor's appt. I went to an MD that specializes in breastfeeding. She prescribed fenugreek to increase my supply and watched to make sure Isabella's palate was not too hight for her to nurse. She gave me a different size shield to use when pumping and advised me to nurse her when she wasn't frantically hungry. Still not much luck. I couldn't really nurse this weekend with all the company. We were getting the hang of it before we left. I hope I can accomplish that this week.

We went by to visit my dear friend, Laura, after we went to the doctor's. We always laugh when we call each other "my oldest friend" now. My birthday and Laura's are only a few days apart in November.
It was so much fun to watch Kimberly, Kaitlyn, Laura and Harry hold Isabella. . Ealier this year when Kimberly, her youngest, found out I was expecting, she told Laura and Harry to go do what they needed to do right now to get her a baby, LOL! That afternoon  Kimberly again  said she wanted a baby. Laura told her they didn't have anywhere to put a baby. Kimberly responded, "I have a whole shelf next to my bed!" LOL!

We visited Gigi this weekend. It was the first time she has seen Isabella.

It was precious. Gigi ate her up and Isabella loved Gigi. They gazed at each other for hours both days as Gigi talked and talked to her. William Lee came by to visit, too.
I took pics. I'll have to post them and a video. More later.

This was also the first time that Janie, Stacey, Lee, Andy, Jan, Bob,
Amy, and Mark saw her.
It was fun to share my sweet baby with our loved ones.

17 years

Today( August 27th) is Willliam's seventeenth birthday. I remember this day 17 years ago very well and it really only seems like a few years.
He is such a precious boy. I am so grateful for him.
He still hugs on me and holds my hand no matter where we are. His love language is definitely touch.

We didn't do a whole lot today. We got cake  and snacks from Sam's. He had Jake and Tucker to spend the night and play video games. He went to the movies and Books a MIllion with Collin the next day.

And he said to me," Thanks, Mom. This was the best birthday ever."

I am so glad that the little I could accomplish was more than enough for him.
Precious boy.

Perfect

I know you find that you struggle a lot, with many things, with all the things that you wish you could fix about yourself. We all do. Whether you want to have more patience with your children, want to be joyful and peaceful all the time, want to be more organized, want to have more discipline in any area of your life, want to be more Christlike, and the list goes on....
I find comfort in this. ..
"But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being [3] might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him [4] you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1: 27 - 31.
I am foolish and weak. Sometimes I feel like a "not". There are so  many things about me that I wish were better.
2 Corinthians 12:9 "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
He accepts me and uses me as I am. My weakness allows His strength to shine and makes me grateful to Him that He will use me just as I am. He takes what I am and makes it beautiful.

Rest in Him. Look to Him. Don't strive so hard.