Photo Shoot

My friend Breanne graciously took these photos of Romy.  Both Gwen and Zeke have a photo like this first one at 2 weeks.  After taking this photo she promptly peed on the sheet. :)  She is now a month old and divine!  We love her so much!

Ben and his daddy

Gentle

1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 (New International Version)

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7 but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children

Pumpkin Patch

Saturday we went to the pumpkin patch.  Although I grit my teeth at the price for admission (plus they charge you for a pumpkin- which we don't buy), the kids have a marvelous time.  It was mighty chilly so Romy spent her time all bundled up or nursing.  I regret not getting more photos, but I had my hands full most of the time.

Grandma paid for a pony ride for the kids.  Can you tell Gwen feels like a princess?

Zeke had face painting done by a little kid.  He's supposed to be a cat. :)

Err... nice hat

Big bouncy pillow

First Bath and Nursery

I've had fun redoing the nursery.  Zeke happened so fast after Gwen that I didn't do anything different to it.  This time I also knew the gender, so it was fun putting pink in there.

Uncle Jeff made this for us.  It is made out of wood from our back fence.  One time when I was in Alabama Ben decided to chop down half of the fence.  That is another blog post all together.

Zeke was helping me.  Mom got the lava lamp for me and it is just the perfect amount of light for nursing and changing diapers in the night.  I love it!

When he was a baby I called him gorgeous.  He still is and although 3 years old is sometimes frustrating, he melts my heart with his loving and cute ways.

The butterfly mobile has made a return!

I got this from a neighbor that was moving and spray painted it.

All In A Day

When you have a disagreement with your husband right before bed

in the middle of the night she is my therapy

When you wake in the morning and the kids are slow to get ready for school

this baby is my therapy

When you send your 5 year old upstairs to help the 3 year old make up his bed and instead they throw pillows down the stairs

she is my therapy

When your 5 year old refuses to get into the car that has come to pick her up and take her to school and throws a monstrous fit and you know you have to administer a spanking

she's my therapy

When I have to take her to school, show my ID at the door, walk in and sign her in

she is my therapy waiting on me back home with Paw Paw

When the hormones are kicking and you are hungry and grumpy as a bear and somehow you justify buying a $3.80 dessert

she is my therapy

My therapist is so soothing

she doesn't talk

her only assignment is to learn to smile

 her life is about the simple things

in her eyes I am a great mom

More Romy

It's been 3 weeks with this little beauty.  Whenever I nurse her at night I look down at her and stroke her soft hair and whisper "you are a treasure" and then I hold her to burp her and I thank the Lord for her.  What can I say?  I'm enraptured with her!

The Cost

I read this story in Scripture yesterday and I've been thinking on it.

2 Samuel 24:18-24

18 On that day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad. 20 When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.

21 Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”

“To buy your threshing floor,” David answered, “so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped.”

22 Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxenfor the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23 Your Majesty, Araunah[d] gives all this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May the Lord your God accept you.”

24 But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

I've been thinking on that last part... how David was offered something for free, but he chose to pay for it.  I've been thinking what my obedience is really costing me these days.  I don't feel like a spiritual hero and in fact feel weak most days, but maybe that is where I see God as my hero and Him as my strength.  

What things in our life are worth the cost and sacrifice?  Since having Romy I'm struck by the experience of going through a difficult thing (pregnancy) and getting such a precious gift at the end.  What other experience is like that in life?  If you run a marathon you get a good workout in the end and license to eat a big ol meal, but what else?  You don't get a precious human being at the end with an eternal soul to watch over.  Sometimes the cost doesn't make sense to everyone else... paying for the threshing floor when it has been offered to you for free.    

Moments to Remember

When I got my first walkman for Christmas one year mom got some cassette tapes to go along with it.  One was the Carpenters, the other The Lettermen.  Um... I thought they were super lame, but I listened to them anyway and memorized every word of every song and finally they became some of my favorite songs.  In fact, I suggested this song, Moments to Remember, as our graduating class song and was promptly labeled a freak by my class.  Instead they chose Garth Brooks "The River."  Whatever.



Here are some moments to remember of late here at the Barreth ranch.  I have a friend that picks up Gwen in the mornings and takes her to kindergarten for me.  (what a blessing!)  Anyway, they have a kindergartner too and she recently told him that her PaPa (Ben's dad) likes to eat owl legs.  I learned of this through a text that she sent to me that said "does Ben's dad eat owl legs?" to which I replied, "are you drunk?"  She assured me she wasn't and I assured her he didn't eat owl legs.  I did ask Ben if British people eat owl legs... just in case.

The other day the kids got into quite a pickle at the new neighbor's house.  You see, the new neighbors have three kids and the smallest (4 1/2) mind you, knows their garage code.  Gwen must have learned it watching her type it in.  The other day Gwen typed it in and raised their garage code and Zeke went in.  Gwen typed more numbers and the garage door went down... with Zeke in there.  Did I mention that the neighbors were not at home?  Did I also mention that I was nursing at the time and I don't happen to know their garage code?  Did I also mention that Gwen suddenly had amnesia about the right numbers to open the garage door?  After calling the neighbors repeatedly to no avail we talked Zeke through walking through their house and to the front door and unlocking it to get out.  Whew!

Zeke's New Skill

I came home from the hospital and Zeke knew how to swing himself on the swings!  It has been our summer goal to accomplish that, but a neighbor friend taught him while I was away.  I was very excited about it!  I've been meaning to blog more, but frankly, I am needed so many times in the day it is difficult to accomplish writing.  Being needed is good.. but tiring. :)

Zeke and Romy

Zeke said "you'd better take a picture of this."  By the way, he doesn't regularly hold Romy.  He washed his hands and had a number of adult supervisors. :)  He has taken upon himself to be the one that when she cries rushes to her and says, "it's ok, it's ok".  In fact, when she begins crying he advises me to say "it's ok, it's ok."  Eventually I will blog about something other than Romy, but I have been focused on her so much it's no wonder that's all I can talk about.  She turns two weeks old today, but it seems we've known her for much much longer.  She had her first sponge bath last night. 

Silhouette of Me

I haven't done one of these in ages, but I thought this might be my last chance to make one of myself 9 months pregnant.  Ben asked me the other day if I would like to have another child.  I told him we are only a week out... give me some time! :)

First Time to Church

Romy's first day at church.  9 days old.

My 3... did I just say 3?

On the Quilt

This baby is just the sweetest thing!  She is such a good nurser and I have to wake her at night for her feedings because I'M getting uncomfortable.  My milk has come in now and it is a big relief to me.  Supplementing really is a pain and pumping is ok, but time consuming.  I love that newborns force me to slow way down and come face to face with a miracle.  She's just so small and sweet!

Special Delivery

Romy Georgia Barreth was born on September 6 weighing 8lb 3oz and measuring 19 1/2 inches. We named her Romy because we knew a little girl in Miami by that name and we always liked her name.  It is also our 10th wedding anniversary this year and we went to Rome on our honeymoon.  Georgia is Ben's Grandmother and we both love her very much.  Ben chose the name this time around. 

This was by far my easiest birth.  I decided to get induced this time around.  I have a theory that there is something connected with my body not wanting to go into labor and my milk being slow to come in.  I was also concerned about the size of this baby since I had gestational diabetes (even though I controlled it well with diet).  

I went in Thursday evening for a cervical softener gel to be applied.  I convinced en to sleep at home that night and thought I would have a peaceful night by myself watching cable before the delivery the next day.  Well, think again.  I forgot they'd have to monitor the baby and contractions and Romy did not like the pushing in on her little house.  She kicked and moved all night which resulted in the nurses having to come in and adjust the monitors frequently not to mention the three attempts at an IV in my hand. (ouch!)

The next day they started the pitocin and it was slow going.  Around lunch they broke my water and it was still slow.  They put an internal monitor inside of me to measure the strength of my contractions and they upped my dose of pitocin.  Then I started to make progress.  Once I got my epidural I felt much better!  I held off pushing until I could no longer wait and 15 minutes of pushing and she was here.  No stitches and very quickly.  I didn't know labor could be that way.  They put her right on my belly when she came out and she immediately opened her eyes and looked at me.  I said to her, "we did it!"

By the way she moved in the womb we thought we were going to get a real firecracker.  It turns out so far that she is very pleasant and has a great latch.  My milk is slow coming in so we are pumping after feedings and also giving her a little supplementation through a little tube while she is latched on and nursing.  It is very time consuming, but at least I get to look at her all night when I am up.  Here are some photos.

wink!  My mom was there for the birth.

Aunt Beki came to visit!

Getting to know one another.

This is the face I get to look at all night.  Think she got my nose?

Going home

A rose Ben bought for me

Home!

I have forgotten what a joy newborns are!  She smells so good!

Picture Day

Gwen had picture day at school yesterday and I got some pictures of her before she left.  My neighbor has such beautiful roses and they smell fantastic!

Waiting

Less than a week from my due date and I am waiting.  This was yesterday at 39 weeks.  Gwen wanted in on the action of taking a photo. :)

I'm mighty uncomfortable at this point.  At 5am this morning I was in the shower trying to soothe my back with the warm water.  This Psalm has sustained me in the past week.  I like the truth that the Lord doesn't slumber and when I wake in the night He is there with me.  When I am discouraged He is there with me, and finally, whenever this baby decides to come, He'll be there too.  I've been singing this song a lot in the shower.