Thankful for Toyota

Sounds like a strange thanks, right? This is the company that has been under scrutiny for botched brakes and everything else under the sun, but for me, right now, they are the tops in my book.

Saturday, while driving home from the game, we were hit by a pickup truck. The driver was turning left and we were going straight. He failed to yield the right of way and said he didn't see us and knocked us clear into tomorrow.

Despite the big blow and the obvious damage, we all walked away OK (Daniel and I were with my friend Katie and her sister Meagan). Other than a few bruises and some stiffness and soreness the next day, it seems we are all OK.

I accredit this OK-ness first and foremost to God, and secondly to Toyota. Thus, I am thankful for Toyota. My brakes work fine and obviously I give them a 5 star crash test rating. 

It's November folks

It's November, a month that traditionally has us all remembering what we're thankful for. I love this month, it is the month when the leaves start to change, you can smell wood burning fires in the air (LOVE that smell- judge me, go ahead, I don't care) and it's just an all around feel good month in my book. But like I first mentioned it's a month that we often find ourselves giving thanks.

As for me I love giving thanks. I guess it was because it was instilled in me when I was younger how you don't take anything for granted and you should always say thanks. I even remember Mom once telling me how much God likes to be thanked.... and til this day I always try to start off my prayers with a long, heartfelt lists of all the thanks in my life... a.k.a. all the blessings that I have because of Him.

 Well, anyway, seeing as I have not been that faithful of a blogger as of late, I am going to try and give you something every day or every other day (cut me some slack-- 3 month old baby and husband... remember?!?) that I am thankful for in my life. I should do this more often and shouldn't wait for lonely old month 11 to roll around for me to start giving thanks, but, nonetheless, I will do my best to give my thanks every day or so on here.

So, day 1, what am I thankful for??? Well, there is a menagerie of things that I could write about first, but today is Veteran's Day and I find it only suitable to be thankful for our men and women in the armed services, and thankful to be an American in general.

One of the most understated lines is in Toby Keith's song "American Solider". It says, "freedom [don't] come free."

Amen. I couldn't have said it better. And the sad truth is, the large majority of us will never understand what it does truly cost because we will never see the things that these brave men and women see and have seen. The sights they have witnessed, the sounds they have heard and the heartbreak they have suffered losing their comrades on the battlefield all unfathomable to us, yet so real for them.

To this I tip my hat (well if I had one, I'd be tipping it) and truly give you a thanks that I know will never speak the volumes that it means.

Because of you I was able to grow up Christian and love and serve the God I chose. Because of you I was able to get the education that I wanted and am still able to be furthering that education. Because of you I was able to birth the most precious baby boy on July 20, in a clean, well-staffed hospital where I didn't ever have to worry about the government or anyone else coming in and taking him from me, and, more importantly, I was able to look at him and know what a bright future he had because he was blessed to be born in the United States of America.

So, thank you men and women of the United States Armed Forces.

While many of us spend hours with our noses in books or eyes glued to the television delving into the world of imaginary heroes, you are the true heroes-- the ones who really make this world a better place.

Happy Veteran's Day and thank you.

Lovely Little Laugh

Caleb has been smiling  in happiness, not just random gas smiles or baby smiles, but full fledged I like you, or this makes me happy smiles since he was about 4 weeks old. For the past month or so since he has started getting really vocal he has also laughed. When he has laughed it has just been a little laugh and a big ol' smile until today.

Today we were sitting in the nursery after some tummy and back time working on our rolling over... he's got tummy to back down  like a pro and is almost just as good at back to bell but not quite yet-- I am so proud of my chunky 3 month old (14 lbs 12 oz as of yesterday). Anyway, when we got done with our "workout" the little guy was tired, so I took him in the nursery and was rocking him and reading some books.

I thought for sure he was going to fall asleep but he didn't so I propped him up on my legs facing me and just started talking to him. One thing led to another, and I found myself making up songs and being weird (I know shocker, right?). Well, as I was singing and taking my hands and tapping Caleb's sweet cheeks, he just let out the heartiest laugh. I teared up (I am telling you, motherhood has made me lamer than lame). I just kept doing this silly song and tapping his cheeks and my little buddy just kept laughing. It was such a sweet, sweet sound.

These are just some pictures from today. I know on the third you can see dog hair, normally I would be too embarrassed to share this, but I sweep and swiffer daily and brush the dog and nothing seems to keep the hair at bay... any suggestions?

Oh well, I guess there are worse things.

Well, it is crazy to think how much he has already changed in 14 quick weeks. God is such a masterful creator. I thank Him daily for this little guy and everyone else in my life, and now I'll be thanking Him for that sweet laugh too. Hope you guys all get a good laugh today!

Pumpkin Patch-ery

Yeah, I just made up a word, so deal with it.

Anyway, yesterday Daniel and I took Caleb to the Farmer in the Dell Pumpkin Patch in Loachapoka. We were fortunate to have his parents there too so that we had someone to help us take pictures.

Here are a few. We thought we waited until late enough so that the sun wouldn't be so bright, but it was still very bright and caused a lot of shadows, so we may just have to go back this weekend.

It was a neat experience, but I am already looking forward to next year when Caleb can walk around and explore on his own.

OK, God, I hear you

Ever feel like God is trying to send you not so subtle messages? Well, this week has definitely been one of those and I feel like it has been a good week for self-reflection.

It all started Sunday after a dinner with the in-laws. I was aggravated with certain things and just needed some girlfriend time. Well, I was texting with one of my best girlfriends and we were joking back and forth about some things to kind of get my mind off things when I had a typical Katie scatter-brained moment.

Sometimes when I am doing one thing but thinking of another I combine the two and end up botching the whole thing. Well this time I was thinking of a particular person because of what my girl friend and I were talking about and thinking about how I needed to thank my in-laws for taking us to dinner and to make a long confusing story short, I sent what my friend and I had been joking about to my mother-in-law whom I meant to send the thank you text to. I hope you're following all this.

Anyway, it was just a big mess. Daniel of course feels I freaked out more than I needed to and just needed to talk to his mom, but if you know me you know I hate ever offending anyone or feeling like I let them down so I couldn't call because I was a sobbing mess.

Well, while it wasn't a gossipy text and it was just what my girlfriend and I had been talking about I soon saw God's message-- I need to learn to confront my problems.

I am notorious for just smiling and nodding and letting people walk all over me because I hate confrontation. Well, I guess God was telling me it's time to put on the proverbial big girl panties and start facing my problems head on. Daniel and I never have any arguments except over this point of contention and the fact that I had yet to speak up for myself to fix, so I think He was also trying to show me you need to get over your insecurities and do it not only for your own sanity but for a better household for all.

So, tomorrow I am going to try and talk to this person and let them know how I feel about the way they treat me and act toward my family, and I know that God will be there to give me strength and also the means of going about it so as to speak in a manner that will not shame Him, instead show His love and forgiveness for all. I know that sounds nuts to talk about when you are going to confront someone, but I know it can be done and I can approach it in a way that will make God shine through me to someone who I do not think is a believer.

I got another tap on the shoulder from God a few days after that when I couldn't find my right hand ring. Daniel and I literally tore our house apart before finally finding it. I had been shooting arrow prayers all day that God just let me find it. It wasn't the money that was fretting me (although that will definitely get you thinking did I really just lose ___ dollars through my carelessness) but it was what the ring stood for. It was my 1 year anniversary gift and Daniel and I really struggled through our first year of marriage and this ring was almost like a new promise ring that we were turning things around, refocusing on God and family and moving forward.

Well, after I found it the hidden message was clear. Get organized Katie. I don't think it was necessarily just my house He was talking about, but maybe life in general. There are a lot of things in my life that are unnecessary clutter-- from junk food to negative/gossipy people to my tendency to put things off. I think this was just His way of showing me I need to clean my act up and focus on what's really important.

I hear ya God, loud and clear. Thanks for the wake-up calls. Here's hoping that next time you don't have to speak so loud, because I promise I think I was borderline breakdown each of those times.

Isn't it funny how if we aren't listening for His quiet voice, sometimes we can get lost in all life's noise?

By the way the random picture was just for graphic appeal.... no real rhyme or reason... but check it out, it was the little guy's first day wearing shoes. :)

10 for 10

So our little newborn, is a newborn no more. Tomorrow he will be ten weeks old. I thought it would take so long to get here, but here it is and it came fast. I think that time has actually flown by even fast since school started 6 weeks ago, so I'm really looking forward to fall and winter break, hoping it'll slow down again and help me enjoy him all day every day.
Anyway, as we get ready to enjoy this 10 week milestone I thought maybe I should look back on my 10 favorite things about motherhood so far. Notice that these are my favorite things, that's because there are far more than 10 things I love about this new stage in life and this precious baby.
1. His smile. I am not just saying this because I am his mom, because others have said it, too, many times, but this is the happiest baby I have ever been around. And with my nannnying and babysitting throughout the years I have been around a lot of babies.

God has definitely blessed us with one goodnatured little tyke.

2. The feedings- I know, most moms would say, "What? The feedings? Are you nuts?" Well, maybe I am nuts but I do love them. It is such a sweet time. It is just us and I sing to him or read to him and while this is probably just my subconscious wishing, I like to think he is getting something out of it and enjoying it as much as I do. I really love the book "Guess How Much I Love You". It reminds me of my mom and me when I was little. I used to always tell her I loved her more and she would tell me she loved me most. It was an unending cycle. I never understood that she really could love me more than I was expressing, but now that I have a child of my own I see how endless this love is.... which brings me to my third fave thing

This is in our little reading corner in his nursery. Duke often joins as you can see

3. The love- It is so cliche because everyone always says you never know how much you can love until you have a child, but it is so true. The love I have for this little guy is so much more than I ever thought possible. It is not only amazing to see how much I love him, but how much my love for Daniel has grown too (which I didn't necessarily think was possible either, but it's like that country song, "I've said that before")

Our little family. So full of love.

4. The love I see that Daniel has for Caleb- Watching these two is such a blessing. Daniel always said he would be a wonderful Dad not because he knows what to do but because he knows what not to do thanks to his own experience with his father. But bad role model or not, this guy has the dad thing down perfectly. Caleb adores his daddy and the feeling is mutual. So Daniel if you're reading this it's not because you know what not to do, because you also know what to do and you do it perfectly!

Such a special bond these two already have.

5. Watching Caleb learn- Of course I am a mom so I think my child is advanced (haha), but in reality to think of all that he has accomplished in 10 short weeks is amazing. My favorite thing as of late is the cooing. I guess he really started letting us here him "talk" a couple of weeks ago and it is the sweetest thing ever. Daniel and I crack up and find ourselves mocking him often, which he enjoys and then continues to carry on the conversation in his own little way. But as I was writing this (literally) he rolled over for the first time. What a little stud!

Tummy time holds all kinds of learning experiences for Caleb.

6. The Duke/Caleb factor- Everyone warned me that my relationship with Duke would not be the same after the baby arrived. I don't necesarily think this is true. I may not have the same amount of time that I did before for Duke, but he still is my shadow and still loves me and the feeling is mutual. However, what I did not expect was for Duke to take to Caleb so easily and naturally. It has been said more than once that if Duke had opposable thumbs we could leave him in charge of Caleb. You have no idea. Duke checks on Caleb at every little sound he makes, and even if Caleb isn't making any noise Duke feels it is his job to check on his "little brother" every now and then. When we moved Caleb from the bassinet in our room to his crib in his room, you would have thought Duke had just lost his life long best friend. He didn't understand why Caleb wasn't in the bassinet and he was torn between sleeping in the nursery or in our room, so he did what was most logical and moved back and forth between rooms for the first few nights until he was assured Caleb would be OK in there by himself.

Seriously he could babysit, I don't think you understand.

7. Bringing me closer to God- Anyone who could ever doubt that there is a god, is not only ignorant, but has clearly never loved a child. Any and everything Caleb does is such a miracle to me. He is a miracle and everything about him is so miraculous that I find myself constantly thanking God for sweet Caleb and asking God to make me a better Christian for Caleb's sake and to bring me closer to Him so that Caleb may grown to love the Lord and be a God serving man.

Our fam after church.. this was about the only picture I could think of to symbolize this :)

8. Learning the small things don't matter- Those of you who know me, know I am a worrier and an anxious mess. Well, meet the new Katie because something about this little guy has brought the greatest calm to me and I rarely find myself stressed about much. I think it is because of Caleb and having to put less important things on the wayside that I have learned this. After a while of not having the perfect house or always having my hair done every day I saw that these things didn't matter and life was still going on fine. These are just a couple of the examples of the big picture, but I do see now that sometimes you just have to forget about things and know that they will get done later.

Horrid hair, clothes that are spit up on, lack of make-up. Who cares when you have such a cute little man!

9. Watching him grow- While I have already had my moments where all I want is for time to slow down so he stops growing, it is so amazing to see how he changes. I can't wait to watch him grow over the years and become the wonderful man I know he will be.

From his first minutes...

to today!

10. Caleb- This is kind of a given, but everything about the little guy is so wonderful to me that there isn't a thing I don't love about him. From his smile to his sweet cry, to the way he nuzzles when he is on your chest but his still thinking he is a big boy and trying to hold his own bottle before dropping it a few seconds later, there isn't a thing about this child that I don't absolutely adore. He has changed my life so much in 10 short weeks. Everyone always says parenthood is a sacrifice, and maybe in someways it is, but there isn't a thing I have sacrificed that I miss and regret having to give up. I can't wait to see what else the future with my little boo boo holds.

Sweet newborn Caleb. He sure has changed a lot since this picture, but I love it so. Thanks for everything sweet boy. Your momma and daddy love you oodles and oodles.

What's all the fuss about?

So I was looking at another mom's blog this morning and her daughter turns 2 today (as far off as that used to seem, as fast as these past 8 weeks have flown by I know it will be here before I know it). Anyway, she had posted about the big day and linked back to past blogs she had written about her little girl. I became inspired. I know I have fallen off the blog band wagon as of late, but I am going to try and be better. With a baby, school and 2 jobs, you have to cut me some slack.
Anyway, if I am going to keep everything for Caleb, I guess the first place to start is the labor and delivery story.
So, let's turn the clock back 1,382 hours and 11 minutes. Yes, that is precisely how long it has been since little coccolo entered the world. And yes, I also realize I am a nerd for calculating that.
Anyway, getting to 12:53 a.m. on July 20, was not the quickest of journeys, however, I wouldn't say it was near as bad as all of the labor horror stories you hear.
I checked into the hospital about a quarter til 7 on Monday morning to be induced. I was induced around 9 and had my water broken around 12 because not much progress was being made. At this point Dr. Alverson told me when I thought I was getting close to any kind of pain to let the nurse know so I could get my epidural ordered because it would take an hour. Well, I thought he was exaggerating just so I wouldn't get to the point of needing it and expect it to be simultaneous that I received the drug.
Well, dude wasn't lying. I think I decided about an hour after I had my water broken that it was time. It took another hour and a half for the anesthesiologist to get up to my room. I probably shot daggers at him when he walked in the room, but in the end the guy was there to give me the goods so I just leaned forward and let him do his magic. Except that wasn't even that easy. Earlier in the morning I had agreed to let a student nurse shadow my nurse. I thought, well no big deal they'll learn and just be monitoring my stats and what not. Nope, wrong. They were there for everything including when the epidural was administered. So as the doctor is inserting the catheter in my back he is explaining step by step what he is doing and all of the possibilities of things going wrong and leaving me paralyzed. Uhm, hello?!?! Who wants to hear this when they have been in labor for 6 hours and are in enough pain without the agony of considering being a paralyzed mother... not this chick that's for sure.
So anyway, after Dr. Dundee (his accent was just like Crocodile Dundee, so at least that added a little entertainment to the talk of a catheter entering my back {note the little}) was finished with his work I was feeling pretty good. It is absolutely absurd how you truly do lose complete control of your lower body. My legs felt about 1,000 lbs each and there was not a thing I could do to will my body to even give me a slight bit of control over them.
Fast forward about another 3 hours and you can cue the nausea. It was awful I was physically sick for the rest of labor until 12:53 a.m. No joke, I was still getting sick as I was pushing. Ok, sorry that is as graphic as I'll get.
Anyway, labor was pretty easy if you ask me. I napped a lot of the day. I watched tv, movies and the Cardinals game. The funny thing is that the Cardinals were losing and the labor was progressing very slowly and Dad and I joked that Caleb was just waiting until the Cardinals started winning to make his appearance, and sure enough as they took the lead my labor started progressing much fast. The Cardinals ended up winning and a few hours after that I was holding my sweet baby for the first time after only an hour of pushing. God is good! Birth has to be the most miraculous event ever. It was crazy when I was holding him and admiring how perfectly he was made the next day to think that just hours before he had been inside of me for 40+ weeks. Anyone who can say humans evolve and that God doesn't exist is just plain stupid. Witness the miracle of birth and surely you will change your mind.
Well this was long enough, but Caleb, one day when you are older I can look at this and remind you that it took nearly 17 hours to get you into this world and out of me, and if that day you are not listening, I'll also remind you that within 17 secs I can take you out. JK Caleb Lawrence, that is just such a typical mom line that I had to say it.
You are the joy of my life and your dad's and no matter what you do you should know that we will always love you and we will always be here for you. Nothing can change that. I love you to the moon and back.