I realize that I have been MIA for over a week. With my sister moving in for the last month before her wedding, a few bridal showers at my house, being a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding this weekend, and all the preparations that go along with these exciting events, it has been busy at the Brown household. I actually assigned several new meanings to the acronym MIA to describe my life during the last 10 days. But first things first...while I have been missing in action, here are a few highlights since I last posted:
Carter smiling at his Gram Me on her birthday.
Carter is sleeping in the same bassinet that his Grandad (Scott's dad) slept in when he was a baby! The Browns have the bassinet at their house for when their grandson comes to visit.
These pictures show Carter pushing up and lifting his head. He pushed all the way up, but by the time I got my camera, he had lowered his head. However, he did hold this pose for longer than a minute! He is growing stronger every day and loves trying to hold his head up.
Carter has also started cooing. He does this particularly when he is lying on his Einstein activity mat. He has rolled from his tummy to his back three times! At his last appointment with the pediatrician, he weighed 10 lbs 12 oz (75th percentile) and measured 23 1/4" (90th percentile!).
Last Tuesday, Carter and I ventured out to the Iguana Grill for Girls' Night Out. He did very well! The noise didn't seem to bother him, and he was very entertained by the Mexican lights when he woke up. It was very cold that night, so I bundled him up . I am beginning to feel more comfortable taking him out and about.
Those parenting books are right on the money. Carter turned six weeks today and gave us his first "social" smile this morning, just as the experts predicted. He gave me a grin like I have never seen before, and I proceeded to spend the rest of today doing everything I could just to garner another million dollar smile.
Motherhood Induced Amnesia
I want to officially apologize to all of you whom I have failed to return calls or emails. Quite honestly, I just plain forget. On The Today Show last week, a segment highlighted this condition that new mothers suffer from. Experts said that this "momnesia" (so they have termed it) is hormone-related and affects the brain, causing difficulty in memory retention and recollection. So it IS real! I am not going crazy. Yes, I am sleep deprived. But my daily struggle to recall words and names throughout every conversation has been medically proven and verified. Meredith Veira reported that one mom forgot to pack any clothes for the baby when the family went on vacation. I do hope I won't make such a significant mistake, but feel free to give me reminders about anything and everything if you have any doubts or concerns. Chances are, they're legitimate. (And remember, so is momnesia.)
Making It Applicable
On a serious note, I have been continuing to make efforts to keep my priorities in the right order: God, Scott, Carter, etc. It's easy to grasp this concept in my mind, but I have a more difficult time translating it to my heart. And what exactly does this order look like in my daily life? If I spend more hours feeding and caring for Carter, how do I keep my Lord and my husband as my top two priorities? How do I make this important and crucial truth applicable to my life?
During the last couple of days, I have tried to use the nursing times to pray or read. I also realized that I could be going over Scripture memory cards during this time. This morning, I remembered some counsel that author Richard Foster gave for parents of infants in his book Prayer: "Rather than trying to pray in some fanciful isolation that you will never find, discover God in your times with your baby. God will become real to you through your baby. The times of play with your baby are your prayer. You may be able to pray during feeding time - this is especially true for nursing mothers - so sing your prayers to the Lord. In a few short months, you will be able to return to a more regular pattern of prayer." How liberating and encouraging!!!!
Scott and I try to spend at least five or ten minutes having a real conversation and discussing the events of the our days. He has been so supportive every step of the way (even in my "Veronica" moments), and I hope I can keep showing him that same commitment and love.
I would welcome any suggestions from other mothers on how you practically manage to keep Christ first in your life and your marriage before your precious child. It is easier said than done.
More In love All the time
Today I left Carter with my mom while I ran some errands to prepare for the wedding festivities this weekend and the shower at my house. Being away from my son for just a few hours made me miss him so much. As I held him upon returning home, I was overwhelmed with my love for this little boy. I fall more in love with him all the time. I know the Lord didn't have to bless us with a child, and I wouldn't have felt any less loved for that decision. But I do feel overwhelmingly grateful for this blessing. And I would be lying if I said I don't love Him any more for it.
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3 comments:
Kelley, I enjoy keeping up with you guys! I really liked that quote and I think it is so true. Anytime I am feeding Mallie or rocking her, or holding her while she sleeps I naturally just turn my thoughts to the Lord. It is just about impossible to look at your child and not see the Lord God, the one who created him/her. Those are the times that I can communicate best with Him. I also find myself having time in the Word better at night after I have put her down. I am usually a morning person with this but she is usually the first thing I have to turn my attention to (physically) in the morning. Another thing that helps me during the day is just to keep praise music on while I am at home and not turn on the tv. I think with your husband you have to make a conscience decision to give more time and adoration to him and making it a point to continue what you had before baby came. I will definitely appreciate other people's comments and ideas!
Hey! Fun to have another blogging friend's blog to read - and such a precious little boy, so close to Bennett's age! (one month younger to be exact!). Even though everyone says not to, its so fun to compare where Carter is and where Bennett is in development...Bennett rolled over from belly to back three times too, but that was about 4 weeks ago and he hasn't since! He isnt the biggest fan of tummy time so he kinda just freezes after awhile and cries when I place him on his belly.
Oh and Amen to this: "If I spend more hours feeding and caring for Carter, how do I keep my Lord and my husband as my top two priorities? How do I make this important and crucial truth applicable to my life?"
I always feel like I am juggling too many balls, but then I just sit back and realize that by loving and caring for this baby, I am doing work that God planned and wanted me to do. As Joy said - just seeing your child is a constant reminder of the Lord and, for me, makes me remember Him every minute I spend with Bennett. Its amazing the closenes I feel with the Lord when I am holding my son....I think He does that on purpose! :) Bennett and I pray together every night before I put him to sleep, and Stephen and I make sure we have time to pray together everyday, even if it is just before we eat dinner. Now that we have more of an established "bedtime" for Bennett, I find it much easier to spend quality time with Stephen, like we did BB (before Bennett) :). Sorry this is so long but I love discussing all of this! Your son is precious and I look forward to keeping up with your family! I will have to tell Stephen about you - Im sure he remembers! take care and God Bless
Kelley,
I hope all the wedding events go well and the parties as well! That is so neat that your sister is marrying a Wright and my sister is marrying a Brown!
I love to read your blog because you write well (something I am not that good at) and you get me thinking! I agree with Joy about the time I spend with Caleb makes me think of the Lord, his blessings, and I usually pray while Caleb eats and falls asleep in my arms. As far as setting aside time with your husband, I think this can be hard. It takes effort to make sure they don't feel like they come in 2nd to your baby. Zach and I try to spend some time together at night after Caleb goes to bed. We also try to eat together every couple of weeks without Caleb....and while we are eating, I try not to constantly talk about Caleb and focus on Zach and things he is thinking about etc....Caleb usually comes up in the conversation, but at least we have talked about other things too. I am still learning (and probably will be my whole life) how to keep God first, Zach second, and then the children.
I would love to catch up soon!
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