A year in the making

Happy Mother's Day! 

A year ago we were almost 9 weeks along and we announced the best little secret. Our family of two was going to be three in December.  We were at Travis and Kelly's house and we told my side of the family.  Then we went over to David's parents house and gave his mom a card with the ultrasound picture in it.

This is the cake we gave to the Finkbeiner's on Mother's Day!

I had been sick and would continue to be sick until around 18 weeks. We had known about the pregnancy for 4 weeks and didnt tell anyone. We thought the due date went of the ultrasound so we changed it to 12/18 but the dr said he goes off the last period which made her due date 12/16. She was born on 12/15 so that was a pretty good estimation. Overall a perfect pregnancy, a perfect delivery and a perfect baby.

While I was a mommy last mother's day I don't think I had "earned by stripes" yet. David got me a card and got me a baby carriage pandora bead. But this mother's day I do deserve it. I have gave everything to my daughter for the last 5 months and I will until I die.  I have spent many sleepless nights and long days singing, rocking, walking, cuddling and overall attending to the needs of precious gift from God.  This is my calling from God.  In college my residents would call me, "momma".  I took care of them and took on the "momma" role.

Right after bathtime!

Being a full time Mommy is not for the faint of heart. You get criticized. You get looked down upon.  You have days when you want to scream. But I am so thankful for God's provision and His perfect will.  Because I know this is my calling.  Please continue to lift me up in prayers that I stay in His will.  

This mother's day I also have a thankful heart. I am so thankful for my mother and my mother in law. They are great examples of Godly women and together have raised 4 successful Christian children.  I am so glad God saw fit for me to be a part of the Finkbeiner family. The Bible gives us a perfect example through Ruth and Naomi. 

"But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. ¹⁷ Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” Ruth 1:16-17

I am also thankful for all the other mothers in my life.  Thankful for my aunties who have been like mothers. Thankful for my sister in law, Kelly, she is such a good mommy to my niece and nephew. Thankful for the moms on facebook who set good examples. Thankful for Michelle Duggar and her example of a Godly mother and wife.  Thankful for all the mothers in the Bible. And thankful for my mommy friends. You are all such a blessing to me.

All Praise to God!

Psalm 113

Praise the Lord.^[a]

Praise the Lord, you his servants;
    praise the name of the Lord.
² Let the name of the Lord be praised,
    both now and forevermore.
³ From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
    the name of the Lord is to be praised.

⁴ The Lord is exalted over all the nations,
    his glory above the heavens.
⁵ Who is like the Lord our God,
    the One who sits enthroned on high,
⁶ who stoops down to look
    on the heavens and the earth?

⁷ He raises the poor from the dust
    and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
⁸ he seats them with princes,
    with the princes of his people.
⁹ He settles the childless woman in her home
    as a happy mother of children.

Praise the Lord.

Yours in Christ, 

Little Mommy

Cross references:

1. Ruth 1:16 : 2Ki 2:2
2. Ruth 1:16 : Ge 24:58
3. Ruth 1:16 : Ps 45:10
4. Ruth 1:16 : S Jos 24:15
5. Ruth 1:17 : 1Sa 3:17; 14:44; 20:13; 25:22; 2Sa 3:9, 35; 2Sa 19:13; 1Ki 2:23; 19:2; 20:10; 2Ki 6:31
6. Ruth 1:17 : 2Sa 15:21

Reading Rainbow

David and I received a Kindle Fire for Christmas.  You can really get into some trouble by buying books if you dont watch it. When Harper was a newborn I hardly ever slept and it seemed all she did was eat and sleep. I nursed and rocked her a ton in then nursery. This gave me a lot of time to read. (Now, not so much) So first I read The Hunger Games trilogy. I loved the first two and thought they were amazing the third one was just okay to me. But I read them all in like a week.

So after that I was still on my reading spree. I read the first 3 books of the Karen Kingsbury novels. She is a christian author who writes fiction about the Baxter family. I love them and I am looking forward to reading more. The reason I havent read the 4th is I wanted to start checking them out on my Kindle through the library. I finally got a library card, now I just have to set it up to the library system.  Then I will be onto the 4th in the series.

A few months ago in the fall I had the opportunity to hear The Duggars speak at the Abundant Life Pregnancy Banquet. I had David buy me their newest book "A love that Mulitplies" so I could have Jim Bob and Michelle sign it. I am almost finished reading it. I love a lot of their parenting styles. I love that whenever one of their children are in trouble they make the child look them into the eyes when they get on to them.  Michelle says, "If you dont have their eyes, you wont have their hearts". Another thing they do that I really like is every night they have "bible time".  Jim Bob reads them the bible and they talk about their days and what they are going to do the next day. Their book is encouraging and inspiring.

Michelle and I, she was pregnant with Jubilee and I was pregnant with Harper in October or November.

I have also began a daily bible study with God. I have been saved since I was 8 years old and I have never set up a daily "quiet" (not so quiet) time.  I started with reading a chapter of Proverbs every day out loud to Harper when its nap time.  She usually squirms and hollers but I get that special time with God. Then I pray and have conversation with God.  I have now moved on over to Ecclesiastes and will keep on going. This isn't a post about how proud I am of my relationship but more like how ashamed I am that I am just now beginning this daily bible study.  I am really enjoying these daily readings and I am yearning for more.  Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" 

Okay and last but not least here is my little sweetie sleeping so sweetly. She is growing up so fast. She has gotten two little tooths in the bottom front. Teething has been so hard. She rubs her face and chews on everything. I hate seeing her in pain. Nothing I was warned about lol

Angel baby at 4 months