Charlie, One Month Old

In true second child fashion... late on the blogging about Charlie Boy. He's here! One month old tomorrow. (What?! Fastest and slowest month of my life.)

Charlie arrived on his due date... his very own idea. My college roommate was born on her due date (She said only around 2% of the population naturally come on their due date!) and she is very punctual and responsible. I'd like to think that will be true of Charlie, too. I had been having contractions every day (mostly at night) two weeks prior and what a tease that was! Several nights of packing up our things only to be deflated when the contractions stopped. 

On Tuesday morning, the 29th, contractions woke me up at 4:00 am. By 4:30, they were two minutes apart. By 5:00 am, we were at the hospital where a nurse checked me and said, "You'll be holding that baby by lunch!" Hallelujah!!

I got my epidural around 7:00 am (thank you, Jesus, for your grace manifested in medicine!) and was pushing by 11:00.

At 11:43, I saw his face.

This little one that I had wept tears for. The one I begged God to let us keep. I bathed him in kisses and Andrew prayed over him with thankfulness. I was much more teary than I was at Wilson's birth... probably because I could grasp the fulness of what was happening with just a little more clarity: that this was day one of being under my wings... and each day this little baby bird would grow less dependent upon me and Andrew.



Andrew went to grab Wilson in the waiting room and the first words out of his mouth were "How'd they get him out of there?" We diverted the conversation (because we are such awesome parents in that way) and scooped W onto the bed to see his little brother for the first time. He was and still is SO interested in everything Charlie.

"What's Charlie doing now?"
"Is Charlie awake?"
"Can I hold Charlie?"
"Look at this face Charlie's making"
"Is Charlie hungry? Is Charlie cold? Charlie is so precious."



We are really blown away. I thought at best Wilson would ignore him... totally caught off guard by his obsession with his "Little Man Charlie." (He told me tonight that's what he's going to call him.)



So far it seems that Charlie's temperament is pretty easy going. On his first night I woke up to see him staring at me from his hospital crib just making sucking noises, not even crying... like, "Hey, I don't mean to bother you, but if you're awake now I'm kind of hungry." Oh, precious boy! This lasted for two weeks and now he's a little more fussy, but only when he's tired or hungry. And he doesn't love to be put down for too long so I spend a lot of time wearing him in the Ergo, which makes me feel pregnant all over again. He's back and forth from getting up either once or twice during the night... usually up for the morning around 6:00.



He's been smiling since week one, but I've just noticed this week that he is starting to smile in response to faces and not just randomly. He follows voices and especially loves to try to find Brother in the room. (Because Brother is always talking.)

Life is not easy around here and there are lots of tears from three out of the four members of this family on most days, but it is a beautiful mess. Thank you to all of our friends and family who have taken such. good. care. of us this past month.

Charlie, 

You have a place and a purpose in our family. We are all more who we are meant to be because you are with us. Your name, "Charles," means "free man" and I pray that name would swallow you up-- that from your earliest days you would run free from the chains of bondage to sin and law. And that you would run to Jesus... in Him you are free indeed, Charlie Boy. An abundant life is before you. We promise you that we will always try our very best to push you towards Him. If our hearts are exploding with love and pride, can you even imagine how much Jesus delights in you, Littlest Man? You are His inheritance... His treasure. You are ours and His forever.

Summer 2014

The first seven summers of our marriage have looked like this:
1. Raising support and conference in Fort Collins, CO
2. East Asia

3. South Africa
4. Jackson Hole, Wyoming (7 months pregnant)
5. Fort Collins, CO (with a 10 month old)
6. Jackson Hole, Wyoming (with an almost 2 year old)
7. Jackson Hole, Wyoming (with an almost 3 year old)



But THIS summer, y'all... We.Are.At.Home! And I could not be happier. I know it seems silly to complain about spending summers in Jackson Hole (and I really hope we go back next year), but it felt like we were long overdue to see what it's like to be a family at home for the summer and get a season of rest in our life.

Waiting on Charlie (impeccable timing, little man!) has enabled us to skip a summer project but we've certainly been keeping busy with other things. Andrew has been working hard to make sure our financial support is stable for the upcoming fall. I have been coaching three incoming interns by phone on their support-raising and Andrew has been coaching four. He has also been taking an online class through RTS. We've been connecting with students (although few) that are still in Hattiesburg for the summer and planning and praying for the fall!

For the sake of our family scrapbook, here are the other things we've been up to this summer while waiting on Charlie...

At the beginning of the summer we took a vacation with my family to Seagrove, Florida. It was the very first family vacation we have taken since either Allie or I have been married--so it was very special and so much fun.



We enjoyed the small pool at our house, eating good meals, and searching for crabs on the beach.









Wilson certainly did not ever want to leave. And really, neither did I. Thanks Mom and Dad for such a fun week that we will treasure forever!

We had about a week at home after the beach and then we headed to Florence, Alabama to celebrate Andrew's grandfather's 90th birthday! We had such a sweet time with his whole family. We love all of our grandparents dearly and it meant so much to celebrate a man who has honored the Lord with his life so well.

It was also fun to spend time with cousins!

There's not much guessing on what Charlie will look like! #harwellboys

The next week we had VBS at our church. What an incredible blessing it was to finally be able to participate! I helped with the five year olds and though it was a little exhausting, it left me being even more thankful (is that possible?) for our precious church who care so deeply about pointing even the littlest ones to Jesus. Always.



That weekend we packed our bags again and headed to Andrew's parents' lake house to meet our friends--the Uzzells and the Cunninghams. I'm realizing what a treasure it is to have friends where the husbands enjoy each other just as much as the wives do... and these two couples probably fulfill that role the best. The time was WAY too short but was filled with so much laughter and encouragement and vulnerability and I really just wanted to cry when it all ended. Here's to making it an annual trip!

Katherine has an Annie and Anna has a Catherine, and isn't that sweet? Also that wave is pretty precious, Annie!

This time is bottled up in my heart and saved forever!

We came home, unpacked, and said NO MORE TRAVELING UNTIL CHARLIE. (Truly the best feeling ever.) Andrew's parents kept two of our nephews for several days and decided to ride the train from Birmingham to Hattiesburg (brave souls) to hang out with us! It was super fun to host Brooks and Blake and I'm really excited about the friendship blooming between all the cousins... just wish we lived closer!

We also celebrated Baba's birthday this weekend! 

The next week, Andrew's parents turned back around to come help us with Project Nursery. I'm not really sure how to put into words how relieving it is to have all of that behind us. A year and 1/2 ago we found out that we had beams rotting under our house, specifically under our dining room (what is now the nursery). The first quote we got on what it would cost to repair brought us to our knees. I've never felt such a dark cloud over our lives (Amazing to see what an idol money is to me when I didn't think that it was.) Anyway... over the course of the last year, amidst lots of prayers and tears and confusion, we discovered that the first quote was impossibly more than it should have been. We got another much lower quote and scheduled (and then had to reschedule) the date to get it all fixed. In a nutshell, the Lord provided in every way possible... from the funds, to the timing, even in the price lowering more after the project was done. I hope this will be a hallmark for our family to look back upon and remember that God really is good and provides for our needs.

So Andrew's parents came to help us rip up the floors to get them ready for the foundation guys. They also helped us paint the walls, caulk, lay the subfloors... Mrs. Libby helped me organize and cook meals to freeze. We recovered the dining room chairs. She even made two batches of my recipe for granola so I could freeze one. Have I mentioned how incredible my in-laws are? If only I could be half of the servant to others as they are.

Andrew got their hard-working genes and in the midst of all of this craziness he has built a beautiful farmhouse table, made a pantry out of what was the entry going into the dining room, put up a new ceiling in the nursery AND tended to a vegetable/fruit garden that I really haven't touched.  He's just amazing, really.

I need to get a pic of the finished pantry (which is so nice!) and a better pic of the farmhouse table. Andrew also built the bench around this little nook a couple of years ago and also put in the bead board chair-railing. Have I mentioned how awesome he is?

One of my favorite parts of the summer has just been hanging out with friends. I told myself at the beginning of the summer to never say no to an outing with friends unless absolutely necessary, knowing that my days of being out and about were about to get a lot harder! So we have gotten a lot of fun playdates in...

We spent July 4th in our backyard with the Griffiths, (of course!), and Andrew's parents who were in to help with the floors. We almost lost a magnolia tree and a telephone wire due to the pyromaniac husbands.

A little over a week ago I was rear-ended. It was a pretty hard hit, but thankfully the guy just rammed into my hitch and didn't do any damage to our car. (Andrew wishes he got our bumper, though, which is currently being held together by zip ties because of a tire explosion... another story). I felt fine right after, besides a little bit of a stiff neck. I called my doctor just to be sure she didn't want to see me (I'm thinking... at the most she will want me to come in and do a quick heart beat check or something.) The nurse told me to go immediately to labor and delivery to be monitored for FOUR hours. I'm thankful we went because while being monitored I started having contractions (what?!?) and we were thinking this might be the real thing. Four hours later, still having inconsistent contractions, they sent me home telling me to come back if they became more intense and consistent. They didn't. But it was a fun pre-run! And I got to see the room I would be in with Charlie which is so much nicer than Auburn's was.

Pre-game! 

My sister, Allie, just came in for the last week to help me prepare and mostly just to keep Wilson occupied while I lay on the couch and complain. (Sorry, Allie!) She's simply the best.

Now everything is done, the crib is up, Charlie's clothes are washed, my house is clean... and we are sitting on nine days away from his due date! I've been having contractions on and off for six days now, so I'm getting a little impatient. I'm realizing how silly that is since I want him to wait until he is fully developed and ready to come out on his own... what a privilege it is to wait and rest and try to fill up Wilson's love tank...praying over his little heart that he will love being a brother.



Charlie Boy, I am overcome with the desire to kiss your precious cheeks and sing songs over you. Something is just not right here in the house without you... you are so wanted and loved already. Come quickly, Littlest Man!

Easter, 2014

Like I said in Wilson's update post, we have been talking about death alot lately because of Andrew's grandfather's passing into heaven. If Wilson doesn't see or talk to someone for a couple of days, he asks if they died (ack!)... it's all kind of morbid, but it gives a good springboard to talk about spiritual things with him.

We were making Easter cards for family with crosses on the front and I asked Wilson if he knew what happened on the cross. Nope. (He can remember all the lines to Wheels on the Bus... but not this?! Side note.) He likes to make sure that Grandaddy really is getting a new body, because (was this a mistake?) he saw the old one in the casket and realizes it doesn't work anymore... that it's just a shell, a temporary home. I told him that the only reason Grandaddy can have a new body, the only reason Grandaddy is safe in heaven, is because of what Jesus did on the cross. 

How in the world do you tell a three year old about the most precious, incredible moment in human history? I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and not let go until he understood every word. I know that will come, and I know that our job as his parents is to weave these beautiful truths into everyday life for him... so I am praying God gives us a lot of grace to do that.

Easter was always one of my favorite holidays growing up, and I want to make it memorable for him, too. So I made this bunny cake. Maybe it's just from pictures, but I think I can remember alot of cakes my mom and grandmothers made growing up.... something that tastes SO good decorated really fun just seems to seer in the memory. It wasn't terribly hard but when we arrived at the egg hunt I was taking it to and it slid from the front seat into the floorboard I cried lots and lots of tears.

I must have had an angel in the floorboard, because by some miracle the cake survived. I can't explain it y'all... supernatural cake resurrection.

Our friends, the Smiths, had all the friends over the week before Easter for a egg hunt at their house. So thoughtful of them to host! One of my favorite parts was trying to get a picture of all our little people.

Do our friends make cute babies, or what?

We released the hounds outside to hunt down their ten eggs a piece.

Wilson tried to stop and open each egg to see what was inside before he put it in his bucket. A sly one. We convinced him that this was a terrible gamble and all the eggs and chocolate would be gobbled up if he didn't hurry.

On the Saturday before Easter, we went to another egg hunt at Wilson's sunday school teachers' house. They invite every child in the church and there must have been 100 kids there. Incredibly generous.

I kind of gabbed with a friend the whole time and didn't see Wilson hunt one egg, but I don't think he cared. By the time I got to him he was content playing in the sand box.

We loaded up on some more sugar and played with friends.

On Sunday morning I woke W up by telling him he had a surprise in the kitchen.

We didn't do an Easter basket last year and I felt the pang of it afterwards... you know, the mom guilt. So I put a little something together for him this year. 

Really I wanted an excuse to buy him these two CDs I've been holding in my Amazon cart for awhile. Hidden in my Heart sings mostly straight scripture and is definitely a lullaby CD (I tried to play it this morning during breakfast and it was lulling us all back to sleepy town.)... but it has such pretty arrangements and beautiful lyrics. The Elizabeth Mitchell CD (Thanks, Courtney for the rec!) is just straight fun... very folksy and upbeat and she sounds a lot like Sheryl Crow to me, whom I adore.

Also, he got his first pair of goggles.

Then off we went to have the words of the gospel washed over our souls. A beautiful sermon on a vindicated King and I left thinking how incredibly blessed we are to hear such life-changing gospel truths every Sunday... not just Easter.

Who is this dapper young fellow? And what did he do with my toddling Little Man? :(

We had a family Easter lunch (plus our sweet friend, Tori)... I cooked my first Easter lunch ever. (How did I make it this long without doing that?) and then we just lounged around in the hammock the rest of the day. 

And Charlie kicked his hardest kicks and made sure we all remembered he's on his way. Yes, we know Charlie... we are ready for you to join in the fun. Happy Resurrection Day to all.