Falling In Love With My 7 Day Old Daughter

Every minute that passes, I find myself falling more and more in love with my little angel. We could not have asked for a better baby. I'm probably just jinxing myself by saying this, but she doesn't cry/fuss very much at all, she eats every 3 1/2 to 4 hours, and she sleeps good, too. Madilyn Grace was just the opposite. Maybe Natalee Brooke is going to be more laid back, like her mommy. Anyway, I am counting my blessings each and every day. Big sister is in love with her, too. That is something that I worried about for months and so far my prayers have been answered. Thank you Lord for all of your blessings on my family.

Psalm 100:4  Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give 
thanks to Him and praise His name.

Date Night

All day long I had been waiting for our date. Needless to say, it was a long day. Madilyn Grace was not in the best of moods, so I was very tired by the end of the day when it was time for me to start getting ready for out date. MG and I finally got ready and I made it to the baby sitter's house about 10 minutes late. Well, the funniest thing happened to me when I got in the car. I usually leave my radio on one station, 93.7, I'm not much of a flipper. But there was too much talk on the radio and that is not what I wanted to hear at the time. I turned the radio to the country station 104.7 and there was this song coming on and I just knew it was on the radio just for me. I listened to it, the best I could with Madilyn Grace talking to me. I had heard it before but I never really payed that much attention to it until yesterday. I put a video of the song at the bottom of this blog because it fits yesterday so well for me. Listen to it before you leave my blog, maybe you can relate.

Now to the date, last night, Bill and I was able to go out on a date. We haven't been out, childless, since May 15, Bill's birthday. It was so nice. We went to Olive Garden to eat and then out to the movies. We saw The Proposal. The movie was pretty good, better than I thought it would be. We say every time we go out that we need to do that at least once a month, but now it's going to be a little harder to find a sitter for 2 kids.

After dropping MG off I suddenly realized how quiet my vehicle was. I'm usually having to answer a lot of questions or just simply have a toddler conversation going down the road. It was quiet, so I actually got to turn my radio up a little louder than normal. I had a few errands to run that required me to get out of the car so I ran them before I had to meet Bill at the restaurant. I realized that I did not have to go to the back seat to get MG out of the car and carry her inside with me. Then I had to go by the bank and I didn't have to ask for a sucker, like I do every other time I go. It was nice being able to go to the bathroom by myself at the restaurant, eat without stopping 20 times to do something, watch a movie without having to leave and go to the bathroom again, being talked into buying some candy during the best part of the movie, you see where I am going with this. But I found myself looking around the restaurant while we were there seeing all of the other kids doing kid things at the table, all of the other mommies taking their little ones to the bathroom, some were leaving the movies to either go to the bathroom with their child or to buy them something at the concession stands. It made me miss Madilyn Grace so much! I couldn't help but to think about the song I had heard as I was leaving the house.

I enjoyed the time alone that I had with my husband, but at the same time I could not get my little girl off of my mind. I am addicted to her and having the summer off doesn't help any. She wears me out to the point of exhaustion when I am with her all day, it could be because I am pregnant, but when she is not with me, she's all I think about. Looking down the road, I know that I am going to miss all of the little and big things that occurs in our day to day lives, so I am just going to sit back and take in every moment I have with my little family. I love them so much!!

To play the video and hear the song, pause the music on the sidebar and then press play button.


Still Growing in Christ,
Tanya

When You Thought I Wasn't Looking

Sometimes when I'm just getting started with my day, I like to read inspirational articles from AllWorship.com. This website is where I get most of my poems that I post on my blog. Well, today I happened to have come up on this little poem that I know I have seen before and you probably have too, but the older Madilyn Grace gets, the more I realize it is true.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk to and I learned to trust in God.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don't.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you cared and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I learned most of life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, 'Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking.'

Little eyes see a lot. Each of us--parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher or friend--influence the life of a child. How will you touch the life of someone today?

Sometimes I really feel guilty if I am not watching how I act in front of my daughter. I might have influenced her the other way around. :(

Still Growing in Christ,
Tanya

Thankful Thursday

A friend of mine posted what she was thankful for on her blog today and asked people to respond. So Tricia, I am responding to your post by adding what I am thankful for on my post for today. Thank you for giving me something to think about.

For the Christian, every day should be Thanksgiving Day. We should even be thankful in the midst of problems. The Apostle Paul said, "I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation" (2 Corinthians 7:4). He knew that God was working all things together for his good, even though he was going through trials (Romans 8:28).

Problems will come your way. God will see to it personally that you grow as a Christian. He will allow the storms, to send your roots deep into the soil of His Word. We pray more in the midst of problems, but it's been well said that you will see more from your knees, than you will on your tip toes.

If we watched a butterfly struggling to get out of its cocoon, some people might want to help it. Say for instance we did help it, we got a razor blade, and carefully slit the edge of the cocoon. The butterfly would escape from its problem ... and immediately die.

It is God's way to have the butterfly struggle. It is the struggle that causes its tiny heart to beat fast, and send the life's blood into its wings.

Trials have their purpose. They make us struggle—they bring us to our knees. They are the cocoon in which we often find ourselves. It is there that the life's blood of faith in God helps us spread our wings.

Faith and thanksgiving are close friends. If you have faith in God, you will be thankful because you know His loving hand is upon you, even though you are in a lion's den. That will give you a deep sense of joy, and joy is the measure of the depth of faith you have in God.

So that being said, I am thankful for the following things:

1. The world in which we live. God created a beautiful, magnificent place for us to dwell. In Genesis 1:31 the Bible states: "And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good."
2. Family. Christians ought to not only be thankful for our physical family, but also their spiritual family: the church, their brothers and sisters in Christ.
   
3. The love of God. I think that the following verse sums it up very nicely: John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
4. The sacrifice of Christ. As previously mentioned, the Lord sent His only son to die so that through obedience people can be saved from their sins. Ephesians 5:2 states: "And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Also Hebrews 10:12-14 states: "But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified."

I know that there are many, many other blessings for which I should be thankful, but this is all I could come up with for now. What things are you thankful for?

Still Growing in Christ,
Tanya

Something That's Been on My Heart

1 Corinthians 13:4-13: 'Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. . .And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.'

Cousins. Cousins are special people. On my daddy's side of the family, there are 16 of us cousins. Most of us are about the same age so I have wonderful memories of us playing together, going to the lake, watching Bama ballgames, spending the night with each other, and crying together. I even went to school with my cousin Tammy on her last day of school just for the fun of it. We had some wonderful times together and I will always cherish those moments. As we grew up, we all had different lives and started going our separate ways. We still see each other on holidays, but sometimes it feels we don't really know each other. We talk and all of those wonderful childhood memories start coming back to me. Sometimes I cry because I wish things could be as good as they were back then. I guess that's what happens when we all grow up and some of us move away. I will still cherish every memory that we created together. I love my cousins, you will always have a special place in my heart!

On my mother's side, there was only me and Jeremy. We were only a few months apart, but unfortunately, he and his mother moved away when Jeremy was very young. We did not have a chance to get to know each other the way I knew my other cousins. I always knew about him and would see pictures of him from Uncle Kenny, but I still did not know him. I remember one day in the summer, I think I was 15 or so, my Mama told me that we were going to get to meet Jeremy for the very first time. I was so excited! I finally got to meet the guy that I have heard about all of my life, my only cousin on my mother's side. He came to my mother's house with his beautiful mom and sister. We visited a while and took lots and lots of pictures. It was so nice to finally get to meet him. Well, it came time for them to go back home, to Titusville, Florida so we had to say our goodbyes. I think he kept in touch with Mama and Kenny some, but he went into the Marines and we didn't really have a chance to talk to him much. It wasn't until Uncle Kenny passed away, 2007, that we really started getting to know Jeremy better. He came up for the funeral for a few days and stayed with Mama and Wesley. We of course, spent the night, too. At that time, that is when the bonding started. We got to know each other a lot more, it's like we had a lifetime of catching up to do and I think for the most part, we did it. We shared our life stories with each other and before he went back home, I felt like I really knew him. During Spring Break of 2008, Bill, Madilyn Grace, Nana, Papa, and I traveled to Titusville, Florida to visit with Jeremy and his family. We had a wonderful time visiting and making some of our very own memories that we can cherish for a lifetime. Since then, he's come to our house at Christmas time to visit, we met at Destin for a few days and visited, and he's coming to our house on Thanksgiving Day to visit. Even though we don't have childhood memories, what memories we do have are very special and I will never forget them. I am looking forward to making many more memories as we continue to make up for lost time.

I have a poem that I found that I wanted to share with all of my cousins:
We’re from the same shoot,
The same family tree,
Into this world we sprouted
Call it destiny!
It’s cousin to cousin
A special thing
A closeness to which we’re tied,
And you’ve always been there
To laugh with me
Or even when I’ve cried.
Anyway I think it’s fantastic
That you were meant to be
A part of my life, my cousin,
You’ll always be special to me!

You all have a special place in my heart. I will always love you!

Still Growing in Christ,
Tanya

Our Happy Little Family- A Little Personal

I hope you have read what I wrote yesterday first, because everything sort of fits together.

Well, after a hard 2 1/2 years of marriage, we decided that we wanted to start our own little family. In October of 2005, that decision was made and in December of 2005, we were pregnant. We were so excited! Trough all of the nausea that I was experiencing, I was still very excited to be starting my own family. We finally knew that this was God's plan and we were ready for whatever was ahead. We knew right away that we wanted our children to be raised up in a Christian home and we had already started on the right path by being active in a church that we called, and still call, home. I could not have asked for a better husband during that time of my life. Bill was awesome! He cooked for me, cleaned house, washed clothes, and even rubbed my back when I wasn't feeling well. I knew that this was going to be a wonderful experience that we were going through together and thanks to him, we made it. On August 19, my water broke, and since I was not hurting, I was able to get dressed up, yes make-up and all, to go to the hospital. I did not know what lied ahead, but I was sure going to look my best at whatever was going to happen. I got there, they checked me in, and nothing. No labor, nothing. So they had to enduce me, and then bam, right away I felt my first labor pain. Fortunately, I was able to get an epidural, so very shortly after, I wasn't feeling any pain. I pushed for 2 hours and my baby girl could not come out. She got stuck in my pelvic bone and no matter how hard I pushed, she was not coming out. So, I had to hear what every woman for the first time dreads hearing, "You have to have a C-Section." So they dressed me up and prepped me for surgery. I was ready to see my little girl so the tears only lasted for a few seconds. They were just tears of fear and excitement of knowing that when I left that room, I would be a mother for the first time. So I kissed my mother goodbye, who was with Bill and me the whole 2 hours of pushing. She could not be there to see her first grandchild being born. My family waited patiently for about 50 minutes to see our precious little Madilyn Grace. At 2:14 am on Sunday August 20, 2006, Madilyn Grace braced us with her presence. Since then she has been a joy to be around. She is now almost 3 years old, where does the time go? I love my little princess. I rush out the door of work everyday at 3:15 to go and pick her up. Even though she wears me out with all of her energy, at the end of the day I thank God for my little miracle. I pray that she will always be happy and make the right choices in life. She loves going to church and we as her parents hope this continues for a lifetime.

In May of 2008, we decided that we wanted another child, so we started trying. We wanted our kids to be about 2 to 3 years apart so it was time for another one. Eight months later, we found out that we were expecting again. What joy we felt! Madilyn Grace was going to be a Big Sister.

I've got to admit that during those 8 months I was starting to lose all hope. Looking back on it, I feel guilty now because we have so many friends who are trying and have been trying to conceive for years now, 8 months was nothing. I pray that when the time is right, everyone that is wanting to become parents will. It is such a blessing!

Well, the first 16 weeks were horrible for me. A lot worse this time than last. My doctor had to give me meds for nausea just so I could go to work. I was sick all day at work, all day at home, and all night in bed. This time I had to care for a 2 1/2 year old, so it was much harder for me. Again, I mention my wonderful husband. I just thought he was wonderful last time I as going through this, he has been phenomenal! Although the house didn't stay as spotless as I would have liked, he spent time with our little princess and that was something that I just could not do. They truly had a Father-Daughter bonding moment every day for at least 4 months. Although I was sick to move around, my heart was filled with joy to hear and see them bonding like they were. Thank you Bill for all you've done and are still doing. You are an amazing husband!

I am now almost 26 weeks pregnant and anticipating the moment for our second daughter, Natalee Brooke, to arrive. However, I am a little stressed because we don't have her room decorated yet. By this time when I was pregnant with Madilyn Grace we were ready, clothes were washed and hung up, but not this time. We are waiting on Madilyn Grace's new bed before we can pass down the baby bed to Natalee Brooke. Hopefully by the end of the summer, we will have everything ready to go. Just pray for my patience because I don't seem to have much right now.

I hope I haven't bored you with all of my personal notes, but I think I have just about caught everyone up. Do you feel like you know us a little better now? That is my plan, to share with you about "Our Lives," where we've been, where we are now, and where we are going. Please join us each day.

I would like to close with this:
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. (Proverbs 22:6 NIV)

Still Growing in Christ,
Tanya

How Our Lives Together Began

This is something that I have wanted to do now for a long time. Now that I have the summer off, I am going to start our own family blog. Hopefully this will be something that people will want to follow. I know I have a lot of catching up to do as I have been keeping up with several of our church families blogs. It's only fair that I start from the beginning of "Our Lives" as the Wilson's.

Bill and I met at Central Alabama Community College in Alexander City, AL in February of 1997. We dated for five years. During those five years, Bill attended and graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He majored in Civil Engineering. I attended and graduated from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa and majored in Elementary Education. We married on June 8, 2002 at Union Baptist Church in Rockford, AL. We were both very happy then, or so we thought. We were told by close family that marriage could be hard at times, but we just knew that we had it all figured out. Bill was raised by a happy Christian family. I was raised by my wonderful mom for about 10 years all by herself, until she remarried and she had help from my step-dad for 10 more years, then I moved out to go to college. I was determined to have a happy marriage; I was NOT going to have a broken home. Well, here is where the story of our lives really begins.

I'm going to make a long story short, but hopefully getting the main message out so that this will all make sense. Here it goes. In the summer of 2004, I ALMOST lost my husband to a divorce because of BAD choices that I had been making. Notice the "I's." It was all about me, and we were married. It should have been us, us, us. No, it was me, me, me. The bad choices lead me to 3 months of separation. I had to move out of our first home to an apartment because my husband could not stand the sight of me. During that time, I talked daily, almost hourly, to a dear friend that I had not spoken to in a long time. That friend was God. I found myself praying for His forgiveness and spent more time reading in the Word more than I ever have before. It's crazy how we tend to lean on God in times of need and sorrow. Well, at the same time, God was working in Bill's life, too. Bill was doing the same thing I was, reading and praying to God. We knew that we wanted to be with each other and we vowed through good times and bad. Well, these were surly the bad times and guess what? God was there. He helped us through our tough time. Not all at once, but he surely turned a light on and we followed where he led us. We decided as a couple to find a church family because we did not like the life we were living. We knew that God had better plans for us so we started talking about churches we could visit. The very first church we visited was Calera Baptist Church. The church really did make us feel like we were at home. We enjoyed Bro Hal and we said we wanted to give it another try. So we continued to go back to the same church for several Sunday's. One Sunday in February of 2005, we made the decision to join CBC. We are still waiting to renew our vows, but wow what a day that will be!

Since then, our faith has grown and our love for Christ is burning within us. We have overcome! It was in God's plan after all. Maybe not exactly what happened, but he knew that we would go through trials before we completely and fully trusted in Him. We know things happen for a reason and our reason was to get us back into the church where we belonged, to find Christian friends, and to have our own little Christian family. So far, we are on the right road.

I want to share with you something that I came across just recently:

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there... to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or help figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be but when you look eyes with them, you know that every moment that you are with them, they will affect your life in some profound way. And sometimes things happen to you at the time that may seem horrible, painful and unfair, but in reflection you realize that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, will power or heart.

Everything happens for a reason! Nothing happens by chance or by means of good luck. Illness, injury, love,lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere, safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet affect your life. The successes and downfalls that you experience can create who you are, and the bad experiences can be learned from.... In fact, they are probably the most poignant and important ones. If someone hurts you, betrays you or breaks your heart, forgive them because they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart. If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally not only because they love you, but also because they are teaching you to love and open your heart and eyes to little things.

MAKE EVERYDAY COUNT! Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people who you have never talked to before, and actually listen. Let yourself fall in love, even if it doesn't seem right because you are too young or too far, just follow your heart. Surround yourself with those who make you smile, laugh, and make you happy.

Break free and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you. Create your own life then LET GO and LIVE IT!

Author Unknown

In closing, I would like to share from Ecclesiastes 4:12, “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Now apply that to the marriage relationship. Three cords – God, the husband, and the wife. Wow! Can you even imagine the power in that? It means that you are bound together in your marriage with the Creator of the Universe. There is enough power to overcome all obstacles, to love unconditionally, and to have a marriage that you cherish. That is where we stand right now. I hope you have enjoyed visiting with me. Please keep in touch!

Still Growing in Christ,
Tanya