Kyiah Hesed {How She Got Her Name}

Kyiah Hesed is finally here and we are so excited to be able to say her name out loud.

Lawrence and I have whispered her name to each other at night, after the girls were in bed.  We were careful to never mention the baby's name around either one of the girls, not wanting them to hear and then announce the name to impatient family and friends eager to know such top-secret information.

Even when we did utter our baby's name, we didn't know what exactly to say.  Were we talking to a boy or a girl?  We didn't know.  And that made picking a name a little more difficult than with Coralyn and Kellah.  Both girls are named after family members.  Coralyn Ruth gets her name from Lawrence's mom Sherry Lynne, his sister Stephanie Lynne, and our niece Katlynne.  Ruth was my grandma (dad's mom) and is my middle name as well.  Kellah Grace is named after my mom Cleta Estella (we used the "ella" part).  We kind of exhausted all the familial girl names -- unless we wanted to use Velma, since we both have a grandma with that name.  Somehow that just didn't tickle our ears (though we love our grandmas).  And so we were left on our own to come up with an original name should we have a third baby girl.

Poor Kyiah, her named changed so many times throughout the pregnancy!  She's been called so many different things in the womb, I hope she's not too confused now that she's out in the real world!!! :)

We started with Kessler Shalom should our baby be girl #3.  We've liked the name Kessler since I was pregnant with Coralyn.  We saw the street sign every week when we would drive to our childbirth class and thought it would be a unique name for a child.  We never got around to using the name though, because we wanted to name our children after family members.  Since we had used up all the girl family names, we came back to Kessler for this pregnancy.  I can't even remember what Kessler means, which is one of the reasons we ended up not staying with it.  Meaning is extremely important to us!  Shalom, though, was significant as we felt God has brought us out of a dark, hard time and into a time of peace.  When I was pregnant with Kellah, our finances were tight to say the least.  We didn't know where the money would be to pay our bills or buy food or put gas in the vehicles.  We went on WIC.  I would go to a monthly Harvesters food give-away at a nearby church.  We got anonymous gifts from people at our church and checks in the mail from generous strangers.  Somehow, God always provided, but it was a rough time to say the least.  Since then, we have moved into a beautiful home, are active in the ministry God has laid on our hearts, and have the opportunity to bless others with the extra money He has put in our bank account each month.  We feel God's peace in countless ways and are just so thankful for His faithful goodness and abundant love that he showers on us day after day.  Despite all that, we didn't feel like Kessler Shalom was the name for our baby should she be a little girl.  Kessler wasn't quite feminine enough for our liking, I guess.

And so we switched to Kessa and thought about Kessy as a nickname.  We thought it was pretty.  Only problem, we didn't have a middle name.  Shalom was beautiful too, but for some reason, it just wasn't the right name.  On a trip to Whitewater to visit my parents, we talked and talked about a middle name to go with Kessa.  As soon as I had found out I was pregnant, God had given me two words to pray over the child, be it a boy or girl.  Loyal.  Steadfast.  And so I prayed our baby would grow up to be a loyal and steadfast friend, that he/she would stand up for what is right and be steadfast in doing good even when it wasn't popular or easy, that he/she would remain loyal to God and live out his/her faith no matter the cost.  I shared these words and my prayer for our child with Lawrence, and as I did I remembered that there is a Hebrew word that means "loyal and steadfast."  We looked it up on the phone and found Hesed (Chesed).  We really wanted the middle name at least to be either Hebrew or Greek for something God was speaking to us and doing in our lives, so Hesed stuck out to us both.  BUT, Kessa Hesed didn't really flow as nicely as we would have liked.  We kept brainstorming and thought, "what if we used a middle name that started with D to make Kessa D kind of sound like Hesed."  I put "girls' that start with D" in my phone and we scrolled through countless D names.  Nothing really stood out, except maybe Dawn.  Kessa Dawn.  It flowed.  It was pretty.  We felt like we were on the "dawn" of something new, as God brought us out of darkness into light, working through us in some really neat and unexpected ways.  Well, we had a new name for our baby girl.  I started rubbing my belly and whispering, "I love you, Kessa Dawn."  (I would also say our boy name, which is staying a secret for now - though it also changed multiple times throughout the pregnancy.)

We were good to go on our girl name, or so we thought.  Seeing as how we were always discussing baby names and changing them on road trips, I jokingly asked Lawrence before we left for Branson to celebrate his parents' 40th wedding anniversary (the last weekend in October!) if we were going to be coming up with yet another name for our child.  We both agreed we were good to go for both our girl and boy name.

Then, we started driving!

Apparently, neither one of us were truly satisfied with Kessa Dawn.  It just wasn't right.  And so we began once again to talk about what our child should be called if she was a girl.  We went back to Hesed.  God had definitely given us the words "loyal" and "steadfast" for this child.  He had certainly made His loyal, steadfast love apparent to us in so many ways.  He wants us to extend that loyal, steadfast love to those around us.  We pray our child will grow up knowing and experiencing God's loyal, steadfast love and in turn live that out on a daily basis, sharing Jesus with anyone and everyone she meets.  It was decided - Hesed would be our little girl's middle name.  Now, for a first name.  Of course, it had to start with a C or K.  By now you have to have figured out that pattern for our family :)  Again, we were interested in something Hebrew or Greek, something God had been working in our hearts.  Several unique names came to mind as I remembered some girls from grade school and college.  Ironically enough, I knew a Hesed at Moody and was a Resident Assistant with her (great girl!).  Her dad was a pastor and had chosen biblical names for his children; Hesed's sister was Charis which is Greek for "God's grace."  So I threw out Charis or Karis (since I knew a girl from elementary school with that name).  Wonderful meaning, but not the right name for our baby girl.  I recalled another girl from Moody named Chaia and looked her up on facebook to make sure I was saying and spelling her name correctly.  Yep.  So then I put Chaia in the phone to see what it meant in Hebrew or Greek (not a Bible language scholar so I wasn't sure).  Chaia too is Hebrew and means "life."  We both loved the name and the meaning.  God indeed was ALIVE in us and making His power and presence known to us in a variety of ways.  He had blessed us with this LIFE in my womb.  We wanted Him to use this child's LIFE for His honor and glory.  We prayed this baby would bring LIFE to many in that she would make Jesus known to those around her.  Lawrence, however, did not like the spelling of Chaia - looked and sounded like Chai tea or the Chia pet.  Couldn't have that for our little girl, now could we?! :)

So we scribbled out other ways to spell Chaia and came up with Kyiah.  We both loved it, though Lawrence wasn't quite for sure about the i in there -- too many vowels.  He wanted it short and simple Kyah.  I liked the i and thought it was prettier with it.  We didn't for sure settle on the spelling until Tuesday when she was born!  When we went to tell Amber how to spell the name for the birth certificate, we had to stop and look at each other for a second.  I went ahead with the i.  I said, "After her birth, we need that i in there. I mean Ai! Ai! Ai! she came so fast and everything was so crazy!"

And so we proudly welcomed Kyiah Hesed to our family.  We can finally call her by name!

Now you know the story behind our precious baby girl's name.  We pray she lives up to its meaning.

Crazy how God has answered our prayers - extremely specific ones - for both Coralyn and Kellah, even as young as they are.  For Coralyn, we prayed she would be observant, curious, inquisitive, and a go-getter.  She is all that AND MORE - pointing out things as we drive along, asking questions, remembering how to get places, and going non-stop until she finally falls asleep at night while reading book after book after book!  Her name means "maiden" and Ruth means "loyal friend."  She is all about being a maiden, or princess, right now and is definitely loyal, especially when it comes to standing up for her little sister.

Speaking of Kellah.  Her name means "gracious warrior" and well her middle name Grace kind of speaks for itself - as we definitely experienced God's grace during her pregnancy!  She was also a gracious gift to us, coming 364 days after we had miscarried.  We prayed for her in the womb that she would be sensitive to the needs of those around her, taking note of them and standing up to help others, fighting for them if need be.  A silent leader, a gracious warrior.  She certainly is just that already at her young age.  When the daycare kiddos' moms come, Kellah runs to get each child's shoes and diaper bag.  She then tries to carry or drag the bag to the mom. She will make sure the daycare babies have toys to play with, sometimes being a little too forceful and shoving them in their faces.  BUT, she certainly notices what others need and is quick to help.  So sweet.  And a direct answer to our prayers.

So, when we pray for little Kyiah to bring life to those around her, we know God will do that.  We know He has some special plans for her.  We know He has a divine purpose for her (Eph 2:10) and that He will use her in mighty ways to make Himself known.  We pray she will be loyal and steadfast, bold and confident in her faith, living passionately for Jesus no matter the cost.  We pray she will reveal to everyone around her the steadfast and loyal love of our amazing and gracious God.

We feel like she's already done just that!  I mean how else can you explain her incredible birth?!  God's fingerprints are all over that -- no other way to explain how everything happened as it did, with no complications or hiccups.  We give Him all the honor and glory!

And we just marvel at our tiny Kyiah Hesed.  She may be small (just 6 pounds, 12 ounces), but like David she is strong and mighty, proclaiming aloud the goodness of God from the moment of her arrival here on earth.  We can't wait to see what God has in store for our precious baby girl!

Kyiah Hesed {Birth Story}

Where do I start?
The past 30 hours have been a whirlwind of excitement and emotion and activity in the Young household.

About 26 hours ago, I was at the library with the girls for Story Time.  Miss Melissa and I joked around that I had made it for the last one of the month, how I didn't ever like to miss out on anything.  I talked with the mom sitting next to me, as we have become friends over the past several weeks.  She had bought a wrap the week before and was interested in ordering on-line, so I promised to send her the information once I got home from the prenatal appointment I had scheduled later in the afternoon.

After the library, we went to Aspen Athletic Club so I could take a walk and maybe help get baby moving.  While I was walking, a man came up to me and asked how far along I was, and his jaw about dropped when I told him my due date was Thursday (tomorrow).  Imagine what he would have done if I had told him my original due date was November 4?!  We talked for a bit, chatting about the motorcycle club he's in and how Lawrence dreams of having a bike of his own someday.  I gave him a coupon for an It Works wrap (that he said his girlfriend might be interested in) and a sample of greens.  At least he knew where I was getting all my energy to be walking over 2 miles at 40 weeks pregnant! :)

24 hours ago I was leaving the gym, after walking 2.5 miles on the treadmill and chatting with the ladies who took Coralyn and Kellah while I got my work out in for the day.

I had packed a lunch and snack for myself to eat in the car as we drove to the Overland Park area for my prenatal appointment.  I got the girls their food and we headed on our way.  About 10 minutes into the trip, I felt like I had a mild contraction - enough that I had to focus and concentrate on my breathing.  My back had really been hurting when I was walking, so I just figured it was still sore from that.  Didn't really think anything of it, until about 10 minutes later, I had another very similar contraction.  When I had a third one, 10 minutes later, I put the heater on in my seat and made it so the lumbar support was pushing on my back quite nicely.  That felt a little better, but 10 minutes later when I had a 4th contraction, I was still forcing myself to breathe deeply and relax as much as possible while navigating through the wonderful (and seemingly never-ending) construction on I-35.  I actually missed the exit to my midwife's house because I was distracted with yet another contraction.  I took the next exit, turned around, and made it to her house, slowly getting out of the car and carrying a sleeping Kellah to the door while Coralyn tagged behind us.

The prenatal visit was great.  My blood pressure was normal.  Baby's heart beat was great.  The girls played with toys while I talked with the midwife and her assistant.  Kellah had to go to the bathroom, but since I was laying down and listening to the baby's heartbeat, we didn't make it in time and my midwife ended up helping me change a poopy diaper, while I was having a contraction mind you!  After a bit, the girls and I gathered our things and headed on our way, joking with the midwife (Amber) that I would give her a call if anything truly exciting started to happen.  Neither one of us really thought too much of any of the mild contractions I had throughout the time at her house.  She offered to send some towels with me just in case I would need them on the way home, but she wasn't serious and we laughed at the idea of me having the baby that soon!

Around 2:30, I pulled into my driveway -- having had contractions all the way home, but this time about 8 minutes apart.  Still really didn't think anything of them and responded to a message from a friend who wanted to know if it would be okay for her to come over around 3 to talk about It Works and get a wrap.  Sure thing!!!

Kellah had fallen asleep again, so I quietly carried her upstairs and laid her down for a nap.  I made my way back downstairs to the kitchen.  I put the defrosted chicken in the fridge, grabbed some peppers and onions to chop up, and got some rice ready to cook for supper.  Then, I got out some yogurt and peanut butter to snack on, but before I could enjoy any, the doorbell rang.  My friend was here!

I invited her in, we wrapped her up, and I answered some questions about being an It Works distributor.  By this point, I was having contractions every 5 minutes or so, but doing everything I could to not let my friend know anything was up.  I would just shift in my seat, get up to get a drink, or excuse myself to go to the bathroom -- at one point I was in the bathroom with a pretty good contraction and hoping she wouldn't hear me breathing loudly through it.  Nope!!  We got her unwrapped, marveled at her results, and she was on her way a little after 4.

As soon as she left, I shoved some yogurt in my mouth, but after just a few bites, Coralyn wanted some too.  I handed the entire container to her, with a spoon, and told her to have the rest.  While she ate, I leaned over the kitchen counter and breathed through yet another contraction - quite a bit stronger this time.  Coralyn asked me what was wrong.  "My stomach just hurts.  The baby might be coming soon."  She got excited and wanted to know if the baby was coming TODAY!  "I don't know.  Maybe."  Didn't want to get her hopes up or anything.

When the contraction was over, I looked over at the computer and noticed I had 3 messages on my facebook screen.  2 were from former childbirth students and 1 was from a friend interested in ordering some greens.  I messaged one of the students back, "No baby yet  My back hurts a bit, but other than that I'm good.  Just impatient."  That was 4:28.  I messaged the friend, telling her to give me a call I was free right then and could get her order in.  Her husband called minutes later and I signed him up on the computer, having multiple contractions during that conversation, and again doing my best to not let anyone know I was in pain at the time.

When I got off the phone, I looked over at the clock.  4:32.  I really didn't want to call Lawrence at school yet because I would have to go through the office.  The secretary would be there and then she would know something was up.  I didn't want anyone to know I was in labor because I didn't want to be under a time pressure from anyone (not that they would do that, but I just didn't want anyone to know until baby was done and born).  BUT, I was to the point where I decided I really could use Lawrence's help to relax through the contractions.  Not to mention some counter pressure on my back would feel amazing!

So, as another contraction started, I got on my hands and knees on the kitchen floor and dialed the school's number.  Karen, one of the secretaries answered and I calmly replied, "Hey this is Sarah.  Could you transfer me to Lawrence's room."  She got all excited and asked, "Are you in labor?!"  Not to get her overly anxious or let her know I was having a pretty rough contraction at that very moment, I just answered, "Maybe..."  "Oh my goodness!  I'm going to transfer you right now!!!"  Seconds later, I heard Lawrence's voice and again tried to remain calm, cool, and collected, "I think you should come home now."  Fighting back tears, I hung up and texted Amber, "I'm having a good contraction every 5-8 minutes.  I just called Lawrence.  I'll let you know when we want you to come."

By this point, I was feeling some pressure really low.  A LOT of pressure.  I made my way to the bathroom and heard the garage door opening.  I told Coralyn to go out and tell Daddy I was in the bathroom, which she did.  I'm not sure where she went after that, exactly, but I know Lawrence came into the bathroom.  Another contraction hit and I leaned on him and told him, "Pray!"  He did. When the contraction was over, he ran upstairs to get the birth tub filled with water.  Coralyn must have followed him because when I got to the top of the stairs, she was holding the hose and helping Daddy, and doing just what he asked her to do.  So proud of her!

At the top of the stairs, I got an email saying my new loyal customer was enrolled and I had another contraction.  Then, I made my way to the bedroom, where I leaned over on the bed and yelled for Lawrence to come.  He asked me where I was and ran to find me.  I told him to push on my back, and he did.  Then, he cussed because he realized he hadn't put the liner in the birth tub before starting to fill it with water!  After the contraction, he ran to turn off the water, grab the hose from Coralyn, and try to fix the problem.  While all that was happening, my water broke.  In the bedroom. By my bed.

I knew this wasn't a good sign.  In that I knew this baby was coming.  FAST.  With Coralyn my water broke at 7 am and she was born at 8.  With Kellah my water broke and with the next contraction her head was out.  And so I knew this baby was going to come much sooner than I had expected!  As quickly as I could, I shuffled to the bathroom, took of my soaking pants and socks, and sent a text to Amber, "Water broke."  Then, I went to sit on the toilet, figuring that was the best place to be when this baby came since we didn't have any towels or anything out yet.  Another contraction came, and I screamed for Lawrence to come.  Again, he didn't know where I was and had to run to find me.  He turned the light on and I promptly yelled for him to turn it back off, not wanting the lights in my eyes.

He came and knelt down in front of me, and I told him, "The baby is coming!"  He didn't realize I meant like right at that very second.  "Okay," he responded and then kind of did a double take as the baby's head appeared!  "OKAY!" he sighed, this time with a bit more emotion and a lot of surprise.

We sat there and waited.  Not knowing what to do, Lawrence asked if I wanted to try to get to the birth tub.  "We don't have time for that!"  I didn't really know what position to get in or what to do, so I just kind of leaned forward a bit more, trying not to push for fear of tearing as this baby made its way into the world.  With the next contraction, the rest of the body slid out and we lifted the baby to my chest.

Immediately we checked and announced to each other, "It's a girl!"  Then, we turned our attention to her cord which was wrapped around her neck.  God helped me remain calm and notice that all I needed to do was turn her and lift the cord from her stomach and over her head.  She was pink and crying within seconds!

In awe that we had just delivered our baby without our midwife, we looked at each other and then down at our beautiful, precious, perfect little girl.  Wow!!!

Lawrence went to call Amber and let her know the baby had come.  It was 4:54.  Just 22 minutes after I had called him to come home.

She heard crying and thought it was Kellah.  No, she was just in her crib -- having woken up from her nap when I had reached the top of the stairs earlier. She had started calling out to us, but seeing as how neither one of us could help her, Coralyn had taken it upon herself to go and play with her little sister in her room.  Again, so proud of her!!!

We asked Amber what to do - should we cut the cord or anything.  She told us to wait until she got there with her sterile scissors.  She wanted me to go ahead and get on the bed and lie flat to make sure I didn't have any excessive bleeding.  Lawrence went into the bedroom to lay out the chunx pads, and I sat there on the toilet holding our baby girl.  When I went to get up, I noticed I felt a heaviness kind of holding me back.  I looked down and there in the toilet was the placenta!!!  I hadn't even felt a contraction or anything to let me know it had come already.  We think maybe it just came out with the baby...

So, Lawrence got a bowl, picked up the placenta out of the toilet, and placed it in the bowl under me.  We awkwardly made our way to the bed.  Poor Lawrence, he doesn't know anything about chunx pads and had put them all over the bed, but upside down.  We took care of that, and I climbed into bed with baby.  Again, not sure what the girls were doing, but they did a great job playing I guess. I didn't see Coralyn until the door beeped to let us know Amber had arrived.  Coralyn greeted her at the top of the steps with a big smile and letting her know, "The baby is here!"  Kellah wanted in on the action too and called out for Daddy again.

While Amber checked on me and the baby, Lawrence got the girls.  Kellah had another poopy diaper, so he got to change that one!  We filled Amber in on the birth and laughed at how fast everything had happened.

After a bit, Lawrence clamped and cut the cord.

Amber checked out the placenta.  We weighed and measured the baby.

Amber emptied the water from the birth tub and deflated it - too bad we never had the chance to actually use it.  Within 2 hours of her arriving, everything was cleaned up and we were a happy family of 5.

The girls were excited to meet their new sister.

We were just blown away by God's presence throughout the birth!!!  We prayed that this baby's arrival would bring Him much glory and honor, and we certainly think little miss Kyiah Hesed did just that as she made her bold and FAST entrance into the world!

I'll have to write more about her name and the special meaning behind it later.  Right now, my little girl seems to need me!!! :)

Watching and Waiting

Will today be the day?

I don't know.

"The baby didn't come out today," Coralyn reminded me last night at supper, just in case I had forgotten or didn't realize the obvious.  "Will it come out tomorrow?"

I don't know.

And that is hard for me.

I am a planner.  I like to know all the details, get everything lined out, all my ducks in a row.

This pregnancy has been a hard one for me in that regards.  I don't know the gender of this baby.  I don't really know the due date either.  No one really ever knows the exact day their baby will arrive, unless they have a planned C-Section.  Due dates are estimates.  But with this pregnancy, I have had more of a due month since my "due date" and what the sonograms show didn't coincide.  Instead, my sonograms put me about 3 weeks behind my due date of November 4.  So November 21 could be my "due date."  Who knows?

Not me.

Letting go of that control -- not that I really ever had it to begin with -- has been pretty difficult for me.

But good too.
So good.

I am learning to trust God.
To remember that His ways are not mine.  His are better.
To realize that His timing is not mine.  His is better.
To recognize that I am not in charge.  He is.  And He actually knows what He's doing.

I am struggling with patience, as any pregnant mama does towards the end of the pregnancy.
I am anxious to meet this precious little baby.  To learn the gender.  To finally call him/her by name.  To hug and kiss and hold him/her close.  To look into his/her eyes and then whisper in his/her ears, "I love you" over and over and over again.

As I am watching the clock and the minutes are ticking by, as I mark days off the calendar, I am learning how to play the waiting game.  I did this when I was pregnant with Kellah.  She came a week and 1 day after her "due date."  I kind of knew that she would from the very beginning though.  You see, she was born 364 days after our miscarriage.  As soon as I found out we were expecting her, I just knew she was going to come then and be a reason to celebrate instead of mourn.  God gave us a day of joy rather than sorrow.  He's so awesome like that.

And He will do something amazing with this baby too.  He already has the birthday all set.  He has since the beginning of time.  What a mind-blowing thought!!!

Personally, I really wanted the baby to be born yesterday and have the fun birthday of 11-12-13, but obviously God has different plans.  Better ones.

So, when will this baby come?  I still don't know.

And I don't have to.

What I been challenged with recently, on top of being patient and trusting God to do what's best, is that I should be watching and waiting for Jesus' return with the same excitement and anticipation as I am for this baby!  God showed me this during Kellah's pregnancy as well, so you would think I would have gotten the concept by now, but nope...

I think that's good though.  Daily, I should wake up asking myself, "Will today be the day?  Will I see Jesus today?"

I don't know.
No one does.

BUT, we should all live like it is.  For today very well could be the day we see Him face to face.  Today could be the day we get to look into His eyes, to hear Him whisper in our ears, "I love you" over and over and over again.

At least I know that is what I am going to hear Him say.
I don't know about you, but I hope you are as ready as I am.  That you know with confidence what Jesus will say, how He will greet you when you stand in His presence for the first time.

Until that day, we watch and wait.
And as we do, if you have any questions about how you can know for sure what your experience will be like when we do stand before Jesus, I would LOVE to talk with  you.  That I do have answers for.

As far as when this baby will come, your guess is as good as mine.

Shut Your Mouth

Do you ever doubt God?  Question Him?  Wonder how in the world He will come through?  Grumble, complain, whine because He doesn't seem to be working fast enough or taking care of your every need at a moment's notice?

Yeah, me neither...

Oh wait...

I was really convicted today as I listened to Numbers 10-14 this morning while I walked on the treadmill.  The Israelites have been freed from Egypt and 400 years of slavery, and then here they are mumbling and grumbling about wanting to go back -- because of the fish and melons and cucumbers they could eat there.  They're tired of manna day after day after day after day.  They want some meat, and so they whine to Moses about it.  Moses flat out tells God that he doesn't want to deal with the Israelites anymore, to go ahead and kill him.

God assures Moses that He can handle the Israelites' request and promises to provide meat for them.  Moses questions His ability to have enough meat for over 600,000 people for a consistent period of time.  God's response really got to me, "HAS MY ARM LOST ITS POWER?!"

Yeah, think I will just go ahead and shut my mouth...

You would think that the Israelites had seen enough of God's miraculous works to know that He can more than take care of them, but just chapters later we see them doubt His ability to give them the Promised Land.  Only Joshua and Caleb stand up to say God will bless them and guide them into the land flowing with milk and honey.  Everyone else is focused on the giants and trembling in their boots, too scared to believe God will help them conquer the inhabitants.

God doesn't say it again, but I can't help but think He wanted to shout, "HAS MY ARM LOST ITS POWER?!"

Instead, He promises that everyone who doubted Him will die in the wilderness.  Only Joshua and Caleb will get to enter the Promised Land.

Bummer for everyone else.

Bummer for me when I don't trust God, when I doubt and question and whine and grumble and complain.

Maybe I should just shut my mouth and remember all God has done, all that He can still do today.  Maybe I should just trust Him and believe He can do what He has promised.  Maybe, just maybe...

My Little Princess

I think I must have blinked too many times because my oldest child just turned 4 this weekend!

I could still walk you through her birth, minute by minute, if you wanted me to do so...

The past 4 years have been some of the busiest, most stressful in my life, BUT they have also been some of the most blessed, wonderful, memorable in my life as well.

Coralyn holds a special place in my heart as my firstborn (though I love all my children equally).  I can remember when I was pregnant with her, and we prayed for our little girl to be observant, inquisitive, curious, adventurous, bold.  A go-getter.  Boy, did God answers our prayers!!!!

The girl notices EVERYTHING!!!  We'll be on a walk, and she'll spot a tiny flower and stop to pick it.  We'll be playing in the yard, and she'll shout, "Airplane!!" as she points to a speck in the sky.  We'll be driving, and she'll notice that the construction workers added 3 more shingles to the roof of the bank they've been building.

She doesn't forget anything either.  She can tell you how to get to the park, how to get to her friends' houses, where to turn on our way to either grandparents' house, or where we went to celebrate a birthday, to get a sonogram, or get license plates for the car.  Direction wise, she is definitely her father's daughter.

Memory wise -- that probably comes from her mom.  Seriously, the child remembers every single word that comes out of your mouth.  Which is pretty scary.  And she picks up on the littlest of things too.  Which can be kind of funny at times.  Like when she overheard Lawrence say, "I got some things wrapped up at work," and immediately reminded him that I wrapped him at our old house not at school.  Things like that help me remember my little girl is only 4, that she is indeed still a child.  Thank goodness!!!

She is growing up though.  As she can now pour herself a cup of milk or keifer (and add a scoop of greens to the later) without any help (but my close observance for sure).  She can make a peanut butter sandwich.  She can brush her own teeth.  She can get dressed all by herself, though the outfits she picks out some days are not color coordinated and can make quite the fashion statement.  She can identify all her letters and numbers, writing many of them as well.  She's got her name down, with some of the letters backwards or scrambled together so it doesn't exactly look in order, but still...  She's beginning to show an interest in truly reading, not just listening to me read to her or flipping through books on her own.

One of her favorite books is the Bible, and she has her favorite stories even then. I'm not sure why, but Jonah is the one she always requests.  And she can tell the story verbatim from her Bible.  She also knows about Adam and Eve, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Ruth, David, Daniel, Zaccheus, Peter, Paul, and many others.  I love that she loves to read her Bible, sometimes "too much," as she will stay up for over an hour reading in her bed at night.

She LOVES going to church too and always gets so excited when we tell her it's time to get ready.  She LOVES her classes and teachers and comes home telling us all about what they learned.  Another reason she likes church, I think, is that she gets to wear her pretty, fancy dresses.  The girl may enjoy playing outside and doesn't get phased by playing in the dirt, but she sure does like her dresses.  She is a princess through and through :)

Hence, we had a princess party for her this year to celebrate her 4th birthday.  Being a tom-boy myself, all the pink and purple about did me in, but my little girl was thrilled.  And that's all that's important!

Seeing Coralyn smile and laugh and have so much fun with her friends was priceless.  I had to laugh that above all else she wanted to play in her castle, held together with countless pieces of duct tape.  I do like that she's a pretty simple child, content with the "little things" of life.

I pray she stays that way as she grows up, that she continues to find joy and pleasure and delight in the small, simple things - like finding a rolly polly and holding it in her hand, like getting candy at a parade, or making a craft for Daddy by coloring and cutting and gluing paper together in a random way (at least it seems that way to me, but I know she has a specific purpose for every thing she does).

I just want to stop time and remember the precious memories of my "little girl."  Like when she rode her new princess bike for the first time:

Thankfully, she has a few more years before she'll be behind the wheel and driving a real car!

Lawrence often jokes with Coralyn that she needs to stop growing up, that she needs to stay this size forever.  She did assure him the other day that she would stop when she turned 10! :)

I did have to remind her to slow down a bit in her desire to get to that point, though, as she asked me yesterday, "Mommy, when will I be 5?"

All too soon, my child, all too soon...

Kellah Grace {21 Months}

My baby girl is growing up and really isn't a baby anymore!!!  Good thing too, since the new baby will be arriving before we know it (sometime in November is our guess)!!!

Kellah is 21 months today, and might - just might - weigh 20 pounds!  I love that she's small.  Almost everywhere we go, I hear about how tiny she is.  Just looking at her, they assume she's closer to one than she is to two, and so they're surprised at all she can do.  I love how she doesn't let her size stand in her way, but just jumps right in and does whatever the bigger kids around her are doing.  And if she wants something, you better believe she will let you know it -- loud and clear.

The girl has no fear and would probably try to climb Mt. Everest if I let her.  She's pretty tough too, getting right back up if someone bumps her or accidentally knocks her over when playing and running around together.  And she's not shy to initiate rough play either, tackling Coralyn or jumping on Daddy's back or wrestling with kids 5x her size!

I love that about her, though, and hope she stays tough as she gets older.  Chances are she's not going to have a major growth spurt putting her at the top of her class in height or weight.  She'll probably always be one of the smaller kids, but she's not going to let that get in her way of accomplishing whatever she puts her mind to doing!

Kellah is talking more and more each day, adding new words and even putting a few together to make short sentences.  She knows when I say we are getting ready to leave to go somewhere, she needs her shoes.  "Shoes car," she tells me, reminding me that she once again took her shoes off in the car and we left them there -- so much easier that way!  She's really picking up on things she sees us doing and is quite the little imitator, be it mimicking Coralyn as they play together or waving her arm and saying, "Come on," with the exact tone and inflection I so often do as I urge the girls to get going or keep up with me along the way.

I think the copying stage has helped Kellah figure out potty training pretty well.  We're not going out in public in big girl pants or anything yet, but we're close!!!  She'll let me know when she needs to go, and for the most part gives me enough warning that we are able to make it to the bathroom in time too!  We have a few accidents here and there, but for 21 months, I am pretty excited about her progress (and the lack of diapers I have had to change in the past couple weeks)!

Kellah is starting to like books, not quite as much as Coralyn does, but I'm just happy to see her sitting down and flipping through books on her own now.  Or even sitting still on my lap to listen to me read the girls a book or two.  Usually, we can't get more than that in without having some kind of dramatic situation happening -- Coralyn held the book where Kellah wanted to, Kellah turned the page before Coralyn was ready, someone sat on my lap in the exact spot the other person just had to sit, and so on.  BUT, we are making progress.  If my biggest issue is having my girls crawl all over me and fight about who gets to sit on my lap and hold the book we're reading, I think I can handle that.  I'll take those kind of problems any day!!

Kellah is also beginning to show quite an interest in puzzles, coloring, and other "learning" activities I do with Coralyn on a regular basis.  I LOVE how she just jumps right in and wants to participate in "school time!"

Kellah may not like to sit still for more than .6 seconds, but when she does slow down long enough to cuddle, she gives a good hug and kiss.  I just about melt every time she reaches for my belly saying, "Baby" and lifts up my shirt to give her brother/sister a hug and kiss.  That's another thing the girls fight about these days -- who gets to hug and kiss the baby first at bedtime.  I love it!!!  I just hope Kellah loves the baby as much after he/she is born as she seems to now!

Being a big sister is going to be quite the adjustment for Kellah, I am thinking!  She is a good helper though, bringing me toys for Camden (the little daycare boy I watch part-time) or making sure his mom gets his diaper bag every day when she comes to pick him up.  She likes to "help" me unload the dishwasher, make banana bread, and fold clothes.  She likes to "help" me get groceries and vacuum.  She's not as keen on putting up toys as she is dumping them out, right after I fill a container and turn around to get the lid :)

It's a good thing she's so cute because Kellah can certainly be a little stinker at times.  She just looks at you with a huge grin, tilts her head, and laughs.  It's as if she knows she cute and wants to see how far that will get her!  You can't help but love her though!!!

Seriously, I am soooo blessed to be her mama!  I love watching her grow up and pray for her to become the little lady God has created and designed her to be.  She's started "praying" now at meal times and before bed.  Her little jumbled mess of words, said with eyes squinted shut and followed by the cutest little, "Thank You," ever melts my heart every time.  I pray she understands the deep, deep love of Jesus and the joy of living for Him.  I pray she becomes strong in her faith and stands firm no matter how hard or scary or challenging it may be.  I pray she is a light to those around her, sharing God's grace with them and helping them see firsthand what a personal relationship with Him looks like day in and day out.

My baby girl is only 21 months old, but I know God has some big plans for this little girl!  I'm excited to see what they are and honored/humbled to play a small part in them!

I love you, Kellah Grace, more than words could ever say!!!

Team Up and Give Back

One of the main reasons I joined It Works as a distributor in February is so I could help change lives. 

I work for a company that sells naturally-based health and wellness products and confidently believe these products can help people invest in their health, get the most out of their time with family and friends, and thus change their lives!

As a distributor, I get paid to do something I love.  I get to stay at home with my girls, spend time with my family, and help others develop and maintain healthy lifestyles.  Pretty good gig, if you ask me. :)

Furthermore, I get to use the income I earn from It Works to turn around and bless others.  Though I am intentional about donating to individuals and charities every single month, this week is extra special for all of us at It Works.  September 7 is our Worldwide Give Back Day!!!!  Each distributor gets to pick an individual or charity to receive a portion of his/her wrap sales. 

I LOVE this and am so excited to participate, but I have a big problem...

I couldn't pick just one individual or charity!!!

So, I chose THREE!

I went to college with Caleb's parents and can't imagine what they have experienced the past several months as their infant son just received a new heart.  I want to help support this family and donate some money for them to use for all their medical bills.

I also went to college with Chase's parents and don't even want to think about what their lives have been like as they help their 3 year-old son battle cancer!  I want to help support this family and donate some money for them to use for their medical bills as well.

I go to church with Noelle's soon-to-be adoptive parents.  God has placed a love in the hearts of the Smith family for this precious little girl, and I want to help this family raise the money they need to bring her home.

I can't do this alone, though!!! 

I need YOU!!!

All you need to do is buy a wrap for $30 this week (wear the wrap wherever you want for 45 minutes to help tighten, tone, and firm that area)!!!

Let me know which family you want the wrap sales to go to, and I will be sure to get them the money once I have everyone's donations collected!!!

Let's team up and give back!!! 

Let's partner together to change lives!