Keeping the Faith

To our Rainbow Baby,

Elora Faith, did you know I call you our rainbow baby? That’s because you have a sibling who’s in heaven with Jesus. We miss that sweet baby a lot. But we now know that we have you in our lives instead!

You were living in my tummy when what would have been your angel sibling’s due date, December 24, 2016. That was hard, especially since it was a week after Nanny passed. But the hope of holding you in my arms helped me get through. My pregnancy with you was fraught with fear, especially for the first few weeks because of my fear of losing you. I just had to have faith.

The first time I saw your little heart beating at 8 weeks pregnant was amazing! I was nervous at every scan I had when you lived in my tummy because I was afraid there would be a time they couldn’t find your heartbeat. But they found it every time. We even found out you’re a girl! I'll never forget that day...the first place I went to was Wendy's to give Nanny the envelope that said "GIRL!" I still didn't know what you were, she was the first to know and all she told me was "another angel.."

I asked God to help me enjoy my pregnancy with you. I made an extra effort this time. I did not want to take you for granted. I should never take you for granted. I held onto my faith.

New life isn’t something to take for granted. I wish I could teach you about how short life is, but it’s something that you have to experience first hand to understand. Even God says in His Word that life is short, just a vapor.

In the story of Noah, God put a rainbow in the sky after he had flooded the earth to promise that He’d never destroy the whole earth with a flood again. The rainbow is a sign that God always keeps His promises. God is sovereign. That means He always knows what He’s doing. He knew what He was doing when He told us to wait for you. We call you our rainbow baby because you were born after we lost a child, but you’re also our rainbow baby because God gave you to us as a reminder of His FAITHfulness. You were my light that Jesus gave me when I was in the dark.

After Nanny passed I prayed that God would give you something to remind me of her. And oh how He answered! It may not be the red hair I was hoping for but sweet girl it is so much better. Your birthmark is a very clear sign from God to me. I can't help but imagine Nanny kissing you right above your eye when I look at you. You have her sweet content personality that I always admired in her. You may only be 3 months old, but I can see it in you. Your smile warms my heart and brightens my day, just like hers did. Oh what a beautiful promise you are, sweet girl!

We love you, Elora Faith. We also love and miss our baby who’s now with Jesus. That doesn’t change our love for you. We are very thankful that God had us wait even though it wasn’t the path Daddy and I had in mind, I couldn't imagine life without you. The pain and the grief was difficult. The waiting and uncertainty was hard. The hope of meeting you was exciting. Now you’re in our arms, and we’re overjoyed. God has a special plan for your life. Just remember that when things get hard, He always (always, always) knows what He’s doing and He keeps his promises!

I love you, my little bunny! 

Love, 

   Mommy 

1/2 Birthday!

Height/Weight: Miss Evie Joy is a healthy 19 lbs even and 25 1/4" long! Doctor said she's growing right on track. 90th percentile in weight, 50th in height, and 10th in head size. 

Sleep: Praise the Lord sleep is getting better around here! We had concerns that Evie Joy had some breathing problems that were caused by large adenoids, which would be the same issue Elliana had when she was younger. Her breathing is sounding much better, and with that and her sleeping making progress, her Doctor (and I) are not concerned about adenoids at this time.

Eating: Still nursing and going strong!!! The 6 month mark is a great accomplishment and now marking our goal to 6 more months! We have introduced baby food and girlfriend is just not a fan... She does however like food she can chew and gum on, so we are going to try the baby led weaning route. This will be new for us to try but we feel like it's best for Evie Joy and her nutrition to go this way. I'll keep updates and posts on how it goes! She does love puffs, and rice rusks. 

Sizes: She's still in 9 month clothes and some 9-12 months. I've become a pro at the roll and tuck with sleeves and pants that are too long for her. She got a new adorable wardrobe for Christmas (thanks to Santa and Grandparents ;) ). We just didn't expect our littlest baby to grow so fast!! 

Milestones: She's sitting up on her own, has one tooth that has cut through, feeding herself with chunks and slices of food, trying really hard to get on her knees (I never said she was allowed to do that yet..), but definitely scooting all over the place, very interactive with her toys and people. I just love her baby talk (:

Personality: We are so blessed to have such happy babies! She laughs at mommy and daddy, but mostly at her big sissy. She can always make Evie Joy smile. She is starting to get to that age when she knows I'm leaving she sticks that bottom lip out, and whines a little, but once I walk in the room it's all smiles and giggles! She's also showing her little temper when she wants a toy and just can't quite reach it... uh oh.

(look at them rolls on rolls <3 )

Memorable Moment: My favorite thing that Evie Joy does right now is whenever I start singing to her she gives me the biggest smile. It melts my heart every time and I will always remember this special memory with my girl. (:

(I will never get over the love these 2 girls have for each other)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas & New Year! We enjoyed celebrating with family and friends, and spending time together! One of my goals for the new year is to blog more. The past couple of months have been busy for us, and trying to set in a new routine for everyone. But I would love to take at least two days a week to share more posts! I hope you all have a blessed Monday!! 

5 Months

If I have said it once, I've said it 1000x...It just goes by so fast!! Evie Joy is 5 months old and more fun than ever! 

Height/Weight: She 25 inches long and 17.2 lbs! I hope think she's slowing down, she's getting impossible to carry in her car seat, but I'm grateful she's a healthy, growing girl!!

Sleep: I could write a whole post about this, and actually I think I will. I'm just going to say it...the whole sleeping thing isn't working for our girl. I have a some ideas as to why but I think I will wait when we go back to the doctor next month (if we don't end up there sooner). I don't think she won't sleep, I think it's more that she CAN'T. It's just very hard on her, meaning it's hard on everyone in the Roberts household. But I'm determined to get answers..sooner rather than later. 

Eating: Where she lacks in sleep she makes up for in eating. She's the best little nursing baby..she will eat for about 10 minutes on one side every 3-4 hours. We also started her on rice cereal last week, and it's been going great! She's learned how to use the spoon very quickly, and big sissy loves to help feed her, she will get her cereal, spoon, and bowl out too. (:

Sizes: Evie Joy is into pretty much all 9-month clothing. Some random 6-month stuff fits her but once it’s washed it’s too tight so I’ve been buying her all 9 months to make sure it fits for a while, even if it's a little loose on her now. Right now I’m loving her in leggings, chunky sweaters, and graphic tees. I still can't find the right shoes to fit her.. 

Milestones: She's basically mobile in my opinion. Girlfriend scoots and wiggles around all over the place, she's almost sitting up on her own. She will do it for a little bit but tips over, she can sit up and use her arms to hold her up! Which is good because that means she's working those arm muscles, and she definitely needs to do that. Those chunky arms is what kept her from rolling over to her back..but she's got it now!! 

Personality: As long as the babe is not tired or hungry she is happy happy happy! Her sad faces just kill me though. She will cry and then see me and start puckering that bottom lip out. Oh that's going to get us in trouble ;) She loves to play especially with Elliana, and in her little walker. 

Memorable Moment: We have started her on cereal and have moved her to the crib! She was sleeping her rock n play sleeper, but has outgrown that. It will be interesting to see how this goes ;) Hoping at her next check up we will figure out her sleep issues and move her to her room with big sister! She also love the rice cereal! First time I gave it to her she took the spoon away from me!

3 & 4 Months

It's been a minute or 2 since I've done a monthly update. To get enough free time to blog is very rare...obviously. But here is our 3 and 4 month updates...4 months already?? 

Height/Weight: She was 22 1/2" and 14.5 lbs. She sure is our chunky monkey!

Sleep: She has outgrown the whole "I have to be held to sleep" phase. But she still loves to cuddle!! She's waking up 2 times at night to eat and slowly getting herself on a pretty good routine. 

Eating: Still nursing and going strong!! She's eating every 2 1/2-3 hours.

Sizes: She's in her 3-6 months clothes and size 2 diapers. Woah. She is is just growing too fast!!

Milestones: Recognizes mommy, daddy, and big sister! Watches moving objects, gurgles and coos...all the time. Holding on to toys, wiggles, kicks, and doing "mini push-ups".

Personality: Just like Elliana, Evie Joy is a happy happy baby! She is so smiley, especially when Elliana is talking to her. One thing she did get from her daddy is his immune system... Poor baby seems to be sick all the time. She's had 1 ear infection at this point and very congested. ):

Memorable Moment: We went to the local fair with some friends, and of course Evie had a major blowout while we were in line for a ride. There was nothing near by to change her on so it took 3 of us to change her in her stroller. It just made me think that even though this is our second child, we still have some "firsts" with her. (:

Height/Weight: 23" and 16.2lbs!! She's growing a lot faster than her sister did at this age!

Sleep: Raise your hand if you're a mom and just LOVE daylight savings time!! Yea..me either.. We were just getting on a great routine with 2 good naps during the day and going to bed at 7 on the dot and now it's all scattered again. Whew.. We are getting back to a routine again..slowly but surely. But at night she is sleeping great! She wakes up around 3 to eat and goes right back to sleep until 7:30.  

Eating: She's nursing about every 4-5 hours now. We haven't started rice cereal or oatmeal with her. With Elliana we started at 4 months but there's something telling me that Evie's not ready. She's obviously not undernourished, so we may wait until 6 months. Any of you mama's out there wait about baby food? What was your experience like?

Sizes: She's wearing 6-9 months and size 3 diapers. I'm glad the weather here has been pretty warm because most of the 6-9 month clothes I have from Elliana are for warmer weather. So needless to say Santa will be bringing Evie Joy a new wardrobe ;)

Milestones: She's rolling over, teething, grabbing toys and putting them in her mouth, she's laughing and it's adorable! 

Personality: She's such a sweet baby, there's something about her that tells me she's not going to be a "wild child" like her sister (..or maybe that's just my hope haha). She's very cuddly and a total mama's girl but that doesn't keep her from smiling when she sees her daddy (:

Memorable Moment: This isn't a very happy memory, but something I won't forget.. Evie Joy has now had 3 ear infections, bronchiolitis, and just horrible congestion issues. It's absolutely pitiful when your child is sick, especially at such a young age when they can't tell you what's wrong. So pretty much all of October she was sick.. Hopefully it's all out of her system just in time for festive holiday fun!! 

I'm working on getting on a better schedule to blog more. There are so many things I want to post about! Thank you to all of those who read my blog, even if it's not just about my family and our crazy life! (:

Elliana's 3rd Birthday Belle Party

I can't believe our Elliana Grace is 3 years old!

This age is the most trying so far, but also the most fun! She is so funny and keeps us laughing everyday, and also keeps our hearts smiling. She has her "moments" like most people do, but her sweetness and kindness definitely outweighs them. 

This year Elliana and I did the birthday planning together, and it was so much fun! Her favorite princess is Belle, so it was no surprise when she asked for a Belle party. I let her look at ideas with me, asked where she wanted it (her favorite park), let her pick out the cake, invitations, cupcakes, and she found some sparkly pink plates that went perfect! It was really special and fun doing this with her. (: We kind of went simple this year, invited our family and friends to the park to enjoy some outside playtime, hot dogs, and cake. Everything was great, laid back, and fun!

The highlight of the party was Elliana's special surprise. I found this wonderful local business Once Upon a Dream Party Princess where these sweet young ladies dress up as a Disney Princess for parties! When I saw they had a Belle I knew we had to get her for the party, and let me tell you...it was so worth it! The look on Elliana's face and her reaction when she saw Belle was absolutely priceless! I regret not having a video of it but I know that moment will never leave me. I cried, my mom cried, my friends cried. It was so so sweet! 

This Belle was so sweet, and never left Elliana's side. Elliana was a little star struck at first, all she could tell me was "Belle came to my party!". Now she tells us and everyone else "Belle is my best friend". So precious!

Thank you to all our family and friends who came out and loved on our little princess! We are so grateful to have so many wonderful people in our lives to love our girls.

Oh and to add a little mom humor for you. Elliana picked out the cupcakes, and even though I ordered her cake I figured I could handle the cupcakes myself. HA! 

yeaa...that worked out..

Well at least Elliana loved them and they did taste pretty good ;)

RESOURCES

Princess Belle//Beauty & The Beast Rose Cake//Belle Shirt

The cake was beautiful and delicious! Exactly what our birthday girl wanted.

The shirt was perfect for our little Belle fanatic! Great quality, and fast service! 

Two Months....Really??

It's been a minute since I've done an update. Well basically I have two kids, and we have a crazy life!

But we love every minute of the crazy, messy, noisy life we have (:

Here's a little two month update about Miss Evie Joy!

Height/Weight: We haven't had our 2 month check-up yet, but when we do I'll come back and add it. My guess is she's about 12 lbs, not sure on height. 

Sleep: Evie was a great little sleeper her first month, then it changed to she would only sleep if I held her, then it was no sleep. She was staying awake for 5-7 hours straight, waking up every 2 hours at night, and crying because she overtired. But we got over that little hump and now back to sleeping while being held. She wakes up once or twice at night. I mentioned on my Facebook page that my mom put one of my shirts beside Evie while she was napping and she slept for nearly 3 hours! That's the longest she slept without being held for a while. But I have to admit that I do love that she lets me hold her and cuddle her. She's a great snuggle buddy (:

Eating: She is breastfeeding like a champ! If you can't tell by the picture she has a pretty big appetite. Some days are more intense than others where she will feed longer, or she has more feedings. One of the good things about this is that I feel like it's contributed to her sleeping at night. She seems to get her fill in the day which in turn makes her sleep longer at night.

Sizes: She's mainly wearing 0-3 months, and comfortably wearing size 1 diapers. We are on our last pack of those and once we run out we will move up to size 2. I imagine she will be 3 month clothes soon which means I'll have to start going through Elliana's old 3 month clothes and possibly buying more since Elliana was wearing 3 months in December....it's obviously not December weather outside. 

Milestones: Evie is getting so much more reactive to her surroundings, toys, people etc. Her vision has also definitely improved as she reacts when someone enters the room. We recently bought her a playmat which she loves. She finds the dangling toys & bright colors very stimulating...although she probably gets enough stimulation from her sister alone! She is becoming a smiley baby..finally! She is mostly a content chilled out little gal. And just like her sister (and almost every baby in the world) she loves to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She can also hold her head up for a while as you can see in the picture above!

Personality: Her personality is showing more and more each day, like I said she's mostly laid back, but she sure is a mama's girl. If she's away from me too long or someone's holding her longer than she wants she cries and cries until back in mommy's arm (which I secretly love...shh ;) ). She loves her big sister! Elliana is like Evie's hero. She loves to watch her sing and dance, let's Elliana hold her, and very happy when sister brings her her paci. One thing Evie has perfected is the "duck face". She cracks us up with her funny facial expressions, but this face is the best. 

Memorable Moment: We had a crazy night a few weeks ago. Elliana came in our room at 3 in the morning. She cried for me to lay down with her so I did, a few minutes later Lucas comes in and says Evie is crying and he couldn't get her stop, so we swap. The girls both go back to sleep. An hour later Elliana is back in our room, now asking to play on the tablet. I tell her to go lay down which of course she wants me to go with her so again, I did. And again, Lucas comes in and says Evie is crying again and he can't get her to stop. As I'm getting up to go check on her he says "It's like she knows when you leave the room." I felt like that night she did and so did Elliana. It was a moment when I realized I will be going back and forth to each child through out my life. My how crazy it can be, but oh how I love it. And next time, Elliana can just stay in the bed with us because walking back and forth across the house at 3:00 am is just not my favorite, especially when I step on the same toy twice in the dark.

I've said it a billion times, and have thought it a billion and one..we are so blessed to have this sweet angel in our lives! Every day is a new adventure with her and her sister. Looking forward to the next month, but hoping it will go by much slower than the past two!

31 & Thriving.

I really want to be what it is to embody a Proverbs 31 woman. And I've come to the realization that I'm nowhere near it. A lot of that is because I've never taken the time to actually study it and try to become it. But mostly it's because I haven't been spending enough time with God, the one who gives me identity. I want that to change. I'm just gonna be honest and say that my relationship with Jesus has not really been thriving lately, and I can totally see the effects. It's not like I've been doing anything wrong or struggling with anything in particular, I just haven't been involving my Best Friend in the every day (or any day) aspects of my life. 

Ernest Hemingway once said, 

"Don't confuse movement with action."

Lately I've been doing a whole lot of moving with not a lot of action. I keep saying I want to spend more time with Jesus, but I don't. I keep saying I want to be less stressed and more full of peace, but I don't spend any time with the Holy Spirit. I keep saying I want to walk in my identity, but I haven't spent enough time with my God.

I know it might sound crazy, but sometimes we really do just need that extra little kick in the butt to read our Bible. And it's not like we don't have easy access to one, I mean you can instantly download the bible app to your phone with any version you want!

So after I stopped being a baby about how I don't have time to spend time in the single most important thing in my life, I put the girls down for their afternoon nap, and the cleaning on hold, and just went for it and I read the first three chapters of 1 Corinthians in one sitting (could have read more, but Evie woke up). It was so good!! I got so much out of it. And I really believe the only reason I got so much out of it was because I came to Him in a place of true desperation. Just really understanding that I can't do this on my own. I always want to be in this place of realization that I need Jesus. Because I'm literally nothing without Him. All of those other aspects of becoming more like a Proverbs 31 woman are 100% unachievable if I'm not in constant relationship with Jesus!

And trust me, I've been trying really hard for the past couple months. If you could see how many Google and Pinterest searches I've done lately about "how to do this", "how to be that", I think I would probably more than likely not actually show you because it's so embarrassing.

I mean how do I expect myself to have the patience that I need in order to be a good mommy to my girls if I'm not spending my time with the One who gives peace that surpasses all understanding? How can I expect myself to have self-control in financial situations when I don't even sit down and listen to the Holy Spirit who produces self-control as one of the fruits of the Spirit?

It seems so face-palm worthy that I would even consider trying to live a happy and full life without involving the only one who can give me everything (and I do mean everything, and more) that I need. I NEED JESUS. I've never been so happy to be so desperate over a man. I desperately need Jesus, and I am committing to myself, my loved ones, and even to all who are reading this that I will not forget that!

I want to really thrive to be the daughter of Christ I need to be. I will hone in on these ten things that I believe will get me there slowly but surely:

1. Faith

2. Marriage

3. Mothering

4. Health

5. Servanthood

6. Finances

7. Work

8. Homemaking

9. Time

10. Beauty

I'll be sure to do a review on the devotional. Tell me, what devotionals do you like??