Thursday, June 27, 2013

Father’s Day

I have always been super close to my Daddy & am so thankful for the great relationship we are blessed to have. He has always been my number one fan and encouraged me to chase my dreams. He has taught me the true meaning of WORKING HARD & GIVING LOTS. He is one of the HARDEST workers I know & at the same time one of the most kind, loving, & generous men I have ever met. I mean it when I say I am TRULY beyond blessed to have him in my life. Everyone who knows him adores him!! Growing up, he made me breakfast every morning, read to me all the time, played blocks with me for hours, taught me to tie my shoes, ride a bike, & throw a softball better than the boys. I have sweet, sweet memories of being a Daddy’s girl…

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And now I am blessed with yet another INCREDIBLE daddy in my life.

My husband.

I knew Jonathan was going to be an incredible dad to our sweet baby Jase, but he has FAR exceeded my expectations. He is so loving & gentle with him. He always rushes to take him from me as soon as he gets home from work because he misses him when he is gone. He is always quick to change a diaper, give him a bath, and spend lots of time talking to him, cuddling with him, and singing funny songs to him. I can’t wait to see their relationship grow & am so thankful J$ has such an awesome role model.

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Here is the precious Father’s Day card I had made for him…(And it was cheaper than the one I bought at CVS for my dad- CRAZY!)

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Jonathan LOVED it and may or may not have gotten choked up reading it.

I am so thankful for these fellas. God sure blessed me in the good daddy department.

Happy Father’s Day to two of the most special men in my life!!! Love you both beyond words.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Jase’s Fifth Week

June 6th-12th

Weight: Big boy is around 10 lbs according to our scale, & mommy is right at pre-pregnancy weight. Still rockin’ some stretch marks on my tummy, but they seem to be fading some.

Health: Jase had his doctor’s appointment with the orthopedist on 6/6. Jonathan took off work to go with me…and it seriously took us about 2 hours to get ready to go! This is a new experience for me because I typically get ready super quick and on to fly (I’m talkin’ no more than 30 minutes..and usually quicker than that), but it takes a LOT of planning, pumping, packing, & timing things perfectly when you have a baby. He did awesome at his appointment (he never cries at doctor’s appointments, knock on wood) and the orthopedist said everything sounded great but she wanted us to go to Egleston for an ultrasound just to be on the safe side. If his little hip joint is still loose, he is going to have to wear a little brace to help it go back to the way it was supposed to be. (Sometimes the mom’s hormones that allow her hips to stretch for the baby to come down the canal transfer to the babies and cause their hips to be loose at birth. This is particularly common in girls, and baby girls can even get cysts on their ovaries! Crazy, huh? Typically those joints and ligaments tighten back up on their own, but if not the baby has to wear a brace for a couple months.)

His little fingernails grow SO fast & somehow they look dirty? He keeps his little hands in fists sometimes and his hands sweat…and man, they are STINKY! I didn’t know a baby could “smell” like that. I have to wash his little hands all the time & tear off his fingernails very often.

He also has some cradle cap going on. Jonathan told him it’s a good thing he’s cute because right now his hair is totally falling out but is long in the back (looks like a little grandpa!), he has baby acne, & is rockin’ some cradle cap. It’s like baby puberty, but we still think he’s the most HANDSOME lil man ever! *Starting to use coconut oil & a soft bristle brush to lightly scrub his scalp to help.

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Sleep: Well, we have our days! This is definitely a work in progress & some naps are better than others. Thankfully he is still sleeping really well at night & goes right back to sleep after those feedings, but daytime naps are hit and miss. We are following the sleep hierarchy Emily recommended from the Chronicles of a BabyWise Mom blog, so we always swaddle and put him in his bed in the dark room first. If he’s too fussy after about 5-6 minutes (not crying, just not going to sleep) I will hold him to sleep & try to put him back down.  He kicks his arms and legs a good bit in his swaddle and that wakes him up. If worst comes to worst, I’ll lay down & let him sleep on me (or Jonathan).

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I know he needs his sleep, & I want him to be stationary. He always sleeps like a charm in his car seat when we are on the road.  (Seriously, he has giant hands!! Hahah, it cracks me up!!)

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The other day he was having tummy time, and I went to the restroom for 2 seconds and he was totally conked out when I got back. He slept right through me swaddling him & putting him in his bed!

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He is always so happy after his first feeding of the day, & that’s one of my favorite times with him. He’s SO animated then & I just love all his facial expressions!! This is when I go straight mommarazzi and take 8 million pictures! (Waking up to this happy little face makes my heart OVERFLOW with joy & love!!)

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Nursing: Going great! My boobs feel SO much softer & the milk looks a lot thicker. I’m still leaking a good bit- I’m really going to order some milkies soon to catch the extra milk. Sometimes when he pulls off my milk squirts him in the face & it cracks me up! (Not sure if that’s weird, but it’s funny to me.) I’ve got a good bit frozen now, & I pump once or twice every other day or so. I don’t have a hands free pump (I just went with the Ameda Purely Yours because our insurance company gave it to us for free), so it’s kind of a pain. I need to get one of those bra things that holds it in place for you. I also pump whenever he needs a bottle. Per the advice of Niki, I wanted to introduce him to the bottle to make sure he’ll take it as he gets older. Daddy watches him for a couple hours on Mondays & Thursday nights for me to go share Advocare with others, so I always pump then. At first I was having major guilt any time we would feed him with a bottle when I’m around, but I’m getting better. I know it’s good bonding time for him and whoever is feeding him too, and I want him to be “well rounded” as far as that goes.

In order to keep my milk supply up, I am eating as healthy as possible, drinking a TON of water, drinking mother’s milk tea, eating oatmeal/steel cut oats daily, & trying to remain as stress-free as possible.

The longest stretch I’ve gone so far was 5 hours (at night a couple of times & for my nephew’s wedding) & my boobs get super fully, hard, & lumpy when I wait that long.

What Jase is up to: Jase turned 1 month old on June 8th!! I can’t believe how fast my sweet little love bug is growing. He started smiling this week and looking at us in the eyes. I’m telling y’all, there is NOTHING that will melt your heart more than that!

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“Ahhhh, it’s so exhausting being 1 month old!!”

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We have our prayer time every single morning and I pray out loud with him. We also listen to praise & worship music on Pandora during our feedings & sing songs about Jesus any time I am changing his diaper. Jonathan reads a couple chapters out of the Bible to him at night. We read a LOT and I talk to him as much as possible all day long to help with his language development.

We went on another walk through the neighborhood, & this time he stayed awake and looked around for it. 

J$ (that’s what daddy calls him) LOVES baths!! I know Emily’s hubby Zach gives their kids their baths, & I liked the idea of them having that bonding time. Jonathan enjoys it too, so he gives him his baths. That frees my up for a few minutes to get things done too.

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We went on our first solo trip! I took him to Kroger, & my goodness….I felt like I was competing in the Olympics! It was exhausting!!! I’m sure it’ll get easier, but this was tough. I parked right next to the cart return (out of luck, although I realized this was a good idea) & put him down in the buggy in his car seat. I rushed around the store as fast as possible (true story, I was sweating) & had nowhere in the buggy for groceries. Poor lil fella had protein bars in his lap! Haha! When we were walking out, stuff was falling out of the bags (on the bottom of the cart) & I ran over a steak with the buggy! Ha!The toughest part was loading him up in the car, & the groceries, returning the cart, figuring out the best order to do that, etc. I’m sure it will get easier, but I KNOW I had to be a sight! I’m sure everyone could tell this was my “first time.” KUDOS to single moms and moms with more than one….I I kept thinking to myself I seriously don’t know HOW they do it!!

My nephew got married on Sunday, so we took Jase to the wedding. He looked like SUCH a big boy in his Polo! I took pictures for Dustin & Amie, so Jonathan watched him & he slept most of the time. Grammy fed him when it was time to eat. Jonathan is still VERY cautious about us taking him out anywhere & letting lots of people hold & touch him because the doctor recommended keeping that as limited as possible until he is 8 weeks.

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Visitors: Grammy, Mimi & Papa, Tyler, Rynna & Bennett

PostPartum: I feel AWESOME! I cannot believe how great recovery has been and am so thankful for that. I finally took the steri strips off this week…I mean really, it was time. I also notices a little piece of one of the sutures poking out on the right side of my scar, but Lauren (midwife) said that is normal too.

I still haven’t worked out and won’t until I’m released, but I did push him in the stroller on our walk this time, & MAN it wore me out! It’s amazing what 5 weeks of not working out will do…I am outta shape! It was a great reminder for me of why some people don’t enjoy working out. It is NOT fun when you’re not in shape. Thankfully I know how AWESOME it feels to work out when you are in shape though, so that’s enough motivation for me! Seriously, there isn’t much that compares to how great you feel after a good workout! (Jon & I both have addictive personalities, so working out is just as important for our mental health as it is for our physical health.)

What I’m taking daily:

Rehydrate, 1/2 Spark, Coreplex with Iron, Omegas, Probiotics, Calcium Plus, Catalyst, Meal Replacement Shakes (I don’t use as a meal replacement…right now I’m using it as a super healthy way to get in my extra 500 calories from nursing)

Baby Gear: Pampers Size 1 Swaddlers, Woombie (Big Baby), Aveeno bath products, onsies, Mambo, activity mat, bouncy seat, Angel Care monitor, Medela storage bags & bottles, breast pads (it was really embarrassing when I forgot to put them in and leaked through my grey t-shirt while at Target)

Thoughts: I absolutely LOVE his demeanor! He is the happiest baby & very sweet!! He smiles, coos, & rarely cries. He is also very STRONG & ALERT. It makes him seem so much older than he is!! I can’t help but kiss him 9,000 times every day!

Friday, June 21, 2013

A Heart for Josiah

Lacy is one of the most precious people I know! She has a beautiful, infectious smile and the sweetest heart. Her love for the Lord shines through to everyone who meets her.

She & I have known each other for most of our lives.  We grew up going to church together & have a special bond because we were both adopted and have similar stories. She has always been like a little sister to me & we have always referred to each other that way. Our moms are best friends too and we have always had fun mother-daughter outings, trips, etc. She & I were always a lot alike growing up. I could go dig in old pictures and find lots of funny ones of us in matching outfits & being silly, playing softball (we were both pitchers), acting in church plays, etc. My first “job” was working at her mom’s hair salon, & I let her share a locker with me when we were in high school. She was the coolest freshman having locker access on the senior hall! It’s been so much fun to see how our friendship has grown through the years and how we still have so much in common. She & her hubby are also in youth ministry & love to work out. Her friendship is so dear to me.

We enjoyed a trip to Hilton Head together last Spring Break with our moms….right before she found out she was expecting!

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I found out I was pregnant a few months after her, and it was fun to talk baby talk with her throughout our pregnancies.

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I also had the privilege of taking a few maternity pictures for this gorgeous couple.

Is this not the most BEAUTIFUL picture?!?!

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Josiah was born January 23, 2013. Lacy & Anthony were instantly in love with this sweet little man!

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Josiah has a defect called has a congenital heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome along with a restrictive atrial septum. He had to have surgery within his first few days of being born and this tough lil fella has already been through so much.

He is such a FIGHTER!!! You can read more of their story on Lacy's blog....

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They have spent the majority of Baby Josiah’s life in the hospital, and as of May 13th, Josiah was placed on the heart transplant waiting list. This procedure is incredibly expensive in addition to the medical bills they have already incurred. They are looking at nearly a million dollars for this procedure alone… 312167_172306302934333_1276046758_n

They are both extremely hard workers and have been very good stewards of their money. Anthony is also former military. They have already capped out their insurance on his other procedures and hospital stays, & I cannot imagine having to think about the financial burden on top of worrying about their sweet son.

I got to meet this precious little angel today, & he will absolutely steal your heart!! He has the biggest, most beautiful eyes (and longest eyelashes!) & is such a HAPPY, smiling baby!! You can tell he knows how loved he is…And of course Lacy greeted me with a big hug and that beautiful smile! Guess that’s where this sweet little one gets his strength…

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Before becoming a mom, my heart would ache for families facing this type of battle…

But now that I am a mom too, my heart aches in a whole new way. I just CANNOT IMAGINE what they are going through- their thoughts, fear, pain, uncertainty. My heart just absolutely aches for them.

Lacy & Anthony’s unwavering faith has been incredibly inspiring to me and so many others…& I know God has big plans to use their testimony in a mighty way.

I know they certainly appreciate your prayers…

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You can check out the video where they were featured on our local news station tonight:

Fox 5 Atanta Video: A Heart for Josiah

And if you feel led to donate to help with medical costs for this sweet family, you can do that by:

*Going to any Wells Fargo bank and making a donation to the Josiah Barfield Benefit fund.  (Ask them to look under Angel Lacy Barfield)

*Donating through PayPal HERE!

*Visiting Lacy's Blog or the Facebook page to make a donation.

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Thank you for your prayers and support of my sweet friends & their precious little miracle.