One Month Ago...

One month ago, my sweet little dinosaur baby was in my tummy still. I was at the hospital walking and walking and walking trying to get contractions started because my water had broke! It's crazy how fast this last month went! Now my little girl is here and has made quite the impression on us! I can't even imagine life before her! She has fit in so well and we all love her.

One of my favorite things about having Aliyah in our lives now is how much Elijah loves her. He gets so happy every morning when Aliyah wakes up. He runs over and talks to her in a baby voice and says hello and good morning and gives her a kiss and hug. He often asks me if I can bring Aliyah into his room to play. We either put her in her bouncy seat (which doesn't work) or we lay her on his bed. His favorite is when we lay her on his bed because he thinks it's so funny. He also always runs and gets her a blanket if she doesn't have one on her. He shows her his cars. He talks to her about what he has done all day. It's just so cute. And the other super cute part is that Aliyah is always listening to him and watching him. I am pretty sure that he is her favorite person to listen to because he's always talking and he's always excited about whatever he's talking about! :)

Aliyah has grown so much more alert in this first month. She smiles at us now and I think she's trying to laugh sometimes, but it doesn't quite come out right. :) She watches everything intently with her big eyes. She is starting to stay awake every day for around 2 or 3 hours at a time. She does still sleep most of the time. She is now sleeping in her own crib. She is breastfeeding like a champ now. She doesn't cry too much. She loves to cuddle and I think she would prefer if we held her the entire time she is sleeping, but she's starting to sleep for longer intervals. During the day she only sleeps for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, but at night she sleeps for at least 3 hours at a time. She was sleeping 4 hours, but then we switched her to her crib and she's getting used to it. When she starts to get upset, she makes these little dinosaur cries, so I call her my little "Allisaurus." She's too sweet for words. I love her so much!

Anyway, our lives were forever changed a month ago when we welcomed this adorable little baby girl into our family. I am so thankful that God blessed me with her. I love her so much already, and I just know God had huge plans for her life! Thank You, Jesus for giving me the little girl I've ALWAYS WANTED, and the best big boy I could have ever asked for, too! I love my kids!!!! :)

A Strength I Underestimate...

So there have been a few times in my life where I have been faced with a situation that I truly didn't believe I could get through. The first time was when I was called to Iraq in 2003. I couldn't tell you exactly how scared or unsure I was...it was the most frightening thing I've ever been faced with. Yet, I went, I made friends, I found my husband, and I loved my experience. Another time I was faced with something I wasn't sure I could handle was when my husband was called back to Iraq without me. I was facing a year of life without him. A year of life with him in a country where there were people trying to kill him. A year of life with taking care of our 1 year old son (who turned 2 halfway through). Yet, I said goodbye to him, went back to school, took care of our son, and somehow grew closer to my husband despite the distance. This brings me to my most recent trial. I got really sick last week with mastitis. I have been having a love/hate relationship with breastfeeding. I love bonding with my sweet girl and feeding her, but I hate the pain. Well, this last weekend was pretty much the sickest I've ever felt. My left breast hurt more than it's ever hurt, and I continued to breastfeed the entire time. In fact, I breastfed more frequently than ever because I was told that's what you're supposed to do. I got very frustrated at one point and said "I'm done! I don't want to do it anymore!" However, I kept on doing it, and now a few days later, things are better. I feel better, my supply is going up, and best of all THE PAIN IS GONE NOW!!!!!!!! It doesn't hurt to breastfeed anymore! So, I'm so thankful I stuck it out.

It just amazes me that at times when I feel so overwhelmed and stressed with things, I forget how strong I am. God has always given me the exact strength I need to get through every tough situation I've been through, so why would I doubt that he would give me the strength to overcome this sickness last weekend? I would say that from now on I'm going to remember that I'll be able to get through anything, but I'm sure I'll forget by the time the next big trial comes my way. Although, I think that's okay because everytime I feel that much more grateful for the love and strength of God for helping me through! :) Anyway, I'm just thankful that I didn't give up on breastfeeding and that I got sick this last weekend instead of this coming weekend when AJ will be gone the entire time! Praise the Lord!!!