Words of Wisdom from a 12 year old

Yesterday, a little boy was bragging to Cale.

Cale was telling me that he kept saying, "My parents buy me stuff all the time.  I've got 3 hamsters, they buy me new shoes every month, I get new clothes every week.  They're taking me to Six Flags as many times as I want to go this summer..."

And as Cale was telling me, I was fighting off the urge to roll my eyes.  [Which is a hard habit to break, considering how much I roll my eyes.  :)]

I don't like kids like that... but I didn't want Cale to know.

I told Cale, "I don't know why he's bragging like that, but don't let it bother yo..."

Before I could finish "you," Cale interrupted me.

He said, "I know why he's bragging.  He's jealous!  He sees what I have; and he wants it.  I don't want all that stuff.  I don't need that stuff.  I have the best parents in the world.  And that's all that matters.  He sees how awesome you and dad are; and how much you love me.  He knows he will never have that.  He's trying to make me jealous of him because he's jealous of me."


Dang, that kid continuously knocks me off my feet.

He has so much wisdom to be so young... and little.

He gets it.

I am so thankful for him.

"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."

Colossians 3:2

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!  I know I did.  I truly have the best kids!

This morning, on the way to church, Cale gave me a hand made present.

He drew it and cut it out himself.

And then he found what he felt was the "perfect" quote.  I'll have to agree with him on that.

It says...

"Hundreds of dew drops to greet the garden.
Hundreds of bees to be in the purple clover.
Hundreds of butterflies to meet the lawn.
But only one mother, the wide world over."
-George Cooper

He brought me to tears this Mother's Day.  What a sweetie!

And well, for those of you who have been following this blog... you know what a huge step this is for him.  ONE MOTHER!  And that's ME!  I am blessed by my kids.


I got to spend the whole day with them.  And what an awesome day it was!

Here is my Mother's Day present:

All my beautiful kids up on my wall!

LOVE!!!

Happy Mother's Day 2013!

This is for you:

To you who have hopes of being a mom, but haven't had the chance; this is for you.

To you who have children, and it's not what you expected; this is for you.

To you who are not yet married, and dream of one day having a family; this is for you.

To you who have biologically brought a child into the world; this is for you.

To you whose child was never named; this is for you.

To you who might not ever have children; this is for you.

To you who selflessly let someone else raise your child; this is for you.

To you who have adopted your children; this is for you.

To you who maybe one day, someday, in the future, MIGHT want children; this is for you.

To you whose quiver is full; this is for you.

To you whose child is in heaven; this is for you.

To you whose children have left the nest; this is for you.

To you whose days are now spent obsessing over your GRANDchildren; this is for you.

To you who are part of the village it takes to raise a child; this is for you.

To all you mothers out there; this is for you:

Happy Mother's Day!

Where is Spring?

It's been raining for three days straight.

The sun is supposed to be shining.

Flowers are supposed to be blooming.

But they're not.

In fact, it's cold.

It's wet.

It's supposed to be spring.

It feels like winter.

This is the time of year when everything is supposed to be alive, yet everything is dead.

There were a few warm days.

We were happy.

It's what we had been looking forward to.

It was just a tease.

A glimmer of what is to come.

What we will have eventually.

...The future.

Oh, to have the ability to know what the future holds.

When will spring, life be here?

When will the rain end?

This rain is a disappointment.

It's not what we want.

Yet, it's what we have.

So we try to make the best of what we have.

Yet we pray and hope for warm days.

Sunny days.

Life.

On this day, FOUR (wow) years ago, my spring decided to peek it's head out.

The test was positive.

And so was my future.

But, like this season, spring doesn't always stay.

Mine didn't.

Sometimes, winter creeps back in.

Death reared it's ugly head.

Death chokes out the new life.

And sometimes, the rain hides the sun.

But, spring will come...

...Eventually.

Right now, you might be looking to the future... wondering if you'll ever see spring again.  Rain is all you've known lately.  It doesn't seem as if it will ever end.

Yet you still look forward to spring... whenever that is.

As I reminisce the past 4 years, I see a lot of rain.

But I am in my spring... finally.

And it is nice.

It's oh so warm.

I am enjoying the sunshine.

And one day, you'll be here too.

And even on the rainy days (because they're never truly OVER) I look for the sunbeams... that glimmer of hope, that spring will come again.

Because it will.

Every storm eventually runs out of rain.

"Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)"

Gary Allan

I saw you standing in the middle of the thunder and lightning
I know you're feeling like you just can't win, but you're trying
It's hard to keep on keepin' on, when you're being pushed around
Don't even know which way is up, you just keep spinning down, 'round, down…

Every storm runs, runs out of rain
Just like every dark night turns into day
Every heartache will fade away
Just like every storm runs, runs out of rain

So hold your head up and tell yourself that there's something more
And walk out that door,
Go find a new rose, don't be afraid of the thorns
'Cause we all have thorns
Just put your feet up to the edge, put your face in the wind
And when you fall back down, keep on rememberin'

Every storm runs, runs out of rain
Just like every dark night turns into day
Every heartache will fade away
Just like every storm runs, runs out of rain

It's gonna run out of pain
It's gonna run out of sting
It's gonna leave you alone
It's gonna set you free
Set you free

Every storm runs, runs out of rain
Just like every dark night turns into day
Every heartache will fade away
Just like every storm runs, runs out of rain

It's gonna set you free,
It's gonna run out of pain,
It's gonna set you free

*In memory of Abel Norris

"Look at all that hair"

If I could give the past 3 months of my life, a quote... that would be it.

Anytime I go anywhere (with Bella Rae, of course) that's all I hear.

People will stop me on the street, in the mall, at the grocery store, anywhere, to say that to me.

Once, I was even asked if she was wearing a wig.


Of course, after the "look at all that hair" quote, I always get this question, "did you have a lot of heartburn?".

I really don't think people believe me when I tell them I didn't have any, but that's the truth... what can I do?  It's an old wives tale, people.  ;)


So, anyways, I'll try and do a quick catch up of my littlest.  Come on... my kid is cute, and I have to show her off.




Here are a few more pics of her in the hospital... just to show how chubby she was!

Sucking her thumb.

Remembering Sadie Mae

Sweetness.

First poopy diaper... she wasn't happy.

She's a great eater!

Wearing her first outfit.

The first night in the hospital was ROUGH!!!!

I had been awake since Tuesday morning.  (She was born early Wednesday morning.)  And the visiting started around 9 AM Wednesday morning... no time for sleep.  But I was still running off adrenaline at this point and wasn't feeling that tired.

However, once Wednesday night came around... I was ready for sleep.  But Miss Bella Rae wasn't having any part of it.  She wanted to cluster feed (that's what my nurse called it) all night.  And well, I wouldn't have minded, if I hadn't been so sleep deprived.

We didn't get any sleep that night.  Well, except for a few times when I nodded off while feeding her.

I started thinking to myself, "oh no... here we go!"  And I tried my hardest to remain overjoyed that I had a baby.  After all, I had been waiting to have a little one for 3 years.  Here I finally had one... I wasn't going to complain.  But man, I was tired!

Thursday was our coming home day.  I remember finally dozing off around 4 AM... and then they came to get Bella Rae for her 24 hour check up.  She was in the nursery for a couple of hours, and I got enough sleep to hold me over for a while.



The lactation consultant was "an angel."  Seriously.  Her last name was Angel.  She encouraged me so much when I was so tired.  She told me it was going to get better.  She said the 2nd night with baby is always the worst ... but maybe Bella Rae was just an over achiever since she had a rough first night.  :)

(I'm thinking she was overdue... I mean come on... almost 9 lbs... and have you seen her hair?  What baby is born with that much hair?)

And well I've since decided she is an over achiever... just wait until you hear more about her.




I was feeling pretty great... my back was a little sore from being in that very uncomfortable hospital bed.  But I walked myself out of the hospital.

Who needs a wheelchair?   ;)

Smiling while getting ready to go home.

I mentioned before she was born about how nervous I was about bringing a baby home.  I just knew that she would end up with colic, cry all the time, never sleep.  I felt like God was going to give me a "bad" baby to make me more grateful.  And I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

BUT...

Bella Rae proved to be a great baby.  She rarely cried... except when hungry or having a dirty diaper.  And she actually allowed me to get some sleep once we got home.  Thank the Lord!  She is super, duper sweet... and smiley!

I was also nervous about how Roly Poly would act once we brought Bella Rae home.  It wasn't bad though.  She was a little rough with her, but that's to be expected.

"Hey Baby!"

For the first few days, Roly Poly called Bella Rae "Sadie Mae"... which I loved!  I thought it was a great way to remember Sadie Mae.  She also called her "little bug" several times.  I never realized how funny she was.

Then, for another week after that, she called herself "Hayley Rae."  ha ha

Feeding her baby.

 My biggest and littlest.

The first week wasn't SSSOO BAD!

I was tired and I felt like I wasn't getting to see the rest of my kids.  I was trying to sleep when Bella Rae slept because TJ took about 2 weeks off.  I was very grateful for that time, and all his help.

Bella Rae was a pretty good sleeper.  She didn't nap much during the day (unless I was holding her) but would sleep around 7 hours at night, starting when she was 5 days old.  However, it took a little bit of time to get her adjusted to "our time."  She would fall asleep around 1 AM in the morning... and even though she was basically sleeping through the night, I couldn't seem to sleep late in the morning, like she could.  <<NOT COMPLAINING!>>

Like father, like daughter.


We are not co-sleeping.  But a few nights, we did put her in the middle of our bed, in her boppy pillow.  It was much easier that way rather than getting up, down, up, down, well... you get the picture. She did NOT like to lie flat, and LOVED being swaddled.  I wish we would have figured that out a little sooner than we did.


And for the sake of this post already being extremely long, I'm stopping here.  Stay tuned for her newborn pictures!

Is my kid cute, or what?

My kids are awesome!

It seems all I'm doing lately is catching up on the blog.

It's just finding the right schedule that works for me.  And the fact that the computer is upstairs isn't helping.  (At least that's my excuse.)

But I've got lots of updating to do.  So here we go!



Cindy is playing (well played, because the season is over) softball this year, while working a part time job.

We are so proud of the hard work she is putting in, and the determination it takes.

I haven't been able to go to many games because I didn't want to risk getting the little one out in the cold weather, but I've been rooting her on from home, for sure!

She is very active in our church, studies hard at school and has over a 4.0 GPA!  You go girl!

She is responsible for taking Cale to school every morning, is saving for her first car, is an awesome, loving big sister, and just like me, is addicted to Starbucks.

She is dating a new boy... I think we approve.  ;)

...but there's more on that later.

She's a self-proclaimed daddy's girl, and our red-headed princess!

And she is hoping to join the worship team at church soon.

She has grown so much in her faith, and as a person, over this past year.  I know I keep saying that... but wow... I just can't believe it!




Roly Poly is making so many strides.  It's almost as if she decided it was time to be a big girl, now that she's a big sister.

She grew an inch between January and February... seriously in like 3 weeks.  We thought she was always going to be tiny, but she is making up for it now.

She has started speaking in sentences, singing, (following in her big sister's footsteps) and she runs everywhere!

She copies EVERYTHING!  But I'm loving the "typical" toddler behavior.

I'm pretty sure she is learning something new everyday... literally.

Uuummm, can you say big girl?

She is still a lover of all things Minnie Mouse, always wants to be outside, and is just a wild child in general.

She has finally learned words to her favorite songs, and sings along with them, including the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song, (She sings it while playing her miniature Minnie Mouse guitar!) Jesus Loves Me, and Happy Birthday (her favorite!).

And I think we have finally gotten over her night time sleep issues!  For almost a month now, she has gone to bed, willingly, without crying or screaming!  Yay!  I really don't know what made the difference, (as I was still procrastinating on starting melatonin) but I'll take it!



Sweet, sweet Bella Rae... she is 11 weeks old now if you can believe it (I can't refuse to.).  She is the sweetest, happiest baby I've ever seen.  Everyone says I have her spoiled, but I know it won't last long, so I'm enjoying all the mommy loving while I can get it.

She is a great sleeper, and a big eater.

She doesn't want to be a little baby, and thinks she's a big girl.  And she will let you know if you try to hold her like a little baby.

She has the biggest smile I've ever seen.

And oh my, is she cute, or what?

And as for Cale... well, let's see, we celebrated his 12th birthday in March.  He is one of THE SWEETEST kids I've ever met!

As soon as he comes home from school, he immediately gives me a hug, and tells me he loves me and how much he missed me.  Seriously?  Could I have any sweeter kids?

He is still an avid reader.  But now, he is also an avid hunter.

We bought him a compound bow (don't ask me...) for his birthday, and within a couple of weeks, he split his first arrow!

He is also very involved with our church.  It's so amazing to see him with his hands held up during worship... when 7 months ago, he had never even heard of Jesus.  (Man, Jesus is awesome!)

He only had 1 B on his report card this past 9 weeks, the rest were A's.  I'm so blessed to have kids that I don't have to pester to do their best in school.

He has several little girls from church and school that have crushes on him.  (Already?... oh my!)  Why couldn't God have given me ugly kids so I didn't have to deal with this?  ;)

And every time I tell him I love him, he responds with, "love you more!"

This kid is awesome!



We are keeping contact with Dill.  He and Cale are biological brothers and we want them to keep in contact with each other.  We also want Dill to know that we didn't give up on him, and we still love and care for him.

He is doing well with his current foster family, and we are praying he will thrive there.



I just can't believe how blessed I truly am.  I look at my kids and see God's redemption and grace all over them!  And I am so thankful!  I could not have asked for more!

Unsettling.

I have some unsettling news to share.

I'm going to get this out of the way before I update again.



Dill has been removed from our home.

I've been waiting to share well, because we had a 2 week "grace period" (if that's what you call it) before the final decision was made.

And on Monday, it was decided that he would not be returning to our family.

Yes, there is a reason.

No,  I am not sharing.

We are totally heart broken for ourselves, and for him.

We never saw this coming.  This was never an option for our family.  We never thought we would find ourselves here, as we never thought we would be in this situation.  We truly thought we could overcome everything.

But we couldn't overcome this.

Please pray that he will find a family that loves him, believes in him, and encourages him.  And pray for Cale as well.  As they have never been separated.


Just a little about what he has accomplished since being in our home...


I've mentioned before that he had a diagnosis of Asperger's.  He was in ALL resource classes at school.

Well, he's been in tutoring since the beginning of this semester, and just in the past 2 months,

• He had all A's and B's on his report card (first time ever for him)
• He went up 2 whole reading levels
• He improved his MAP scores (state standardized test) by 22 points, the most out of anyone in his class
• He was baptized
• He will only be needing ONE resource class next year!
• He was believed in, encouraged, and saw Christ's redemptive love.

His life was completely changing, for the better, right before our eyes.

And we were so proud of him.  He was proud of himself too.  His face was beaming with joy.

See what a little love can do?

Unfortunately, he just could not overcome all the behaviors his diagnosis deals with.  And again, we are completely heartbroken for him.

*Please no comments about how we are horrible people... etc, etc, etc.  Because we are truly saddened. He was our son, and he will always be missing from our family pictures, and family outings.

I will be back to blogging regularly soon.  But just wanted to share what has been going on first.

I really don't know what else to say.  I've cried so many tears over these past few weeks, there are none left.

Just please pray for him.

We will miss you, son.  And we will continue to pray for you.

Nice to meet you

Cindy was the first person to meet and hold Bella Rae

She got Bella Rae's very first smile!

That was the beginning of visitors... and they've barely slowed down since then.  :)

Here are a few pictures I have of Bella Rae meeting our family and friends for the first time.

Aunt Natalie

Grandma

Papa

Roly Poly

We asked her, "do you love your new sister?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to take her home?"

"No."

...Kids say the darndest... :)

Granny Frannie

And that's all I can find on Facebook at the moment.  (Upload and Tag me, people... ugh!)  One day I'll get the rest of the pictures, I hope.

Dill and Cale talked about how cute she was.  :)

But my favorite reaction was from Cale (11).  Every time he would look at her, he would laugh.

He (still) repeatedly says, "she looks so funny because she has no teeth!"

???

Personally, I think she would look funny WITH teeth, but you know... who understands the mind of an 11 year old?

Bella Rae is 6 weeks old today.  (Can you believe it?)  I promise I will catch up soon.  But everyone was asking for pictures from our family's first meeting.

So here ya go...

My birth story... was I able to go all natural?

It all started Tuesday afternoon... January 29th.

I had been nesting again.  But that was nothing new.  I finished up all the dirty laundry in my house, washed all the dishes, cleaned the entire house, and even mopped the entire downstairs.

I was having some contractions... but didn't want to get my hopes up.  They were more painful than the ones I had before... but still not really painful.

I started timing them.  They were coming 30 minutes apart consistently... no signs of labor there.

Throughout the day, they started coming closer together, averaging around 5 minutes apart.  Even though they were more painful than any I had before... they still weren't hurting.  So I didn't think anything about it.


All the kids came home from school, and I was waiting for supper to finish cooking when I had my first contraction that made me wince.

This was about 4:30.



I was mid conversation with TJ and he noticed me make a face.

He, in full blown panic mode, asked what happened.

I told him I think that was a contraction.

But I didn't think it was labor.



We ate supper, and the "uncomfortable" contractions continued.

And around 7:00, TJ noticed I was pausing while talking, or wincing during these contractions.

So he grabbed my phone, and opened up my "contraction timer" app, where I had been timing them.

They had been coming 2 minutes apart for the past hour.

And then he really started panicking.

So he called my doula who decided she was coming over.


I went to the bathroom and fixed my hair, and put on my make-up... just in case.


She got to our house about 9:00, and decided I was in labor... early labor, but labor.

So we continued to time the contractions, and walk around the neighborhood.


The more we walked, the stronger and closer together the contractions got.  (A sign that I was really in labor.)

They were now coming about every minute, were more painful, and were lower than when they first started.


About 10:30 we decided to head to the hospital.  I was still fearful that they were going to send me home.


We checked into the hospital right at 11:00.

The nurse asked me how far along I was at my last appointment right before she checked me.

And while she was checking me, she was like... "so you were a 4?  Well, you're definitely a ...................... (seemed like forever) ssssssssssss 6.  And you have a bulging bag of water.  But definitely a 6."


I was so glad to be past 4... past halfway.

And my contractions still weren't that painful.



They admitted me (yay!) and got me in a room.


I met my nurse... whom I absolutely fell in love with.  We got to share Sadie Mae's story... (again... love it!) and she told us that she had recently lost a child during pregnancy.  She was the best nurse ever!  I have been blessed with some great nurses.

She read my birth plan and told me a few "secrets" they have at the hospital that I might want to take advantage of that went along with my birth plan.

She told us that when requested, our baby could be given a bath in our room, instead of in the nursery.  And I was so excited to be able to see the first bath.



I was hooked up to the monitor... and by this point, I was having some really good contractions.  They were starting to hurt.  And I was having to stop what I was doing when they came along.

Baby's heart beat on the left side of the picture.  

Contractions on the right side of the picture.

At this point, I started having the urge to constantly go pee.  However, I couldn't.  I think it was my bag of water.  But I'm still not sure.  All I know is I constantly felt like I was going to pee on myself, but couldn't go... no matter how long I stayed in the bathroom.

Another bathroom break.

At one point, I was having bloody show, which made me panic.  I never had that with Sadie Mae, but was told it was normal.

It was around 12:30 at this point.  Labor was progressing... I was really nervous.  Contractions were picking up, but I was left wondering how long this was going to take.

Chomping on some ice... yummy!

My choice style of socks.  :)

At some point, the contractions really, really started picking up.  I'm guessing it was around 1:30 or 2.  I tried standing/leaning during them and that seemed to relive some of the pressure.  I tried the yoga ball.  But it wasn't the support I was looking for.  (Poor Olivia carried it around in her car for 3 weeks, and I didn't even use it.)  

We then asked for a birthing bar that connected to the bed.  It required us taking the end of the bed off.  However, the bar didn't provide the support I was looking for either.  It was really awkward.  

But I soon found a comfortable position on the bed... with the end of it off, and my feet hanging over the edge.

At this point, they were getting intense.  I went to the bathroom and was having more bloody show, so I asked the nurse to check and see if my water had broken.  She tested with a strip, and it was positive, but my water was still bulging.  Apparently, there was just a leak.  She checked me and I was dilated between 7-8.

Again, the contractions were picking up.  It was getting serious.

A little bit later, I asked to be checked again.  I knew I was getting close.  I was dilated to an 8... but still had my bulge of water.

The doctor was called in, and we waited.

The contractions were coming on top of each other now... and they were painful.  Olivia, my doula, was great in helping me relax through them.  It's amazing how much breathing and relaxing through each contraction made them much more bearable.

I remember at one point, I was dozing off between each contraction... what it is with me and falling asleep while I'm in labor?

I found a rhythm that worked for me.

I was sitting Indian style on the bed, and rocking side to side.

I think I rocked myself to sleep...

Suddenly, this was it!  I felt like the contractions were getting too much to bear.  I asked to lay down.  Several times, Olivia had to calm me down.  I thought a couple times I wasn't going to make it.  But we both knew I was so close to having this baby.

I had about 3 or 4 contractions that I thought were going to be the death of me.

I remember saying, "crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!!!!"

And Olivia was telling me, "look me in the eyes... breathe, Hannah, breathe."

Suddenly, I felt pressure.  And it shocked me into reality.  I told TJ and Olivia, "baby is coming... baby is coming.  I need to push!"  And I started pushing... because I couldn't help it.  

I watch all the Baby shows on TV, and I always wondered how I would know when to push.

Well, I knew.

The doctor and all the nurses came in.  And it was go time.  

I really did panic at the end.  It was more painful than I was expecting.  And I felt like I couldn't push hard enough or fast enough to get the baby out.  

But I was pushing... I wasn't going to stop.  

I wanted this baby out!

At one point I looked at my doctor, and told him, "this hurts more than I thought it would."

I'm pretty sure he laughed at me.

I told him I couldn't push anymore.  

And he said every time I talked, the baby's head was going back up into the birth canal.

And it helped knowing that my pushes were making progress, and not in vain.

So, I shut up and pushed a couple more times... and the head was out.

(Really, I only pushed less than 5 minutes.)

Once the head came out, there was still a little pain.  And I remember asking, "is it out yet?  Is it out yet?"

I watched her head come out, and it was an awesome sight.

It happened so fast!

Love this pic!

Check out TJ's face... I can't help but laugh!

They all yelled, "LOOK AT THAT HAIR!"

TJ said it felt like forever for her to cry.  But I don't really remember it.  I think I was still in shock from pushing my big 'ole baby out.  :)

However, I remember she cried long and loud.

And everyone was laughing at how loud she was.

TJ said, "we've been waiting 3 years to hear that cry."

I still can't believe it at times.

I cut the cord!

Skin-to-skin

I remember right after she was born, my doctor kept saying, "this is a big baby... this is a big baby!"

Right before they weighed her, my doctor said, "I think she's 10 pounds!" 

And I said... "No!  She won't be able to wear her newborn clothes!"

Then he said, "I'll bet my paycheck, she's at least 9.5"

...

8lbs 12 oz

I should have taken him up on that bet.  ;)

I had psyched myself out so much about what Bella Rae was going to look like.

I was pretty sure she was going to look just like Sadie Mae.

And I was terrified, because I didn't want her to be Sadie Mae's replacement.

I thought it might be too painful.

However, when I saw her, I didn't think she looked anything like Sadie Mae.  And I was grateful.  I was shocked because she didn't look anything like I thought she would.  But I was happy.  And wow... is she beautiful in her own way, or what?  :)

Check out those chubby legs.

I can't believe I just did that.

I felt great after giving birth naturally.

My legs were really sore afterwards, something I didn't expect.  And I got the shakes after too.
But, I was able to move my legs and walk around.  And that's what I wanted.

I thought to myself, "I'm not sure I want to do that again."

But then I decided the pain only lasted a short time.  And changed my mind.  I think I will do it natural again, if given the chance.  :)


I tore just a tiny little bit.  My doctor said it was a tear about ___ that long.

I didn't feel it.  But I was grateful it wasn't any bigger than that.

When they were checking Bella Rae out, they realized her blood sugar was low.  It was 22, it needed to be 40.  :(

So they had to take her to the nursery for sugar water, to help get it up.

I really didn't want that, but knew it was best for her.

So they took her to the nursery.


While in the nursery, they gave her a bath... which made me really upset because I thought I would get to see it.

But I tried not to let it ruin my morning.



I was moved to my new room while she was in the nursery.

I don't know if you remember the post I wrote about "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" with Sadie Mae, but our hospital plays that song every time a baby is born.

I didn't get to push the button with Sadie Mae, but I was so excited about being able to push it this time around.

And all I kept saying, "make sure to take my picture... make sure to take my picture!"

(This was around 4:30 or 5 in the morning...)

After her bath... in our new room.

I am so excited to have a teeny, tiny one in our house.  And I still can't believe I get to keep her!

What's in a name?

Before I got pregnant, I knew exactly what I was going to name Baby Norris... girl or boy.

However, once we accidentally found out what we were having... the name we had picked just didn't seem to fit.  (How does that happen?)

So, we sort of pulled one out of the air.

It was a combination of names that we had discussed years before, for our future children.

But somehow, it fit.


But before we actually decided, we had to look up the meaning.  I just couldn't name my child something that had NO meaning whatsoever.

So, the name we decided on is:

Bella Rae.

(Yes, another double-name baby.  I like double names, don't ask me why.)

Not too common.

Not too uncommon either.


But the meaning of the name is what I love.

Obviously, Rae is after TJ's Papa Ray, who passed away over a year ago.  We miss him dearly and really wanted to remember him in this way.

I had always loved the name Belle.

Beauty and the Beast was my favorite Disney movie growing up.

However, Belle Rae (sunglasses?) just didn't work.

So, we added an A... and Bella it was.



But the meaning of Bella... "Beautiful.  Devoted to God."  won me over.

And every time I would hear of another child being named Bella... TJ would remind that it was the meaning of the name that I love so much, not the "commonness" of it.

Seriously, several times I almost changed my mind because I didn't want her name to be too common.

Also, a lot of times, Bella is short for Isabella.  And even though, in this case, it's not... I think the meaning of Isabella really helped me decide as well that this was the perfect name.  (Bella is a nickname, of Isabella... and that counts, right?)

Isabella means:  "Devoted to God."  Or, in Spanish, "My God is bountiful.  God of plenty."  Which I think fits in so well since this is Sadie Mae's "rainbow" sister.


So, that's how we came up with her name...


We are home, and are all doing well.

I am heading to bed... in hopes of getting a few hours of rest before having to cuddle my little one all night again.

I am still in disbelief that I got to bring a baby home.

But I am so head over heels in love with her.

Happy because I'm going home!!

40 week "Bella" shot!  :)

Baby burrito

Welcoming...

Miss Bella Rae Norris!

She's here... and she's a girl.

Born:  January 30, 2013 (her due date)

3:58 AM

8 lbs 12 oz

21 inches

We are head over heels in love with our little chunk.

And we are so thankful that God has blessed us with a tiny one to bring home.

She is so cuddly, loves to be swaddled, cries really loudly when she doesn't get her way, and is a champ at nursing!

"I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born, says the Lord."  

Isaiah 66:9

*More pics and birth story, soon.

But for now... a nap (hopefully) for mommy.