1 Month!

Cade turned one month old in September and here are some details of his life=).

You are about (because we haven't been to the dr. in a while):

 7lbs. & 21in. long

You love:

• Being held
• Eating
• Baths (as long as you have water poured on you)
• Being outside
• Swaying
• Two stepping with Daddy;)

You dislike:

• Going to bed (at night particularly)
• Being slightly hungry
• Having a slightly wet or dirty diaper
• Getting dressed
• Being put in your swing, bouncer or bed for more than 5 mins. 
• Going to sleep

Boy OH boy!

On Sunday, August 23rd, I woke up with a few contractions (or so I thought because this was my first baby).  Trey and I decided not to go to church that morning since it was my due date and just in case something were to happen I didn't want my water breaking in the middle of church, haha.  We just relaxed for most of the day and I continued to have contractions and and called my sister later that day to confirm what I was feeling were in fact the real thing.  They were far apart but were being pretty consistent and weren't uncomfortable yet so I occupied my time but using my exercise ball and just doing different things. I knew I wanted to stay at home for as long as possible before heading to the hospital (I hate hospitals, yuck). Later that evening Trey and I went for a walk around the neighborhood and then visited with our neighbors for a while.  My contractions were starting to get uncomfortable but not horrible and were still coming consistently so I decided to take a warm bath to try and relax around 8pm.  I was trying a program called hypnobabies and I listened to some of my tracks to help me relax.  By about 11pm I was having some pretty good contractions that were close and so I told Trey we better get the car packed and head up to the hospital.  I wanted to try and unmedicated birth but knew if there was a chance I did end up needing an epidural I didn't want to be in so much pain that I couldn't sit still for it. 

We got to the hospital a little before midnight and they took me back and check my cervix, I was at 3cm at that point and the doctor wanted me to wait about an hour before they checked me in to make sure I was in labor since my water hadn't broken yet.  Boy was that a long hour!  By that time I was in some pretty good pain and I was trying to use my hypnobabies cues, ect. to relax my body when I got a contractions but nothing was working.  By the time they came back I had dilated to 4cm & I knew if I was going to get an epidural I better get one.  They checked me into my room (which seemed like it took FOREVER) and got the anesthesiologist to come and give me my epidural.  It was after 1am by then and I was shaking pretty good from the i.v. they gave me and all the hormones so it was pretty hard to keep still but with Trey and my nurses help I was able to get my epidural.  

They let us rest for a while and my doula (Penny, who was an angel) arrived.  My contractions had slowed down since I had gotten my epidural so they gave me some pitocin to see if they would pick back up.  I was nervous because my sister's babies didn't like this when she was given it and had ended up having c-sections because it caused their heart rates to drop so I was praying Cade's would stay steady.  It helped my contractions pick back up and Cade did well with it also.  By around 6/7am my epidural wasn't doing much.  I felt like I had a brick sitting on my lower left side because Cade was sitting so low and it was pretty painful.  They offered to redo my epidural but once my Dr. came and checked me I was dilated to about an 8 and as long as I was progressing I could deal with the pain knowing it would hopefully be over soon.  They broke my water and by then it was a go.  I pushed for about 20 minutes or so before he was born (apparently it takes most first time moms quite a bit longer and thank God it didn't for me because pushing is exhausting!). 

Our beautiful baby boy was born at 11:10AM, was 6lbs. 13oz. & 19 1/2 in. long.  He had blonde hair (must be from his Nana=), and the longest little finger & toes (like daddy), and was just adorable!  Our lives will never be the same and we thank God for a healthy baby and uncomplicated delivery! We pray that God give us the wisdom, patience and grace to raise him up!  

Catch up!

Well, it's been a while since I've been on here, quite a while actually, and much has happened since my last post.  So here's a quick update to catch back up.

Since I moved to Alamogordo, NM, for my boyfriend Trey, in 2013 we got engaged that following Spring of 2014 & then were married in Salado, TX June 21, 2014.  Here are a few pics of some of the momentous life events...

 

In October of 2014, Trey got a job in Lubbock working for a biomedical company and so back to Texas we went!  

Fast forward to December and........we found out we were expecting!!!! I'll write in more detail in the next posts about the future happenings.=)

The Land of Enchantment

Little did I know after I wrote my last blog what was in store for me.  I moved to Alamogordo, New Mexico at the end of July.  The only thing "enchanting" about this state is that Trey is here haha and ok, ok, and the mountains aren't too shabby either.=)  For those of you that know me I don't like to mess around.  I am very straight-forward and am a no nonsense kinda girl.  I don't like to waste time when it comes to relationships and especially now that I am 28  years old (yikes!) I especially feel like I have no time to waste.  Trey and I had been in a relationship for about 4 months when I decided that the right thing to do was to move to New Mexico.  Our relationship had been long distance the entire time and I wanted to see if we could even tolerate much less enjoy living in the same town and seeing each other daily rather than the every other weekend thing we had been doing.  I was in a 5 year relationship before and I didn't want to go another 5 years before I knew if we were right for each other and if this was going to work for the long haul. 

So.............since it was easier for me to pick up my life than Trey (because he had just purchased a house in Alamogordo) I quit my job in Comanche, packed my dodge, and headed west.  It was hard moving so far from my family, friends and everything I've known but I felt the Lord calling me to Alamogordo for this season to see where things would go with Trey.  I have a job currently working for the city in the Public Housing and I'm really enjoying it.  I love the staff I work with and there is NEVER a dull moment as far as our tenants are concerned!  I went for about a month without a job and boy is it nice to have an income again! 

I am loving spending time with Trey and getting to know more and more about each other.  He really brings joy to my heart and I am falling in love with him more and more everyday.  He is such a mess (in a good way), but is also one of the sweetest and kind men I've ever known.  He is so supportive and loving to me, treats me impeccably well and makes me laugh more times than not and I just really enjoy his companionship.  He makes me feel like myself again and I just really feel at home when I am with him.  We are so alike but also have our differences.  I feel so lucky to be his girlfriend and that the Lord has allowed our lives to be intertwined. 

I am hopeful for our future and even though I am FAR, FAR, away from home I am glad to not have to commute to see each other anymore! 

I am grateful the Lord has helped me transition easily and of course I am anxious to return to Texas when it's time=), but I will choose to take things as they come and be patient because God is in control!

Feel free to come and visit!

How "sure" are things?

Whenever I have something running through my mind on a constant basis, writing has always been my "go-to" when dealing with it.  I guess I'm the kind of person that has to voice/write out things so that I feel they are being released.  We all think about things that we NEVER share or speak out loud but there's just something about putting it in writing (or blogging) that seems to bring some sort of relief or sense of clarity to the situation or circumstance. 

I am 110% an over-thinker.  I seem to have developed this "knack" over the years and it is one that I really wish I hadn't developed as I've gotten older.  I guess I am more careful of my choices in life because I know that a lot of times we only get ONE chance or some small choice can be pivotal in what road you take in life.  This has been the key to my over-thinking as well as my tendency to want to be in control or oh so stupidly thinking I am in control. 

Relationships seem to be the biggest area where my over-thinking has blow up in FULL FORCE lately.  I won't lie I have had few compared to most people my age but nonetheless I take being in one and all that goes with it seriously.  Relationships in society have changed DRASTICALLY  over the years and it is really sad to see what they have become.  I have been through many ups and downs in the relationships that I have had, even though I would wish to change some things about them, at the same time I wouldn't change them either, because I know they have brought me to the place I am now.  I have had the good, bad, ugly, and really ugly as far as my past goes.  I've experienced love, fun, hate, hurt, deep hurt, betrayal, surprise, pain, dishonesty, laughter, joy, tears (many tears=) and the list goes on and on.  I don't understand why some things happened how they did or why they didn't work out but I have to rest in the fact that God had a plan in the pain as well as the good times and nothing will thwart his plans from succeeding.  He has taught me how I want to be loved and cared for and how I DON'T.  He's actually taught me a lot about myself and my insecurities as well as my strengths.  Places that I have and do struggle in are in giving up.  I am NOT good at it! Sometimes I feel like Lot's wife looking back on Sodom and Gomorrah, when God tells them not to look back.  I feel like looking back at my past turns me to stone just like it did her when she looked back.  I am afraid of making the wrong choice and sometimes by moving on I feel like I'm leaving something behind something that I should wait for, especially when you love that something.  I want to make the right choice and I wish that God would just not give us a choice in certain things that he would just say, "here this is the way it's going to be, this is the person I have for you." I think it would be easier that way, haha.  Unfortunately, and fortunately God gives us choices.  I guess trust and faith wouldn't be what they are if there wasn't any risk or unknowns involved.  It's funny how you can be so sure about something your entire life and then BAM you're thrown for a loop.  I have to remind myself CONSTANTLY that God already knows the ending to my story and has it all in control and I should relax because he has good things for me!

I have to consciously make the choice to CHOOSE to trust the Lord to lead me along HIS path of life for me.  He's writing my story and by being so darn worrisome I am stealing the joy of trusting Him and his plan for me.  I pray for wisdom and discernment in my choices daily and know the Lord will provide if I'll be still and listen.  Bottom line is, He loves me and has immensely better plans that greatly exceed any my little brain can conjure up=).  I will stop trying to figure it out and relax, and enjoy the ride. The Lord is good and his love endures F O R E V E R! What more do I need to know?!

p.s. I should have become a nun;)

Live, Laugh, and Let Go,
~Charity

Out with the old in with the new!

I am a bit late on this post and really haven't written in a while quite frankly, but none the less here we go... I think it is always a good thing to sit down and write out the past years happenings a) to bring things into perspective and b) to in a way purge myself from the past in order to move on to what's next.

This past year of my life has been a struggle for me to say the least.  There were definite blessings, some in disguise:) but it was a hard year.  I broke up with the love of my life and man I thought I would spend forever with which was one of the most difficult things to do. I am a fighter to my core and walking away from the hopes and dreams I had with that individual was not the norm for me but I knew I could not ignore what the Lord was calling me to do even though my heart was literally dying inside but I knew my Savior knows best even when my earthly body and mind want to rebel. 

I moved to Comanche, TX, aka middle of nowhere Texas to help start and run a retail/garden center/fresh produce store which is where I am currently.  The Lord allowed me to rest, recooperate and be in a place where he could have my undivided attention to work and repair my badly broken heart and spirit! Living out in the country and getting a taste of country life that I haven't gotten to enjoy since my Grandparents have died was just the medicine I needed. I am FULLY convinced the country is good for the soul and always want it in my life! My job allowed me to earn a living and be able to travel and study for my ever irritating teacher certification test that I had been needing to get passed in order to teach.  My Uncle and Aunt were so gracious to let me live in the house next door to them to have my own little space as well.  The Lord has grown me as I have been in Comanche probably more than ever and taught me what it is to truly be still and listen to His voice and I am BEYOND grateful for his guiding me along His path for my life. 

There have been more loves and heartbreaks throughout the year and he has manuvered me
strategically through them.  I have been blessed to have been reconnected with friends that are so dear to my heart and because of moves or whatever reasons just lost touch over the years . That has been one of the biggest blessings this year by far! I am ashamed that I have neglected such wonderful friendships for all this time but it is just a great reminder of God's love and mercy to me.  I will not let that happen again! I am so lucky to have the kind of deep friendships that I can not see these people for 10 or so years and then be able to essentially pick up right where we left off as if no time has passed. Now THAT is truly a rare thing in this world!  I also became an Auntie which has been incredible. Abigail Morgan Moss is without a doubt the cutest little girl and yes I'm biased;).

I FINALLY passed my History 8-12 content test (insert fist pump) and was also able take the Ec-6th elementary test to be certified in that as well so my options seem to be WIDE open as far as teaching in the fall.  I hope to find a job at the elementary level..


I feel like I have he chance to do and go anywhere for the first time in my life and that is a really weird feeling for me.  It's like I have a clean fresh slate on which to do whatever in a sense or to allow the Lord to do whatever with me. I have no attachments obligations other than my family which I love being near dearly but I know I could if I had to, or the Lord called me, live away from them.  I am waiting with great anticipation to see where and what the Lord will call me to... I am a bit of a planner so this is a new thing not knowing what will happen next! I feel renewed and ready (fingers crossed) for this next chapter of life.  I don't know yet what 2013 will bring in this fleeting life on earth but I am sure of one thing my God, Savior, friend and provider is in control and will guide and lead me as I trust him! What a comforting and wonderful thing to know!  I am ready to live what I have left of this life with no regrets, much love and a passion to live, love, show grace and mercy, forgive and serve by His example! 

I pray the new year finds each of you reading this well and that you will commit this new year to Him and his Glory!

Prayerfully waiting and watching!
-Charity

"YOUR NAME"

What a sweet reminder this song is of what just the name of our Father can do. What a privilege to serve, worship and call friend a God who's name holds such power! Several people cover this song I love Paul Baloche and Philips Craig and Deans versions...


As morning come and evening fades
You inspire songs of praise
That rise from earth to touch your heart and glorify your name

Your name is a strong and mighty tower
Your name is a shelter like no other
Your name let the nations sing it louder
Cuz nothing has the power to save but your name

Jesus in your name we pray
Come and fill our hearts today
Lord give us strength to live for you and glorify your name

Your name is a strong and mighty tower
Your name is a shelter like no other
Your name let the nations sing if louder
Cuz nothing has the power to save but your name