Our Family- Short update. + I'm back. +New blog.

It feels good to be typing again. I've been "gone" for so long, I feel like I have so much to say. Motherhood has ROCKED my world. Nothing quite like adjusting to becoming a mommy for the first time. So many, "am I doing this right?" questions & figuring out who you are in the process. Elle is the cutest, sweetest, most squishest babe.   Two days ago, she turned ONE.  My tiny, 7 pound baby is now a ONE YEAR old. She's not even considered a baby anymore.  I do not know how to handle this news. I am avoiding dealing.  How can this be? I can't even believe I am typing that. I remember when we first found out we were going to have a baby. How at the end of my pregnancy, time seemed to drag on. And how the first few months of her life I was doing everything I could to just survive.  Now, she's just a part of me. She goes everywhere with me & loves her momma fiercely. Weird/Cool how you just adapt. How you just become a mom. How it is so much of who you are.  Nathan says I like the "fun things" of being a mommy. Basically everything that includes Elle and nothing that includes housework. I'm not sure I see a problem with that. He might disagree. What does he know? ;) Our marriage has changed a lot. I get that question a lot too. Yes, yes things change. But they aren't all bad. Adjusting to a baby after almost 6 years of only being married was no easy feat. We're officially a year into this and things are just starting to become normal. We have fallen into somewhat of a routine although neither of us are the routine type, so I use that term lightly.  We've done a lot of growing & changing & figuring out how to adjust. and thats OK. and that's GOOD.  I would be lying if I said there weren't a couple occasions I texted a dear friend stating "everything is falling apart." But they never did. And things worked out like they always do.  After trusting God for a baby and working out with Him that this was HIS plan, you can imagine my surprise when things weren't always perfect. I thought I had some right or something. Some right to say Hey, Lord, um you asked me to give up control here so.. um.. yeah. Why is this still hard? Why am I experiencing fear so intensely again? Isn't this what you wanted? And I know it was. So why this? Why is it hard? It's been months & months of learning I need to trust God. All over again. It's been hard & often times I have felt so alone trying to figure this out. The one thing I have always let creep in.. that I am alone in all of this. That there is no one that experiences the same things I do. (which I know is a lie.. hello, 1 Corinthians 10:13) but it gets easier with easy passing day. With each truth I declare to believe.  New favorite verse? God is within her, she will not fail. Psalm 46:5 Camp has come and gone this year and it was real special. The best we have experienced yet. We have an amazing set of leaders right now. They truly are our "dream team." I've seen them get to change lives and that's been the coolest.  Our young adults group is getting to the good stuff and we're all agreeing the current study is just what we were all needing. We seem to grow every week & I love the time we get with each other. Been busy making new friends & loving on friends in need. That is my heartbeat.  We've experienced some hard news with family and also have seen God do great things. We've been learning lots about community and praying hard for our friends.  We took family pictures recently that I can't wait to share soon.  We've been dreaming of the future and praying about BIG things. We leave for vacation in 42 days.  I have mastered the "mom bun." it's super easy you guys.. just don't wash your hair for 5 days and spray a ton of dry shampoo in. Simple. 

Hope you love the new blog, I do. 

Elle's Nursery

In honor of Elle turning ONE (I'm crying) this month.. I figured it was about time I shared her nursery with you all. better late than never?

Honestly, it did't take me long to decide what we were going to do with her room. It went like this:

Me: Hey babe, here is what I found and want you to do with E's room (showing him my Pinterest pin)

Babe: Alright. 

See, done.

I decided on adding the blue for a pop of color and we went from there. 

We LOVE the hutch we found. Really neat, my sister had the exact same one for her girls when they were small & I really wanted it but she had sold it years ago (I guess she was getting pretty impatient thinking we weren't having kids, wink.) Anyways, we were visiting our home town one weekend and found this gem at a consignment store. I could not believe it! Even better? It was a STEAL. 

We had to get creative with the gold triangles on the wall because we really wanted the gold metallic look, not yellow. N's mom suggested the craft paint that comes in a tube (genius!) and it worked like a charm! 

Her crib we got from Pottery Barn, for FREE. Long story short, we were given one (thanks sis!) that had a broken piece. Upon calling them, we learned they don't give new pieces.. they give new cribs..for free. score. Best customer service EVER.  

Everything blue you see (chair, rug, monogram E)- Pottery Barn. (also free, thanks to some gift cards we received from work) 'Baby Things' basket- Michaels (Thanks Sally!) Rocking chair (Gifted from my sister) Curtains (Target) Painted wall letters (Gifted from Nathan's sister) 'Elle' frame (gifted from our amazing friend Tiffany) Sheets (my mom made these + 2 more sets!) Tassel (made by our amazing friend April) Peters the Deer (Amazon) Owl (Kohls)  Hamper (Baby's R us, gift from Kelly!) Photos by the amazingly talented Amy Leah 

How our family is Thriving (and not just surviving!)

This week marks the first week at my new "job" as a Stay at home mom!  It's funny because a while back during a counseling session I was asked what I wanted to do with my life. School? A specific job that I liked? She asked me to list some things I really enjoyed and so I did. She listened intently and then announced, "Well! Looks like your perfect "job" would be a stay at home mom/wife, everything you listed falls right into that category." Not gonna lie, I kinda didn't take her seriously. Me? A stay at home mom? I just wasn't too sure. 
And then Elle came along. And I was sure. I was sure she had been right & sure that I didn't want to do anything else but be that little one's mama. Fortunately I've been able to work from home these past 5 months since I wasn't able to quit right away which was such a blessing in and of itself. 

Fast forward to the beginning of this year when Nathan became a full-time youth pastor at the Church we've been serving at for 3.5 years. In the past he was working a full-time job + 3 different jobs for the church so this was such great news! During this same time we started a series at church called "Thrive, more than just surviving." Nathan & I had already been talking about how we think God might be calling us to step out in faith & him accepting the role at the Church had been one way. With SO many answered prayers, we decided to really start praying to see if we might just be able to swing it so I could focus on just being a mommy. At first, I really didn't see how we were going to make this work, but we kept praying that God would make a way.  I had been putting it off for a while because I was terrified. Not only of not having enough money, but of solely being responsible for a tiny little life (which I already had been for 5 months so this is ridiculous!) but Nathan & I knew this was the next step for our family and we knew this is what God was calling us to. After looking very closely at our budget & praying some more, we found that this was totally doable if we were strict with our income. Even though I know there will be times we have to rely solely on God to provide, we couldn't ignore that He was urging us to take this step..  So, on January 2nd, I gave my two weeks notice.. to my mom, because she was my boss. I thought she might cry..  but was very understanding.. she's pretty great.. and probably reading this.. Hi mom! I love you! ;) #runonsentencemuch? 

^^^ the bib doesn't lie.  This week has been everything I had hoped for and more. No, it wasn't perfect and yes, there were plenty of poopy diaper blow-outs & scream fits of an overtired baby that almost had me crying, but it was a huge answer to prayer. It's the sense of knowing I am right where God wants me.. and that's being Elle's mama. He is still working in me & has so much for me to learn & grow in this process .. equipping me for more and walking with me every step & I can't wait to just keep being a mommy. Elle is certainly a demanding boss considering her size, but she's the best boss I've had yet (sorry mom!) and I think I'll keep this job forever. :) 

Happy Birthday to my blog BFF!

Today I celebrate an abundant year by blessing you all. Some blogging friends and I are giving away some of my favorite things in honor of MY BIRTHDAY! Would you please take the time to visit each one of these girls on my behalf? I know you will enjoy the things that they are about and the lovely things they share on the world wide web.  

Lauren from Simply Free Blog | Rachel from Garay Treasures | Becky from Almond Place | Jess from JMN Way

We're Giving Away $25 to Target & $25 to GroopDealz!

(GroopDealz is an online boutique deal site where you can buy cute clothing, accessories, baby bows, shoes, house wears and more! )

 

But that's NOT ALL. A few other lovely crafty ladies are throwing in some amazing handmade lovelies.

   

Mandy from This Girls Doodles is giving away this custom doodled coffee mug. You can check out more of her doodles, read her blog, and shop by visiting her website.

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Sarah from Messy Little Smiles Organic is giving away TWO organic lip balms. These gems smell amazing, go on smoothly and they're NOT FULL OF CHEMICALS! I mean.. you may even be able to eat this lip balm and it not be risky! As the winner you get to choose your own flavors! I'm personally loving the honey vanilla, its pretty magical.

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My sweet friend Carley from HodgePodge by Carley is giving away a Felt Doily Colorful Garland. I love the gorgeous detail and the uniqueness of this banner. It could go well in any room of the house, maybe even in the laundry room to help liven it up! Carley also makes mixed media artwork that you have to go see!

All you have to do is follow the Rafflecopter below to enter to win!

Don't forget about the other giveaways currently happening on Teressa's blog! You can find them all here.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Giveaway/sweepstakes rules: No purchase or payment necessary. Sweepstakes prize is listed above. By entering this sweepstakes, the entrant acknowledges that they are eligible for this sweepstakes according to all laws set forth by their home state. US residents only. Entrants who do not meet these criteria will be disqualified. Winner is liable for any taxes associated with the prize. The promotion period for this giveaway will close next week and a winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter. The winner will be contacted privately and then later published on this site. Void where prohibited. Sweepstakes sponsored by groopdealz, Teressa Jane and the bloggers and shops listed above.

The best things you can do to help new mommys.

Don't ask what they need. Instead of asking new moms what they need or what they need help with, offer specific tasks.  When we were in the hospital a group of our amazing friends came over and cleaned our entire house. They even scrubbed my toilets & shower. -Embarrassing.  However, it was one of the BEST things they could have done for us. We came home to an amazingly clean house & a basket full of necessities like new toothbrushes, Dreft laundry detergent, hand soap & gift cards to restaurants! 

Be really wise with your words & be sure what you're saying is loving. I know a lot of people mean well.. But be careful what you say to a new mama. For me, even talking about my birth used to bring me to tears because of how traumatic it was for me. So when people said things like "I had a friend who's baby was stuck too but she still delivered at home and it was a beautiful birth," can leave a new mom feeling even worse about sharing her story. So be gentle & think twice about what you're about to say to a fragile new mom. 

Don't ask if you can bring your kids. OR don't NOT ask & bring them anyways. (Obviously there are exceptions for close family) I always felt trapped whenever anyone asked me this. With Elle being so new, I really preferred that other children not be around her until she had time to get some of my immunities. 

Stop with the advice. I promise, if we have questions, we will ask. When we posted that our baby slept 8 hours last night (fist pump!) we aren't looking to start WWIII about all the different sleep techniques and what you did. Chances are we have a very close group of people we trust & are able to ask our most ridiculous questions to. So please, unless we ask, don't be so quick to tell us how to parent. 

Don't make it about you. I know this one is tough. You hear a new mom telling her story or what's she's struggling with & you want to chime in with, "oh when I had my baby..." Or " that is rough but you should hear so & so's story..." As new mom's we need to be heard and if we're vulnerable enough to openly talk about this stuff with you, take the opportunity to encourage us, not turn the story around on yourself. 

With that said .. DO relate! When a new mom says she feels terrible because she let my baby sleep & didn't wake her to feed her or she accidentally dropped her phone on her baby's little head while trying to nurse & scroll through facebook (I don't think it's important to know if I did this or not), it's perfectly acceptable to then divulge that you too did those same exact things & she has nothing to worry about and she's a great mom! My sister was my BIGGEST encourager with this and I will be forever grateful. 

Don't assume. I had so many people say things like "don't you just feel_____ or aren't you just so _____.  I recently read this article about how when we don't really ask a question but pretend we already know the answer, it makes people feel like they can't be honest. Instead she suggests asking things like, how are you doing? Instead of "isn't being a mommy just the best thing in the whole world?" This can leave a new mom feeling like something is wrong with them if they just haven't gotten the hang of things yet & aren't really sure how they feel about this new little creature who is constantly attached to one of of their nipples.  

New moms, old moms, all the moms... Anything to add???