Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Baby Butler # 3: 15 Weeks

We got a positive test on June 7th, so we’ve known for a while now that we were expecting this sweet little blessing! I’m so excited to finally start blogging about it & documenting all the fun.

Mondays are my “rollover days.”

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{pictured: 13 weeks}

Growth:  Baby should be weighing around a half of a pound by now…around the size of a an orange. (Looks more like a small melon in my belly!)

My Symptoms: I feel really great! I am so thankful to be blessed with pretty easy pregnancies, and honestly if it weren’t for the “bump” and the feeling the movement, I’d probably forget I was pregnant. I haven’t really been sick at all (other than two times when we were traveling and my eating schedule was off). My skin is AWFUL though. Not sure if it’s all hormones or if it’s that I’m so tired by the time I go to bed I haven’t really been washing my face, (probably a combo) but me + concealer = BFF right now. So much for the gorgeous pregnancy glow! I’m also a little bit moody, but I’m workin on it. In that past, that seems to go away second trimester and I start feeling more like myself…thankfully…because I’m normally a very calm & patient person and I like it that way.

Round ligament pain like whoa! I can feel all kinds of crazy stretching going on and sometimes it’s painful if I sit up too quickly.

I’ve got a cold this week, but I’m just going to suck it up and let it run its course because I’m pretty hard core about not taking anything other than my vitamins. (Actually, looking back on my week 15 blog post with the other boys, I had a cold/sinus infection with BOTH of them at this same time. Maybe week 15 is just my week to get sick? If not, funny coincidence.)

Weight/Baby Bump: Whew! Okay, so my belly button is already out and I’ve got quite the little torpedo starting to come back with a vengeance. Everyone started calling me out & asking if I was pregnant at like 9-10 weeks. Ha! What is even going on right now? I know the belly pops faster since I’ve already had two and since it hasn’t been that long since I was pregnant (Kade and the new baby will be 20 months apart), but y’all…I look like I am 6 months pregnant!

Whatever, just rollin with it. I think I’m up about 5 lbs from pre-preg weight. But check this bad boy out…(Don’t worry, I won’t do any more raw belly shots, but I just had to show y’all this.)

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Gender: I had a feeling from the get-go this was going to be a boy. The pregnancy has been almost identical to the other two so far. And honestly, I wanted another boy! I’m not sure if that was God preparing my heart, but I just felt such an overwhelming feeling that we should have another boy & that’s what my heart was longing for. Jonathan and both of our dads really want us to have a girl, so maybe next time…but for now, another Butler BOY to add to the mix! I am over the moon excited about another sweet fella to love on and for the boys to have another brother. Brothers are the sweetest, and I LOOOOOVE being a boy mom! Boys are so much fun!!

Maternity Clothes: Still wearing regular clothes, but it probably won’t be for much longer.

Sleep: Not sure what’s going on, but I’m not sleeping as well as I normally do. I’ve been waking up very early (for me), so I need to go to bed earlier. I think that might be an answered prayer though because I’ve prayed specifically about waking up earlier.

Movement: I can totally feel this baby already! He is on the right side of my belly. I felt him for the first time during week 13. I know that seems early, but I’m certain.

Appointments: I’ve been to the doctor 3 times and the specialist once (for some testing- since I’m adopted and don’t know all of my medical history- praise the Lord it all came back normal!). That bloodwork is how we found out the gender so early. I’ve actually had an ultrasound at each appointment too so hopefully I won’t have any more for a while. Heartbeat at the first appointment was 188. They were able to find the sweet babe at my 5 week appointment from the outside of my belly. (I don’t think I have a lot of skin/tissue between my uterus/tummy. Normally they have to do a vaginal ultrasound that early.) Next appointment the heartbeat was 167. This last time it was 158. (or something close to that anyway) They couldn’t find the heartbeat using the doppler at the last appointment which is why I had to have another ultrasound. Everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when I walked out of the ultrasound room, but I wasn’t worried. I should have probably told her where that little orange is! Everything else has been going smooth. My next checkup is the first week of September.

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Accomplishments: I’m still nursing Kade in the morning and evening. I don’t really see a reason to stop, but I don’t plan on tandem nursing.

I’ve survived another first trimester without throat punching anybody! #winning

Best Pregnancy Moment This Week: I love when Jase talks about the baby, having another brother, and kisses my belly. It is the sweetest!! And I was so excited to finally share the news with everyone!! I am seriously in awe at how supportive, encouraging, and congratulatory everyone has been. Our little family is beyond blessed with the BEST of the BEST! So thankful to be surrounded by folks who appreciate what a sweet blessing children are from the Lord.

Work Outs: I’m getting back into it. I know it seems crazy we can be too busy to work out since we both work from home, but we have been swamped! We are getting ready to put our house on the market & we’ve been traveling a good bit. I haven’t been to  classes much over the last month. It’s game on now though – I’m ready to get back at it. I feel SO MUCH BETTER when I work out! It helps my mood, my energy, my sleep, and my confidence. I plan to stay consistent with body pump and yoga and will mix it up for cardio. I still feel pretty strong though. Yoga is my absolute FAVE during pregnancy and makes such a difference for things like back aches, hip pain, etc. I also love practicing the breathing.

Goals: Drink more water! I’m always the first during the first trimester, and that affects my digestion. I also want to start juicing again.

Thoughts: Anybody have name ideas? I am kinda sad we used Andrew for Kade’s first name because I LOVE the name Andrew (& Drew). Jonathan really likes the name Tripp & said it’s perfect since he’s the third boy, but we probably won’t use that. I also like Beau, Nash, Knox, & Beckham/Beckett (call him Beck). We like short (single syllable), strong sounding names. Lots of people suggested Luke or Lane (to keep in like with J-K-L), but unfortunately teaching can ruin some names for ya. Jonathan’s dad likes Wyatt, and several people suggested James (which is my dad, brother, and nephew’s first name).

Comparison:

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Kade (15 weeks)- photo 2 (9)

Monday, August 22, 2016

Kade Update: 1 Year Old (& 13-14 Months)

Happy 12 months, sweet baby Kade!! (I’m going to throw in some 13 & 14 month stuff too since I’m behind.)

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You are the happiest, smiliest, sweetest little thing. I can seriously count on one hand the number of times you’ve ever cried. You are SO charismatic and people are just DRAWN to you! (FYI, I started typing this right after your first birthday. The next month you started cutting the two teeth on each side of your top two teeth and you literally cried almost every time I put you down… for about a month straight till those teeth came in. I think my biceps grew an inch! We didn’t even know what that sound coming out of you was, but apparently it was you crying, and apparently ONLY Mama would do! Poor guy…teething is for the birds. And that’s what I get for saying you never cry!)

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You weighed 21 lbs and were 30” long at your 12 month checkup. (You are 22.8 lbs now and back up to 30% on weight. At your 1 year checkup you hadn’t gained anything since your 9 month visit, so we had to go back for a weight check a month later. You eat really well, but don’t drink tons of milk. They want you drinking 15-20 oz but that just isn’t going to happen. You are also wide open and love to play/crawl so I think you’re going to have a high metabolism. Still, we were happy to see you level back out and even jump some on the growth chart.)

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You have 4 teeth….the four cutest little teeth ever! Your smile and sweet dimples…melt my heart! (6 teeth now as of 14  months. Praise the Lord they’ve finally broken through)

You have a hilarious laugh! When we laugh, you laugh. When you laugh, we laugh. Lots of laughter goin on over here.

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You can wave hey (SO cute!), give high fives, clap (yay!), love to play peek-a-boo, turn the pages of books, & shake your head “no.”

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You crawl SO fast! I mean, lightning fast! People comment on it all the time. You tuck your little head and you are OFF.

You can crawl up the stairs. Yikes! And off & on furniture. The coffee table. You name it…

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You can stand unassisted for several seconds. You CAN walk, but you don’t. You’ve only taken 1-2 steps at a time solo, but you can seriously scoot while you’re holding on to furniture or pushing a toy.

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You are a drool machine with those new teeth coming in.

First haircut in the books! Sweet little fuzzy head. It looks so cute on you & you did great.

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Your eyes are very blue. Love them!

You’re a really great sleeper. Solid 12 at night and a good 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. Sometimes you’ll still take 2 naps (the second one is much shorter) if you need it, but you’re fine with one if we’re on the go. Still take a paci, love your little blankie, and we do ocean sounds on sound machine + box fan for white noise. You like it dark and you go RIGHT down. You love to sleep in your room but adjust pretty well when we are traveling or on the go.

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I finally remembered to start brushing your teeth (I know, mom of the year award!) and you love it! Anytime you find a toothbrush you know exactly what to do with it.

You have excellent motor mechanics & fine motor skills.

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Current words/sounds: Dada, Dad, Daddy (yes, I’m chop liver), Jase (my fave!), whoa, wow, hey

You’re just a little bit of a Mama’s boy…

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You love to eat and get super excited about food. Your fave is peanut butter toast, strawberries, green beans, sweet potatoes, roasted chicken, oatmeal, eggs, spaghetti, and Sprout pouches. We also buy some organic version of Nutrigrain bars and you tear em up. You drink some milk and water, but for now we are still nursing 2-3 times a day (for really short intervals, usually only a couple minutes before you wake up and before bed). You will fuss for a drink while you’re eating if I forget to make you one.

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You are tough as nails. Maybe that comes from having a big bro? I swear we watch you really well, but you’ve taken a few tumbles and you just keep rollin like nothing even happened. You have callluses on your knees from crawling everywhere.

You know exactly what you want. Shew!

You love your grandparents & aunts.

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You think you’re a big boy. You wanna hang with all the big boys when they’re playing. You’re pretty fearless & that scares your dad and me a little.

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You think Jase is hilarious and he is very sweet to you most of the time. He’s definitely nicer to you when no one else is around. When I’m changing your diaper, he always brings you a toy and says “Here buddy” really sweetly and tries to entertain you for me. He is pretty good about sharing with you and says “Here you go brudder.”

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You are such a water baby! You LOVE the water.

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You have started throwing things & you’re in to everything. You love to play catch & roll/throw the ball back and forth. You also really like to turn the Roomba on & ride/chase it around. (We LOVE having a Roomba, by the way, so if you’re considering one…do it!)

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Did I mention your smile lights up a room?

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And this is my ALL TIME FAVORITE picture…ever!!

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Love watching you grow, sweet boy!

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Butler, Party of 5!

Woo hoo!!

If you have seen me lately, this is not coming as a shock to you because well, #thebumpdontlie, but we are expecting another sweet blessing!! Baby Butler #3 is making HIS debut in February 2017. Yes, another boy! Yes, we'll have 3 boys 3 & under. And yes, we're probably a little crazy. But we were 100% ready to add to our family and prayerfully were seeking the Lord’s timing. We are so, so thankful for this sweet new addition!! I am over the moon excited about another sweet fella to love on, & the boys can't wait to add another brother to the mix. I pray they are best friends & always have each other’s backs.

If you know me, you know my heart is to raise up strong champion men who are going to be leaders, men among men, and change this world for the better. Plus, I truly cannot think of a better example for the type of men I want them to become than they have in their daddy. Jonathan is such a good man and I know they will respect him and look up to him.

So, here we go! Already in second trimester (15 weeks), feeling amazing, & so beyond thankful for #butlerpartyof5 coming soon!! (We plan on changing the blog name to something that we can keep forever even as we add new babies though…it wasn’t smart to choose something that changes every 2 years!)

Bump updates coming soon…

"Every good and perfect gift is from above." - James 1:17

Some Encouragement for the Wives & Mamas

I posted these on Facebook a few weeks ago & I felt like they were blog worthy, so here we are.

Wives & mamas, I want to encourage you this morning.

I woke up at 3 am and couldn't go back to sleep for a while because this was so heavy on my heart.

Your BEST and most IMPORTANT work is in the four walls of your own home. I know many of us that are called to ministry and we want to make disciples. We want to encourage and share the Gospel with others, and that is a great calling. I love that, but as wives and moms, we have to understand that should always be secondary to making disciples in our own homes first. If you made a vow before the Lord and you're a wife, and if you're blessed with little ones to raise and train up, pointing them to Jesus and encouraging them in their walk should be a primary goal. They should get our best! So many times I see this (and I'm guilty of it myself sometimes, too), but we are more gracious, patient, and merciful with strangers than we are our own husband and kids. I am learning to fervently pray that God will give me a heart geared towards my own family & inspire other women to do the same. I truly believe THAT is how we are going to begin to change this nation and spread the good news. By modeling a faith that our kids want to be part of. When we have taken care of our own, and shown them the fruits of the spirit in our own home, THEN we can be a powerful example to others. An even brighter light in a dark world. And our ministry to others will be more effective. I'm not saying perfection- I just know I want my family to get the very best of me so the people who know me best respect me most. That's integrity. And that's how we raise up the next generation of world changers.

Wives & moms, I'm praying the Lord uses you in a mighty way to shape, encourage, and love your husband and children. I'm praying you display the fruits of the Spirit in your home so your family falls in love with Jesus, because they know that comes from Him.

And to piggyback off of that, I wanted to share something that has been so helpful for me. More of a "how to" in making sure my family is getting my best.

I have learned that you cannot pour from an empty cup. When you are FILLED up with Christ, everyone gets the overflow, and it is sweet. It removes expectations for others to meet your needs (that they aren't designed to fill), which means more peace in your relationships. That's how you will be truly fulfilled, by focusing on your own relationship with the Lord, drawing near to Him, & viewing everything else as a way to serve...just like Jesus did. For me, that means quiet time with the Lord EVERY day, even if just for a few minutes in the morning to get my heart right. It means studying the Word and knowing it so it comes to my mind when I start to feel overwhelmed, frustrated, or discouraged. (Hide it in your heart!) It means praying consistently & often, for wisdom, discernment, the fruits, & for those around me. It means reading uplifting leadership, personal growth, marriage, & parenting books that stretch me and give me new perspective. It means being a seeker and surrounding myself with people who have the fruit on the tree. It means finding great mentors & being a sponge, learning and applying as much from them as possible. It means leaning on the Lord during both the ups and downs, but choosing to be grateful & thankful! And it also means taking care of myself physically, so I have the energy to keep up.

I know...I know it can be exhausting, and sometimes you just feel like you're not doing a good job. Sometimes you may feel lonely & unappreciated. Just know this, we have control over feeling that way & can choose NOT to allow ourselves to feel or believe that. We don't always have to believe our feelings, & Jeremiah warns that our hearts can deceive us. Replace lies with the truth and keep doing the good work. YOU are changing the world, right from your own home.

Monday, August 8, 2016

Kade’s 1st Birthday Party!

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Our cutie Kade became a one year old on June 14th, and we celebrated his birthday with a party at our house that weekend (Saturday, June 18th) with friends and family. We searched Pinterest for a cute theme and finally decided on Very Hungry Caterpillar! Chelsi bought us the book a while back so we used that for ideas while planning the menu and decorations.

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Everything was SO cute, but I especially loved the unique touches like the cups & water bottles with his name on them and the plates with his picture.

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The goody bags had some sweet little treats an of course included some gummy worms to resemble caterpillars.

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Gracie helped make the cute 1st birthday caterpillar with pictures from each month of his whole first year. I LOVE these! I still have Jase’s from his 1st birthday and both of them are now hanging in the basement. It’s so neat to see how they grow and change so much during that first year of life.

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The menu was probably my favorite part. Yes, there was definitely a random bunch of food, but it lined up with the book and everyone left with full tummies. I always get a nugget tray from Chik-Fil-A, because even though the caterpillar didn’t eat through any nuggets, it’s always a big hit at parties.

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He loved his “Mater” from Pop & Jimmy. And I loved his cute little personalized t-shirt with his name on it!

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We usually just get the cakes from Publix because they’re reasonable and yummy (and they always turn out cute!), but I’d rather support a small biz or individual, so we’ll probably go that route in the future.

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We didn’t have any games or anything really because I wanted the kids to just run around and play with each other. They all had a blast.

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The video of us singing “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” only picked up at the end, but he seemed to like it. He liked the cake for sure. I remember Jase wouldn’t touch it at his first birthday.

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This one cracks me up. “Seriously mom, how am I supposed to eat off this plate with my picture staring back at me?”

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All the guests at the party:

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He got the best gifts and I was so thankful. Lots of books, some toys and puzzles, and a few outfits.

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Here’s Grammy…the party planning queen! Couldn’t have pulled it off without her for sure.

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We will probably combine the boys’ birthday parties in the future, but we wanted to give him a big 1st birthday bash. Mission accomplished!We are so thankful for everyone who came to celebrate our sweet boy with us! He is such a happy boy and light to everyone…I can’t even describe the joy he has brought to our home over this last year. We LOVE you, sweet Kade. Happy 1st Birthday!

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