I Remember When

I remember when I saw those two pink lines on that pregnancy test. It was August 5, 2011, 3 days before my 2nd wedding anniversary. I came out of that bathroom in our old house after staring at that test for what seemed like an eternity. I went up to your daddy and gave him a great big hug. We were so excited about you.

I remember when we told both of your grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends about you. I remember the look of joy on their faces.

I remember that awful morning sickness that never happened in the morning, only at night. I remember your daddy feeling bad for me and hoping it would pass quickly, which it did.

I remember our first doctors visit and seeing your tiny little heart beat on that screen. I remember the sound of that heartbeat. I remember the prayers I said for you.

I remember the first time I felt you kick. I had just vacuumed the house and I sat down on the couch and there you were. Those kicks got bigger and stronger. I loved those kicks.

I remember when they told me that you were a girl. I remember the smile on your daddy's face. We went to Babies R Us right after your appointment and I looked at all of the little girl things.

I remember all of your baby showers and decorating your nursery. I remember thinking that my belly couldn't get any bigger. I remember eating Oreos in a bowl with milk and the look on your daddy's face when I would finish my plate and start eating off of his.

I remember the day before you were born. I went to work and had a few cramps here and there. I had a doctors appointment that afternoon and you were super healthy and happy in there. Your daddy and I ate dinner and Buffalo Wild Wings and then had yogurt for dessert. We went home and took a walk around the neighborhood. I called my parents when we got home and the first thing my dad said was "are you in labor"... I remember laughing at him because you were not due for two more weeks.

I remember that contraction that woke me up at 3 am. I remember telling your daddy that my water broke a few minutes later. I called the midwife and she told me to try and rest and to go to the hospital first thing in the morning. I remember taking a shower and your daddy was trying to time my contractions. I remember him telling me that they were every 2 minutes. I was trying to pack a bag for the hospital but I had to keep stopping because of the pain. I remember throwing the birth notes I took at the birthing class across the bed in frustration because they did not line up with what was going on.

I remember talking to my mom between contractions and her telling me that it was definitely time to go to the hospital.

I remember that car ride. Boy do I remember that car ride. Your daddy drove so fast I felt like I was in an airplane. I told him that I didn't want to do this and he told me you were ready to come and that it was going to be ok.

I remember getting to the hospital at 5 am. I remember all of the contractions I had in the lobby and the look on the mans face that was checking us in.

I remember when the nurse told me I was 9 cm dilated as soon as I got into a room. I remember how calm she was and how she told me it was going to be ok and that I was going to meet you real soon.

I remember pushing for almost 3 hours. I asked your dad for water every 5 seconds. He held my hand and helped me breathe. And finally, the midwife told me to look down and I pulled you to my chest.

I remember that feeling. That feeling of calmness and relief. That feeling of overwhelming love and joy. That feeling of your tiny little body against my chest. A moment that I will cherish forever.

The day you were born was one of the most precious moments of my life. A life changing day for your daddy and I. You have grown and grown and grown. You have such a kind heart and I love that about you. We are so proud to be your parents. Happy 5th birthday Lilly Bug.

Welcome Home

Things are finally starting to settle down around here. We have slowly adjusted to the "adult" life again and being homeowners. Our home is coming together and we are down to the last few boxes. There are still pictures to be hung, curtains to be bought, and wallpaper to be stripped, but we have made tons of progress over the last month.

Week 1
Mike worked his butt off this week. Between him, my dad, and his dad and brother-in-law, our house got a major face lift. There was wallpaper in about 85% of the house. All of that came down except for the bathrooms. If you're lucky, wallpaper will just peel right off. We were not lucky. Most of it came down in little pieces. And just when I thought all the wallpaper was gone, I would open a drawer and find some more.

Then the paint went up in every single room. Our room, closet, kitchen, laundry room, play room, and the girls rooms. Paneling came down in the living room and dry wall went up. A new refrigerator and microwave were installed. Bushes were cut down in the front yard. Gutters were installed.

The bathrooms are the only two rooms that are left to finish. They both still have wallpaper. Serenity now...

We also moved in a huge load of stuff from our storage building. Since we were not done painting we put everything in the playroom.

That weekend we were hit by Hurricane Matthew. Mike and I took a trip to the storage building Saturday morning to get another load. I was going to unpack all of the kitchen stuff during the storm since we couldn't really move anything else. We got SOAKED. On the way home the roads were so bad that we knew we couldn't go out anymore. We were very very lucky because we didn't lose power. Mike and my dad painted the living room while I unpacked the kitchen boxes.

We were out of school on Monday. We moved all of our beds and clothes from my parents house. My brother brought Lilly's new bed over (her cousins old bed) and set it up for us. Madelyn's crib was set up in her room. It was our first official night in our new home. Which meant it was Lilly's first official night of sleeping in her new big girl bed. After sleeping with us for the past 4 years I knew this would be a long battle. I was prepared for crying and screaming. What I was not prepared for was Lilly telling me to get out of her big girl bed and go to my room so she could go to sleep by herself. Um...... ok?

She LOVES her room. She LOVES her bed. She has done so fantastic. She has had a few nights where she wanted to sleep with us but I seriously cannot believe how easy it has been. She was so ready for this. She keeps her room nice and tidy. She insist on making her bed every morning. Her shoes have a special spot in her closet. The only thing left to do in her room is to paint her dresser white and put it back in there.

Week 2-4
We were living in the house but most of our furniture was still in the playroom. We slowly started putting things in their place after work each night. The living room furniture was moved, pictures were hung, and the playroom was put back together. Everything was finally out of the storage building. Everything was finally out of my parents house.

Week 5
I finally feel settled. The girls are adjusted and Jakey Boy seems adjusted too. There are just a few small jobs left to finish, besides the bathrooms. We are loving our new home. We have some really sweet neighbors also that bring us goodies! I'm really looking forward to Christmas morning by our fireplace. And all the other wonderful memories that are yet to be made. This was totally worth the wait.

That Time We Lived With My Parents

Two years and 4 months. 

What we thought would only be a few months turned into 2 years and 4 months. And a big lesson in God's timing, not mine. And a big lesson in patience. And a big lesson in prayer. And a big lesson in trust. 

This is pretty accurate

And this....

And definitely this! 

2 years ago Mike got a phone call from the City of Durham offering him a GIS job. We had been thinking about moving closer to home and this seemed like a good start. He moved in with his sister and I stayed behind with Lilly to finish out the school year. From there we listed our house and moved in with my parents. 

Lilly was 2 years old. Still in diapers with only a hand full of hair on her head. We waited for our house to sell. I got a job at Deep River Elementary and started work. 

We found out we were pregnant in October. 

I convinced myself that our house would be sold before Madelyn's due date. Halloween rolled around. Then Thanksgiving. Christmas came and went. We started the new year and my hopes of selling the house grew smaller as my belly grew bigger. 

A few meltdowns later and there she was. She didn't need a nursery. She didn't need pink walls. She didn't need her own bathroom or closet. Everything that precious baby needed was right there in that house. 

After four (yes, FOUR) offers on our home back in Greenville, we finally sold it. Everything was moved into a storage unit. A few months after Madelyn was born we started looking at houses. We looked, and looked, and looked some more. Part of us wanted to buy the first house we saw but the other part of us wanted to wait until we found THE house. We even thought about building a house for a while, and got pretty far into the planning process. But that was not in God's plan for us. 

Meanwhile, life kept moving full speed ahead as it always does. We continued to share dinner, laundry, and germs with my parents. Nasty colds, stomach bugs, and one flu epidemic later and they still didn't kick us out. They continued to help us and encourage us. 

We had a very disappointing summer. We made offers on several houses, each one having multiple offers, and we kept getting outbid. Our hopes of buying a house before the next school year started were very low. We went back and forth with the idea of renting, but we dreaded the thought of having to move twice. So we kept looking and waiting for THE house. 

Little did we know that our home was just a block down the street from us. A home that we had passed by 100's of times on our neighborhood walks. I can now see all of God's puzzle pieces coming together for this part of our journey. We finally get to have our own closets and bathrooms. Madelyn gets a nursery. Lilly gets a big girl room with purple walls. We get to spend Christmas morning by our own fireplace and tree. We get to make new memories that will last forever. 

Like this one! Eating pizza in our new house! 

And taking down all that wallpaper! 

But I'm so thankful for the memories we've gained over the last two years. 

We found the perfect house for our family. A house that we can put some TLC into and make it our own. A house we can call a home. ❤️ I can't wait! 

Lucky # 7

Madelyn has had a rough couple of days with the 500 teeth that are popping through her gums right now. This also means she's had a rough couple of nights. Last night was no different. She woke up a few hours after I put her down and Mike brought her to me in the bed. As I nursed her back to sleep I heard the grandfather clock chiming. It was midnight, which meant it was our anniversary. 7 years of memories flooded my head as I laid in my crowded king sized bed. So much has happened in such a short amount of time, including the three best moments of my life, the day I married you and the moment I held these two precious girls for the first time. 

It all started that first day of school in 2001. Biology quickly became my favorite class because of you. Two proms, tons of concerts, college, and a sweet marriage proposal later and just like that, seven years have past. 

A lot of crazy things have happened too, like moving to a different town and spending the last two years living with my parents. New jobs, new dreams, new friends. Looking back we had no idea what that move was going to be like or how long it was going to take us to sell our house. Sometimes we laugh and sometimes we cry. But here we are, still kicking it and supporting each other in this crazy thing called life. I'm so excited to see what this year brings for us, and so ready to experience it with you by my side.   

Time flies when you're having fun! 

Sweet Summertime

Both girls are napping... At the same time. One went down without a fight and one told me it was an awful day (between sobs) because she had to take a nap. A very overdue nap might I add. I haven't been pushing naps with her this summer because we've been pretty busy and she doesn't give in easy (reread "nap time shenanigans")... 

So we have already completed two weeks of summer break and I'm already dreading going back to work in August.

Reason #1: Both girls have been sleeping in until almost 8:00 everyday! Yes, that is sleeping in. Madelyn still wakes up around 6:00 but I just plop her in the bed and nurse and she's out again. It has been glorious. So much better than 5:30.

 

Reason #2: Madelyn is the cutest one year old in the world and I get to have her all to myself all summer. This is seriously my favorite age (minus going out to eat.. That's usually a disaster). She is walking all over the place, climbing on stuff, and laughing at the word "no". She is such an explorer. She loves books and being outside. She loves taking anything away that her sister is playing with. She loves pointing at things. She loves music. She loves animals. She loves food (although her growth chart says otherwise...) She has an exceptional vocabulary 🤓 that consist of "mama", "dada", "wow", and my absolute favorite "UH OH". She's still a little shrimp weighing in at 16 lbs and still only has two bottom teeth, although a top tooth is popping through! She's still nursing and I'm not sure when that will end. I don't have a plan set in place, pretty much the story of my life! I wish I could point the remote at her and press the pause button. I'm sad to see her grow so fast but I'm excited about what's to come. 

Reason #3: Lilly is the cutest 4 year old in the world and I get to have her all to myself all summer. It's been nice not having to wake her up early... She is NOT a morning person. We have been hanging out with her cousins and she's pretty much obsessed with them so that's been great. We have spent our days going to the pool, doing makeovers, riding the golf cart, playing barbies, and watching movies. She's also taking gymnastics again which she loves.

I love that I have a job that allows me to spend this time with my children. Even when they are driving me crazy. You stay away August, you hear me!? I don't want this to end.