Retired.

This blog of mine has retired. I will not be getting rid of it as I don’t want to get rid of all my old posts, comments, etc. I am getting a blog makeover and moving to blogger. Check out my super cute new blog: www.carissagraham.com

-cg

I want a cute blog!!!

No, I am not begging for compliments or reassurance. My blog is not the cute that I want it to be. Lately, I have been checking out all these adorable “blogher” blogs and I want one! But, with wordpress you are so limited in what you can do with your design. I began to design my own blog but can’t figure out how to get it to work with wordpress. It seems like I would have way more possibilities with blogspot but then I would lose all my previous blogs. Anyways…I am debating what to do. I have found a few cute designs for wordpress and I am probably going to go with one of those. I will also be changing my whole blog up a bit. I guess it may become like a hobby or something. I need a hobby. It seems like the blogging world is dominated by a lot of stay-at home moms. It is like a little connection to some socialization. So, needless to say, after some rambling, my blog will be getting much cuter soon.

If only…

…I knew how to be content. Maybe its just me (please tell me its not ), or maybe its because I’m human, but it seems that I always find myself saying “if only.” You know, the “grass is greener” mentality. My “if only’s” right now (they are very small things, indeed!):

-If only I had a car, then I wouldn’t be stuck at home…my life would be easier and more enjoyable.

-If only we had more money, then I wouldn’t get so stressed going grocery shopping or paying our bills…my life would be easier and more enjoyable.

There have been many different “if only’s” throughout my life. -Some big, some small. With each one, I always learn a lesson about contentment. If only I could really get that lesson of contentment nailed down…my life would be easier and more enjoyable .

Most of all, I am always reminded that true contentment is found ONLY in Christ and His provision of grace. If I am really going to enjoy life, then my hope should rest not in this life but in the life to come. And obviously, for as long as we walk on this earth, things aren’t going to be easy. After all, God, in His divine providence gives us hardships – some small and some big and often both, at different points in life – to make us desire our home in Heaven all the more.

2 Corinthians 9:8, ESV
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency[1] in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
[1]Or all contentment

2 Corinthians 12:10, ESV
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Philippians 4:11, ESV
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

1 Timothy 6:6, ESV
Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment…

1 Timothy 6:8, ESV
But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

Hebrews 13:5, ESV
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

-cg

Proverbs 31:10

“An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.”
-Proverbs 31:10, ESV

I thought of this verse after I read a statement from Governor Mark Sanford’s wife, Jenny. She issued this statement in regards to her husband’s affair that he addressed today. Read it here.

Her desire to stay committed and be gracious to her husband in the midst of this sheer hardship is admirable and a testament to the Grace of God working in and through her. I am so impressed. She truly is an excellent wife and mother.

-CG

Odds and Ends

This is my coupon victory for the day! (Thanks to Beth S. for inspiring me to get into this coupon thing and for all her awesome coupon tips!!! Check out her blog on my blogroll.) Really, this is the first time I have a done a decent job couponing. I got all of the above items (in both pictures) for $25!!! That’s right, $25! The original price would have been $62. But, I had an offer from Publix for a free $25 gift card if I transferred a prescription. Then, I had a $5 off coupon for Huggies Diapers (it was from the Publix Baby Club – if you are a mom you must sign up for this! You can fill out some info at Publix and they will send you TONS of great coupons very often – all for FREE!), plus an additional $2 off coupon that was in the weekly Publix ad – that means I got all of the diapers for $12. Everything else was either a Buy 1 Get 1 Free item (I only buy 1 to cut the price in half), on sale, or just really cheap. I am still so new at this and I am not all that good at it. If anyone has tips, please pass them along!

Today I finally figured out a way to use my HotSling. I tried using it when Hunter was first born but he hated it and it really didn’t work well at all. I got really excited today when I figured out how to use it via the hip carrying position. It was great until I walked around Target for 45 minutes. Afterwards, my shoulder and side hurt really bad. I know there are so many wraps and slings out there because babywearing is a very hip (no pun intended ) thing right now. Everyone has different likes and dislikes and it seems that everyone I talk to likes different ones. I am afraid to buy online unless I can return it in case it isn’t comfortable. Or, I might just save my money and forego babywearing altogether. After all, I have 2 arms for a reason. If anyone has any sling/wrap preferences, I’d love to hear about them.

I took this pic today. I love it. Kelly and Hunter have the same expression. So adorably cute!!! I am crazy for my blue eyed boys!

-CG

Momtalk

Couponing, pumping, scheduling, and blow-outs, are just a few words from my newly developing mom vocabulary, or as I have lovingly dubbed it, “momtalk.” There are so many things about being a mom that just make me laugh (well, I think I laugh because it helps me deal with the mundane) and more and more I have a new appreciation for my mom (She was 23 when she had me and 39 when she had her youngest which means she will have had kids in the house for 34 years! Wow, she should get an award for that.) because I never realized how much work it was!

I also have a new talent: multi-multi-tasking. Prior to motherhood, I thought I had mastered the art of multi-tasking, however, I have learned that there is something even better. Hello multi-multi-tasking! I discovered this as I sat on the couch one night, feeding Hunter with one arm, pumping with the other, reading something on the computer, and petting the dog with my foot. I just laughed and felt like I conquered the world.

Okay, so I am learning the art of couponing. I never knew there were blogs on just couponing (not to mention an entire lingo that you have to learn). -Southern Savers Blog happens to be my favorite (if you live in the South you have to check it out, it is a lifesaver when it comes to saving money!). If you are reading this and have any good tips for me, please pass them along! I need all the help I can get because I am not all that good at it yet! I just know we need to save money because taking an entire pay cut of my salary is tough!!! Yes, it is a sacrifice to live off of one income, but it is totally worth it. And, I feel like all my life I have been too materialistic so I am finally being freed of that and God is truly teaching me how to be a good steward of money. Speaking of, I think we will be selling our car tomorrow morning which is a HUGE answer to prayer!!! It will be hard having only one vehicle but it is so worth it to be able to pay off our medical bills. Having debt is a huge burden and we are so ready for that burden to be lifted. Thank you Lord for your provision!

I have some happy news to report…drumroll please…I finally got a double pump!!! These things are so expensive (in the range of $300) but, a sweet lady (thank you LeAnn!!!) that I used to work with sold me hers for $50. What a blessing this has been to me!!! Instead of spending 4-5 hours/day pumping I only spend about 2 hours now. This has really been so encouraging for me. Every day was so difficult, spending so much time pumping and it was extremely depressing. I felt like I couldn’t go anywhere (I guess that isn’t going to change since I won’t have a car =( oh well!!!) I thought I would be conquering the world if I could pump for 6 months…now I want to try to pump at least until the end of this year, which would be 10 months. It just saves so much money…and it burns lots of calories too =)!!!

I just have a tidbit (or maybe an essay) to say about breastfeeding and I hope it doesn’t sound like I am complaining. I never knew it would be such an emotional thing for me. I hope that someone reading this may be encouraged if they are struggling with the same things I did…

Since Hunter lost so much weight during his 1st week and his jaundice got so terrible we had to supplement with a bottle (it was still breastmilk; my pumping journey began when he was 1 week old!). Giving a bottle to a 1 week old baby, 8 times/day (even though each time I would still nurse prior to the bottle) ruins them for any attempts at successful nursing! Thus, the reason for my pumping journey. I have been so sad that nursing didn’t work. After meeting with lactation consults and them assuring me that I was doing everything correctly, Hunter wouldn’t nurse for more than 5 minutes without screaming (He is a smart little guy – why would he struggle to get milk from me, when he knew if he didn’t nurse he would get a bottle where milk flowed really easily?!!! Smarty pants!). So, I am sad that we didn’t have that bonding experience and also sad that I have to deal with the hassle of pumping. But, I keep telling myself it is only for a season and that this too shall pass!

In the midst of sometimes feeling overwhelmed with pumping, I am so thankful that we have a healthy baby boy who is growing and developing well! He is in the 75th percentile for his height, weight and head circumference. At 4 months and 1 week, he weighed 16 lbs, 12 ozs. He is my little chunk!!! He is on a great schedule now (which has also made it easier for pumping!) – he eats at 8am, 12pm, 4pm, and 8pm. Sleeps from 8pm-ish until 8am-ish and takes naps at 10am and 2pm. I love this schedule! It doesn’t always work out everyday but I love it when it does!

I am reading a book called “Feminine Appeal” by Carolyn Mahaney. It is all about Biblical womanhood and I am learning so much! I am going to write a blog about soon!!!

Oh, I have exciting news…we had enough skymiles to get FREE flights to California this summer! I am so thrilled. Not only is it a vacation, but it is FREE. We will stay with my family and eat their yummy meals. I can’t wait for all of them to meet our little boy!

I promise to blog more often!

-CG

No more lower case letters…

Well, for the longest time I thought writing in all lower case letters was the cutest thing. I was even going to call my blog “lower case letters.” But, I have decided that it is way easier reading things with capitals and have determined to ditch the all lower case. I know that this is random but just thought I’d share. Now on to some more interesting things (well, maybe)…

Some highlights from this past month:

~Hunter is 3 months old! He is such a joy to be a mommy to and I fall more in love with him every day! He is also becoming a little chunk. He is around 14 lbs which is still in the 50th percentile. He is wearing 3-6mos. and 6mos. clothes. So, he is average and very healthy. We are thankful! He is smiling and talking all the time. He says “oooohhhh” and makes other noises that sound a bit whiny but are oh so cute!

~My grandparents and aunt from California visited us and met our little Hunter. They fell in love with him and didn’t want to go back home. Hunter was definitely spoiled while they were here – they kept finding stuff to buy him. (I have some pictures from their visit but they are on our old computer and won’t load…so, I need to move them to our other computer so I can upload them. So, to my family: I will post pictures of their visit SOON!) We are hoping to visit California sometime this summer (it depends on if we have enough skymiles) so the rest of my family can meet our little guy.

~Kelly’s sister, Cindy and her husband Billy are adopting from Ethiopia. They just received their referral for a daughter and will be traveling soon to pick up little Aria-Lu! We are praying for all things to go smoothly so they can bring their little girl home asap. Aria-Lu was very small (about 3 mos. and only 6 lbs) but now that they have found a good formula for her she is gaining weight. Praise the Lord! We can’t wait to meet her!!!

~This Saturday my mom is going to watch Hunter while Kelly and I go fishing. It will be our first time away from our little boy, but it will be good alone time for us. I know I am going to miss Hunter like crazy!!! I am going to take my pump and be a pumping/tanning goddess for the day! Ha!!!

~I finally feel like we are getting into a good solid daily routine. Hunter is on a good napping schedule and it is great having him wake up every day between 6 and 7am. One day this week he slept until 7:15-that was a record! Woo-hoo! Every once in a while he will have a rough night and wake up, but overall he has done so well with sleeping through the night since he was 8 weeks. I am very grateful. The best part is, that after I feed him when he first wakes up he will sleep for another 2-3 hours. So, during this time I have a chance to work out, run, and get ready for the day. It feels so much better being able to get ready for the day way before noon!

~Kelly and I are loving being parents. We are sooooo in LOVE with our sweet little boy!!!! We think about all the milestones that are ahead of us and get so excited about raising our son.

Here are some recent pictures:

I love this little monkey sleeper!!!

In this one, he looks a lot like I did when I was a baby.

I love those rolls!

My niece, Camryn saying “cheeeeeese.” I just love this picture. They came over to visit their cousin!

Another sweet niece, Taylor! She and I are buddies!!!

Me and my little guy!

Hopefully I will update my blog sooner and more often!!! We will see! I have different priorities now that I am a mom!

-CG

2 months!

wow…my little boy is 2 months old. sometimes it seems like time has gone by quickly while at other moments it seems like it has been way longer. hunter is doing really well and growing by the day! we go to the doctor next week and i am very interested to see how much he weighs now. 3 weeks ago he was 8.14. i am guessing he will be close to 10 lbs by now.

i am happy to report that hunter slept through the night last night (i think). he went from 10pm until 6am without a feeding. so, i think that is really close to sleeping through the night. maybe i will be able to squeeze another hour in there and have him sleep until 7am. that would be ideal. but, i am so thrilled!!! i do actually feel a bit rested. this is going to be revolutionary to my life right now!

hunter was full of smiles today! he met his great aunt today (my aunt came for a visit from california along with my grandparents) and he was trying to impress her with his sweet smile! i tried to catch a smile on camera but missed it every time. he really has such a sweet personality. he only cries when he is really hungry or if he has a gas pain. he is happiest when he is in his swing, on his play mat, or of course being held. he loves bath time and especially loves his hair being washed.-i rub his head with a washrag and soap and he closes his eyes and coos – soooo CUTE! he is also fascinated with the railing on our staircase. it is so funny because it really seems like one of the most uninteresting things but he loves staring at it. i think i could hold him in front of it all day long and he wouldn’t get tired of it.

the difficult part has been the feedings. they still take so long. he is a slow eater and not a great nurser. i nurse him for about 10 minutes and then he stops sucking or starts crying. so then i give him a breastmilk bottle (sometimes formula…because i still don’t seem to be making enough milk to keep up with him) and then after that i pump. the whole thing takes at least an hour (probably more like an hour and 15-30 minutes). as a result, i still feel like i can’t get much done. but i know that in the next month or so i will be able to get him (hopefully) on a good nap routine which will help.

the first month was so difficult. i was extremely joyful over the gift of a son but also extremely overwhelmed and never thought it would be this hard. i guess spending almost 7 days in the hospital in less than 2 weeks didn’t make for a good start either. oh, sidenote –

while we were at musc the doctor said she would send me a lactation consultant to help. the consultant was very nice and assured me that i was doing everything correctly and that the rest was up to hunter. she kept coming back to check on us – every time she said i was nursing properly so she really didn’t do anything to help – but i thought it was nice of her to check on us. well, i found out through a bill in the mail that her services cost over $500. and i thought she was just being nice. ha! actually this is more annoying than funny. just icing on the cake for our whole musc experience! end sidenote.

anyways, this whole nursing thing has not worked out like i imagined. everyone assured me that it would get easier. it never has . i understand why people switch to formula. it would be way too expensive though for us if we did and i know that every little bit of breastmilk is doing him so much good. i just get really sick and tired of pumping.

i am also really annoyed with babywise. while i know that it works for some people (and that is great! -lucky you), it definitely has not worked for us. i do keep him on a good feeding schedule, so that aspect of it is okay. but the book says that a feeding should take no more than 30 min. (in my dreams!!! i would have way too much time on my hands if that were the case.). and the book just doesn’t take into consideration that every baby is different and it really put a lot of undue stress on me because nothing was happening like the book “guaranteed” it would. so, for that reason, i don’t recommend it.

i finally feel like i am getting back to normal. my hormones have leveled which makes all the difference in the world! i have been working out for 3 weeks now and it feels great! i run 4 miles everyday and realized how much i have missed running (it had been like 5 months! – i had to stop running when i was 4 months pregnant because my doctor said it was not good for the baby anymore). as for the baby weight…i have about 10 lbs more to lose. i would like to lose more of course. but, i have had to work really hard at it. people told me it would just “fall” off. well, i lost 20 lbs easily at first but then this last 20 has been really hard (yes, that means i gained 40 lbs. i only wanted to gain 30, but my doc. wanted me to gain 40 and i unfortunately obeyed). obviously the breastfeeding helps burn lots of calories and so does the 4 miles. but, i am also eating like a nutritionist which helps too (with a little bit of easter candy here and there – i can’t resist it).

alright, i am just about done pumping so i need to be done typing. here are a few pics:

what a stud!

this just about sums it all up!

this is such a silly/cute face that he makes! i love it!

oh, if you haven’t seen the pics from our photo session, scroll down to the previous post and check them out. i love them! our photographer friends are so amazing!!!

-cg

newborn photo shoot

our amazing photographer friends from Richard Bell Photography did a newborn photo shoot for us. they are so talented and did an amazing job! thank you so much nathan and mell!!!! click here to see the shots

hunter’s arrival 2.2.09

just after the emergency c-section

my first glimpse of him!

i love this one!  his eyes are so cute!

our new family!  i think at this point kelly and i hadn’t slept in over 48 hours. 

going home outfit

just after his 1st bath.  this is one of my favorites!

another favorite!

daddy takes such good care of him!

hunter doesn’t really look like himself in this pic, but he was looking straight at daddy – too cute!

after bathtime today with mommy.  

 

my last day of work was friday, january 30th.  hunter’s due date was february 19th.  i figured i would have two weeks to relax and rest up!  but, on sunday, february 1st with 1 minute left of the superbowl, my water broke.  i couldn’t believe it actually was about to happen at that point!  the thought of knowing we would be able to see our son soon was so amazing.  

we got to the hospital at 11pm.  at this point i was in no pain.  i hadn’t had any contractions and i felt really good.  by 11:30pm i was feeling miserable, i was at 4cm and they told us we would probably have a baby by 7am.  i finally got the epiderral at 2:30am (i was a new woman after that!!!  i recommend epiderrals – HIGHLY!) and they told us to try to get some sleep until i had to start pushing.  

i was checked at 3:30am and was already 8cm.  so they believed we would have a baby much earlier than 7am and that i would start pushing soon.   i was ready!  then, about 10 minutes later our nurse along with 6 other nurses rushed in because hunter’s heart rate dropped so much.  they were calling my doctor and saying “get the operating room ready.”  the whole thing was scary.  they put me on oxygen and maneuvered me into a million different positions (including laying me on my stomach – crazy!) to try to get his heart rate up.  about 3 minutes later they wheeled me into the operating room because they had to get him out right away.  i was crying because i absolutely did not want a c-section and it seemed like i was only minutes away from a natural birth.  kelly put on some operating room scrubs and met me in the room a few minutes later – it seemed like an eternity had gone by until he got in there!  within 15 minutes, at 4am on the dot, we heard hunter’s first cries.  it was such a sweet sound!  i finally got to see him and was so in love – i cried!  kelly and i were so overwhelmed with joy and love.  he was 7lbs, 2oz, and 19 inches long.  the cord was wrapped around his neck and head so we were so thankful they did the c-section when they did.  

we brought him home on wednesday, february 4th.  the first night was really rough but since then we have all been adjusting.  he wakes up between 1 and 2 times/night.  eventually i want to get him sleeping through the night but at this point it is more important that he eats because he lost so much weight.  

when we went to his 1 week check-up his jaundice levels were tested and they were extremely high which caused us to end up in the hospital by noon on monday (see below posts).  we were at musc until wednesday.  i was so happy to get back home!  hunter is still dealing with jaundice and his eyes are so yellow but the levels are not as high as they were.  it is common for breastfed babies to deal with jaundice for up to the first 6 weeks.  we are praying that the levels will not get too high again.

i love being a mommy!  it is a ton of work but all of it is such a joy (well, at 3am it is not as joyous as it is at 3pm!).  i can’t believe we have waited over 4 years for a baby.  i am already thinking about when i want to have our next one.  

i am trying to figure out how to get everything done while also getting in some naps while he sleeps.  however, i am really bad at getting in naps because i usually use that time to get everything done around the house.  i know i will get in the swing of things as time goes on and hunter gets older.

hunter is an easy baby – he hardly cries and when he does it is because he is hungry or has a poopy.  i find myself just staring at him for hours at a time.  oh, and kelly is so in love with him and is so excited about being a daddy!  he has been such a servant to me and hunter.  i have never seen a man be more helpful.  i am so thankful!  he is an amazing dad already!!!!  my mom has also been a huge help – she has taken off work and come over when kelly has had to go to work.  i am so grateful for her help.  so many families have brought us dinners every night and we are so thankful for the way the body of Christ has been serving us!

we are getting pics of hunter done professionally (by the most amazing photographers!  i can’t wait to see how they turn out!) and i will post them when we get them done.  

cheers to mommy-hood!

-cg