Baby Boot Camp

So I have been amazingly blessed with the sweetest little girl: Macey Brooke Batchelor. She arrived 5 days before her due date on Wednesday, June 29th 4:14 pm. That is exactly 2 weeks ago! It is so hard to believe that my little bundle of joy is already 2 weeks old. Time goes by so fast, and I can already see changes in her development and appearance. I must say that labor was not as bad as everyone says: I only labored (actively) for about 10 hours and only pushed for 10 minutes! Coming home from the hospital on day 2 was a little scary and exciting. I am so full of all kinds of emotions: exhaustion, happiness, anxiety, amazement, love and many many more! I feel like they are all good and much needed emotions to feel when having a newborn at home. I always worry about SIDS and Macey's health... this is normal I have learned... and I must say that what makes me feel at ease... is GOD! I pray constantly for Macey! My mother gave me a book/ daily devotional called: Baby Boot Camp. This book is great! Written by a mom and christian... it has helped me become a stronger person, both spiritually and as a mother. I am always longing to be closer to God and this book is helping tremendously with that. Today I am on day 14. Today my devotion focused on FAITH. Sometimes faith is hard to keep... but with Macey it is the only thing that keeps me from worrying 24-7! God is good and I know he has angels with Macey all the time. At night... I imagine her room surrounded my angels who are singing to her a heavenly song!

Soul Mates

There is no doubt in my mind that God meant for Trey and I to be together. I find my love grows for my husband daily... and I thought this could not be possible, as I already love him so deeply. When you find true love... starting a family is not something you think twice about. Why would you not want to create a miracle with your partner and soul mate? Most days I still cant believe that Trey and I have been blessed with this miracle. Our love for each other is amazing, but the love we share for our un born daughter is so strong. We cannot wait to meet Macey! Blessings in my life continue and I thank God daily! I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. With love and happiness at its fullest... what else could I ever ask for!

True love is:

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ~ Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or
resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Pregnancy Milestones

So as I was speaking with one of the clerks at work today... I decided that I should be keeping track of my milestone moments throughout my pregnancy. Keeping track will allow me to remember these amazing moments in the future and to share them with Macey as she gets older.

So... as my memory is not so great these days... I am going to try and recall the big moments up to week 20.

October 11, 2010: God made baby Macey
October 23, 2010: First positive pregnancy test
October 28, 2010: Confirmation from OB- Dr. Potter
November 23, 2010: First ultrasound
November 24, 2010: Told Family we were expecting
December 28, 2010: Second trimester began
January 6, 2011: Heard heart beat for the first time
February 1, 2011: Second/anatomy ultrasound- found out we are having a girl.
February 1, 2011: Told family we are having a girl * Macey Brooke *
February 14, 2011: 1/2 way mark @ 20 weeks... and really started to show :)

So those are the big moments/date I would like to remember!
Weight gain started slow with only 7 pounds gained at week 18. At week 20 I have now gained a total of 14 pound... wow! Right on target! Being a dietitian I found it hard to eat enough... but as long as baby is healthy mommy is okay!

I hope to document the big moments from now on out! Wish me luck!

Baby Mine

God's power and grace is amazing. Trey and I have been blessed beyond belief. God has given us the most precious gift, the gift of life. We are expecting our first child on July 4, 2011. Trey and I did plan this pregnancy, but it is ultimately Gods plan that rules. We can only pray for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby boy or girl. We have had one ultrasound and have gotten to see our little one. The most amazing part of the ultrasound was seeing our babies heart beating! Babies grow so fast and this week (week 11) he or she is the size of a lime. I continue to stay healthy thus far and thank God everyday. My belly is starting to look like a prego belly and that makes me happy! Please keep me and my family in your thoughts and prayers!

Amazing

God is AMAZING! I am so blessed to be healthy and to have a healthy family! Life is such a precious gift and I realize that more and more each day. Looking forward to lots of happy times to come!

Journey

If you would have told me 5 years ago that I would be married, a home owner, a dietitian with a professional career and a real "grown up", I would have not believed you. I always knew I wanted to peruse a career that would mean something; somehow I could make a difference in my community. Happy does not even come close to describing my feeling of accomplishing that goal. Helping people in my community through nutrition counseling and health education is so fulfilling.

Having a family at such a young age is also amazing. God has blessed me beyond belief. Finding my soul mate so early on in life is incredible. It is crazy to think that I could actually celebrate 60 years of marriage. Trey is an incredible husband and I don’t know what I would do without him. I thank God everyday for bringing us together.

My life has turned out even better then I could have ever imagined. God is in control and always knows what is best for each of us. I have enjoyed every stage of my life and do not think for one moment that I am too young to have come so far in life. It feels great to have made so many accomplishments in love, relationships and professionally.

Children may come next, if that is God's plan for us. Trey and I feel as if we have things in order now, financially, professionally, spiritually and personally. We are in a great place a cannot wait to see what God blesses us with next.

LOVING LIFE and the journey that has gotten me there.

Striving

It seems as if I am not a very good blogger. Life can be very busy lately, but this is no excuse! Many of my friends, who are also VERY busy, blog religiously. I strive to be a better blogger in the next few months… lets see how this goes shall we.

Speaking of striving to be better… I would love to become a more devoted Christian and strengthen my relationship with God. If anyone knows of a good bible study... please pass the info along! Trey and I are still searching for a church in Jackson County, but not as hard as we should be. Maybe I can talk Trey into going to a church this Sunday... wish me luck, and send up some prayers!

On another note, Trey and I are now homeowners. We purchased our “starter home” on November 24, 2009. We are very happy with our purchase and look forward to improving our house and making it a great home. We are going to tackle a kitchen and bathroom remodel when tax money comes. Wish us luck and please keep us in your thoughts throughout this process. We hope to finish the project by the end of April. I will post some before and after pics when I can.

My dietetic internship is going well. I just started my second rotation with the Cherokee Central Schools. I am working along side the Child Nutrition Coordinator. Working with her excites me to become a great professional. I am so anxious to finish this internship and find a job. Let’s hope that there are some positions available in May!