Sick

About a week ago we had a very sick girl on our hands. It all started on Friday afternoon when Amelia started running a fever and just wasn't herself. We knew she had been exposed to roseola a couple of weeks before at church so we were already kind of bracing ourselves for the possibility. By Saturday mid-day her fever was at 104 (with medicine) and our normally very active girl was completely lethargic. I called her pediatrician and to our relief they see sick patients on the weekend so we took her right in. At the office the doctor decided she wanted to run several tests since some of Amelia's symptoms were not in line with the roseola virus. All of these tests were painful and resulted in many tears-hers and mine. At one point a nurse was attempting to draw blood from Amelia while her daddy was holding her a still as he could. I was standing in front of her trying to distract her-which was not going well. As I looked down at my poor sick girl with her arms out stretched to me, tears streaming down her face as she cried "mama!" my heart was breaking. In that moment God gave me a picture of myself-arms outstretched, tears streaming, crying out and sick-sick with sin, heartache, despair, and confusion and I realized just as Amelia could not understand that this pain was for her good so often I cannot either. As much as I love her I knew picking her up from that chair would not be in her best interest. I knew that she had to experience that pain in order to find out what was wrong and then ultimately get well. I knew things that could not be explained or understood by Amelia at that time. Just as God works in my life in ways that I do not understand or I find painful I was reminded of His love for me and His desire for my good. Thankfully, it seems that all she had was a virus and the memories of our visit are far behind her. For me, however, I hope it sticks with me for a long time.

"The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made."

Psalm 145: 8-9

Amelia at 14 months

Last week we were finally able to go to the doctor for Amelia's 12 month visit. We do like our new pediatrician although it does not have quite the same feel as Pediatric Partners did. Our new practice is much bigger so it does not seem as personable. However, they have an aquarium and train in the waiting room which Amelia LOVES! What she did not love was having to get 3 shots! That part is never fun. I always love finding out her height and weight and since her last visit was at 9 months I knew it would be a big change. So here they are:
Weight: 21 lbs 9 oz 25-50%
Height: 30" 50%
The doctor said she looked great and everything seems to be right on track! So thankful to have a healthy girl! The main thing we will be working on now is getting off the bottle and formula and adding more foods. This has been a challenge since Amelia seems to have alot of food sensitivities. The doctor gave me some good ideas and options and depending on how it goes we will determine if we need to do allergy testing in the next couple of months.



Amelia is so very observant! I love seeing her take in the world around her. It is so cute the way she loves to point out all her observations to us. I think Christmas will be so fun this year as she discovers all the lights and decorations. Another thing she loves is the weather channel! She gets so excited when she sees the 7 day forecast with the sun and clouds pictures. Maybe she will be a meteorologist one day. =) It amazes me all that she understands. She is not using many words yet, but her recognition of the words we use is incredible. We find that we already having to spell words like bottle, outside, bath, and food. Use of any of these words can result in a meltdown if not acted upon immediately! ha! She has really been walking alot lately. Crawling is still her preferred method of getting around, but she is getting more and more mobile.
Each month gets more exciting as she continues to learn and grow. I look forward to what is ahead!

Parenting and Anxiety

Anxiety has been a companion of mine for many years. I find myself in an almost constant struggle to avoid the pit of depression and anxiety. I am ashamed to say that up until a few years ago I did not even recognize this as sin in my life. I gave myself a pass thinking it is just something I struggle with- hereditary in fact! With a background in psychology I was quick to diagnose myself and not acknowledge the root of my problem. I am not discounting all psychology-only saying that for me the root is deep and it is sin. The sin of not trusting God or believing Him to be who He says He is. Sin of doubting and questioning God's sovereignty. Sin of looking to myself instead of to the Lord.
Since becoming a mother almost 14 months ago I have found this struggle with anxiety has been taken to a whole new level. Most of my anxiety now centers on this little person that God has given us to raise. From fears of how we will teach her about the Lord to what I should feed her for dinner- it can get overwhelming! I was convicted this week by what these fears say about my heart. Am I trusting that God is good? That He loves my child? That He has purposes and plans for her? That He is in CONTROL? My anxiety and fears say that I do not. I am so thankful for the reminder this week that the solution to anxiety is prayer. So I am committing to do more praying and less worrying!
"He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure, he will have no fear;" Psalm 112:7&8

Catching up

Well it has been much longer than I intended since I updated. Rather than trying to go back I think I will just start from here.

We have had a very nice Fall so far. Virginia has much to offer this season and our little family has taken advantage of it. Most Saturdays have found us setting off for a day of exploring. From fall festivals to apple orchards we have seen alot of our area. This year we tried to take in a little bit of everything to see which places we will want to visit next year.

Amelia has been a real trooper enjoying most of our outings! She especially enjoys getting to see any animals along the way. A few of the apple orchards also have farm animals which she loves!

She is so fun right now. It amazes me all that she understands. She loves to point things out to us. Some of her favorites are trees, lights, doggies, and pumpkins. Every evening we take a little walk around our apartment complex and she has loved seeing all the Halloween decorations. A few apartments have scarecrows hanging on their doors and she gets so excited every night when we start getting close to them. We have taught Amelia a few signs and it is so funny to see her use the "more" sign for anything she wants more of. For example, when leaving Walmart or Target she will make the more sign if she wants to stay longer-ha! I love to see how her little brain is working! She is still loving her baby dolls and books. We have a couple of books that have pictures of real children and she loves to look at them. She loves music and starts "dancing" when she hears it. She is a daddy's girl! She can be in the worst mood, but when daddy comes through the door she is all smiles and cannot get in his arms fast enough! I feel like these last couple of months have been huge developmentally and she is seeming more like a little girl than a baby every day!

Looking forward to the days ahead!

Amelia at 11 months

Oh this baby! I find myself saying often that she is such a mess and it is SO true! She keeps us on our toes and there is never a dull moment. Lately she is just looking so big. Not so much a baby anymore. She never really seemed to realize she was a baby and seems to enjoy each new phase that allows her more independence. She absolutely loves to be on the go! If we are home she in constantly moving from one room to the next-speed crawling and cruising along furniture and walls. She has very little interest in toys, but loves the remote controls, telephone, boxes, laundry basket and pots and pans. She has started "playing" with her baby dolls-giving them kisses, hugging them, sharing her water with them. It is so cute. She is obsessed with babies! If she sees a picture of one she has to point it out and give it a kiss. She especially loves to point out the pictures of herself throughout the house multiple times a day. The thing she likes most is to leave the house. If any of us stand by the front door she gets so excited and starts squealing and if we open the door she just flips! However, if anyone leaves without her she has a meltdown. She loves Walmart or anywhere she can sit in the buggy and look at everything around her. I think she would be happy if we were out and about every day. Does she not know that her mom is a homebody?!
I love seeing her little personality develop although it does scare me a bit to see what a passionate person she seems to be! She adores her daddy and especially all the fun (rough and crazy) games he plays with her. There is no doubt she loves to laugh, but on the flip side she can pitch some tremendous fits! We will be needing lots of wisdom for shaping this little one. Say a prayer for us! =)

Life in Lynchburg

We have been in Virginia for four weeks and it is finally starting to feel real to me. The weeks leading up to the move were quite eventful. I never would have imagined that I would only pack 1 box for this move. I am so thankful for all the friends and family who stepped in and made this move happen! I felt like we were on some sort of trip for at least the first 2 weeks we were here, but I think it is starting to sink in that this is our new home. So far I have gotten to know the Dr.'s at Medical Associates of Central VA really well! HA! Well I have been there once a week, but am so thankful to be feeling better. Other than that we have spent alot of time driving around and trying to get a feel for the city. It is different than anywhere I have ever lived. The old and new coexist. You might think you are in a "bad" area with some older stores etc. and then see a brand new chain restaurant or store. It has been interesting to get used to. We have found some neat parks that I think we will enjoy even more when it cools off and found a yummy Mexican place! We have visited a church a couple of times and on our first visit discovered our across the hall neighbors attend there as well. We have enjoyed it so far.

All in all I think we will make it here!

A New Place to Call Home

So it is official. We will be packing the moving truck and moving to Lynchburg, Virginia in a little less than a month. I have so many mixed emotions as we prepare for this big change! I am so excited for Micah as this job will be such a welcome change with opportunities for him to return to school and work in a positive environment. I also look forward to the opportunity that each move brings to "start fresh". However, I am also anxious as we will be leaving everything we know behind. Micah and I have moved alot in our 8 years of marriage, but this will be our first move to a place where we do not know anyone or really anything about the area. We will also be making this move with a baby-which I am sure will present its own challenges! I think we both knew that Athens would not be our forever home, but had no idea this is the direction we would be heading. I guess we better just sit back and see what God has in store!