are you who you want to be?

Do you ever have one of those days where you just lose it? You wish you could collect your words and rewind those moments. I should know that a 2 yr old isn't capable of certain things, but today was just one of those days where I was irritated (because of a rash I've had on my foot for 8 days) and was in a hurry, so I was short and irritated with Silas. Then, I had to apologize to him when we got in the car. I felt so bad because all I could hear was my tone on "replay" and it sounded horrible. I've been meditating on 33 Miles' song that says, "This is your life, are you who you want to be?" I knew in those moments, that was NOT who I wanted to be. I want my voice to be gentle, my words to give life. It was a wake up call for me and I hope I can remember this day so that I remember who I DON'T want to be. May God's Holy Spirit continue to invade my heart so my actions reflect Him.

gifts from God

We feel so blessed to have two precious gifts from God: our children. I can't believe that he loves me THIS much! These are amazing gifts! Last Sunday we had the privilege of dedicating Sophia back to the Lord, honoring and thanking Him and committing to raising Her to know and love Him. It was a moving ceremony.

strength

With two kids, the house sure is a lot busier! Someone always needs something and usually one is crying...and then, when you get SICK on top of it, you do think that tomorrow will never come. It's during these times that I must rely on the Lord's strength to get us through! I love being a mom, but I couldn't be one without Him!

sophia is here!

We welcomed Sophia Rose Stockton into our hearts and lives December 31, 2008 at 2:03 am, weighing 7 lb 8 oz and 20.5 in long. She's our dark-haired beauty with dainty fingers and long eyelashes! We are just so blessed!

Labor was quick - about 7 hrs total. We went in to the hospital Tuesday night after a check-up at my doctor. We had a great labor and delivery nurse who helped out tremendously! I only had to push 10 minutes, about 6 pushes! Sophia was a bit jaundice, so we had to stay an extra day, but she is doing well!

Sophia had her days and nights mixed up for a bit, but she is doing a little better each day. It's hard to believe she is 2 wks old already! Life is sure busy being a mom of TWO!

merry christmas!

Despite how miserable I've been feeling only being a week away from my due date and dilated 3 cm, I managed to maintain some Christmas spirit for the family! We had a great Christmas with Silas. It's been so much fun to watch him enjoy snow, and snowmen, lights and opening presents! I truly treasure these moments and love this age where he talks to you! Here are some highlights from our holiday...

Silas' Ear Surgery

I am thanking God for keeping my Silas safe. The last month has been interesting for SURE as Silas has had an ear infection since before Thanksgiving! It would NOT go away and we were on our third round of antibiotic Tuesday when the dr said we want him in to see a specialist tomorrow. So Wednesday we headed to the ENT specialist and things were not looking good. Silas failed his hearing test because his ear drums weren't vibrating at all. He had moderate to severe hearing loss due to all the infection. The specialist said we needed to get him in for emergency tubes the next day. WOW. The infection wasn't clearing up and that's what concerned them the most. They wanted to get him relief and get his ears draining. So Thursday we headed to Children's Hospital for his ear surgery to get his tubes in. We had a long wait because we were "fit in" in between already scheduled patients, but Silas did well and didn't seem to realize he hadn't eaten anything for breakfast or lunch. It was nerve-wrecking for me because he had to be put under. I cried a bit because he didn't like it and seeing him wrestle with the mask was a bit more than I could take. I tried to sing to him, but then I just started crying. The surgery itself went really quick - like 5 to 10 minutes quick! He cried a ton coming out of anesthesia, but a few hours later was doing better already. His ears have been draining and I am so relieved that this process happened so quickly. I can't imagine if we were trying to do this while carting around a newborn in icy January. I'm so glad my babe can hear well now and get some much needed relief! I am so thankful to God for guiding each step of the way.

Sophia's room

I am SO blessed that my mom has been able to help me get Sophia's room ready! I have been living in chaos with the house under construction for the last 5-6 months and FINALLY things are coming together and it feels SO good to have her room ready for her! I just had a dream last night that she was born and it's probably because I emotionally "feel ready" now that her room is done. Everything turned out so beautiful and I can't wait to peer in on her! Only 5 wks to go!