Seasons of Life

I had the pleasure of having lunch with a former student today. Her name is Grace and it describes her perfectly. Along the way God allows you to join the journey of special people and Grace is one of those people! She graduated a year early from UT Austin and will be going overseas as a missionary to Italy (tough place, huh?). I am so proud of her. We joked a little at lunch how sending your personal thoughts out into cyberspace is so easy so here goes....

I got in my car from lunch and felt so blessed at hearing Grace's story. I remember those college/single days when it was you and God ALL the time. If you wanted to stay up till 2 am reading your Bible you could. If you wanted to take a day and sit by the lake and think about God you could. God was so PRESENT and your time with Him was often. Marriage seemed to change things...time with God was still special but now you had another human being to spend time with and typically you were up till 2 am with your husband! Motherhood changes things even more...and multiple children changes things A LOT!

Here comes my honesty...sometimes motherhood is a desert. You are so consumed with diapers, feeding little ones, picking up toys, doing laundry, staying emotionally balanced that God is...well, where is He? Of course He's present but it looks different. Church is like a breath of fresh air (free childcare, woohoo!) and sitting in service (with no little voices breaking in) in so peaceful. I am SO excited to be in His presence. At home I am so busy and so tired by 8 pm that I literally fall into bed and don't think twice. Listening to Christian music in my car (when I can convince Jake that we really don't need to listen to Elmo this time) is amazing. I sing, I focus, I pray. As soon as the car door opens the focus is lost on keeping up with diaper bags and surviving the Texas heat. I mourn the days of God-time all the time. I know this is a season and one day, when the kids are grown and gone, that time will be mine again (let's not go there yet because that is scary and means I will be very old).

I love my Savior. I love the gift of my 2 precious boys and amazing husband. Even though I whine I love the chaos and excitement that comes with a full house. But sometimes my desert seems very dry and I long for the refreshing drink of a day with Jesus.

Life with 2

Life with 2 kids is definitely different than life with 1. Here's my reflections...

1. You can tell by my previous post that finding time to blog is few and far between. There are always a million things to do when both boys are sleeping or entertained. Those quiet moments to myself are long gone.
2. Taking a few minutes to use the restroom used to be somewhat uneventful. There's usually a little one popping their head in to see what mommy is doing but now that is coupled with a screaming infant from the other room. Take my time? Never, always rushing to get done!
3. Running errands is doable but tiring. I took both boys to my chiropractor appt last week and came out an hour later exhausted. This is me...using my toe to make the baby carrier rock so that Jud will sleep, bending down every few seconds to reinsert the pacifier, answering a million questions from Jake (I kid you not...Jake can ask a lot of questions), trying to make conversation with the other patients who always seem to comment on how big Jud is (Yes, he's 8 weeks old and 14 pounds), praying that the Dr would finally call my name and convincing myself that bringing them both with me was not a horrible idea. When I got in my car I was "done" which basically means "nobody talk till we get home because I need quiet!"
4. Laundry - why do we have so many clothes?
5. Meals - I'm used to eating what's left on Jake's plate since he tends to want whatever is on mine. Now I don't even have time for that, so grabbing a handful of pretzels is all I can hope for.
6. Sleep is so precious. I can never have too much. Please let me have more!
7. Having 2 boys is amazing and I can't wait to see how Judson's personality develops. He is a wonderful baby and I pray he and Jake will be best buds.

If you need to laugh today...

I read the most hilarious (and realistic) article in Parents Magazine. It allows a new mommy to share her deep and honest thoughts about how her life has changed. Here's my favorite paragraphs - this is so true!!

"I see how people look at me-with that mixture of pity and disgust-in my old nursing tank covered in spit-up and the same maternity shorts I wear every day. I'm like The Elephant Man. I put my daughter in fancy clothes to comepensate for the monster pushing her around. I see the stares. I know what you're saying. You small-pants-wearing Miley Cyrus fan. I just had a baby. I am not always this fat."

And...
"I should have slowed down and enjoyed my freedom more when I had the chance. I used to beat myself up if I slept past eight or stayed out too late. I was a fool. A fool. What did I know? Oh, to do anything at a leisurely pace - shop, eat, read the newspaper-and anything without having to wear a monitor. Waiting. Listening. For her."

But...
"I'll never be sorry for deciding to become a mother, though. There may be no going back to my old body or my old lifestyle, but having (insert child's name here) is worth everything I've had to give up and then some. But you already know that."

Definitely Brothers

We took a picture like one we took of Jake three years ago. It's amazing how similiar they are! Judson has the darker hair. Definitely brothers.

Love at first sight.

Baby Bradford is officially here and so handsome. He came out a healthy 8 lbs. 8 oz. and 20.5 in long. Everyone kept commenting what a big baby he was! So the perfect name was obvious...Judson Hart Bradford. Labor was incredible and I would do it again tomorrow!! We went in at 8 am and my doctor broke my water around 9. We started a little pitocin around 9:30 and the epidural was not far behind. After the epidural they cranked up the pitocin and I was ready to push by 12:30. Daddy almost missed it because he was having a hamburger downstairs. Who would've thought he would come so quick? 5 pushes later Judson was here!! Giving birth is the most incredible experience ever! It's truly a miracle of God. I am so blessed to have 2 amazing boys.

And thou shalt learn patience.

So for those wondering I have not had a baby yet! I think I got my hopes up and this little one decided he was happy right where he was...in the womb. My last doctor visit did reveal that I had dialated to 4 cm but that hasn't encouraged anyone to make his appearance. I will keep waiting!

I know my blog is soon to be filled with pictures of the new Bradford Boy so I decided to post some recent Jake pics. He is our first love and still a cutie patootie! He is way excited to be a big brother and has much to teach this baby.

The countdown begins....

So I've prayed all along to have an exciting delivery story and to have this baby early...and it just might happen! I went to the Doctor last Thursday and she said I am already dialated to a 2 and 50% effaced, which means I'm moving towards labor!!! She said to go home and pack a bag because I could go into labor anyday OR I could stay this way for the next 4 weeks. Greg was totally freaked out. He asked if we needed to tour the hospital again...um, no. I think I remember where to go! He's worried we won't know what to do and I assured him that I was in charge of pushing and he was there to be my cheerleader!
I have no idea when God will decide for this baby to come but I'm a little worried - still much left to do. I have 2 more girls' events at church, the baby's room is not done, the garage needs cleaning and where is the baby's car seat? I'm on a mission to get things done!!

If only I could go to prom one more time....

So this semester the Lake Pointe Girls Ministry co-sponsored Operation Prom Dress. We collected gently used formals to give to teenage girls who could not afford their own. We are going to sell the rest of the dresses at a community sale on March 21 at the Hilton Harbor from 8 am to noon. All proceeds will benefit orphan care in South Africa. I have 2 amazing ladies taking the lead on this and one of them prayed for 1000 dresses. I seriously thought that would never happen but.......it did! We have over 1000 dresses (both short and long) in a portable at the church. We have bridesmaid dresses, a wedding dress, 80's dresses, name brand, brand new (seriously, the tags are still on), scary-scary and more. I am AMAZED!!! Pinch me for my unbelief because this is amazing! Anyway, come shop! If you need a formal, semi-formal or just something to vacuum in then please come. The money goes to a great cause and we are pricing them from $5 to $50 (that's right - $5!!!!). The lady who prayed for 1000 dresses also prayed to raise over $25,000 - come prove my unbelief wrong again and donate!!

Dreaming of Baby Boy #2

So I found 2 of my favorite pictures of Jacob as a baby. He was such a cute baby (still is...but now he's such a BOY!). I wonder if this next little baby boy will look like his brother or be different? I think Jake is the spittin' image of his daddy. Maybe this sweetie will have some more of his momma in him. I can't wait to find out.

So this time it's about me!

So I normally blog about my family with cute pictures, but not this time. This time I need to talk about me. This pregnancy has been so hard. I can't say that I remember my first pregnancy that well but I do think this one is different...and harder. I was horribly sick for the first couple months, then that subsided but the occasional nausea has stuck around. Every few days I wake up sick for an hour and then it goes away. YUCK! My back is like that of an 80 yr old. I have been to the chiropractor countless times and it is still not better. My body is weak. YUCK!! My emotions are crazy. I cry at random times, I am moody, tired, without patience for my 2 year old, and I move as slow as a turtle. And the cherry on the top is that I am just now 6 months which means I have 16 weeks left to go. YUCK!!!! I am super thankful to be carrying this sweet boy and ecstatic to hold him for the first time. I just have to get there. I am wading through the yuckiness of pregnancy and praying to make it without permanent damage to my husband and child. Please tell me this is normal!!