Liam Turns 6!

I was out of town for most of Liam's actual birthday this year, but he had a wonderful celebration with his Maw Maw Joan, Auntie Sherma, and his cousins. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures, but I got some sweet videos of his cousins singing him Happy Birthday and his really cool Batman cake! Thanks to Maw Maw Joan AND Auntie Sherma for making his day special. 

The following day we celebrated with the other side of the family. Mimi bought Liam an ice cream cake, per his request. Liam indulged in some boiled seafood and swam his little heart out at Aunt Faith and Uncle Henry's pool. Thanks, Mimi, Pop Joe, Aunt Faith and Uncle Henry for making Liam's birthday wishes come true!

Our Weekend Getaway to Mississippi's Wolf Lake

This weekend we headed out to Yazoo City, MS to spend some QT time with family. Our little cabin on Wolf Lake was the perfect spot to unwind and recharge. Here are a few pics from the trip, mostly of our boys. I love seeing them explore new territory and enjoy nature!

Love,

Beth

Some of Life in Black & White

Global Wildlife Center

We re-visited the Global Wildlife Center this weekend! 

Picture from Our First Trip
Pictures from Our Second Trip

Until next time!

Love,
Beth

Bringing Blogging Back

Well friends, I've dusted off the 'ole blog and I've given it a bit of a face lift! And after much thought and consideration, I've decided to give it a go again. It's been almost 2 years since I've written here, and, obviously, lots has changed since then. At the time of my last post I was juggling a newborn baby and trying to get through 1st grade with my oldest. I was still dealing with some postpartum anxiety and overall just tying to figure out how to manage life as a mom of three littles. It some ways it feels like an eternity ago and in others ways it feels like only yesterday. I regret not documenting precious memories here over the past two years because each time I revisit the memories I've written about in the past it overwhelms me with such joy and gratitude. My written memories are such a precious reminder of God's faithfulness over the years. So here I am, making an effort to do more documenting and more though-processing in this space.

As I've mentioned, the past 2 years have brought about many changes for us, but the most important things have stayed the same. We continue to strive to honor God with the roles and responsibilities that He has given us and to fight for truth and holiness in a world of lies and darkness. And it is a fight. There is nothing easy about forsaking the passing pleasures of this world for the long-lasting rewards of consistent obedience to Christ. There is nothing easy about about daily dying to self and giving when it seems there's nothing left to give. But that's the call, and as best we can, in the power of the Holy Spirit, we fight for the glory of God. We fight for our marriage, for our children, and for community of believers that Christ has placed under our care.

As far as changes go, we followed God's call to a new church where Kevin continues to serve as pastor. That call included moving to a new house in a new community not far from where we lived previously. We have slowly settled in to our new normal and look forward to what lies ahead. We continue to homeschool our boys, currently in 2nd, K, and toddler-garten! We jumped back into a local Classical Conversations homeschool community this year, and it has been such a blessing to have the peer support and accountability I desperately need as a homeschool mama.

So, you can look forward to more regular posting here, some only in pictures, others in words. I hope you find encouragement here. As I've always said, my goal is not to paint a perfect picture, but to offer up some beauty and inspiration in the midst of our crazy, imperfect life.

Love,

Beth 

Ezra Paul: The Birth Story

On the morning of January 2, 2015, we proudly welcomed our third son, Ezra Paul, into the world. 

8 lbs. 12 oz. 

20 inches long

I can hardly believe it's only been 2 weeks since our newest little guy made his appearance. Anyone who has experience with a newborn knows that 2 weeks can feel like an eternity when you're living in the land of eat-sleep (maybe)-poop-cry-repeat. This being my third time experiencing the newborn twilight zone, I knew what to expect and, for the most part, I have taken each day in stride with the help of my amazing husband and extended family.

So before my brain goes to complete mush and I forget everything that has transpired over the past couple of weeks, I want to document the events surrounding Ezra's birth. Because during my pregnancy with Ezra I told people that I was three centimeters dilated when I went into the hospital with Liam, but I was actually only one... and they almost sent me home (read Liam's birth story here). How could I forget that? Well, because it all becomes a blur after a few years. That's why I write.

So here we go...

The Birth Story

As you can imagine, when December 30th rolled around and baby boy was still chilling in my belly, I began believing the lie that he was just going to take up residence in there forever. Because the mind starts playing tricks on you when you get to your due date with no signs of a baby coming. And, y'all, my body was done. D.O.N.E. I wasn't sleeping at night, I was extremely swollen, and I was just overall achy and exhausted.

My bags had been packed and in the car for several days, and I had been keeping the house as clean and newborn-ready as possible. So when we decided to head to my parent's house on New Year's Eve, I did so without hesitation. I needed a change of scenery, but mostly I needed to take my mind off of the fact that I hadn't had a baby yet! So off we went...

The good thing about being with grandparents is that we had plenty of extra help with the big boys so that I could sit and put my feet up. And that I did. I brought in the New Year in bed listening to the fireworks outside my window.

New Year's Day I woke up to discover that I was losing my mucus plug. It was the first sign of the day that maybe Ezra would indeed come out after all.  All throughout New Year's day I could feel subtle changes in my body. By the end of the day, through teary eyes, I told my mom that I really felt like labor was close at hand. I hadn't had a contraction yet, but I could just feel it coming. We were packing up our bags to head home when my mom suggested that I leave the boys with her for the night just in case. I was hesitant, but Kevin and I decided it was probably best so that at least I could get some rest.

About 20 minutes into our ride home I had my first contraction. I wasn't sure if it was the real deal, but I decided to start timing anyway. Well, it turns out it WAS the real deal. By the time we got home my contractions were averaging 7 minutes apart and getting stronger. We stayed home for about 30 minutes, enough time for me to call the hospital (and my mom) and for Kevin to throw a few things into an overnight bag. And off we went. 

We arrived at the hospital close to midnight. We got checked in, and I got wheeled to a room. A nurse came in to check me, and much to my surprise, I was already 6 centimeters dilated. 30 minutes later I had progressed to an 8/9 (two nurses with two different opinions). I was in P.A.I.N. and things were moving very quickly. Everything except the epidural!  The nurses were beginning to hint that it may be too late to get the epidural. That's about the time they wheeled in the medical supply cart and a baby bassinet. And that's when I panicked!! I recall saying something like, "Am I gonna have a baby right now?!?!" And then started chanting, "I can't do this! I can't do this!" Kevin and my mom immediately went into cheerleader mode and began assuring me that I could. But I really didn't want to find out!! So I made one final plea to the nurses, and they agreed to call the anesthesiologist.

Twenty minutes later they checked me again, and I was the same. The anesthesiologist arrived shortly after, and he said if I could sit still long enough he would give me a good dose of pain relief. I assured him that I could, and within minutes I was pain-free with no regrets! {I know all of the all-natural Mama's out there are probably cringing right about now, but, seriously, I have NO regrets! haha}

Of course, the epidural slowed down my labor quite a bit, but the good news is that I was able to rest during the early morning hours. Unlike my epidurals with Silas and Liam, this one actually worked! So things were pretty uneventful for a few hours. 

When the doctor made her rounds the next morning my water still hadn't broken, so she broke it to get things moving. She also gave me some pitocin to help strengthen contractions. Not long after, I began feeling the pressure and urge to push. The nurses set me up for delivery, and 2 pushes later, the most beautiful cry filled the room. Ezra Paul made his grand entrance.

And I was in love all over again.

More on my recovery and our family's adjustment to come...

Baby Boy #3 Week 27 Pregnancy Update

My 26 week belly! It doesn't look as big in the laying down position- hehe :)

13 weeks and counting until baby boy's due date! It seems like just yesterday I was celebrating 13 weeks of pregnancy, and now I'm rejoicing at 13 weeks left! Each stage has had it's challenges, but overall it's been a pleasant journey this go round.

I guess I should mention that baby boy does have a name. A couple of months ago we decided on the name Ezra Paul. We had bounced around several names, but Ezra is the one that stuck. It seemed to go well with the names Silas and Liam, and we loved the meaning: "helper." Although I do hope that Ezra becomes a great helper as he grows and matures, I feel like the name fits this pregnancy in that God has been my helper along this journey.

Symptoms: I can still say that I've only thrown up twice this pregnancy! And both were much earlier on in the pregnancy. There has been no nausea to speak of lately, and since starting Nexium I've avoided heartburn. Other things I've noticed: my appetite has gone down some, I get winded really fast, and my feet are beginning to swell. Also, last week I was extremely hormonal. I had a few random unreasonable crying episodes, which my husband very patiently endured. Things are much better this week, thank God!

Movement: Aaahh, movement. I love feeling Ezra move around inside of me. I feel like it's a gift I get to open every day. When we were considering whether or not to have another child, the one thing that I couldn't bear to think about was never feeling a baby move inside of me again. When I found out I was pregnant I told myself to enjoy every kick and every movement, even the ones at 2am and even the ones that cause my bladder to run at inopportune times!

I should mention here that at 20 weeks Ezra was breech, and we (my doctor and I) have good reason to believe that he still is at this point. As you can imagine, the breech position makes for some very interesting and often uncomfortable aches and pains for mom. I'm praying that he figures things out soon!

Also in movement news, Silas felt Ezra move about a week ago! It was the sweetest moment! Silas' eyes got really wide when he felt the kick, and immediately a huge smile lit up his face. Hearing Silas retell the story makes me laugh. Liam hasn't yet been patient enough to feel Ezra move, but I'm sure in the coming weeks he'll be able to feel him without having to wait so long.

Maternity Clothes: All of my pants/shorts are maternity, but I'm still able to get away with wearing some of my bigger t-shirts and Kevin's t-shirts. If I need to dress a little less casual, I wear my maternity shirts. Also, since the day I found out I was pregnant I've been wearing non-maternity maxi dresses to church every Sunday. I had a couple, and I bought a couple that I rotate every week. This past week I noticed that the maxi dress I had on was a tad bit tighter around my belly, so I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to pull that trick off. I may need to trade in my maxi's for maternity dress pants soon.

Cravings: Nothing really.

Aversions: I can eat cheese crackers again! Haha :) There's really nothing I'm averse to eating. I think I just have an aversion to cooking in general right now! I try to have cooking marathons every now and then so I don't have to be in the kitchen every evening. I'll make 2 or 3 meals at a time to fill the fridge and freezer for the week.

Sleep: My sleep has been pretty good so far. I'm usually really tired by the end of the day, which helps. Nightly bathroom trips have stayed to a minimum, and Ezra's movement doesn't seem to keep me up once I've fallen asleep. I have found that I need the room to be a little cooler than usual lately, and just last night I needed an extra pillow to help ease the aches in my hips. I know sleep will become less and less as I near the end, but so far nothing to complain about!

Nesting: I finally moved all of the office furniture out of the office in order to make room for Ezra's crib and changing table. I still need a small dresser for his room, which I hope to find used. I snatched a used rock 'n play sleeper a couple of weeks ago, which I've heard great things about. Other things I've purchased recently are: a sling, reusable nursing pads, nursing tanks, and a diaper bag. I feel pretty good about the progress I've made so far, but we still have several things to check off the list.  My next order of business is tackling the clothes!



Looking forward to: Delivery! haha :) But in the meantime, I'm REALLY looking forward to the birth of my first nephew!! He's due at the beginning of October. I can't wait to meet him and experience the joy I know he will bring to our family!

Vacation Highlights

"Next year when we come back..."

The conversation in the car on the way home from our family vacation was filled with hopes of returning next year.

It made my heart glad to hear our boys talk about how much fun they had spending time together-- just our little family of four five.

Here are a few shots from our trip...

Free splash pad at one of the surf shops in Orange Beach!

Of course we must ninja chop everything, including water.

Mama and Liam chilling in the sand.

Silas learned how to "catch a wave" on his board this year.

Liam made me so much sand gumbo I didn't know what to do with myself.

Our Vacation as seen on Instagram

Baby Boy #3 Week 19 Pregnancy Update

I know I'll probably look back on my blog and wish I would have updated more about this third pregnancy, but time has been slipping away. I've never kept a formal handwritten journal of any my pregnancies, so the blog has served as my record of all the weekly happening of growing my babies. It's been really fun to look back and compare pregnancies.

 So far baby boy #3 has taken it really easy on his Mama as far a morning sickness goes. I'd like to think it's because he knows that his brothers need me to be as energetic as possible, but I'm positive it's because I'm still on meds into my 19th week of pregnancy. I don't plan on trying to wean myself until at least 20 weeks. We'll see how that goes.

 A couple of weeks ago I started having really bad heartburn, and Pepcid wasn't cutting it. I was waking up in the middle of the night feeling like my chest was on fire. I started Nexium soon after, and the heartburn went away. Unfortunately, the Nexium caused me to have lots of indigestion, so I'm taking a break from the meds to see if things have calmed down any. So far it's been two days off of the Nexium, and I've been feeling good without it. We shall see.

This pregnancy game is a tricky one, y'all.

 
In other news, at 16 weeks I had an ultrasound that revealed that BC#3 is indeed another BOY! I had a hunch that I was carrying another son, but most people swore it was a girl because of the lack of nausea and early spreading of the hips. It turns out that those old wives tales don't mean much.. Haha. If I were to be completely honest, there were moments before finding out the gender that I really, really wanted a little girl, but there were also moments that I saw the beauty in raising another son. I reminded myself often that my children were chosen for me long before I even considered them and was comforted in knowing that the Lord is the one building this family- not me. Since finding out we're expecting another boy, I've been filled with excitement thinking of all the possible ways God may use these Celestin boys of ours. It's a bit overwhelming at times, but I know that God will equip Kevin and I for the great work at hand. Now if I can only survive a few really, really **LOUD ** and muddy years! Haha!

And now for the lightening round:

Movement: As of week 19, I've been feeling lots of movement! Before now it was questionable, but now there's no denying that there's an active little boy floating around in my womb.

Maternity Clothes: My pants are all maternity, but I refuse to let go of all my t-shirts just yet. I keep reminding myself that if I stretch them out too much I won't be able to wear them post baby, but they're just so comfortable!

Cravings: Nothing out of the ordinary.

Aversions: None to speak of.

Sleep: The nausea meds I'm taking every night help with that. There have been one or two nights when I woke up to potty and couldn't go back to sleep, but I'm not blaming the pregnancy yet. And my belly isn't big enough to cause any discomfort.

Nesting: Our summer has been so busy that I haven't really done anything significant.

Looking forward to: (1) Kevin and the boys being able to feel the baby's movements on the outside of my belly! (2) Our anatomy scan next week.

Until next time,