Four months!!!!

Our sweet baby is 4 months old! She had her well-child check up yesterday and did very well!

Here are her stats:

Height 24 1/2 inches (50th percentile)

Weight 14lb 10oz (75th percentile)

Laura is growing! She did really well with her immunizations (and I didn't come nearly as close to passing out this time! Let me just say that it is much easier being a physician than being a mommy!). She has a slight fever today, but doesn't seem to be bothered by it in the least. Overall, she got a really good report from her pediatrician. She does have a bit of torticollis (she tends to tilt her head to the left and rotate it to the right). That's probably because she is a tummy sleeper (I know, I know... we attempted to have her sleep on her back from birth, but she just wouldn't sleep. It's difficult enough to get her to sleep at all, so we reluctantly put her on her tummy and she seemed to sleep so much better. I still advocate back sleeping overall, but this seems to work for us right now. We sure did a lot of praying, though! I'm working with her now to try to teach her to be more comfortable sleeping on her back during naps... no real luck yet. )

I spoke with her pediatrician about introducing some solids, but I still think it's not time. Initially, I was going to wait until 6 months to start cereal. However, she still isn't sleeping through the night (usually gets up 1-2 times!!!!!!!), so I planned to start cereal at 4 months. She doesn't have great trunk/head control yet when sitting upright, so I think we'll wait another month. I'm really excited to introduce her to cereal and baby food! I purchased a food mill and borrowed a food processor with hopes that we'll be able to make her own baby food. Any suggestions or helpful hints from your experience?

Laura's sleeping habits have been a real frustration for me. I've read (and read and read...) blogs, books, websites on infant sleep and I'm still confounded. BabyWise was recommended to me when Laura was about 8 weeks old and we've been attempting to get her on a regular eat, wake, sleep cycle. However, she has not been able to nap for more than 45 minutes at a time for quite some time now. She goes to sleep fairly easily, but wakes 42-45 minutes into her nap (which ideally should be about 1 1/2 hours). Occasionally, I can get her to go back to sleep during her first morning nap, but rarely does she fall back asleep for any of her other naps. Thankfully, she's a pretty content baby, despite lack of sleep. Please pray for us that Laura would begin to nap better and that I would have patience and endurance through the process. It's frustrating, but I try to remember that this is really a short season in light of eternity and one day I'll look back on these days longingly (well, maybe not the sleepless nights!).

One last aside... the other day I was speaking with an administrator from a practice that I might be working for on occasion. When I was sharing with him some of the challenges of having an infant at home, he said, "It's almost like having a second profession, isn't it?" Respectfully, I think that is really inaccurate. Parenting (whether you have to work outside the home or not) is our primary "profession." Loving my husband, managing my home, and mothering our little girl is my full time job and I'm so grateful for the privilege of bearing these responsibilities. The time that I spend away from my home at work, regardless of the number of hours, is by far a distant rank with respect to my chief responsibilities in life. I view my medical profession as tentmaking of sorts. It allows me to bring in extra income to help my husband in financially providing for our family. Although I enjoy it, it pales in comparison with the joy I receive from my other responsibilities.

Thanks for reading! Would you please pray for us? Please pray that Laura's naps would improve, that she would sleep for longer stretches at night, and that I would have the strength and stamina to care for her and for our home while working?

Also, PLEASE leave comments for us regarding your experience with infant sleep/nap patterns. What has been helpful for you? What did your baby do at 4 months of age? I could really use the encouragement and advice. Thank you!

Whew!!!!

Life has been a whirlwind since we returned from PA. Here are a few highlights... although, not in chronological order - since I managed to post my pictures in reverse order again! :)

We had a delightful time in Pennsylvania visiting family and friends. I was incredibly nervous about the drive up, because Laura is not a good napper and she rarely sleeps in the car. It took us about 11 hours to get to PA and Laura, true to form, slept only TWO HOURS!!! However, she was cheerful most of the day - at least as long as her Oma was entertaining her. I'm so grateful that my mom was able to join us. I couldn't have made the trip without her. Laura sure does love her Oma and Oma really enjoyed spending some quality time with her grandbaby.

We visited my Nana (my Mom's mom) the day after we arrived. Nana is 86 years old and doesn't get to leave her home very much these days, so I think our visit was a bright spot in her day. I hadn't seen her in over a year, so I was grateful for the opportunity to visit with her.

My dear friends, Cathy and Craig Horlacher, hosted us for the entire duration of the trip. They excel at hospitality! Despite the recent birth of their little girl, Allanah (7 weeks old), they graciously opened their home to us. It was so nice to have a home base during our stay.

On Sunday, we visited on of my favorite places on earth, Living Hope Church. Home sweet home!! It was so wonderful to see dear friends and to introduce them to Laura. We enjoyed a lovely lunch with Ken and Beth Mellinger and had a surprise visit from Ryan and Marcia McCarty. (Aside - I had prayed for God to cross my path with Marcia once again a few weeks ago. Marcia and I got to know each other during my Residency in York, PA. That same week, Marcia and her husband were praying to reconnect with me. They searched the internet and found my blog and contacted me through a blog comment. Wow!!!! God is amazing!! Ryan and Marcia came to Living Hope to visit and to see us. It was a treat to see these dear friends again!)

My Aunt Sue and Amanda came to visit for TWO WHOLE DAYS!!! It is always a joy to see these dear sisters in Christ. We had so much fun visiting and just enjoying each other's company. I love them!

Ann Smith and her little boy, Aaron, came to visit us Monday morning. Have I posted about our story? If not, I'll have to do that some day soon. Ann, Cathy, and I have been friends for only five years, but it seems like a lifelong friendship. God has been so faithful to us, all married in the same year, all have had babies within months of each other. These sweet ladies have been such a blessing to me over the years. Their friendship helped to make my single years rich in fellowship.


My mom and I made the long journey home again and she did a great job of caring for Laura. We had lots of laughs along the way!

Perhaps my favorite part of the trip was coming home to my dear husband. He wasn't feeling well all weekend, but wanted to bless me by doing projects around the house. He re-did the landscaping in our front yard, did the laundry, vacuumed, cared for Drayton and Makenzie, put flowers around the house, bought some little gifts for me, and had the house nice and tidy for my return. Wow! I sure do love him!

Whew! That's a brief update of our adventure. I posted a few pictures from our time in PA and from Drayton's birthday party below.

The crazy guys from Drayton's party :)

Happy 12th birthday, Buddy!

Uncle Sean and Aunt Rachel

I'm 4 months old!!!!

No stats yet... Laura's check-up is next week.

New tricks: blowing raspberries, grabbing her feet, sticking out her tongue, laughing, putting everything in her mouth, sucking her thumb

Too cute!

Laura's dear friend, Mac. He adores her and is so gentle with her!

Yay! We've been hoping she would find her thumb and she seems to have done it. She prefers her left thumb... will she be a lefty like Uncle Sean?

Ann's son, Aaron trying to put the moves on Laura.... hehehe.

We put Alannah, Aaron, and Laura on the couch together. They were so funny. I almost wet my pants laughing!!!!!! Laura was such a ham - she flashed her tummy at all of us!

Sweet, sweet friends and our sweet, sweet babies. God is so kind!!!!!

Alannah and Laura

Nana, Oma (my Mom), me, and Laura

The End!!!

On the road again...

Laura, my mom and I are headed to Pennsylvania tomorrow morning. I'm really looking forward to catching up with friends and family. I'm curious to see how the trip will go. The trip is 7-8 hours with two quick stops. I anticipate that it will be closer to 10 with stops for feeding and stretch breaks for Laura. Please pray for us as we head north.


Please pray also that we stay healthy. Swine flu is all around us and we certainly don't want to catch it or share it with our dear friends. We'll be staying with Cathy, Craig and Alannah (6 wks old), so we need to be healthy.



We plan to visit mostly family and friends from Living Hope Church in the few short days we have in PA. I would like to pack in many more visits with friends during our time there, but I think it's wise to keep it simple for this trip until I learn the nuances of traveling with an infant. Of course, by the time I figure it out, she'll be a toddler and we'll have new tricks to learn!



On the work front... it's been fun!!! I have worked three shifts so far and I am really enjoying it. I haven't worked more than 5 hours at a time (usually 3 hours) and my parents have been watching Laura. God has been so kind to provide this unique way to work for short periods of time and have Laura stay with family. The only unfortunate thing is that, in urgent care, we primarily see patients who are ill - namely with H1N1. So, I wear a mask and use plenty of hand sanitizer and cover it all in prayer. I'm pretty sure Dray and Kenzie have already had it and David, Laura, and I have managed to stay clear of it. Thank you, Lord! We pray that God spares our little one from H1N1 and seasonal flu. My heart is regularly tempted to fear for her health, but David has been kind to remind me that God is sovereign over our health and, if she does become ill, there is healing in the name of Jesus. Amen!



David preached again on Sunday. He did a fantastic job! We have been going through a series on what it means to love Charlotte. David was asked to finish the series with a sermon entitled "What will happen when we love Charlotte?" God will be glorified, of course, but David fleshed out what that will look like for us and for those we are called to love. He said that people have three responses: either they will openly and lovingly accept our love and sharing of the Gospel, they will be indifferent, or they will be hostile. We need to be prepared to love especially those who are hostile to the Gospel. He read several accounts of missionaries around the world who are doing just that and often losing their lives for the sake of the Gospel. It was a sobering, yet encouraging message. Too often, we settle for a warm and fuzzy Gospel in an effort to please people in hopes that they will lovingly accept the truth. Are we willing to share the truth of the Gospel (in love, of course) when the recipient becomes hostile toward us? It really gave me a lot to think about. You can listen to the sermon (and other sermons by Euan as well) on http://www.catalystchurchcharlotte.com/.



That's all for now... better get packing, laundering, cleaning, cooking.... Lord, help me to finish the tasks of the day. Thanks again for praying for us! Enjoy the photos!










Our little girl is getting so big! She sure does love to eat!

Crazy Hair!!!!!

Breaking free! I guess her feet got hot during the night. :)

Baby toes....

... and belly buttons!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to work I go!

Thank you to those of you who have been praying for my work situation. After much prayer, David and I felt the Lord clearly telling us to walk away from the proposed contract with the urgent care (see previous post). This was quite a step of faith because there was nothing to walk toward, as we walked away from the contract. However, things have worked out nicely. I have the opportunity to moonlight (work as needed - like a "substitute doctor") for that same practice and probably for a few other practices as well. So, as long as there is work available, I can basically work when and where I want. Perfect! I have a few short evening shifts and two half-Saturdays to work in October - roughly 4 hours per week. I am SO GRATEFUL!!!! I really do look forward to working a little bit here and there, but I am not ready to be away from Laura for any length of time (although she'll be in GREAT hands with Oma/Pap and Mam/Grandad). It is such a SWEET season to be able to be with her 24 hours a day to nurture and care for her. I am having so much fun being a mommy - probably the richest season of my entire life. How grateful I am for the privilege of raising this little girl!

So, I'll continue moonlighting until God provides a very clear open door for permanent part-time employment. It would still be nice to have stable employment, especially these days. However, it is always a good thing to walk in faith, knowing that everything we have comes from the hand of the Lord. Again, David has done a wonderful job walking us through this, reminding me of God's faithfulness every step of the way. Have I mentioned how much I love my husband? He is a gift, indeed.

Laura turned three months this week. I can hardly believe it. This week, her hands have "found" each other. She often clasps them in front of her and it's incredibly cute. Her feet have also "found" each other. She loves to blow raspberries and make funny grunting noises. She sounds like a little old man many days. Where have all the cute coos gone? :) She also likes to kick and flail her arms (violently!) and then she stops abruptly, smiles, and looks at me for praise. It's precious! Modesty is no issue for her these days. She has learned to grab her dresses with both hands and pull them up to her mouth to chew on. Hello, belly button!


That's all for now - my eyelids are heavy and it's time for sleep... at least for a few hours. Laura has been waking up two times a night lately. I don't mind... I treasure this short season of late-night cuddles. Funny though, David said the other night that it seemed I was out of the bedroom everytime he woke up. I only fed Laura twice that night (I usually go to the living room to nurse her, so as not to wake him).... I must have fallen asleep for at least an hour during one of our nursing sessions. Who knew? (By the way, I sit up when I nurse her on the couch, so we both must have been quite a sight!) Oh, it's so much fun being a mommy. :)

This is one of her arm flailing episodes caught on film. :) Note the look of sheer determination.

Hello, belly button!

This one's for you, Aunt Julie! Thanks for the cute outfit!

This is Laura's friend, Addyson, at her first birthday party. Too cute!!!

I love my baby girl...

Gratitude

Things have been a little crazy around here... mostly good, but certainly some ups and downs. I was thinking about the uncertainties in our life today and then I began to recount the MANY things God has done for me over the past few years. There is something about gratitude that seems to chase away fear/uncertainty/sorrow. I am so grateful to the Lord that He has provided us with His Spirit to remind us of such truth.

Thank you, Lord, for:

- my salvation in Christ!

- the Holy Spirit that reminds us of God's sweet promises

- My husband! (I wasn't sure if I would ever marry, yet God provided me with an amazing, Godly man who loves and cares for me)

- My sweet baby girl. I hoped, but never assumed, that I would have children and now I have the JOY and PRIVILEGE of loving my little one every day. She is healthy, beautiful, and a delight!

- My fantastic step-kids. Drayton and Makenzie are so loving and respectful and have adjusted to life with Laura beautifully. They are a gift!

- My wonderful family - parents, in-laws, siblings... they're all wonderful! I'm so glad we get to see them often.

- My church(es) - I am so grateful for my current church, Catalyst, and the prior churches that have had such an impact on my walk with the Lord.

- My friends - I have wonderful, supportive friends here in Charlotte and many sweet friends that are miles away.

- My career training - I love being a physician and I'm so grateful that God has given me the privilege to receive training that enables me to care for people physically and the opportunity to care for people spiritually as well.

Things I am trusting God for:

- A job - For those of you who may not know, I lost my job when Laura was 5 days old. Our clinic was not profitable and they closed that particular location. We still haven't found another opportunity that we think would be a good fit for our family. We're trusting the Lord to provide another job for me and to provide for us financially until that happens. David continues to remind me to wait on the Lord. He is faithful to speak and to lead us according to His perfect plan.

- Our church - David and I are part of a church plant here in Charlotte that has been going through some challenging times lately. We're trusting God to use it for His glory and for the sake of those people in our neighborhood who need to hear the Gospel.

- Laura - I used to be fairly non-chalant about childhood illnesses as I encountered them in my practice. All kids get sick, right? Now, as a mom, I find that I am more fearful of those illnesses that used to seem so benign. I can't imagine what it will be like to comfort my little girl through coughs and colds. :) I'm trusting the Lord to shepherd me as I care for her.

- My friends - I have several friends that are going through significant trials. I'm trusting the Lord to comfort them, protect them, and to teach me how to best care for them during difficult times.

I welcome your prayers as well in these areas. Thanks for joining with me to trust God to do immeasurably beyond what we can ask or imagine. He is able!

Laura went for her first dip in the pool!


We're not really sure if she liked it. She didn't cry, so we're assuming she didn't hate it. :)

David giving her a bottle by the pool. We had gone for a motorcycle ride earlier in the day so I brought a few bottles of my milk to give her while we were away and we had one left over. I don't enjoy pumping all that much, so I didn't want to waste it! :)

All snuggy again in her cozy beach blanket.

Oh. My. Word.

I just LOVE being this little girl's Mommy!!!

Thank you, Lord....

Recipes

Below are two recipes that I recently made. They are great for using up those end of the summer veggies. We really enjoyed the oven roasted tomatoes and zucchini with salmon and cous cous. Enjoy!!

Roasted Garlic Zucchini and Tomatoes
2 zucchini cut in half lengthwise, then into 1/2 inch half moons
2 cups quartered ripe tomatoes
1/2 onion, minced (I didn't actually use this)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 c. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 tbsp fresh basil

Heat oven to 450. Lightly grease 9x13 pan. Combine zucchini, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red pepper in baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Roast until veggies are tender and slightly golden, about 18 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with parmesan and basil.

I actually put salmon fillets right in the dish with the veggies and roasted it all. I served the salmon over cous cous and it was a really nice meal.



Chicken Italian in Foil
2 large potatoes
1/4 tsp salt
2 green peppers, sliced
2 tomatoes cut in wedges
4 boneless chicken breasts
salad oil
4 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp butter, melted

Cut potatoes lengthwise into 1/8" slices and place on 8x12" double layer of foil. sprinkle with salt. Add peppers and tomatoes. Lay the chicken on top of veggies and brush with oil. Mix ketchup, butter, oregano and pour over chicken. Wrap securely. Bake or grill until tender (1 hour bake at 400, 30 minutes grill).