The War Room

When Brian and I were in the hospital with Hannah one night we rented The War Room.  I'd been wanting to see it, and it didn't disappoint.  The premise of the movie is that in the midst of any struggle, you need to wage your war with prayer.  It was a powerful look at how prayer can transform your life.  

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 says: "Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

I mentioned on Monday's post that I felt like my devotion time was not super focused lately.  I think some of that has been the anticipation of Hannah and the changes in our life. However, it's during these changes that my prayer and devotional life should be stronger and more focused, not less.  I definitely feel a need to refocus on my devotion time and my prayer life too. I want to "pray without ceasing" and be in constant communication with God.  It's through this he'll help me to refocus on the right things and cause me to be a better mother and wife too.

I'm working on my list to constant prayers and also working to use the time I have nursing Hannah to be in prayer.

I got this blouse when I was down in Kansas City visiting my sister right around Thanksgiving.  I totally took a chance on it because I was nine months pregnant. I actually tried it on and laughed, but then figured it would fit once Hannah was here, so I took a change and got it.  One thing I've noticed is my lack of casual(ish) tops to wear while I'm on maternity leave that are long enough for leggings and easy for nursing. I'm glad I got this, because it fits my needs perfectly! I tried to find it online, but it's boutique specific and couldn't find one that wasn't wholesale, sorry!

The Kitchen House

I recently read The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom.  It had been on my to-read list for quite a while, and I finally got to reading it.  When I posted on Instagram a lot of people said it's a book that stays with you, and I totally agree.

Set in the south when slavery still existed, we meet Lavinia, an orphan from Ireland who becomes and indentured servant on a plantation amongst slaves.  She finds family within the community of slaves, but is also tied to the "white world" by the color of her skin.  We also meet Belle, whose mom was a slave and fell in love with the plantation owner, and actually was living in the "big house" with him and their daughter Belle.  She suddenly dies, the plantation owner meets another woman, and Belle is removed from the big house to live amongst the slaves.

This story is gripping and twisted in many ways, and shows the evils of slavery and an awful side of plantation families and owners.  This isn't always a pleasant read, but it's very powerful.  I would definitely recommend adding it to your to-read list today!

Life Lately

Today I thought I'd share some details of life lately that I shared on Instagram.  First off, this marks the beginning of my second week at home alone with Hannah.  After so much busyness the first two weeks, its been nice to have time to settle into a routine at home.

One of the first things I set off to do was to focus on a better quiet time with God each day.  I had been feeling like I was not being very focused each day and honestly feel like it was something I was checking off my list, but not digging deeply into.  I decided to go back to the basics and read Romans again, one chapter each day, and journal along with it too. I'm setting aside time each morning after I get ready and while Hannah is napping to take time do really focus.  I'm really enjoying it, and I think it'll help me to be a better mom, wife, and friend too.

Mother of Two

No one tells you that the rest test of motherhood begins with your second child being born, but let me tell you, it totally does!  The last few weeks have been great and crazy at the same time.  Having a Christmas baby isn't something we planned, we just wanted a second child, and we didn't care when she was due.

We did have a lot of activity and craziness around the house during the first week with family in and out.  Hannah was learning how to be human and Grant was learning how to be a big brother.  I'm thankful for family who could love on Grant while Hannah needed my attention, that's for sure. If she had been born while school was still in session it would have given me immediate time one-on-one with her, instead of diving into taking care of two kids right away, just like a stay at home mom with little ones would have to do.

Last week Brian went back to work and I was home with Grant and Hannah alone for a few days.  I talked with Grant about his need to entertain himself while I had to feed Hannah, as well as when I had to put her down for her naps.  Grant really did pretty well, but it has to be a difficult transition for him being an only child for 5 1/2 years before Hannah got here! We have a ranch style home and I think all of us had gotten accustomed to yelling across the house to each other, a habit we really need to break with a sleeping baby. I feel like a spent a lot of time asking Grant to use a quiet voice. I really think I need to be understanding of the fact that he's just five, but sometimes it can take quite a while to get Hannah to sleep and I'm get anxious about her waking up.  I really need to get over this and focus on it being quiet while I'm putting her down, and not worry a ton once she's asleep.

Hannah is on a pretty consistent three (ish) hour feeding schedule and is following the pattern of eat, play, sleep. With so much activity for the first two weeks, I feel like I can finally work on getting to know her one-on-one and begin to "read" her too. It seems like she is much more serious than Grant was as a baby. I'm also working this week to record her daily routine to see if there are certain times each day she's wanting to be awake the longest and when she wants to sleep more quickly too. It seems like if I watch her signs (yawning, stare, etc.) she goes to sleep much more easily than if I miss the signs and she's overstimulated.

Now Grant is back in school, which is great for him to have some structure back and it's given me time to spend with Hannah and tend to her the best I can too. I'm really working to get in extra snuggles with Grant when I can and making sure he know just how very much we love him. Being a mom of more than one kid is no joke, that's for sure.

So, moms of multiple kiddos, share your wisdom with me. How do you #momlikeaboss ?

I am crazy about these sneakers from Vionic! I got to work with them earlier this fall and tried out these booties, so I was excited to try out there new sneakers too.  First off, I love the design and styling of them. They will be perfect for the gym as well as for with casual outfits like this one.  They are also super light-weight and comfortable.  The orthotic technology that goes into all of Vionic's shoes is perfect for being on your feet, like I am as a teachers.  If you haven't checked out Vionic, you totally should!

Life Now

Here's my first style post since having Hannah about ten days ago. For the next few months I'll probably be showing some pretty casual outfits, as I'll mostly be at home or going out for quick errands.  It's cold out there!

A lot has changed with my body in ten days! Within a week of having Hannah I had lost 30 pounds-8lbs of baby and 22 of water, which puts me 5 pounds smaller than I was before I got pregnant, this happened with Grant too. Insane how much water I was retaining! I attribute it all to nursing and I'm thankful that Hannah is doing well with this and that my body is too. I nursed Grant for about nine months and will plan to do the same with Hannah-up to a year. I've also weirdly lost another five pounds this week and don't have the biggest appetite. Any other moms go through this?

I also had so many weird body ailments while pregnant and it's crazy how quickly they went away.  Bye, bye acid reflux, nausea, and aversions to some of my favorite foods like cereal and coffee. I'm thankful I no longer have to take a half dozen pills each night!  My tingly fingers and issues with my hands falling asleep at night has stopped too.  I'm also sleeping much better, but have super crazy night sweats.  I guess it's normal, but I'm soaking the sheets and my clothes nightly.  I'm hoping my hormones regulate soon and it stops, it's the weirdest thing!

I'm also thankful for my real clothes and to get rid of my maternity clothes.  I've officially landed in the "leggings are pants" camp, which I think is due to the fact that I wore them for the last five months straight while I was pregnant.  As long as my butt is covered, I'm fine with this.  Once I'm back to school I promise I'll wear real pants again, but while staying at home with Hannah I plan to be comfy. I'm also excited my shoes fit again! The ones I'm wearing today haven't fit for my entire pregnancy, so I'm so glad I could pull them on easily!

I've also made it a habit to shower and get ready while Hannah takes her first nap.  Even if we don't leave the house I feel better and at least look like a fairly normal person. I'm really excited to get to spend the next few month with Hannah at home and thankful for maternity leave!

Hannah's Room

Miss Hannah and I are beginning to get into a groove here at home. She's taken to a three (ish) hour feeding routine and stretches to four or more hours at night.  At this point she still isn't awake a ton after each time she eats, and I feel like we spend a lot of time in her room. It was so much fun to decorate and I found some really cute things at Gordmans to help make her room extra cute.

Lalabu

I was excited to learn about the concept of Lalabu recently.  The make a high-quality soothe shirt which also works for nursing, and in the front is a pocket, perfect for your little one. Like I mentioned last week, we had a lot of people over for Christmas, and if you have baby, you know they don't also plan to go by your schedule.

Right as it was time to sit down for dinner Hannah woke up. I decided to give my soothe shirt a try and Hannah was all over it.  There is even a built in head rest, which is really nice too. Getting Hannah into the shirt was easy, and it'll be great for at home use, but also for when we are on outings as a family too!

If you are about ready to have a little one of your own, I'd definitely recommend giving Lalabu soothe shirts a try!