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!