6 month mark!

I can't believe we've already been living in Memphis for 6 months-I feel like we just got here! I remember someone at our church in Baton Rouge telling us that it would be very hard to move, but it would get easier after 6 months. I've kind of been holding onto that hope that it would get easier once we'd been here for 6 months and I think he was right. There are still days that are really hard and I get homesick, but I know there would be hard days even if we still lived in Baton Rouge. I struggled a lot at the beginning with feeling like we had make a mistake by moving here and being so regretful in our decision. But the truth is that the Lord blessed us with this opportunity and He knew what we would choose and He does not make mistakes. He is faithful no matter where we are and He has shown that time and time again through this transition. It has been harder than either of us imagined to find a church home and meet friends. We're still looking for a church, but it's so hard when there are several good churches and we just don't know which would be best for us. It's been so sweet to see the Lord provide friends for us...even if it is happening slower than we thought. People have been so hospitble and reached out to us and it really makes you feel the love of the body of Christ. Can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for our next 6 months here :)...hopefully it won't be that long before I blog again!

Lessons from Motherhood :)

Becoming a mom has been the most amazing and life changing thing, just like everyone said it would be. God has already used it to teach me a lot of things, some of the things are fun to learn, others not so much..and I know it's just the beginning :)...
-Spit up in your hair dries quickly and you can't even tell it's there!
-I can functioin on much less sleep than ever before
-Olivia has brought more joy to our lives than I ever thought possible
-I'm much more selfish than I'd like to admit
-I love being able to wake up & hold her every morning(even when it is 3am)
-It is possible for babies to projectile vomit even with the bottle still in their mouth(poor baby!)
-God truly does equip us to do what He's called us to
-I am in awe of people who have twins,triplets, etc. b/c taking care of more than 1 infant at a time is a huge job!

I'm still amazed that God entrusts us with these tiny little miracles to love, teach, and raise. It's such an important job that we're not deserving of, but with His grace and guidance we're trying :)

Happy 2 months Olivia!

I cannot believe our baby girl is already 2 months old!! I seriously feel like I had her last week! I know people say the time flies and to enjoy every moment and I'm trying to soak it up, but it's going so much faster than I imagined it would. She's such a good baby and we have so much fun with her. It's crazy how she changes every day. She's started to smile a lot more recently..we love it :)
Some of her favorite things are:
-Taking baths
-riding in the car
-when I sing "You are my Sunshine"
-her pacifier
- getting her diaper changed(she smiles the whole time lol)
- peek-a-boo(she just started smiling at this game in the last couple days)
-when daddy 'tickles' her
-getting her ears rubbed
-being kissed in between her eyebrows
-getting lotion rubbed on her face

-the miracle blanket

-her sling
I can't wait to get to watch her grow and change more over the next month, but part of me wishes she could always stay as little as she is now!

Welcome to our world Olivia Preston :)

Gosh! A lot has happened since my last blog! It feels like this past month has been a whirlwind so I'll kind of recap...I'm sure as most of you know by now our little Olivia surprised us by coming 3 1/2 weeks early! I was staying in Baton Rouge with my parents because Josh had to go to Ohio for work for 2 weeks. The day that I got to my parents house(Saturday) I started having Braxton Hicks contractions and that Tuesday at my doctor's appointment she said I was dilated 2 cm and 50% effaced. That whole week I was pretty anxious and didn't sleep well at all because I just felt like it could happen at any time, even though I know some people are dilated for a month and then have to be induced. Throughout the week the braxton hicks continued to get stronger. On Thursday my mom and I went to dinner with my brother and sister in law and as soon as we sat down I started having a contraction. This one was different because it was continuous, was getting stronger, and my back was hurting this time. Thankfully my mom and Lyndsay convinced me to go to the assessment center(at this point I couldn't even stand up straight, but I still thought it might stop as soon as I went to the hospital). I just knew they were gonna tell me it was just Braxton Hicks and to go home. As I was changing into my gown for them to assess me my water broke! At that point I knew that I was having the baby that night or next day and so many things were going through my head! For some reason though I was so upset that I had made a mess in the room lol and was frantically trying to clean up when they nurse came in-I know she thought I was crazy b/c I was rambling and not making any sense! I was shaking b/c my nerves were going crazy and I wanted to call Josh that second and tell him to hurry and get to Baton Rouge! My mom and I were up all night (not that we could've slept b/c the nurses are in so often) praying Josh would make it. I was anxious, but not freaking out like I thought I would-I just felt like he had to be there and by God's grace he was! Fedex was able to find him a flight out the next morning at 5:45 (he couldn't find a flight until the next day!) and he made it an hr and a half before I had to start pushing..talk about just in time! It was the most amazing thing seeing her for the first time and holding her. I tear up every time I think about it. It was so special to me to be able to have my baby girl in the same hospital where all my neices, nephews, and other babies I love were born. I had always pictured having my baby there and being able to have family and friends there with us and when we decided to move to Memphis that was one of the hardest things for me to give up. God is so gracious and allowed me to still have that experience even though we don't live in Baton Rouge now. That following week we stayed with my parents and it was a great, but exhausting week. We had nothing for Olivia in BR with us because everything was at our house in Memphis and it was so amazing how people just let us use whatever we needed of theirs. Carla let us borrow an extra carseat she had, Clair let us use her pack n' play for Olivia's bed, Lyndsay and Natalie brought me tons of clothes, burp cloths, blankets, etc. and so many more people gave us things we needed. It meant so much to us how giving people were and we felt so loved by everything people did. We had a lot of visitors and I had a hard time breastfeeding b/c she didn't suck well at first since she was a few weeks early. She also had jaundice and had to be on the light at home for a couple days which was no fun. After our week in BR we came back to Memphis and my mom came with us to help us get settled. She was such a huge help! I was really stressed coming back because I knew her room wasn't completely organized and I had no decorations for the walls and stuff, pluse we had so much more stuff to take back with us that we'd gotten in BR. My mom helped me clean(actually I probably helped her b/c she did more than me lol), she cut our grass b/c it hadn't been cut in weeks, cooked for us, and got up for some night feedings. It was such a blessing to have her with us that first week especially with Josh going back to work and me being very emotional about being in Memphis. My mom left this past Sunday and Josh's mom and sister and her girls came down to meet Olivia. They were only here for a few days, but we loved getting to see them and them getting to meet her. The last few days have been our first days with just our little family. It's been really sweet getting to be here with her all day just the two of us. It has been harder being in Memphis than it was before she was born, but she also makes being here better too if that makes any sense. I can't wait to find our church home here because I know that will make a huge difference in feeling like we have a place here and will help in meeting people. I'm praying that God will help me to be content here so that I can be the wife and mom he wants me to be. Thank you for all your prayers before & during Olivia's birth-we can't believe how blessed we are that God gave her to us! Oh and I just realized tomorrow was my due date! So funny she wasn't supposed to be here til tomorrow! I'm so glad she didn't wait that long :)

In 35 days everything will change!

So Josh and I were just sitting here talking while he's doing some work and we realized that we only have 35 days(assuming the baby doesn't come early) before our lives will be turned upside down-in a good way! And only 21 days where it'll be the 2 of us..he has to go to Ohio for 2 weeks and I'll stay in BR so we won't see each other for a while :(...it'll be a new record for how long we've been apart..hopefully a record we don't ever break. Thankfully after this trip he'll be home for a while! I'm starting to get more nervous and scared because we're going to be responsible for this helpless little baby-it's just weird that it's about to be a reality...and I'm sooooo ready to be able to see what he/she looks like and know if it's a he or a she!! lol...I think the last 6 weeks of pregnancy make the anticipation unbearable and just give you more time to freak yourself out! This weekend was our last wedding to go to as just us too-Kristi and Dan's wedding!!! It was such a fun weekend and their wedding was absolutely beautiful. It was gorgeous weather for an outdoor wedding, Kristi was stunning, and it was a God glorifying ceremony :)...the only thing that would've made it better is if we could've stayed at the reception longer, but we had to drive back to Memphis last night cause Josh had to be at work this morning :(...poor Josh! We got in at 3:30 and he had to wake up at 9 to go to work..at least he got to go in late though! Well we're gonna watch Friends now since we only have a few more nights like this!

H&J

First week back

Well..this past week was our first week back to Memphis after me being in Baton Rouge for a week and Josh being in Ohio with work for a week. It was so good to not be apart any longer (9 days is a long time to go without seeing each other!) but it was very hard coming back. Josh obviously works during the day so my days have been pretty boring, but on the bright side I'm definitely cooking more :)...Thankfully we got internet and a new computer(thanks to a late graduation present from my sweet parents!) on Wednesday!! woo hooo!!! so that made the days a little less boring...I also had my first visit to my new doctor last week-that was good b/c I got to hear everything was ok and it had been about a month since I'd been to my old doctor, but it was hard. For those of you who didn't know this I LOVED my old doctor. She was so sweet, resassuring, laid back, and just an easy to get along with person. Everytime I went to the doctor I felt like I was visiiting a friend so needless to say any doctor I would get to replace her would not live up to my ideal of her. The doctor I have here is very sweet and I like her and I'm sure she'll do a great job delivering our baby, but I still left the appointment a little sad just because it became reality that here and not Baton Rouge is where I'll be when I have the baby. Josh was so sweet about it though and very comforting and thankfully he was able to go with me to the appointment. I'll go back in a week and we'll do an ultrasound :) so that's always fun! After a blah week I was so glad when it was the weekend and Josh didn't have to leave lol...we had a longggg overdue date night(we hadn't been on a date since before we moved a month ago lol) on Friday to a mexican place we found when my mom was in town and we're already obsessed! It's yummy and cheap-two things we love!! Saturday we got busy putting the crib together...I love it!! and am so glad it's done, but it was NOT fun to put together...Saturday night we started rewatching our favorite trilogy-Lord of the Rings! haha I know we're nerds, but it's sooo good! Today we visited Second Presbyterian.(.Josh went there to hear Tim Keller speak when I was in Baton Rouge) We went to a Sunday school class someone suggested to us and it was great! The people were all so friendly and welcoming and they were all young married couples..most with 1 or 2 kids so it was very refueling to talk to and get to know them..We really liked the church, but are still praying and thinking through where God wants us..after church we got lunch with another couple, which was very fun! We did another couple things to get ready for the baby-bought the mattress and put the swing/bouncer together :) I'm praying that I will see what God is trying to teach me through this season and what He's teaching us as a couple. One more week and we'll be back in BR for Kristi and Dan's wedding...sooo excited for them!!! and excited for a quick visit!

H&J

Officially not homeowners

So after being in our house in Prairieville for a whole 6 months we have sold our house! The closing was yesterday and it was definitely bittersweet...SOO thankful that we were able to sell it and won't be paying 2 notes for who knows how long, but sad too because we loved that house! And we never knew it would cost so much to sell a house! lol..we paid 3 times as much at the closing this time than we did at the closing when we were buying..that just seems so backwards..then at least we were getting a house but this time all we got were the curtains we took with us haha ..but ohh well...hopefully the house will be a blessing to the guy who bought it! For now we're renting and it's perfect for us at this point :)

H&J

A weekend of showers!

My trip home so far has been sooo fun and busy! I had 3 showers this weekend! One baby shower was for a friend..it's so fun to have friends pregnant at the same time as you. It's crazy how everyone's pregnancy is different and everyone carries different, has different symptoms worse, etc. I also helped give a couples shower which was so fun! Weddings are sooo exciting and engaged couples are just so cute-it always brings back sweet memories from that time in me and Josh's relationship :) and then I had my baby shower today!! It was sooo much fun and meant so much to us. It was the last one before the baby gets here..that makes it seem so close! I can't wait to get back to Memphis now and put all the stuff in the baby's room! Josh finished putting the dresser together so it's just waiting for me to fill it up!

Memphis so far!

Josh and I officially live in Memphis, Tennessee now! Crazy...it feels like it's been a lot longer than 2 weeks since we've moved there. I'm actually typing this from my parents house in Baton Rouge. I kinda feel like I live in between the 2 cities at this point. I guess I'll go back to how it was for the 2 weeks that we were in Memphis though...it's really been a lot better than I anticipated. Maybe expecting the worst was a good thing! lol...The weekend we moved my mom came up and helped us unpack and get everything set up and she was amazing! Josh and I would've definitely taken a lot more breaks and gotten a lot less done without her there. Dropping her off at the airport that Sunday was probably the saddest part of it all so far. I cried the whole way home. But Josh was so sweet and comforting. He just let me cry and hugged me. We spent the rest of the day finishing unpacking our clothes and shoes, so that was a nice distraction. The rest of the week it was sort of like we were just on a not so exciting vacation lol..Josh didn't have work so we spent the days running errands and hanging stuff on walls/putting stuff together, we played a lot of peanuts(a card game we love), and we watched a red box movie almost every night! Thursday he started his new job at Fedex and thankfully he loves it!! We kept joking that he better like it because we moved our lives there for it, but honestly we feel that God has called us there and him loving his job feels like some sort of confirmation that we aren't completely crazy. There were hard times for me during the week. Just little things would make me think of something and then it was all over. It was always things that are probably so silly too- like when we saw a mom and her daughter shopping at kroger it made me think that me and my mom won't do that anymore, or when I called my mom and my brothers were over there having dinner and I knew we would be too if we lived there still- but every time Josh was so understanding and sweet. God definitely knew I would need a husband like him. I was nervous that it would be really hard once Josh started working, especially because we don't have cable or internet hooked up yet, but if you sleep til 10:30 it's really not that hard to find things to fill the rest of your day :)...talking and texting sweet friends has helped too and of course reading God's word and journaling has been something I always need to do but in Baton Rouge I had a lot more excuses to put those things to the side. Maybe that's one of the many things God's trying to teach me through this move. I've also realized that the times when I get sad and struggle are the times when I allow myself to think and dwell on the way I/we had planned and pictured things -like how I pictured every holiday at our old house and our new baby being there, how we planned on being there for 5-10 years and were only there for 6 months, how I envisioned our baby being born with all of our family and friends there- but those were my plans not necessarily Gods "To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue." Proverbs 16:1...when I remind myself that those things weren't promised to us and obviously aren't what God saw best for us and our family it gives me a peace and contentment. I have to continually remind myself of that though :). Anyway...Saturday Josh painted the baby's room!! He did a great job, it looks like a professional did it! He wouldn't let me help, except for like 2 rolls with the rolling brush, b/c he says I'm not a good painter with my terrible eyes haha..he's right though. The next night we put together the dresser which wasn't that hard...except we still haven't done the drawers. I didn't realize this when we bought it, but apparently they think we're carpenters b/c we have to basically build the drawers!! lol...they gave us square pieces of wood, some screws, and a couple other parts and you have to do it yourself!! Monday my mom came in town!!! They had the whole week off for Mardi Gras so she drove up :)..it was SOO fun! We shopped and ran errands during the day, had lunch with Josh one day, I cooked for us at night and we'd play cards and just hang out..it was great! Josh found out on Monday that he has to go to Ohio next week for work though :(...so that's why I drove back with my mom this weekend (Josh and I were both planning on coming this weekend for showers I'm giving/going to and for my baby shower) and he'll come get me when he gets back next weekend...I'm already missing him...this is the longest we've been apart but thankfully I have lots to keep me busy here! And I'm hoping he'll have those drawers built by the time I get home! haha

Packing day...

So today was the day that the movers came and packed up our house. It was really weird seeing our house all packed up, I feel like we just did this 6 months ago, because we did! lol...As sad as it was for this move to start becoming a reality I am SOOOO thankful that we didn't have to pack it and we don't have to move it! God has already provided so much for us through this whole process...and it's just the beginning. We were able to find a rental home the first weekend we visited Memphis. We've met a few people through our friend Casey that works out of Memphis. He made it to where Josh's work provided us with a moving company to move us. He's given us supportive and encouraging family and friends to be sad and happy with us. We've also had a couple offers on our house! We're praying that one of the offers works out and we're able to be in contract before the end of the week...It's so neat to see how God really does go before us and work things out for His glory and our good. I know I'm going to have to remind myself that a lot in the next few months because I know at times I will be so sad that all I can think about is myself. But it times like that that God reminds us of His faithfulness and that He is with us. Tonight we're having dinner with my family one last time before the move..I know that will be so hard and I'm sure there will be lots of tears but the good news is we'll be back in a few weekends for wedding/baby showers! I feel like I'm in school again when you just look forward to the times off to get through the school year except now we'll look forward to each visit :)...Ok well that's all for now..I'll write again soon!

H&J