Adalynn Hope

Adalynn arrived on June 26 at 2:40pm weighing 8 pounds 8 ounces and 19 1/2 inches long.
Her arrival was scheduled, I was 39 weeks and chose to be induced. In late June in Texas it's uncomfortably hot and being pregnant in the 100 degree heat made me feel like a beached whale! I was very ready to meet & hold our little angel as well as no longer be pregnant.

Her delivery was laid back & to be honest, pretty easy. With Adalynn being our fifth child to be delivered at the same hospital I knew exactly what to expect with the whole process. One thing that I was pleasantly surprised with is after she was born she was placed directly on my chest for almost 10 minutes, then was quickly examined for her Apgar score & returned to me. After I nursed her, we allowed our other children to come in with both sets of grandparents, two aunts & an uncle. We all got to watch her be examined by the nurse and given her first bath and footprints. It was such a special memory to have all of us there to see this. With all my other children they were taken to the nursery an hour or so after delivery and so I had never seen  any of them receive their first bath.

Hudson, age 3, was bright-eyed and staring at Adalynn, he quietly walked over to the side of my bed and asked "Mommy, are they going to put her back (in your tummy)??"  :) It's so funny how their little minds work!! The kids were in love with her and SO excited to get to hold her. They each took their turns and it was so sweet to watch. Hudson and Trinity didn't understand why we couldn't take her home that very moment.  Because of the kids I decided to ask if I could be discharged after 24 hours, so we were home by dinner time the next day. I was a little overwhelmed with the thought of going home where everyone yells "Mommy" and needs something! But the nurse made me promise that I would rest. (yea, right.) And I did sleep much better at home; I can never get any sleep in the hospital.

She is 5 weeks old & we've gotten into a pretty good routine, or at least as much as we can with the lazy days of summer. The girls love to "mommy" the baby and they can be quite helpful. Although, on occasion, Adalynn is missing from her bouncy seat & one of them has picked her up because they claimed she was fussing. Brayden, our oldest has been a life-saver! At 11, he's pretty responsible and very affectionate and caring to his baby sister. I think we've all adjusted really well. Maybe, I'll have just one more!!..................
JUST KIDDING! We are definitely done and our family feels complete.

So, it's been a while.....

It's been a while..... a year to be exact! I started this blog last summer with the best intentions of journaling by experiences as a mother, wife, daughter, friend and follower of Christ. Life got busy & I thought so many times "I should sit down and blog about this day" but any free time I get after the kids are in bed I try to spend with my hubby or catching up on my sleep! So much has happened in the last year, I deeply regret not keeping up with this so that I could look back and see all the struggles we've overcome and the many ways God has answered our prayers.


I'll give you a quick update on our family. Last October, we found out that we were expecting  baby #5, for those of you that are counting :) We were thrilled! Although we both felt that we were done after Hudson, our fourth, my heart changed as I approached my 30th birthday. I wanted to go through all the joys of a baby again, savoring all their "firsts" and watching them grow and change each and every day. What a blessing they are!! We shared our news on Thanksgiving day with our families. No one seemed too surprised. In the past we haven't always had the best of reactions when announcing that we are expanding our family. Everyone has an opinion. "You should be in a certain place financially" or "you should own your own home" or "do you know what's causing that?" That one always irked me the most! But, with this baby no one had a single negative thing to say, or at least not to us. I think everyone finally figured out that having a big family is what we wanted & if it was God's plan for us, then it would be.

We've had some challenges this last year as well. In late January we found out we were going to have to move out of our rent house. This was something I had prayed for for a long time but not in this way.  In "my plan" it was for us to buy our own home, not move into another temporary rent house. The problem was we didn't feel like we were able to commit financially to our own home and mortgage but on the other hand couldn't find a rental property that was large enough for our family that also met our budget. We weren't sure what to do, other than PRAY! We had just over 30 days to find another home. After many hours with a Realtor searching for properties, and time discussing our options and praying with family & friends, God worked everything out (as He always does) & to our surprise we were able to purchase our first home!!! We moved in on February 28, 2012.  

                   I have loved making this house our home with lots of little projects.

 old kitchen

    new kitchen

 I've always wanted a black front door!

I painted the staircase too

We were so far out of our comfort zone, but knew that if all the variables & requirements fell into place, that this is where He wanted us. We moved about 20 minutes from our last home. Our kids were going to finish the year at their schools. Our oldest was in 5th grade & in Intermediate School and our second oldest was in first grade at Old Union Elementary. The drive back and forth (which could be 30-45minutes with traffic) was a major adjustment. I didn't want to move them with only 3 months left of the school year. Plus, we all needed time to get use to the change. Not only would they no longer be living next door to their grandparents (whom they adore) but they would be leaving a school that had been a part of our lives for 6 years. We loved this school and everyone that was a part of it. 


Change is hard, it pushes us out of what's familiar & comfortable and into an unknown. This was hard for Stephen and I but I knew that it was best for our family. The kids start at their new schools at the end of this month. They are excited and a little bit anxious, as am I. This unexpected move has been an answer to our prayers. Not only have we been blessed with our own home, and a neighborhood & community for our kids to grow up in, but we were also  removed from an unhealthy living situation that has made our marriage and our family stronger! 


"But He lifts those in need out of their troubles. He makes their families grow like flocks."  Psalm 107:41


I will be back soon to update on our newest addition!




Blessings,
Erin