Shepherd...He's killing me with his cuteness!!!!

After 4 months of maternity leave, it was back to work (thankfully, only part-time). Children truly are a blessing from the Lord. Shepherd has brought so much joy to our lives. It's amazing the amount of love you can have for someone you haven't even known that long. Shepherd is growing and growing too fast!!! He looks like a completely different baby since he was born. Most of his hair has thinned out, except for the back of coarse. Business in the front, party in the back..yep...Mullet style!!! His smiles and laughs have us in stitches and him and Thomas are working on developing a book of father/son dangerous tricks. Really....they're giving me a heart attack already! Thanks to wisdom from seasoned moms, he's sleeping through the night and is a napping champion. It seems like I get more sleep now than I did before I was pregnant. We are loving where we are right now, and get even more excited about the things to come...giving him food, crawling, walking, playing with things like train,trucks, lincoln logs, and legos!!

I have found that I am very passionate about educating women on pregnancy, labor/delivery, and motherhood ( from what I've learned these 4 1/2 months). I hear so many negative things these days. For example, when you're pregnant, lots of people say, "enjoy this time while you can, because once you have a baby life is hard." Or when you have a newborn, "enjoy this time before they're crawling all over the place and getting into everything." I mean REALLY! Can I get one positive thing about having kids. I know I'm totally new at this, but so far, it's been amazing. Of coarse, it's challenging in the beginning because you're learning your baby and there is some sleep deprivation going on. But, even through all of that, there has been no greater joy!! What an awesome privilege God has entrusted to me and Thomas to raise and train a child (and hopefully children). The Bible says, "

Behold, children are a blessing from the Lord,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

So are the children of one's youth." Psalm 127:3-4

So what does that mean? Children are a BLESSING not a BURDEN. They are precious gifts. God likens them to arrows. It is our job to sharpen and shape them. Sharpening, whether it be a knife, rock, or whatever, is not easy. You sweat, it's hard work, and sometimes sparks fly!! Yikes!! But the end result is a beautiful, sharp weapon. I have a dear friend who I look up to very much tell me, "if I'm not enjoying my kids, I know I am the one doing something wrong."

I just want to encourage mom's, whether seasoned or new, to be encouraged. Seek advice and wisdom from women you look up to and pick their brains. We need to help and encourage one another.

I few of my favorite "mommy things."

Cloth diapers are awesome...and a great way to save lots of money. But I know what you're thinking..."gross"..it's not gross at all. You just rinse them with a cloth diaper sprayer and put them in your cloth diaper bin. I was extremely intimidated at first but I just eased into it a day at a time and now it's easy as pie. Not to mention..they are way cute!!

Another great tip on saving money..just use baby wash clothes for wipes.

For all of you mom's out there that have summer babies, these sleeveless teas are great. Because, let's face it, summers in Tennessee are horrible..the H is O baby!!

And instead of having to put Desitin or other messy, gooie stuff on your baby, just use a diaper ointment stick. No more getting diaper ointment all over you, your baby and everything else when you're changing them.

If you're interested in making your own baby food, "Super Baby Food" is a great way to learn how to make and store it and when to start what foods. There is a little redundancy in this book, but otherwise is good. "The Vaccine Book" informs you what is in each vaccine and the reasoning for those vaccines. Gives an alternate schedule if you want to delay vaccinations or give only one shot at a time. You don't have to take every single thing to heart from these books. I have just found them very helpful as a new mom.