Four years ago yesterday (2/15/08), Erik Wegener called me. We talked for an hour and a half, then he asked me out on a date. I said yes because, generally speaking, I'd go out at least once with a guy to see what he was all about.
We married over a year later (3/8/09) and I must say, I've loved having Erik in my life these past four years and look forward to many more years with him! And who'd have thought that four years after that phone call, I'd be writing this blog with our baby on my lap! :-) Love it! God is awesome.
Yesterday was week five for Bray-Bray. We reached a few milestones over this past week.
1. He moved up a diaper size. I learned a small diaper was a potential cause of blowouts, so I'm super happy that we changed diapers... less laundry this week!
2. He moved out of newborn outfits (except some newborn pants). He now wears 0-3 month clothes, and even wore a 6-month outfit. (Baby clothes are sized funny!) And for all you newborn mothers out there, the advice I received was "Just try the outfit on and ignore the label! You'll never know when it will fit until you try it!"
3. Yes, I was that mother in Target with the screaming baby who was calmly looking around because I didn't have a pacifier with (new mom mistake) and there was nothing I could do about Brayden being hungry! I just timed my shopping trip wrong!
I'm adjusting better each day to having him around and I love watching his facial expressions. Super funny! He even looks cute when he's crying. I continue to look forward to all the fun adventures ahead!!!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
this week's milestones
Happy four weeks to my little Bray-Bray! :-) As we like to call him, he's our big, strong boy! In addition to the four-week milestone, here are a few others....
1. He pooed on the carpet. Yes. Carpet. Fun, huh? As I mentioned in an earlier post, he's extremely good at pooping and/or peeing while his diaper is off. Yes, everyone warned me about the peeing, but nobody said nothing about pooping. Hmmmmm.
2. He peed on his head. Yes. Head. I stepped outside with Tucker for a minute. I walked back in and Erik said, "Did you give Brayden a bath?"
"No. Why?"
"His head, arm, and hand are wet."
"Really?"
We surmised that while we were making dinner and Brayden was laying on his playmat, somehow he peed up his side and reached his head and made a nice pee-spot on his playmate. We were amazed and slightly disgusted. Laundry and a dual-parent bath quickly followed.
3. We caught his first smile on camera.
Most likely it's just a gaseous, random smile from a newborn, but let's pretend and say he's a well above average, smiling at just three and a half weeks old. :-)
Soon-to-come milestones:
-February 11th is his official first month birthday! Maybe Erik and I should celebrate with cake....
-He's very close to outgrowing some of his newborn clothes!
Being a parent is exhausting, overwhelming, and yet somehow extremely wonderful. I'm enjoying the moments and surviving the days and always looking to catch some more sleep.
When we say our prayers before bed, I'm always quick to say thank you to the Lord for Brayden. It was a long road to holding a baby in our arms for keeps and I dearly miss my little Brody, but both things make me ever-so-much-more grateful for our little sweetie Brayden. I know we have lots of good moments, days, and memories ahead with him. For that, Lord, I am truly grateful.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
morning feedings, babies, and hope
In my extensive experience as mother of a newborn (all three weeks of it!), I've noticed that mothers live from hope to hope. We hope that after we feed our babies the last feeding before bed that he/she will quickly go to sleep. We hope that they'll sleep an extra hour than usual. We hope that if they don't sleep an extra hour that perhaps after the next feeding they'll sleep an extra hour, maybe even two. We hope our baby will stay asleep for an extra five minutes so we can finish cleaning the kitchen or writing thank you notes or catching some z's. We hope they'll stay awake for company so they can sleep later in the night. We hope.
I find that hope is what keeps me going when I'm exhausted at 4 a.m. feeding little Brayden. I am hopeful that he'll not cry when I change his diaper, he'll eat fast, and he'll fall asleep quickly so I can quickly get back into my bed and get as much sleep as possible before he feeds again--all without waking Erik so Erik can get as much sleep as possible before he heads to work!
Let me clarify why I like when Brayden happens to eat quickly at night... newborns feed every 2-3 hours, but that doesn't mean they eat, wait 2-3 hours, and eat again. The 2-3 hour clock starts when they start feeding. So if they eat at 9 a.m., take one hour to eat and another fifteen minutes to fall asleep, you'll have potentially 45 minutes until they want to eat again at 11 a.m. That's why moms are always hopeful that their babies will have a longer stretch than two hours between feeding and/or the feeding goes relatively quickly so they can get back to bed before the next feeding!
So a few days ago when I started thinking about this hopefulness I have as a mother, it reminded me of life. In life, we always need to have hope. When hope is gone, there's nothing left to hang onto. We need to have hope in something (or Someone!) that things will change, good things are ahead, etc.
I'm a goal-oriented person, and I think this is why I'm always hopeful. I feel weird if I don't have some goal, something to look forward to or hope in. I'll create my own goals when I don't have anything to get excited about and say, "If I do this and this by the end of the day, I'll get Dairy Queen for myself!"
This need for hope is especially true if you are going through a difficult situation. No matter what type of situation - relational, financial, grief-related, etc. - you need hope that something will change.
The Bible says that God is the God of all hope. He provides you with promises and truth to hope in. He also gives you practical things to hope in as you go throughout your day. If you don't have anything to hope in or look forward to, ask Him to give you something.
Hebrews chapter 6 puts it this way: our hope in the Lord anchors our soul. The Message Bible says this (verses 18-20):
"We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God...."
Your hope in the Lord may not be answered in the way you think, but it will be answered. That is our solid hope, our "unbreakable spiritual lifeline," and the anchor for our soul.
----
on a personal note: three weeks ago I was at the hospital in labor! Happy three weeks to baby Brayden!
I find that hope is what keeps me going when I'm exhausted at 4 a.m. feeding little Brayden. I am hopeful that he'll not cry when I change his diaper, he'll eat fast, and he'll fall asleep quickly so I can quickly get back into my bed and get as much sleep as possible before he feeds again--all without waking Erik so Erik can get as much sleep as possible before he heads to work!
Let me clarify why I like when Brayden happens to eat quickly at night... newborns feed every 2-3 hours, but that doesn't mean they eat, wait 2-3 hours, and eat again. The 2-3 hour clock starts when they start feeding. So if they eat at 9 a.m., take one hour to eat and another fifteen minutes to fall asleep, you'll have potentially 45 minutes until they want to eat again at 11 a.m. That's why moms are always hopeful that their babies will have a longer stretch than two hours between feeding and/or the feeding goes relatively quickly so they can get back to bed before the next feeding!
So a few days ago when I started thinking about this hopefulness I have as a mother, it reminded me of life. In life, we always need to have hope. When hope is gone, there's nothing left to hang onto. We need to have hope in something (or Someone!) that things will change, good things are ahead, etc.
I'm a goal-oriented person, and I think this is why I'm always hopeful. I feel weird if I don't have some goal, something to look forward to or hope in. I'll create my own goals when I don't have anything to get excited about and say, "If I do this and this by the end of the day, I'll get Dairy Queen for myself!"
This need for hope is especially true if you are going through a difficult situation. No matter what type of situation - relational, financial, grief-related, etc. - you need hope that something will change.
The Bible says that God is the God of all hope. He provides you with promises and truth to hope in. He also gives you practical things to hope in as you go throughout your day. If you don't have anything to hope in or look forward to, ask Him to give you something.
Hebrews chapter 6 puts it this way: our hope in the Lord anchors our soul. The Message Bible says this (verses 18-20):
"We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God...."
Your hope in the Lord may not be answered in the way you think, but it will be answered. That is our solid hope, our "unbreakable spiritual lifeline," and the anchor for our soul.
----
on a personal note: three weeks ago I was at the hospital in labor! Happy three weeks to baby Brayden!
For him, having his hands by his face is pure happiness. :-)
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
poopy diapers and God's grace
**Fair warning: poop is discussed in this post, and yes, I am a new mom!**
So my timing for changing poopy diapers is way off. I guarantee that at least three out of every five times I change Brayden's diaper, within seconds of changing him or even right after I get a clean one under him, I hear the lovely "tooting" sound again. I think, "Really?!?"
It's been two weeks (yay for his two-week birthday!) and at least five times I've been through 2-3 diapers in one change thanks to his pooping through the clean one I stick under him (but haven't closed up!). Today was probably the "worst" yet - I changed one diaper and then was cleaning him up and got projectile poop all over. (BTW - this isn't like toddler poop; it's baby, non-formula poop, so it isn't quite as nasty as it would be after he starts on solid foods.)
After throwing in load #54 of laundry (okay, maybe not quite that many), I grabbed some ice cream and got ready for the day (the ice cream came from the nap I wished I had, but Brayden wasn't taking because of said poopy diaper). While eating the amazing chocolate mint ice cream Erik picked up a few days ago, I looked over at Brayden and thought about what just happened and had a revelatory moment. Perhaps one reason God gives us babies is because they keep us humble. Right when we think we have it all figured out (changing a poopy diaper should be easy enough, right?) our babies go and change it up on us. They'll poop through that third diaper, create the 14th load of laundry, or change our sleep schedule unexpectedly. They're not necessarily the boss of you, but they do show you that you don't know everything.
This whole pregnancy thing has been humbling for me as well: asking for and accepting help from anyone and everyone, not being able to proactively clean my own house, not being able to take care of my own family (I was taking care of my family; I just was taking care of an unborn baby from the couch, which doesn't feel like much!), etc. It was hard! And it looks like the humility lessons will simply continue.
James 4:6 says that God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Maybe that's one reason why we have babies: so we can be humbled by the poop under our fingernails, the moments we forget our words, and the topsy-turvy schedules and ultimately receive God's grace to live instead of living life on our own.
So today, I'm asking God for grace, His undeserved favor, and His abundant strength to live.
Brayden's praying the prayer too....
:-)
So my timing for changing poopy diapers is way off. I guarantee that at least three out of every five times I change Brayden's diaper, within seconds of changing him or even right after I get a clean one under him, I hear the lovely "tooting" sound again. I think, "Really?!?"
It's been two weeks (yay for his two-week birthday!) and at least five times I've been through 2-3 diapers in one change thanks to his pooping through the clean one I stick under him (but haven't closed up!). Today was probably the "worst" yet - I changed one diaper and then was cleaning him up and got projectile poop all over. (BTW - this isn't like toddler poop; it's baby, non-formula poop, so it isn't quite as nasty as it would be after he starts on solid foods.)
After throwing in load #54 of laundry (okay, maybe not quite that many), I grabbed some ice cream and got ready for the day (the ice cream came from the nap I wished I had, but Brayden wasn't taking because of said poopy diaper). While eating the amazing chocolate mint ice cream Erik picked up a few days ago, I looked over at Brayden and thought about what just happened and had a revelatory moment. Perhaps one reason God gives us babies is because they keep us humble. Right when we think we have it all figured out (changing a poopy diaper should be easy enough, right?) our babies go and change it up on us. They'll poop through that third diaper, create the 14th load of laundry, or change our sleep schedule unexpectedly. They're not necessarily the boss of you, but they do show you that you don't know everything.
This whole pregnancy thing has been humbling for me as well: asking for and accepting help from anyone and everyone, not being able to proactively clean my own house, not being able to take care of my own family (I was taking care of my family; I just was taking care of an unborn baby from the couch, which doesn't feel like much!), etc. It was hard! And it looks like the humility lessons will simply continue.
James 4:6 says that God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Maybe that's one reason why we have babies: so we can be humbled by the poop under our fingernails, the moments we forget our words, and the topsy-turvy schedules and ultimately receive God's grace to live instead of living life on our own.
So today, I'm asking God for grace, His undeserved favor, and His abundant strength to live.
:-)
Sunday, January 22, 2012
newborns need a warning label
Future first-time parents... this is for you.
The first 2-3 nights with Brayden were overwhelming for me and Erik, to say the least. So to future parents, here's something I think may help you so if/when you have a kid, you'll know you are not alone.
1. In the first night, day, two, or both, you will question your sanity in thinking a child was a good thing.
2. You may even question God's sanity in bringing babies to children without an instruction manual... and letting sleep-deprived parents make decisions for someone else's life. (I will never forget that moment in the hospital when I had a talk with God about this.)
3. Your marriage will be tested. Wives - whether or not you like it, your life will be full on mother for a while, since you are needed for feedings, especially if you are nursing. Husbands - your wife will not be your own for a while. You'll need to share. (Sorry!) From all that I can tell, this is a season because they tell me babies do wind up sleeping through the night and stop eating every 2-4 hours. That means more time to be both a mom and a wife and not just a mom.
4. You will not think straight. Overall, I've got my head screwed on pretty straight. I know what's happening around me and how people respond to me and think clearly, etc. Then I had Brayden, and seriously, I couldn't think straight or remember or say things quite right. I looked over at Erik one time riding back to the house and said, "I'm not making sense, am I?" He said, "Nope." Oh well.
5. Sleep. You will miss it. But there is grace for this season. Of all people, I need sleep more than most. If you know me well, you know I don't function well on lack of sleep. So this is a tough one, but I've had moments where I've literally felt the grace to wake up every 2-4 hours and feed him and I adore two hours straight of sleep and consider that an amazing thing (when just a couple weeks ago that would have been barely enough!).
6. You will be frustrated. This is common when it's 4 a.m., you've changed your baby's diaper, fed them, made sure he's warm enough, and done everything you know to do, and he's still red in the face from screaming, trying to get some type of point across. I don't really know how to answer "what to do" on this yet, since I'm still learning, but take a deep breath and/or cry out for help from the Lord! Hold your baby and trust that as parents you have the grace and wisdom to comfort your baby as needed.
So, new parents and parents-to-be, if you've had any of these thoughts or frustrations, you are not alone. A bunch of parents I've talked to smile when I tell them my experiences and feelings and then they remember they too had the "What have I done?!" moment with their first babies... you just don't always hear about it.
You're not alone; pretty much everyone has probably had the same types of thoughts as you. Remember, this too shall pass. :-)
As for us, we are getting slowly adjusted to life with a baby. Our family and friends continue to be amazing to us. (Thank you!) And we are once again reminded of the value of community. Community is how the moms and dads survived who didn't have nurses to ask questions to. Community is how parents survived who couldn't read or watch YouTube videos or read other people's blogs. So I'm learning again to learn from others because they've been there and done that and have great ideas that will help make my life easier.
2. You may even question God's sanity in bringing babies to children without an instruction manual... and letting sleep-deprived parents make decisions for someone else's life. (I will never forget that moment in the hospital when I had a talk with God about this.)
3. Your marriage will be tested. Wives - whether or not you like it, your life will be full on mother for a while, since you are needed for feedings, especially if you are nursing. Husbands - your wife will not be your own for a while. You'll need to share. (Sorry!) From all that I can tell, this is a season because they tell me babies do wind up sleeping through the night and stop eating every 2-4 hours. That means more time to be both a mom and a wife and not just a mom.
4. You will not think straight. Overall, I've got my head screwed on pretty straight. I know what's happening around me and how people respond to me and think clearly, etc. Then I had Brayden, and seriously, I couldn't think straight or remember or say things quite right. I looked over at Erik one time riding back to the house and said, "I'm not making sense, am I?" He said, "Nope." Oh well.
5. Sleep. You will miss it. But there is grace for this season. Of all people, I need sleep more than most. If you know me well, you know I don't function well on lack of sleep. So this is a tough one, but I've had moments where I've literally felt the grace to wake up every 2-4 hours and feed him and I adore two hours straight of sleep and consider that an amazing thing (when just a couple weeks ago that would have been barely enough!).
6. You will be frustrated. This is common when it's 4 a.m., you've changed your baby's diaper, fed them, made sure he's warm enough, and done everything you know to do, and he's still red in the face from screaming, trying to get some type of point across. I don't really know how to answer "what to do" on this yet, since I'm still learning, but take a deep breath and/or cry out for help from the Lord! Hold your baby and trust that as parents you have the grace and wisdom to comfort your baby as needed.
So, new parents and parents-to-be, if you've had any of these thoughts or frustrations, you are not alone. A bunch of parents I've talked to smile when I tell them my experiences and feelings and then they remember they too had the "What have I done?!" moment with their first babies... you just don't always hear about it.
You're not alone; pretty much everyone has probably had the same types of thoughts as you. Remember, this too shall pass. :-)
As for us, we are getting slowly adjusted to life with a baby. Our family and friends continue to be amazing to us. (Thank you!) And we are once again reminded of the value of community. Community is how the moms and dads survived who didn't have nurses to ask questions to. Community is how parents survived who couldn't read or watch YouTube videos or read other people's blogs. So I'm learning again to learn from others because they've been there and done that and have great ideas that will help make my life easier.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
He's here!!!!
Erik and I are very happy to announce that Brayden Allen Wegener was born on Wednesday, January 11, 2012. He was 38 weeks and 2 days along, came at 12:31 p.m., weighed in at 7 lbs., 9 ounces, and was 21 inches long.
In other words, this (me at 38 weeks)...
...became this.
...became this.
What a joy. :-)
We are all doing well even though exhausted and still trying to figure out what just happened! Tuck is very good with his new baby brother. Thank you for all the special comments, gifts, and congratulations. We appreciate you and your support through this journey!!!!
Lots more pictures and stories to come.
One final pic: the boys in my family.
Love.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
happy new year!
Happy 2012! And happy birthday to my brother, Brian! He would have been 33 years old today. Now he's hanging out in heaven and maybe he's getting a heavenly birthday cake - I bet that's some amazing cake and frosting! :-) Here are a couple pics of my family from a few years ago. I have a ton of cute ones of me and Brian, but I don't think they are in electronic format yet.
Brian, I love you dearly and miss you! I think about you and I am grateful that I know we'll meet again one day in heaven. Yahoo! You'll be healthy and wonderful and we'll be hanging out together worshiping Jesus. That sounds amazing. Take care of my little boy up there. Say hi to Grandma. Love you much!
Just last night I told Erik that 2012 is going to be a much more active year than 2011... both thanks to our baby Brayden. 2011 was filled with bedrest... 2012 will be filled with taking care of baby. Exciting! I am looking forward to seeing what this next chapter of our lives looks like!
I hope you have a wonderful New Year and that it is filled with God's blessings and abundant grace in your life. :-)
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