Pregnancy Announcement!

    Hello fellow bloggers! Yes, it's been a while since I've posted! Lots has happened in that time! James is 6 months old now!!! Seriously, where did the time go?! He has 2 teeth coming in as well. The biggest news that James has for ya'll?... He's going to be a big brother!!! Please join us in celebration of a new life that God has been so gracious to bestow upon us. :-)

Patience Is A Virtue

     They say patience is a virtue, right? With being a full time momma, I try to remind myself of this quite often. For such a cute and precious baby, sometimes I run low on patience. This last week, it had been a long weekend full of fun activities, but needless to say, I was done. I was low on energy, and just ready to rest. Thankfully, James agreed with me and slept really well the night before so that I was able to get some rest. However, the next day, James wasn't wanting to fall asleep. He kept crying, and nothing I did would stop him. He doesn't normally do that anymore, but when he does, often times I get impatient. My husband is very good at taking him and trying his luck with James and putting him to sleep.
     I finally had to just put him in the Moses Basket that he sleeps in, tell him I loved him, and walked away for a bit. I'm usually in tears at this point because I feel like I'm doing something wrong because I can't calm my own baby down.
     After about 5 minutes, I walked back up to his room, and he was on the verge of falling asleep. I then put the pacifier in his mouth, and just like that, he was out, fast asleep.
     Last week, it had been night after night of very little sleep for both James and I. I was at the end of my rope. It was a Friday, and my husband woke up 30 minutes before his alarm, to get the baby for me, who was crying yet again. As he walked out of the room with our crying baby, I cried. It had been 4 long nights of very little sleep, and I was at the end of my rope. A few minutes later, I joined my husband downstairs on the couch. He said, "How was last night?" I couldn't speak at all. Tears began to roll down my face, and I was completely and utterly speechless. After a while, my husband said, "Would it help you if I took today off work?" And so, with a quick text to his boss to get the okay, he was off for the day. It was a chill morning after that. Josh decided to make my day better, so he went to grab us some donuts for breakfast from the local gas station, and then later on, we went to the theater to see a movie, out for a Starbucks coffee, and home for pizza and movie night. Thanks to my hubby, the day went from miserable to great! I'm very thankful to have a husband who knows my needs and knows what cheers me up the most. :-)
    I get mad at myself for getting so impatient with James sometimes. He doesn't realize he's being difficult, or that he just needs sleep. I started thinking about how I must be like that sometimes with God. God has a plan for me, and he knows what's in my best interest, but often times, I go my own way because I feel like it's the right way, or because I'm stubborn.
     Patience is one of the things that I can never be "great" at, or even "good" at. Often times, I feel like I've got it, and it's all good, and then BAM, God decides to humble me yet again. I Look at all the characters in the Bible, and see how patient they must've been in those times. Jacob waited a total of 14 years to receive Rachel as a wife! (Genesis 29) Abraham and Sarah waited for God to give them a child, Joseph was enslaved and taken to prison for a crime he didn't commit, and he waited there.
     I look at the patience that these men and women had in the Bible, and I feel like I lack so much in this area. I pray to God that He would grant me the patience that I need to be a good momma, and wife. God works in His ways, and gives us sanctification through trials He brings our way. In each moment, learn to be thankful, pray, and always seek Gods face... ALWAYS! <3

Crazy Momma Stories

   Becoming a momma, has been so many things. It's been nights of crying my eyes out, because our little guy won't stop crying, it's been tears of Joy because of all the silly noises he makes and smiles he gives, it's been a season of me taking care of a baby instead of a house, which means sometimes, I don't get a shower in, or my makeup on. Honestly though?... I wouldn't trade it for the world! Being a mom is hard work! I always knew it would be, but no matter how much I prepared myself, I wasn't fully prepared for what God had in store for me.
     The first 2-3 weeks after I had James, I was on survival mode... getting used to the lack of sleep, caring for the needs of your baby before your needs, while still trying to maintain being a wife.
     Here are some crazy stories that have already happened to me...
     When James was 8 days old, I was going to an appointment with him, arrived there a tad early, got out of the car to get him on the other side, and the door locked behind me, with my keys still in the car! Needless to say, I went into panic mode. Thankfully AAA got there within 10 minutes, right as we were about to break the window. Scary moment for this momma.     

     A couple weeks ago, James was choking on his own spit, after taking him to the pediatrician, she told us to head to the children's hospital for an overnight stay, so that they can monitor him and his oxygen levels. They told us he had Acid Reflux. I was up every hour at night with this little chunkers, who couldn't sleep because of the Acid Reflux.
     Despite all the little things that come up with this little guy, he's a joy and excitement to our life. We love you baby James!

Dear New Momma...

Dear new momma,

    You're new at this. You're still recovering from having a baby; I get it! You're trying to figure out how to be a mom and meet the needs of your husband and baby while trying to catch up on sleep and remembering to eat and take care of yourself as well. It's okay to cry. It's all overwhelming, I know, but God will give you the strength to endure every minute. Choose to focus on the precious gift you have before you, and know that you'll get through the day.

    I want to encourage you and let you know that it gets better! Pretty soon, you'll have the "mom thing" down a bit more. You'll figure out how to balance out spending time with your hubby, spending time with God, keeping up with friends, and still meeting the needs of your baby.

     I promise you, it'll all get better! Nursing will get easier, and you and your baby will soon be in sync with one another. Eventually you'll be able to make dinner with one hand and hold onto your baby with the other. Soon you'll get used to surviving on little sleep, and it'll become easier.

    You'll have lots of people telling you how to be a mom and what to do. Just stay calm, nod your head, and smile. Some of the information you get, you'll use, and some of it you won't. You're the mom; you decide what works best for you and your baby.

    Don't be afraid to ask for help. You'll have days when laundry, dishes, and other household chores won't get done. It's okay! Enjoy those snuggles with your new baby! ... they're only a baby once.

    New momma, above all things, seek God and constantly be in prayer! Becoming a mom is challenging but oh so rewarding! You'll soon look back and see  how far you've come. You've got this! ;-)
From one mama to another,
Caitlin

A Baby to Hold

t Last week, my husband and I went to a baseball Game that his work paid for. I was a little nervous to go, because I wasn't sure how James would do. Being a new momma, there are some things that I'm still getting used to, like, nursing in Public, and having a baby cry if they're tired, hungry...etc... Thankfully, James did great! I snapped this picture below while he was hanging out on my lap.
  Being a mom has its up and down moments, but it's all so worth it! Growing up, I always loved holding babies! I always tried to be the first one in line to hold them whenever possible.
   Today, I have my own baby to hold... every second of every day that God has given me.
     While holding James this week, he was sleeping in my arms, and I looked at him, and he was smiling. After his smile, he laughed... in his sleep, he laughed! It was so adorable!!! I'm reminded every day to take in these sweet moments, and cherish them... James is going to be all grown up before I know it. It's hard to believe that he's already 8 weeks old!

     I love my sweet baby boy! His chubby cheeks, sweet little hands, and feet, and cute eyes. To think that only a couple months ago, he was in my belly?! I love holding my sweet baby boy!

~Psalm 127:3, "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward."

Blog Intro

     Hello followers! This is the first entry on my new blog. It's very exciting for me! Join me as I share my journey into mommy-hood. To tell you a little bit about myself, I'm married to a wonderful, Godly husband, Josh, and we have a very handsome son, James. We live in Ohio where we attend a wonderful church!

     The reason for this blog is to capture life's little moments - the moments that I cherish as a wife and momma - and to share how God is helping me nurture and raise our little guy into the man that God wants him to be. As you follow me into this journey of mommy-hood, I pray that you'll be blessed and encouraged by my posts. Feel free to ask questions or leave comments; I'd love to hear from you!

Your friendly blogger,
Caitlin Narwold