Happy Birthday My Sweet Son

Jonas,

It's the evening before your first birthday and I don't want to put you down. Luckily you hate to be put down when you're sleeping so this isn't really an option anyway. Right now you're snuggled up with your precious head on my chest, and you periodically slap me in the face to remind me you're the boss. You've got a cough because a month ago you started daycare, the hardest day of my life so far, and you've been sick ever since. You smell sweet, like lavender, remnants of the bath we fought you to take almost 3 hours ago. You hate baths right now, by the way. You used to love to splash, but now you refuse to sit down in the tub, and you want nothing wet above the ankles. You're a bizarre little creature and I wouldn't have you any other way. You've reached up in your sleep and edited this message no less than 9 times...I wish you'd stop adding random letters in.

Your personality is your mother's baby boy. This is funny for the moment, but I pray at least some bits of your daddy show up in you as you age. I have so many wishes for your future little man, and I know I could never lay them all out on paper even if I tried. If you're going to continue to act like me, my wish is simple: don't be afraid to be YOU! I wasted so much valuable time trying to be the me that everyone else expected, and I missed out on so many things I later found myself to enjoy. I figured out who I was, eventually, but if I would've calmed down & been unapologetically myself, I would've been much happier much sooner. So be YOU baby man. Be loud or don't. Be obnoxious or don't. Walk tomorrow or wait till you're 2. Be superman or play with dolls. Swing a bat or play the flute. Be a democrat or be a republican. Be a doctor or be an artist. Be YOU. And know that you're loved regardless of who that is. It occurs to me that this is an underlying theme in all my letters; I love you. I will always love you no matter what, and my prayer is that you know this if you know nothing else. 

You're a jokester, and because of this I can't end this letter without sharing some of this beautiful year with you. You are so funny. You are charming and cunning and smart, and all the things a mother dreams for her son to be. You are perfect. Here are some of my favorite Jonas moments and memories from our first year together. 

1. Your expressions. You've had the most expressive little face since day one! You've got what we call the "Spock eye" and you're not afraid to use it. You can only say 3 words (hey, mama & dada), but you speak so freely with your face I would swear I know what you're thinking. You can make me feel 2 inches tall when you give me one look, and your excited, open-mouthed smile lights up a room. You also know how to stick that bottom lip out and break my heart in two.

2. Our breastfeeding bond. You're going to cringe when you read this part one day, but I'm not sorry. You have loved nursing & I have loved nursing you. You taught me to be your mother through breastfeeding, and I subscribed whole heartedly to the "when in doubt whip it out" mantra. We've traversed this road together & I am so proud of us! It's given us an unbreakable bond that I will forever be grateful for. We've nursed in public & ruffled some feathers, but you've been healthy & well fed, and I've found something I'm proud to stand up for. My initial goal was to make it to one year with no formula & here we are!! We will nurse until you're ready to stop, my man.

3. When you were 6wks old, we fell down 12 stairs. Your daddy & I were going on a date, and I foolishly wore heels, then tried to nurse you down the stairs. Before I fell I thought, "this is a bad idea, I could fall," and then I did. I was mortified and sobbing, but you never even unlatched! My strong, hungry boy, you were unhurt!

4. Your first food was pickles. Mother of the year right here!! At 5.5 months I knew better than to feed you, but I had heard dill was great for teething pain, so a pickle you were given--3/21/15. You loved it! You ate it like a champ & thank God you didn't choke! You have since only met one food you don't like, bananas. You now have an intense sweet tooth, which is also like me.

5. That time I asked your dad not to put you in a crockpot. And he put you in a crockpot. It was an adorable picture, but babies don't belong in pots! Your dad is always trolling me one way or another, like his father before him. I'm sure you'll be a little troll too.

6. When we took you to the beach. And you hated it, but ate a lot of sand. Like a WHOLE LOT of sand. Yikes! Our 4hr trip home took nearly 8...

7. You hate sleep, man. This is not a highlight of your life, but something you should know when your son refuses to sleep for you. You did awesome until you were 3 1/2 months old, then you revolted. There was a time you were up every 30 minutes & we were zombies. Currently you're restless until roughly 3am, and you only want to sleep while being held in the recliner. If your dad and I have arthritis by the time we are 30, you & this chair are to blame. We love you anyway, but as soon as you'll sleep more than an hour at a time in bed I'm having a bonfire with this chair.

8. You're a nudist. You hate wearing clothes and you surely won't sleep in them! Luckily you're a cute nude & don't revolt against diapers, but you surely put up a fight when getting dressed! We keep you naked at home and that makes you happiest. 

9. Once we took you to Ruby Falls without realizing it's an underground cavern and not baby friendly. You had an ENORMOUS blowout and spent a tiny smidge of time naked underground. We also had to throw your clothes away!

10. You sir are a serious flirt! I don't know where it comes from, but it's definitely a hobby of yours. Just yesterday we took you to a pumpkin farm, where you completely ignored the pumpkins and instead flirted with 4 teenage girls who couldn't get enough of you. You'd wave and smile and shrug all coy. It's very cute, it's no wonder they can't resist! 

11. Last weekend we found out you're very likely allergic to penicillin and you had to be put on steroids for the reaction. While checking out at the doctors office, you held up your hand and very sassily shook your head at the lady behind us who was trying to play with you!! We blamed the steroids, but your attitude came out to play that night!

12. When you first began to crawl you thought we were too dumb to catch on. You'd wait until we turned our heads then crawl across the room. When we turned back you'd be looking all sorts of innocent like you had no idea how you got where you were! You crawled a solid two weeks before you ever let me witness it.

13. You're a singer and a dancer. You sing (wail) when I attempt to sing you to sleep, and you looooove to dance to Taylor Swift's (I hope she's not obsolete by the time you read this!) Shake it Off. Your favorite sing along songs are Baby Beluga & Rooftops, and you love to sing in church. Coincidentally you also love to fart during prayer.

14. Sometimes you smile & laugh in your sleep & it's so cute I can hardly stand it.

15. You've truly not had many big blowouts in your little life, but we'll never forget your first one. Daddy didn't quite know what to do, so he gingerly took off all your clothes and diaper and carried you to the bath in a plastic Walmart bag. You know, the ones that say "not intended for children," and "this bag is not a toy." A plastic bag. On my precious baby. I would've killed him if I wouldn't have been laughing so hard.

There are so many more memories than these, sweet one, but you are stirring because, as I mentioned, you hate sleep. But I know one day you won't rest in my arms or wake me when you're uncomfortable, and I'll miss these days. Thank you for giving me all of these and a lifetime of memories; I am so proud to be your mama!!

I love you so much,

Mama

Mama

Dear Jonas,

You, dear boy, are so much like your mama it's scary. Always with a flair for the dramatic, you first said "mama," two days ago on mothers day. You turned me straight into hormonal mush. You won't remember it because you're just over 7 months old right now, but because you said that sweet little word I've longed to hear for ages, you earned yourself a later bedtime & an episode of your favorite show--Mickey Mouse clubhouse. Not to mention many of your mama's tears, because I couldn't keep it together.

Today you've said my favorite name, Mama, so many times I can't even relax to go to sleep. I hear your sweet voice saying (and sometimes screaming) it over and over. Such music to my ears! Today I've struggled to leave you even for a second because when I do you cry out to me, searching for your Mama when I leave your sight. It took me 30 minutes to simply make it to the restroom.
I'm writing this for a few reasons, the first so that you know just how special & loved you are, but the second to tell you that I hope you never forget you can cry out for me, your Mama, always and I will be here.

Society is fickle and often dictates that men and boys be masculine; that you hide your emotions, don't cry, and never be seen as a "Mama's boy." Society is stupid (bad word alert), son. While I hope to teach you to grow and become independent and live life however you dream it, I want you to know that it's ok to laugh, to get mad (you already do this, you are my child after all), and to cry. And it's always, always ok to want your Mama. I pray that I am home to you no matter where you are. I will ALWAYS be your safe haven, your confidant and your biggest fan. Though it's my job to discipline you, I promise to do it out of love because your Mama has your best interest at heart. I love you more than I can put into words.

I think it's easy to have dreams and make plans for your children when they're young. I pray that I never make you feel that you have to fulfill any dreams I have for you, because I will be proud of you regardless. I would love for you to go to college and I'll admit that I have beautiful visions of you and I dancing to My Funny Valentine at your wedding one day, but you are not obligated to achieve the things I've dreamt of for you. Whether you do or do not, I'm here for you & you can always come running into your Mama's arms.

Whether you're 12 or 25, love women or love men, graduate college or drop out of high school, vote republican or democrat, know that you can always cry out for your Mama and I will always come.

You are my world, Jonas Paul, and I pray that you never forget to call your Mama.

I love you,
Mama

2014. I love you.

Well Happy New Year, y'all!! It seems we've made it through 2014. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hesitant to enter 2015, because 2014 has been the absolute best year of my life! It has been said that all good things must come to an end, so I wanted to spend my last waking hours of 2014 recounting my blessings & the greatest lessons I've learned this year. Here ya go!

1. Our great God is still in the business of performing miracles. If you need proof, come check out my super cute baby boy! This time last year I was straight depressed & never thought I'd get my heart's desire, but here I sit 365 days later with a 14lb butterball of perfection nursing and laughing simultaneously, spewing milk all over us both! God is good, and God is on time!

2. There's no place like home, but nobody said you could only have one. This year we packed up our family of 2 & a fetus and moved clear across the state of GA to my hometown. I was thrilled & thought that would change everything! While it did indeed change every aspect of our lives, I quickly realized that Thomasville will always be home too. I miss that place; the place where we began our lives as a family of 2, where Tyler started and ended his teaching career, the place that fulfilled my dream of becoming a RN, and the place we created new life. I miss it so much and though we live in Dalton which has always been home to me, home will always exist on Thomasville too.

3. There's nothing more sacred and spiritual than death. I know this sounds creepy and potentially inappropriate, but I spent the better part of this year working as a hospice nurse & I learned so much about death and the dying process, as well as my own view of it. Death is a very personal and private process, but as a hospice nurse I experienced it alongside my patients and their families, and that was a blessing to me. I won't go into many details because they aren't mine to divulge, but there's something beautiful about the moment a person let's go and finds peace--both the dying and those left behind. Though I'm not working in hospice any longer, I'm grateful for the experienxe and the beautiful souls I met--patients, families, and so many selfless coworkers.

4. If you want to experience true magic, look into your child's perfect eyes for the first time. There's nothing like the immediate bond that exists between mother and child, when you realize that this beautiful gift is YOUR'S and you assisted God in creating a miracle. It's so much better than I ever imagined and I pray that everyone who holds the desire will one day experience this kind of true love. Much to my husband's chagrin I want to do it over and over and over again.

5. Nobody loves you like your mama. I know this seems obvious, but you don't understand true love until you're a parent yourself, and because of this you don't know how much you're loved. Now go call your mama and tell her you love her! I promise you, you've never had a bigger fan, nor have you ever met someone who would be so eager to bear every pain and hurt and tear for you. Seriously, call your mom.

6. Don't make plans. Any plans. Ever. Life doesn't work that way! If you make a birth plan it will fall through just like your plan on when to have a baby in the first place. If you plan on having a job you probably won't find one. Life doesn't care about your plans, and God's are far better for you anyway.

7. Being a parent is HARD, y'all. People tell you this, but Hollywood has made everything look like a rosy fantasy and that's just not real. We all 3 cried through our first night home from the hospital, and on the way to the pediatrician the next day Tyler and I were zombies. We couldn't believe we could be so happy and so scared simultaneously. Tyler had dry heaves for a week and I don't know how many days I went without a shower. It's hard, but it gets so much better, and it's worth it. I still want to do it over and over again.

8. See a lactation consultant. Just do it. Our breastfeeding relationship was better immediately after 30 minutes with Carol. Breast is best, but it's impossible without support, so go find the support! You can do it!!

9. Never take a job without FMLA. If you do, you'll need it. If you don't, you'll probably wonder why it exists anyway, but better safe than sorry. I had delivery complications that didn't allow me to return to work until 10 weeks postpartum, and I was only allowed 6 weeks, so I got fired. Yep. Here we are, brand new parents with a 6 week old and zero income. That's some scary, real-life stuff y'all. Fortunately I'm a nurse, and I've now got a new & better job to start on Monday, but there was a devastating period of time when I didn't know what we were going to do! Needless to say, I won't allow myself to be caught in that situation again. The law really is there to protect us!

10. The Lord is sovereign. I hope you gathered that from #1-9, but just in case here's a reminder. This year He gave me a beautiful testimony, a perfect son, a magnificent husband who has loved & supported me through it all. He moved us closer to our families, and unexpectedly met my desire to spend more time home with my Jonas (13wks vs 6 is awesome!). This year He also gave us a sister-in-law and aunt, who is the perfect addition to our family. More recently He made a way for this new job & made it possible for me to get 2 new certifications the week of Christmas. Our God is sovereign!!

Here's to 2015! A year that will bring a new job, a brand new baby nephew, 2 new brother-in-laws, and a thousand memories with the 2 perfect Lipsey men I share my life with!

Thank You Lord for your blessings on me!

XOXO,
Hannah

Welcome to the World, Precious One: Part Two

Now where were we? Transferring to the labor room, which I believe happened somewhere between 1700-1730 (5-5:30pm), it all starts to run together at this point, so the timeline format of this blog is going to disappear too.

When we finally arrived in our room I was in a great deal of pain, roughly 6-7/10, and contractions were coming more frequently. I was begging for an epidural & my nurse finally informed me that my OB had ordered one and the anesthesiologist (who was beyond awesome by the way) was on the way. In the meantime my parents began to arrive and were just standing around the bed looking at me. The way they stared and my overall helplessness due to pain left me feeling like a corpse in a coffin...just lying there while they gathered around talking about how good I looked, which, PS, I DID NOT look good. Remember how I chose NOT to wash my hair that morning? Big mistake. I know that's wildly morbid, but that's surely how it felt! It should be noted how INCREDIBLE my husband was at that time, rubbing my back and helping me breathe through contractions instead of fighting them the way I had been. He was amazing then, and after, and now. I'm not going to start talking about how blessed I am when it comes to my husband because I'll never stop, but just know that I pray our son will be just like him--he came through in a way even greater than I had imagined.


It felt like hours later, but it was probably mere minutes, and the super nice anesthesiologist arrived to give me the perfect epidural: I felt no pain, but I was able to feel the sensation to push later on. He was so kind and the process was so easy I swear I could've kissed him right in the mouth! I was so fearful of the epidural for no reason at all! Shortly after that my wonderful OB arrived and broke my water, which could only mean it was time to get this show on the road!!

I dilated to 10cm almost immediately after my water was broken, however Jonas wasn't quite ready yet and was sitting at -2 station meaning he had quite a long way to descend before I started pushing. So we waited. And waited. And waited. The nurses repositioned me and Jonas kicked the tocometer (monitors heart rate & contractions) and we repositioned again. This went on until about 2100 (9pm), when my sweet nurse Jessica (also awesome) determined I was ready to start pushing!! Hallelujah, let's meet this boy!!!

By this point my in-laws had arrived, as well as my brother Trevor & sister-in-law to be Robin, my Granny, Aunt Cheryl, Uncle Bud, Aunt Kym, Aunt Dee, and Aunt Sharon...forgive me if I've forgotten anybody, the night is hazy and I hardly remember the world before Jonas at all at this point, let alone the night of his birth. For a fleeting second I considered allowing my Mom & Tracy, my mother-in-law, to stay in the room for the delivery, a decision I was adamantly against prior to this night. It had been a hot debate, but as always The Lord is sovereign & it is a sheer miracle that they were not around for the drama that ensued. So we kicked everybody out and the action began.

As I mentioned earlier, my epidural took away the pain, but left me with the ability to feel contractions and assist with pushing, so at this point I proudly grabbed one leg in each hand, thanked God for the flexibility that only comes with 18 years of dance, and got to work. I pushed like a champ and pooped myself like 843 times, and I was so proud. I even made Tyler get out the camera and take a picture of this spectacular pushing I was doing. I was a rock star and I knew it, a fact that baffled me as I whine when my hair gets pulled or I stub my toe...I NEVER expected to handle childbirth so easily, even with an epidural.

We pushed for roughly 45 minutes before Jessica (awesome night nurse) mentioned she was starting to see, "a little more blood than I feel comfortable with," so she decided to call in my spectacular OB to check it out. At this point I was calm, I'm a nurse so who cares about a little blood? I had no idea what was about to happen.

My OB came in the room with another RN and an urgency I hadn't been expecting. She was sternly giving verbal orders to Jessica, and furrowing her brow at the blood I seemed to be spewing. She pulled on shoe covers and was pulling the bed apart quickly and tossing the pieces to the side. My sweet OB typically has the most calming demeanor, so I knew something wasn't right. I was ok until she asked my nurse to call for respiratory therapists, "for possible infant resuscitation." WHAT. RESUSCITATION?! My precious, perfect miracle may not be breathing? She also asked for the hemorrhage box, which I knew from my ER days was full of medications that aren't used on the regular and are meant to control heavy bleeding. This was bad...but my labor had been going so well? What went wrong?? I would've given anything to NOT be a nurse at that point, to be at least slightly more oblivious to the goings on in the room.

I didn't have a birth plan. I know myself well enough to know that when I plan things they never go the way I have lined out in my head so plans are useless. I didn't have a plan, I only knew I didn't want a vacuum or forceps assisted delivery, and I could be ok with everything else. My OB had me put my feet in the stirrups and began to finally start talking directly to me. She explained, briefly, that I was bleeding significantly, which she feared was a terminal abruption, and, "We have to get this baby out NOW." I'll never forget the sound of her voice when she said that. She was scared, I was scared, we were all scared. The anxiety in the room was palpable. She explained that she was going to use the vacuum on his head to pull him out (cue the voice in my head screaming NOOOOOOOOOOO) and briefly explained how it worked. In the meantime the respiratory therapists had arrived so we were ready to roll.

Something inside of me changed. Call it mother instincts, but suddenly I no longer mattered. At all. He wasn't even here yet, but I had already forgotten about everything except the desire to protect him. I said a quick prayer in my head, something basic like, "Please God, please protect this baby. Take me if you need me, but please let me see him and please let him be ok." And then I pushed. HARD. I held my breath and I closed my eyes, and I forced his body outside of mine. There's something so magical about birth--even a medicated birth--that you can't even describe. It's so raw and so very human...so incredibly, undeniably special and miraculous, I'm still so grateful for the experience.  I pushed twice and at 2201(10:01pm) I heard the most beautiful sound I've ever heard in my life: Jonas's loud, long, STRONG cry!

I knew he was ok when I heard my OB say, "Praise God." She allowed Tyler to cut the cord and she laid that beautiful, perfect, full-of-life, healthy baby boy on my chest. It's a moment I'll never forget and one that still seems so surreal in my head. It's the moment my family became 3 instead of 2. It's the moment we completely died to ourselves and the world began to revolve around Jonas. It's the moment I gained my purpose for living. The moment I became Mommy.

My boy was here! 7lbs and 8oz of screaming perfection:

My perfect miracle boy!

First family photo! (Mama should've washed that hair!)

My boys, my whole heart outside of my chest

 The minutes that followed immediately after his birth are some I want to keep special and sacred for only my family to share, but trust that they were magical and perfect and filled with emotion. A mommy and daddy were born with Jonas that night, and suddenly my world was in motion. Thank You, GOD!

The events after I met my son were much less special and mostly scary, but I'll write more on that later. For now, bask with me in the joy that miracles are possible...I know because I'm holding one.

XOXO,
Jonas's Mommy

The Day We Met Our Miracle: Part One

I haven't blogged in months, but I can't not have a record of how my sweet miracle made it into this world, so I'm back with our birth story, the story of the happiest day of our lives. Disclaimer: this will likely get graphic, if you know me at all you know I don't sugar coat things and Im a bit of a tell-all.

Monday, October 6, 2014
0630: I woke up with a strange, but mild cramping sensation. Though uncomfortable, this cramping was far from severe and not how I imagined labor pains would feel, so I texted my mom and went back to sleep.

0930: I woke again to continued cramping, but assumed all was well...I shouldn't be able to sleep through labor, right? I texted Mom again, then Tabitha to see if she wanted to go walk with me @ the mall. I was still completely convinced it WASN'T labor, but I knew if it were true labor my pain would increase while walking. Tab agreed to meet me at 1130 for lunch and walking, so I hopped in the shower. I chose not to wash my hair, a mistake that may plague me the rest of my days, because I was planning to sweat at the mall & shower again on my return home. While showering the "cramping" continued in waves, but I remained unconcerned.

1130: always late, I left to meet Tabitha, her 2 year old, and her 3 week old. In retrospect I really shouldn't have driven myself to the mall, but I still thought all was well--I was expecting to be induced for carrying him past term, not for him to arrive 8 days early! I got the best parking spot at the Belk, a fact that seemed to negate my concern over having 3 "cramps" (I was still refusing to call them contractions) in the 20 minutes it took me to get there.

1200: Lunch at Chickfila was priority one, and I greatly enjoyed my chicken nuggets, followed by a double doozie from the cookie company...aside from cramping I felt great! Then we walked...and walked...and walked. I finally got the bright idea to use an app to time my "cramps," which were lasting 30-40 seconds at that time and roughly 3 minutes apart. I finally had one that was painful enough to force me to sit down, which is when Tabitha intervened and forced me to call my OB, who didn't answer, so I left a message.

1430: Tabitha wasn't keen on waiting for a call from my doctor, so we decided to leave...I tried to drive myself home because I had a "good parking spot," but my dear BFF refused. We loaded the kids in the car and went to pick up Tyler. In the meantime my OB nurse called & made the official recommendation that I go to the hospital to be checked, "just in case." Once at my house my sweet husband rushed out and threw everything we needed in Tabitha's trunk, before squeezing himself in between two car seats in the backseat. We were stopped by two trains on the way back to my car, but we finally arrived and were officially hospital bound!

1515: We checked in at registration to the sounds of Bruce Springsteen singing Born in the USA, a fact my husband found fascinating and I couldn't be bothered to notice as my pain had crept to roughly a 4/10. The registration desk took FOREVER, with the employees answering faxes and eating cupcakes while I labored...

1545: We finally arrived in a labor and delivery triage room to be assessed, and I was just praying I wouldnt be sent home. A sweet, new nurse checked in on me first and reported I was 3cm dilated and 90% effaced, borderline for being sent home by any standard. After her, a more seasoned nurse checked me and determined I was actually 7cm dilated and 100% effaced--WHOA! I made her repeat that so I could process it, & immediately sent Tyler to notify our parents that we were having a baby TODAY!!!  My pain was intense at this point (possibly because I heard that I was 7cm) so I begged for an epidural...@ 7cm I wasn't sure I would be able to get one. I was admitted by the nurse in training who meticulously asked every single question on the admission assessment (6N nurses do you feel my pain here?!), then we were finally transferred to our room.

I want to cuddle my boy, so this one will just have to come in installments.

Blissfully Exhausted,
Hannah (aka Mommy😍)

18!

Well we're at 18 weeks & this Mama has been an awful blogger as of late. Ooops. I'm also homeless, so you can't expect too much. Here we go!

How far along: 18 weeks, 5 days

Gender: He's a BOY!!!

Weight gain: +6lbs on the dot

Maternity clothes: Scrubs, scrubs, and scrubs. Otherwise it's mostly maxi dresses

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: In, but huge and shallow. I'm thinking it won't be long till it's OUT.

Sleep: I've slept REALLY well the past few nights, but I think that's because my husband was here & I danced my little pregnant heart out at recital.

Best moment this week: Finding out my sweet little nudger is a boy, like I had known all along! Jonas Paul Lipsey is coming at you in October! The mother was right!

Miss anything: My sweet husband. This commuter marriage is getting old.  

Movement: Yes! Nothing sweeter.

Cravings: Fruit rollups. We're gross.  

Queasy or sick: No! I am blessed!

Looking forward to: My husband living here in north GA with me. Oh, and BABY SHOPPING!! And house shopping because Jonas needs an actual place to call home.

I'll try to be less absent in the coming weeks!!

XOXO,
Hannah & Jonas

Week 15!

This one will probably be another short one, but not because I'm feeling any less blessed, I'm just wondering where that so-called "second trimester burst of energy" is! I haven't seen it!! I suppose it doesn't help that we've been working hard cleaning up and packing up all day today. I won't bore you with details, but I will give you some week 15 news!

I took 2 pictures this week because I wanted one with regular clothes on instead of just a camisole. I refuse to take bare belly photos to publish, but I did expose my beloved belly band which better highlights my growing bump. We had been riding with the windows down, so try to ignore my messy head.

How far along: 15 weeks, 4 days

Gender: Mama can't get away from masculine pronouns 

Weight gain: +2lbs as far as I know

Maternity clothes: Scrubs, scrubs, and scrubs. Flowy shirts and belly bands...I think I've stretched the belly band use as far as I can though

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: In

Sleep: I've been sleeping well, aside from waking up due to little bitty on my bladder

Best moment this week: My sweet Clinkscale moved this week! He/she provided me a beautiful moment in the midst of sadness (work-related), and I will always be grateful. A wonderful moment that brought to light the sanctity of both new life and death and how blessed I am to experience both. Thanks, Clinkscale, you're steady teaching your mama already. You just nudged me again, does that mean you're acknowledging my thanks? I love you.

Miss anything: I would say Tyler, but I'm looking at him now. I'll be missing him again tomorrow though, of that I am sure.  

Movement: YES!! What a thrilling feeling, however fleeting it may be

Cravings: Breakfast: biscuits, hashbrowns, waffles, you name it.  

Queasy or sick: No! I am blessed!

Looking forward to: Anatomy screen on May 13th and Disney with the marching band this weekend!

It feels good to be in Thomasville, but it will feel even better to have my family back together again in Dalton.

XOXO,
Hannah