Six and a Half Months and Counting Backwards Part 1: The Reckoning

What a trip this has been! We don't even know where to start since we last posted about our lives way back in February. My how time flies! So, if you didn't already know, we have a beautiful baby boy named James. He's six months old now, but it's been longer since we last posted here together. We figured it was time to do a recap on most of our adventures from April until now.

From where we sit now, we definitely count ourselves blessed that we decided to go ahead and pack our hospital bag April 2nd, because all through the day on April 4th, unbeknownst to Daily or Stuart, Daily was in labor. As she left work one of her co-workers said, "I bet I won't see you tomorrow because you'll be having your baby." We love it when people are right (sometimes).

So the time finally came. At 3 am on April 5th Daily was in active labor, even though she denied it. Stuart timed the contractions and together they decided to go to the hospital at 5 am. (Really, it was Stuart's decision. Daily was SURE they would send her home). They got to the hospital, saw the nurse, and were admitted to the delivery room. Sure enough we had to call our parents. We called Daily's first and hoped her mom wouldn't be mad at us for having the baby 3 weeks early and before she was set to come in by plane. We say this because Jame's cousin Robert was born just a few days before he was. We then called Stuart's parents and everyone was happy.

We got in and the labor was relatively fast. We didn't even have time to finish our movie! At 12:35 p.m. James was born. He was cheesy and floppy and loud, but cute as a button. For a while we were alone- just the three of us. Then we got a surprise visit from my cousin Michelle, but she brought someone with her. Daily's mom! (Daily may or may not have cried).

Not going to lie. That first night was tough. Even after an easy delivery, the needs of a baby are a lot. But, luckily James was completely worth it.

The next day Stuart's mom was there. This is her first grandchild, so it was a very special occasion for her. It was fun to have both Nana and Grammy there for the next couple of days as Stuart and Daily wrested with how to deal with not getting too much sleep (they still do this). It was a very special time for us as a family. Once our mothers left we were on our own for a little while, and we were anxious about what our future held for us. But we put our faith in God and trusted in Him to help us.

Stay tuned for the next part- "the Moveneing"...

 

      James 
  Spencer 
  Evans                                            

     

April 5th, 2016

Eve

She gave up paradise to till the ground with her husband. She noticed that God had a plan for her beyond that of a garden- something much bigger. "Glorious mother Eve" had the perspective that I am working to cultivate.

After a particularly hard day, with little bit fighting sleep and struggling with tummy issues, I was at my wits end. I knelt down at my bed. Okay, in all honesty I curled up in a ball in bed with my legs aching for relief after carrying the little man all day long. I didn't know what to say, what to ask for. I simply knew I needed help. In the answer, I also heard my mothers voice- advice from a mother.

"He's not going to die from crying a little bit, and neither will you."

So, not necessarily the answer I wanted. I wanted a pound of chocolate and a never-tired, always energetic body. But, this answer was better. It reminded me that life isn't about being paradise. It's about learning to become like Christ. What would Christ do if a child was crying? He would simply comfort them. He could do it perfectly. I cannot, and that is okay. It gives me one more opportunity to couple with Him in this journey of mortality, marriage, and motherhood. It gives me an opportunity to teach my baby, who already knows perfectly, that Christ  will answer every question- even those of reflux, tummy issues, and constant crying. 

Sometimes that answer is: go see a doctor. 

So, as I get up to face another day with my little boy and my husband, I remember that it's not just about getting through the day. It's also about becoming like Christ. 

Be my valentine

For Valentine's Day, we decided it was time to get away. We traveled down to St. George for a little sun and decided to do what we do best... eat! We started with chips and queso from Don Pedro's. They had great chips- crispy, but a little thick. 

 As we waited for dinner, we walked around downtown St. George and found this horse statue made from different mechanical parts.

 After not getting called in for dinner for about an hour (they had the wrong phone number for us), we were happy to sit down and eat at George's corner. The food was good, but the company was better. I sure do love my valentine!

 We spent actual Valentine's day walking around Cedar city, going to church, and enjoying our leftovers. We even had our bubbly! (Root beer... it's our thing!)

 On our way back to Ogden we stopped by Cove Fort. It is a really amazing structure and reminded us of the refuge that we receive on our long journey here on earth. I am so lucky that marriage is one of those safe havens.

We remembered... we have a blog!

Blogging and journal writing are basically the same thing- we know they're important, but completely space doing the little things!

Anyways, here are all our progression pictures up until now. We can't believe that we are only 9 (ish) weeks from delivery of our little guy! He's so active, especially in the evenings right after dinner. At our last doctor's appointment he was 3 pounds 6 ounces, which is in the 58th percentile. He must get that from his  Daddy's birth weight, because we all know that Mama didn't pack on the pounds.

4 weeks 

6 weeks

8 weeks

10 weeks

17 weeks

19 weeks

24 weeks

29 weeks