2011

Today is New Year's Eve. I am going to be in bed at 9. Sad. My community group is having a joint party tonight with the group we multiplied from, but as I have to work tomorrow and I have V's sleep to worry about, I will not be attending. Last year at this time, I probably would've just gone and sucked it up at work the next day. However, with my current levels of sleep deprivation I don't know how good an idea that would be.

One thing I do want to do this New Year is make a conscious effort to make some changes in my life. In the past when I've made New Year's resolutions, I've failed miserably. However, I think part of that had to do with my motivation for making changes, too high of expectations, and just plain lack of self-discipline. This year will be different...at least I hope. So here is my resolution for this year: Self-control.

I know this is really broad, but my lack of it is something I have really been convicted of over the past two months. It is so easy for me to overeat, overspend, and make excuses for excessive laziness in my life. I'm tired of living a life of idolatry to food, stuff, and comfort. Hopefully I will have good progress to update you all with over the next several months. I feel like I am putting ways in place to help accomplish these goals, but lots of accountability is always helpful. Looking forward to less of me and more of Jesus in my life.

Really mom?

So Tuesday, we took Verity to the doctor for her 6 month check-up. I know, 6 months! I can't believe my baby has been around for half a year already! She is such a huge blessing to us, and for the most part, a very happy baby.

However, when it comes to sleeping, she isn't so much. We have had to let her cry a few nights before she was finally able to go to bed without hours and hours of rocking/nursing/being held. In October, she started waking up about every three hours again to eat, something she hadn't done in about two months. Recently, I noticed that after about 5 minutes of nursing, she would go right back to sleep. When we mentioned this to the doctor, she said that we needed to do some sleep training with her. Apparently, letting her eat like this now could help set her up for a late-night eating habit. NOT something I want my little girl to ever have to struggle with, having struggled with it myself.

Due to that and her light-weight status (13.2.5 lbs!), all she will be doing for the most part doing the day is eating. Not really, but it feels like it. She is supposed to be eating three meals of solids every day, in addition to nursing. So far, we have tried rice cereal, avocado, and sweet potatoes. Surprisingly, sweet potatoes were her least favorite of the three. Must be all that mexican food I ate when I was pregnant! She is also supposed to have a sippy cup of water at every meal. Here she is attempting to drink from it:

In six weeks she goes back for a weigh-in, so hopefully it goes well. Well, off to get ready to deliver some presents. Being regular on this thing isn't as hard as I thought it would be. Merry Christmas Eve-Eve!

A Working Title

So what do you think? I, for one, love the new look my blog has. I don't so much love the title however. I need something fresh. Any ideas?

I want new.

A new blog design, that is. I suppose I should peruse the internet and try to find something a little more original than this new design, but it's enough of a change to hold me over for a week or two. I signed up for this thing where you get free books if you review them on your blog, so I need to enjoy my blogging environment a little more.

Anyway, today I have spent the majority of my day (all but 6 hours of it anyway) at work. I actually enjoy working the weekend now, as I have a lot of time to be alone. That probably sounds horrible, but it kind of helps me recharge. I suppose I shouldn't enjoy it TOO much today since Joe is home with a sick Verity...but oh well. I do have some work to do, but for the first 9 hours of my shift I only had three patients to run tests on, so I really have had a lot of downtime. So far, I've checked my email and caught up on my survey-for-giftcards hobby, watched some Law & Order, played games on my computer, and read. I also finished the majority of CE credit courses I needed to do before they expire.

One thing I really enjoy about being at work on a weekend is that I can listen to music. During the week an iPod really isn't an option with the phone ringing off the hook and people in and out with questions for us. We can't get a radio signal; I think the x-ray room next door must throw off the frequency somehow. Anyway, today I was listening to the DJ on my iTunes and an old song came on from when I was a kid, "Living Dangerously in the Hands of God," by Steve Camp. Now I know I'm probably considered a nerd for still listening to this. It IS 80's music after all. However, the lyrics are packed full of truth, and I'm encouraged and convicted every time I listen to it. This particular song talks about really living for Jesus. The whole song is extremely convicting, but this part challenges me every time:

There's safety in complacency, but God is calling us out of our comfort zones into a life of complete surrender to the cross. To live dangerously is not to live recklessly, but righteously, and it is because of God's radical grace for us that we can live life in radical obedience to Him.

It's so easy to forget about the gospel and what God has truly done for us by sending His Son to pay the penalty for our sins; it's also easy to not let the gospel impact the way we live, which should be "radical," as the song above states. :) I'm really excited to talk to my community group girls about this tomorrow night.

Well, as it's getting semi-busy, I need to get to work! But more to come. Two posts in one week is pretty earth-shattering though, in my opinion.

It's time...

...for an update! I figure after almost 9 months of not posting, I really should be more regular as far as updating this thing. Even if no one reads it, it IS sort of cathartic.

Since my last post, we have:

-had a baby

-traveled to Michigan more times than I can count

-started a new job (Joe)

-started leading a community group for church

-lost a grandparent (me)

-hosted our first Thanksgiving meal for family and friends

It's been a fairly busy 8-9 months. Verity will be 6 months on the 17th and is teething. We are so blessed to have such a beautiful baby girl.

This is from a few months ago, but Joe has all the recent pics on his computer so this will have to do.

It's also time for me to go to bed, but there will be more in the near future. Near meaning within the next week or two, not the next year or two.

88 days...

...till Verity Grace is (hopefully) here! I start the third trimester on Tuesday and as baby's due date gets closer, I find myself with mixed emotions. On one hand, I feel like I need a lot more time than I have left to get used to this whole, "being a parent," thing. There are so many things I don't know and I feel so irresponsible about my own life sometimes that I can't imagine being responsible for another human being who completely relies on me. It's overwhelming to think that God would give us the privilege of caring for a little soul. On the other hand, I REALLY am ready for my body to be back to its normal (hopefully thinner) shape! It's depressing to go for a walk and have to tell Joe to slow down after only two minutes of a moderate pace. Of course I am also excited to meet our little girl. I had a 4-day-old patient this last weekend at work and it made me all the more eager to meet little Verity.

In other news, there really isn't anything exciting to report. I applied to do counseling training at our church and am waiting to hear back on whether or not I have been accepted. Joe started his clinicals for 3-D imaging this week. We are thankful that he had the opportunity to do that this semester; not only was it free for him, but it will allow him access to more job opportunities if we ever move out of Louisville, which we hope to do in the next few years. Our hospital system laid off a number of people this week and thankfully our jobs were spared. God continues to provide for all our needs, and I know He would've done so had one or both of us lost a job, but honestly it is nice not to have to worry about it.

Other than that, we are just working, churching, and nesting. :) Over the next few weeks we will spend some time with both sides of the family, which will be nice. I am looking forward to going to Michigan a few times this summer while I am on maternity leave. Joe's schedule allows us to go up for a couple weeks at a time and it will be nice to be able to escape all the heat and humidity in Kentucky for a while.

Until next time...