3-4 months

I only have a second, but I SO MUCH want to update about Natalie.  She is 4 months now!  She is SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!  She has been since she was 12 weeks, so its pretty much the 'new normal' which is SO nice!  I finally feel like myself again and this helps SO much with enjoying Natalie and caring for Neil and her.  She is definitely a 'morning girl' and is always so smiley and happy when we come to get her up and she is already awake.  A few mornings she will be content in her crib just squealing and cooing, its really sweet to hear even at 6:30 in the morning.  She is VERY smiley and loves to squeal and laugh! We are so entertained at trying to get her to laugh and just listen to her "talk".  We have traveled with her a few times and it's been a little crazy since she doesn't love her car seat and doesn't adjust to new places very well.  Hopefully she will go out of this!  At her 4 month check up she weighed 13.3lbs and was 24 1/4 inches. She is 50% for both weight and height and only 10% for head circumference!  No wonder Neil thinks every other baby has a huge head!  It's because Natalie's is so small!!!!!  She has only rolled over once and it wasn't intentional.  I'm practicing with her but she doesn't seem real interested so I try not to stress over it.  She LOVES LOVES LOVES to stand on her legs and "walk".  She gets the biggest grin and seems SO proud of herself.  So fun!  In the past month I've really started to enjoy motherhood and settle into a little more, though I'm aware things change so much and there is constant resettling, but for now things are good.  I feel good physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually and I'm thankful to be over the post-partum.  It was tough, but I'm aware of God's faithfulness in that time!  Well, to finish here are a few pictures from the last month and a video of our 'Morning Girl'!


3 months in her Bumbo!








Easter!

Nana and Papa John in Kentucky!

 

video of our 'Morning girl'

10 weeks!

Here are some latest pictures of our sweet girl. The first one was taken yesterday after she received her 2 month vaccines. I was really nervous about how she would react to them, but things went MUCH better than I expected. I expected her to cry for 3-hours straight and that I would be calling the hospital or somewhere about it. She was fussy and sleepy and just not her 'self'. I love this picture of her so small in Neil's arms.

The second is Natalie with her Aunt Olivia. I am SO glad I was able to catch this picture with Natalie smiling! Olivia is the first person she has smiled at other than Neil and I!

The third is another 'lucky' shot at her smiling. She has been smiling for a few weeks now and we LOVE LOVE LOVE it! It can be tricky to capture because once she sees the camera her attention is fixated on it and you can't get to do smile anymore!
She is most smiley in the mornings and seems to be a morning person like her daddy. Which is good since I'm not and one of us needs to be in a good mood to start our day!
In a few weeks we will be traveling up to KY with her to see some family for the weekend. Please pray! I had hoped to not travel until she was sleeping through the night, but this opportunity came up and we thought it best to go ahead and try it.

At her 2 month checkup she weighed 10.5 lbs and 22'' long. She's a short lady like her momma! She isn't sleeping through the night yet and averages 5 hours at a time. Her doctor said she was too young to sleep through the night right now so I'm just going with it. I have been able to stretch her 6 or 6.5 at times and will try to continue to do this when she is feeling well. I really had NO clue you had to train a baby to sleep! I hope she will naturally go longer on her own, but she might not and Neil and I are prepared to help her if we need to, just waiting for the right time to do it.

We are starting cloth diapers tomorrow! Fingers crossed that we like them!

Well that's all I have time for now! Thanks for loving us!
p.s. I think Natalie just exploded in her diaper...

7 weeks update

My sweet lady is 7 weeks old today!
It is hard to believe that she has grown from this:
to this:


Things are going well this week and I am trying to soak up these newborn days as much as possible because soon they will pass. She is becoming more alert and we are finding some rhythm to our days. She eats every 3-4 hours and can have awake time for up to 1 1/2 hours. She is still in newborn clothes, but sometimes we pretend that they are too big and put her in 0-3month clothes because there are more of them, they are cuter than white onesies, and we wouldn't be able to leave the house otherwise. I think she can go 4 1/2 - 5 hours at night right now, but its hard to tell because she had a growth spurt last week and it was a ROUGH week! She is getting stronger with tummy time and it is fun to watch her hold her head up. She still loves staring around and LOVES LOVES LOVES looking at lights! She can still be fussy in the evenings, but it is hit and miss and we don't know if we've missed something or if she's just fussy. I tried her in a carrier last week and she didn't hate it! I am hoping we can use it more consistently in the future. I have started putting her in the nursey at church and she is doing well. I was called this past Sunday because it was time for her to eat, but otherwise she has handled being in there well, since she is usually asleep when she goes in. I also handle it well and think it is a really good time for the both of us. Neil also kept her Friday night while I went to a Women's Retreat at church. He fed her a bottle, which she will take (PRAISE THE LORD!), and put her to bed. I am still breastfeeding, but I do admit it is a submission issue for now. I want there to be joy and contentment with it, but it is a struggle. It has nothing to do with her, its me and my thoughts towards breastfeeding. I have learned that I am a WRECK when I don't get sleep, case in point I was a WRECK last week because of her growth spurt and I had people slightly concerned for me. My 6 week checkup went well and I continue to respect and adore my doctor. I wish he could be my doctor for everything! He was so encouraging to care for me emotionally and even encourage Neil and I in our marriage and communication! How refreshing to receive that kind of counsel in a doctor's office! I am slowly getting out and about with her, though most days it isn't worth the effort. We are still getting meals for another week so I know I will have to be more brave and bite the bullet soon. I love these moments and I can't wait to share more sometime in the future!

Here are some other sweet moments from the last few weeks:

sleepy smiles visit from great grandparents visit from Papa John and Nana

visit from Grandmama and Granddaddy C and Aunt Olivia

Our Little Lady

Introducing our sweet little Natalie Jane Williams!
Born on January 3, 2012 at 10:52pm (2 days early)
She is 4 weeks old today and we love her so much!

This is a picture right after she was born. It might be from a camera phone or my parent's camera because yes, we forgot our camera. We are 'those people' who forget their camera to record life altering events. Of course when your contractions go from 5 mins. to 3 mins. in less than 30 minutes, your water breaks and your still at home, it is a little difficult to remember things like that, let alone how to get to the hospital.
Active labor was 6 hours long and once at the hospital they said I would 'go really fast'. I didn't really believe them but of course they are the professionals and I'm not.
I was able to deliver naturally and I'm really thankful for the experience. I still LOVE LOVE LOVE my doctor and loved all my nurses and my experience at our hospital.

I will admit that I DID NOT LOVE the first week and a half or so at home. I was NOT prepared for the hormones, nursing, and a crying newborn. I really struggled with 'baby blues' those first several days and only felt despair and frustration. Praise the Lord that Neil was home for 2 weeks because I really wonder if I would have made it. However, I also experienced the kindness of the Lord to lead me in his word and through Neil.

I do NOT want to forget these things:
-Neil helping me try to nurse Natalie (even the late nights)
-Neil encouraging me in his sleep- 'Your doing great babe...' (uh, thanks Neil, I'm just laying here...)
-Neil reading scripture to me while I nursed Natalie (esp. helpful in the middle of the night)
-Neil playing and singing hymns and worship music while I nursed Natalie (also esp. helpful in the middle of the night)
-Natalie snuggling up in my chest and sticking up butt up in the air after she ate and fell asleep. (STILL MY FAVORITE!)

ok, this is all I have time for and I didn't really have time for it, but I wanted to write it all down and share.
Thanks for being excited or nosy about our family!

37 1/2 week update

I had planned to post pictures today of my last two showers, but I forgot the cord for the camera to upload the photos. Maybe sometime before Natalie gets here I'll be able to do that.

Just a quick update on the last few weeks of pregnancy!
At the doctor last week he said I was 50% effaced but no dilation.
This week was the same. NO changes.
I am actually relieved that there weren't any changes this week since we plan on traveling for Christmas, just an hour away, and I don't want to be paranoid or preoccupied wondering if I'm about to go into labor. So now, NO WORRIES! I still haven't had any contractions, not even Braxton Hicks.

It has been interesting to get the question, "So, are you over being pregnant yet"? To which I say, "No. Actually I'm not." I still feel pretty good and comfortable and am able to be active. I'm really thankful the pregnancy as been so easy and low key, but I'm aware that at any point I could become, 'over it'. I don't think its wrong when pregnant women feel that way, I just haven't experienced it, yet and hopefully I won't.

I have developed, however, carpal tunnel in my hands. SO RANDOM! It is the weirdest feeling for your fingertips to be numb and your finger joints sore. Gives me more compassion on those who deal with arthritis, though what I'm experiencing is very mild and will go away after Natalie is born. I also have had mild swelling in my ankles but only if I've been on my feet all day. And last, I experienced heartburn over the weekend for the first time ever-or at least in a REALLY REALLY long time! It was the weirdest thing, but I think it is mostly diet related with pregnancy effecting it some. It's just SO hard to stay away from cheese!

Please know I'm not complaining, but just sharing about where I'm at in the pregnancy. These small discomforts have been a good opportunity for me to choose to not complain out loud or in my heart, but choose joy and contentment away from my circumstances. It is such a good opportunity for me to grow in the Lord and I don't want to miss it!

I hope everyone has a joyous Christmas celebrating Christ!
I'll keep you updated unless Natalie comes while we are out of town!

Glucose and Local Celebrities

Yesterday I had a bizarre encounter at the doctor's office.
First, I was there for 3 hours because I failed my glucose test on Monday. I had to go in and drink this sugary drink and then they drew blood on the hour for 3 hours. I had passed the very first test a few months ago, but failed the second test on Monday which is why they did the 3 hour yesterday. I've heard HORRIBLE things about the glucose test, but honestly I really didn't mind. The drink wasn't that bad and I was able to get my 'Thank You' cards done from my baby showers. I really do believe that it was the Lord who would give me contentment for that time. It could be easy for me to fall into the temptation to complain because most everyone else I've talked to that has had to do the test gave it such a negative light. By God's grace it was never a big deal to me and I was able to enjoy the time I had, although I'll say I'm still not a fan of giving blood samples.

Anyway, my bizarre encounter:
I was waiting the final 5-10 minutes of my 3 hours before giving my last blood sample, when a mom, at least upper high school age daughter, and husband walk in. The mom is a middle aged pregnant mom and is pretty far along in her pregnancy. Okay, no big deal. WELL, then behind them comes this CAMERA CREW in with some small cameras! I notice then that the mom has a microphone and battery pack on her and they are all talking excitedly about what is going on. I'm thinking- WHAT IS GOING ON!? Is this some piece for the local news? Why? I'm trying NOT to listen, but that is impossible when you are the only other person in the waiting room with all this commotion! The camera guy starts filming the family's interactions and the daughter is excited to be a the appointment with them because she hopes to find out the gender of the baby since he/she will be the 19th baby!

WAIT, WHAT!?

Well, the nurse calls them back into the office just as it's time for me to go give my final blood sample. They are ahead of me filming this whole interaction as they walk back into the office and they see the doctor in the hallway. They proceed to talk with him about how things are going, meanwhile I'm stuck behind them and can't get to the lab to do my final blood sample! And it is a time sensitive blood drawing so they have to take a sample on the hour for the 3 hours. I DID NOT want to have to get stuck more than necessary because I couldn't get through! It was SO bizarre to be stuck waiting and watching this interaction and filming, but I really wasn't trying to be nosy at all! I was just trying to do my thing and leave! The nurse could see me through the crowd, but neither of us could get to each other! She was able to come to the window and tell me about a back door I could come through. Okay, great. I meet the nurse at the back door and she said, "You know who that is don't you?" Nope, not a clue. She said, "The Bates family, you haven't heard of them." Nope. To which she gave me the 'WHAT? YOU HAVEN'T HEARD OF THE BATES FAMILY!?' look. She said, "You of the Dugger's don't you?" Oh yeah, I know about them. "Well, the Bates' are a local family and they are pregnant with their 19th child and they are starting a show about them!" OH, WOW, that's cool.

Well, I was done with my test but needed to use the restroom before I left. There was someone in the restroom, but as I approached she came out. It was the MOM! She was SO sweet and funny as commented on my belly and how small and cute I was pregnant. I asked her how far along she was and she said, "Well, I look like I'm 5 weeks past due, but I have 9 weeks left." To which I thought, sweet lady you are pregnant with your 19th I think its okay if you look bigger than me. (which she really didn't look that big to me.) And then we parted ways.

It was SO bizarre! But I was encouraged by their excitement and eagerness over any life that the Lord would bless them to carry. Of course, I googled them and I was encouraged by their blog which I've (hopefully) linked above.

Just wanted to share about my recent adventures!

One Hand Countdown!

Tomorrow we begin 35 weeks with Natalie!!!!!!
That means you can count how many weeks I have left on ONE HAND!!!!!!!!!
AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm trying not to lose it with excitement and anxiety!
My thoughts lately:
"There is SO much left to do before she arrives! How will I have time to do it all"?
"What if she comes EARLY!!!! She won't come early. Most first babies come late. Surely, she won't come early. There have been NO signs of early labor or pre term labor. I haven't even had Braxton Hicks contractions. SURELY SHE WON'T COME EARLY! But, maybe she will and HOW FUN WILL THAT BE!"
"Do I rush to do all my projects now and risk sitting around bored waiting and waiting for her to come or do I space it out and just finish them sometime after she's here..."
"Where will I be when I go into labor? What will it feel like? How will I know?"
"I HOPE I'M NOT IN A PUBLIC PLACE WHEN MY WATER BREAKS!!!!!"
"What if I go into labor while we are at Neil's family's for Christmas? Do we try to drive back? It's only an hour, surely we'd make it back... right?"
"What will she look like?" "Will she have curly, red hair? Please, to satisfy everyone elses' desires, let her have curly, red hair!"
"I CAN'T WAIT FOR HER TO GET HERE!!!"


So, to say the least my mind has been VERY FULL of thoughts and errands, yet I feel like I don't have the time to put my thoughts together or run my errands! Hopefully next week I can start tackling my "To-Do Before Natalie" Lists.
Yes lists is plural.

Other than feeling like I have SO much to do and NO time to do it, I'm doing really well. I wake up a little achy and my back usually hurts by the end of the day, and I'm fighting a sinus/cold thing I got from Neil this weekend, but these are SO MINOR compared to what others experience. Pregnancy has still been VERY easy and I'm still amazed and humbled that it has been this way. I don't desire it and really believe it is evidence of God's grace on me. I feel like I deserve to be sick and have problems as a 'punishment' for not 'waiting well' all last year as we struggled with getting pregnant. I know this isn't the Gospel and that God does NOT punish his children, yet pours grace upon grace on them even in discipline. But I can struggle with that thought at times.
Since I'm almost eight months pregnant, I feel HUGE!!!!!!!! I look HUGE!!!!!!!!! I saw a picture of myself from the baby shower this past weekend and was AMAZED! I had no idea! How can I get any bigger?! I haven't gained too much wait, but I guess because I'm short it just doesn't have anywhere to go!

I'll keep you posted as we continue to count down till we see our sweet Natalie!