Colebirds

Blogging Challenge

In effort to get consistent on blogging, I have decided to enter the blogging challenge (thank you Meredith). It gives you a subject every day for 10 days. Sounds easy enough.....

Day 1 - A recent picture of yourself and 15 interesting facts.

1. I spent some of my childhood living in the Middle East- Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, and Bahrain. It was awesome.

2. I met my husband when I was 14 and married him when I was 19.

3. I LOVE history. I could read historical fiction all day every day. British history is my favorite ranging from the Plantagenet to Stuart era.

4. Asher's name means "happy" and "blessed" in Hebrew. It's funny because Scott's parents almost named him Happy. Kate and Happy Cole. :) I love names and hope to have lots of babies so I can name them (not the only reason).

5. I have a recurring dream that I am battling Voldemort but can't remember any spells besides "STUPIFY". It's so dang scary.

6. Scott and I were very close to moving to Nicaragua. We sold all of our stuff and moved in with my parents to save money. I got pregnant, then lost the baby, and then got pregnant, and then lost the baby, and then got pregnant again. We are still praying about what to do about the calling we have towards the Nicaraguan people. We hope to visit our Compassion children very soon.

7. I love to do laundry.

8. We are going to adopt a little girl from Ethiopia once I turn 25. Scott's company gives a nice contribution towards adoption. It would bring me so much joy if I were able to breastfeed her. I know she won't be a tiny baby, but maybe she will still want to nurse. :)

9. I love tattoos and have one that I am DYING to get on my foot but it's Scott's turn....

10. I wish I had some self-motivation and energy to keep the house more clean and organized. It bothers me so much.

11. I am the bargin shopping queen. I get it from my momma.

12. One of my favorite books and movies of all time is Little Women.

13. I could live on chocolate covered almonds. Dark chocolate, that is...

14. It really bothers me how women dress like prostitutes and then whine that men treat them like one.

15. I am deathly afraid of open water and fish tanks. I cannot swim in the deep end of the pool because I feel like I am in a tank and a shark is about to eat my legs.

Life in Bullets (because it's all I can finish right now!)

-This is Asher at a park that I used to play at all of the time when I was little. It's so fun to do things with him and take him to the same places that were special to me and stick out in my memories.

-We moved into our new house the first of September. It's been a lot of work, but we love it. Thankfully we are blessed with fantastic family and friends that have been a HUGE help with painting, unpacking, and such. Will post more details soon about our home.

-Asher just turned 9 months old. If you're a mom you can understand when I say, WHERE IS THE TIME GOING?? He is crawling at lightening speeds, pulling up and cruising on everything, and is such a little ham. It's so fun to watch his personality come alive as he is discovering more about the world. He still doesn't like solid food and is only breastfed, but at almost 30 lbs, I think we're doing okay. Sleep is still a challenge, but I don't mind too much about having to lay down with him because he will soon think hugs and kisses are gross. Sigh.

-I'm really really excited that Beauty and the Beast is coming out on DVD. Say what you want about Disney, but those movies were such an awesome part of my childhood and I love them.

-We got cable for the first time in our marriage because it was cheaper to get cable and internet than internet alone. We mostly watch HGTV, but also love How It's Made. It's like the best part of Mister Rogers when they go into the factories. Also, Sister Wives is so weird and ridiculous, but interesting too. We thankfully haven't been watching the TV much at all though....because when would we do that?

-I am really super excited that our friends Rob and Tiffany will be welcoming their baby girl soon and that I get to be a part of her birth team! It is such an honor and will be so much fun! They are going to be incredible parents and I know that God will work awesome things in their family. Also, everyone I know is pregnant.....I kinda wish I were too. :)

-Scott is going to build Asher an awesome swing set/fort soon. I am really excited about this. Isn't it funny the things that we get excited about nowadays? New diapers, baby shampoo, roller shades, doorbell button, socks, dish soap.....

-Asher is OBSESSED with books. He would sit in my lap all day reading if we could. He will be fussing and I'll say, "Would you like to read a book?" and he starts laughing and looking for his favorites. They are: Color Zoo, I'm as Quick as a Cricket, Animal Noises, Tails, Mommy Hugs, Moo Baa LaLaLa, and The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear. We have started going to story time at the library (even though it's for ages 1-3). I think he likes it. I like it too except when we have to dance in a circle around the room and I have to carry the sack of potatoes while all of the other kids can walk.

-I wish Chipotle and Jamba Juice had a drive through.

-I am SUPER excited about the Holidays coming up. We will be having Thanksgiving at our home for the first time. I've always wanted to host. :) And it will be Asher's first Christmas. So fun.

Read the bum

Real Men Wear Their Babies

Easter 2010

Doing the dishes

Ironing

Asleep at the airport

In Pagosa Springs, CO

4 wheelin in CO

Enjoying the scenery in CO

At a Seryn concert

Fixing up our new house

He is superman and is always so great about giving mommy a break when needed. Asher LOVES to ride around with dad and learn how to be a man. The bond that these two already have warms my heart.

Blue or Green?

We are moving in 4 days and I need to figure out what color to paint Asher's room (even though all we do is change his diaper in there, sigh). It is either going to be the same green as his room is now, or a blue a few shades lighter than the blue in his bedding. We painted his room green before he was born because we did not know if he was a baby boy or girl. Now that we know, we can go blue crazy.....but I do love the green. What do YOU think?

This is also to show the completed nursery that I never posted:

This is our changing station. As you can see, I use the pegs on the shelf to hang his diaper covers between wearings. Also hanging is a little toy that Geemom rigged up for Asher to play with while we change him. One of those baskets holds his cloth wipes and the other holds powder, creams, nail clippers, etc.

The pictures on the wall are me and Scott as babies. Scott did the drawings of Humphrey the Elephant (a really sweet character from a really sweet series of children's books). Geemom (Scott's mom) made the cover and pillow for the rocking chair. It's hard to tell, but the buttons are made out of the same fabric as the pillow, which is the same as his bedding.

Don't mind the tater head.
I painted his letters after he was born.

Above is the poem and hand print picture that we made for Scott for father's day.

Scott's Aunt Nancy painted this for Asher. Isn't it the CUTEST thing? It matches his bedding perfectly!

So, blue or green??

Lately...

Alright folks, we're back. It seems that the heat has taken the bloginess out of a lot of us....and a lot has happened since the last post, but we'll just jump right back in.

It seems like time is flying by at an unbelievable pace. I cannot believe Asher is 7 months old!!!! He is closer to being one than a newborn. It's kind of sad, but all of the new milestones and stages are even more fun than the last! He is crawling and pulling up on everything, so life has gotten a lot more exciting for us both. BUT he has also been teething like ca-ra-zee!! He is working on his 6th one- already has bottom two, and almost top four. Teething bites.

Here are some things we have been working on in the past few months:

Working on crawling

Trying food. Sweet potatoes, coconut oil, and breastmilk. He HATES food.

He loves his cup of water

We had his first rhythm lesson!

And piano! He is a natural!

And he found a friend

He has turned into such a little stinker! He is so funny and full of life and so much fun to be with. We still have our crazy days when I spend all day either trying to put him to sleep or keep him asleep, but I am trying to soak in every moment and enjoy every stage. Sometimes we will look over at him and he looks like a 4 year old already. Guess we need another one soon.....:)

Big beautiful boy

He's SO strong!

My boys. Man I love 'em.

Celebrating mommy's birthday

Silly boy!

That's all for now. Soon I will post about our vacation to Colorado and our new house!!!

Ignoring "To-Do's"

“The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow, but children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow. So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep. I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.” ~Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

One thing that I keep reminding myself of is that I am raising a child, not managing an inconvenience. This is easy to forget when I have a million things on my to-do list, and nursing and reading books to Asher ALL DAY takes precedence. So many times I have just had to let the diaper wash pile up and the bathroom stay messy. So many times I have just had to let visitors come over when the house is not as tidy as I would like.

BUT the care I give Asher is shaping him into the man he will become. The decisions I make, hugs and kisses I give, books we read, walks we take, and all the other little every-day moments we have together are growing him up smart and secure. What an honor to mother this sweet gift as he matures!!

So, even though things are a little more sloppy around here, the LOVE we three share is OVERFLOWING!!!

OR, I could employ Scott's way of getting things done.....

"Problem Child" or the Perfect Child?

I have wanted to write this post for a long time. This has been bottled up for 4 months so here we go....

"You're feeding him too often."
"His cloth diaper is bothering him."
"He sleeps too much/little."
"Why can't he just follow YOUR schedule."
"Just let him cry."
"Just come over and you can put him to sleep in the other room."
"Let's go eat dinner. The noise usually puts babies to sleep."
"Just let him cry."
"His teething necklace is bothering him."

I haven't written much about it because I did not want to seem ungrateful, but the first 3 months of our son's life were VERY difficult. VERY. DIFFICULT. I have taken care of babies my entire life, so I never thought I would have a problem. I thought "colic" was just a fussy baby and there was usually a reason why babies cried and that it could be fixed. I. Was. Wrong. For 3 months I did not leave the house, our living room was a perpetual womb environment, Asher screamed every night for hours straight, we went to countless different doctors to "figure out what was wrong", we tried every kind of colic ease/calm/relief tincture and gadget out there, and I literally had an emotional breakdown every day. I couldn't stand to watch my baby scream red-faced until exhaustion took over. We were so thankful to have great support both from family and friends, as well as chiropractic adjustments that really made a difference and helped us see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was the hardest thing I have ever been through and I only did by the grace of God.

One of the most difficult parts was that some people just did not understand. If you have never had a "high-needs" baby, you will NEVER know how unbelievably stressful it is. We would constantly get comments like the ones above; if you would just do THIS, why don't you just try THIS. It was as if they thought I was trying to make things difficult, as if I didn't want things to be easy. If you are a mom you can relate to this: When someone makes comments about your baby and/or their behavior/habits, it is as if they are directly criticizing your parenting and motherly instincts. So to be frank, I have never felt so criticized and inadequate.

One bright morning (Easter morning actually), Asher woke up a new baby. No more nightly freak outs due to over-stimulation, life as we knew it changed dramatically! He has blossomed into the happiest and sweetest baby boy in the world. According to some, we still have "problems"....but do we?

One regret I have in parenting is that I read too much. I do think it is SO important to be educated, but there is also a point where you just need to trust in God that He will provide you with the proper instincts for your specific child. I also think that in my crazy hormonal postpartum haze, the devil took that knowledge and ran with it. For instance, I read that when your baby cries, the cortisol levels in his brain spike and cause developmental issues and the inability to handle stress later in life. While this is likely true if he is left alone crying for hours, I took it to the extreme and had deep fear every time he made a peep. Not good and not from God. I had to quickly realize that books do not hold the answers; my child is a unique gift that no one has mothered before.

SO here we are, Asher is almost 4 months old. It has without a doubt been the most trying, INCREDIBLE 4 months of my life. I can say that I never knew it would be this hard, and I never knew it would be this blissful. I never knew how much fun I could have with a baby or how much my heart could overflow from a little smile or just when I watch him sleep. He still doesn't sleep great- naps for 40 minutes at a time and then I can sometimes nurse him back to sleep (and then have to lay with him throughout his whole nap to keep him asleep), but recently I have discovered that.....I'm okay with it. I was beating myself up about it because "everyone" says that you shouldn't nurse to sleep and that he should be on a better schedule and sleeping in his crib yaddayaddayadda. So in THEIR minds, we have problems....he is a problem child. One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was to not make something into a problem that isn't a problem for you, just because other people say it is. Because we are HAPPY! I am happy to lay down with him, snooze a little myself, and watch my sweet angel sleep. He is happy to have mommy close. Sometimes he will open his eyes in the middle of his nap, see me there, smile the biggest smile, and drift back to sleep- it is the most precious moment. This is a sweet stage where he WANTS me near. All too soon he will be a teenager and never want to cuddle! I also got great advice that God is the perfect parent and to ask Him for advice! Sounds simple, but it's true. I vowed to not open another book and to first seek God for answers.....and I have FINALLY found sweet peace in my decisions.

So, all that to say, Asher is not a "problem child"- He is a perfect child. The perfect child for me and I am the perfect mom for him. Not A perfect mom (by ANY means), but THE perfect mom for him. How good is God to never leave us to figure things out on our own? Even silly little things like baby's sleep schedules and whether or not to give a pacifier- He cares and He is near.

Praise the Lord that we're not on this crazy ride alone!

Home with Jesus

Sweet Smith Bailey went home to be with Jesus yesterday.
I do not know the why's of this world and it's tragedies, but one thing's FOR SURE

GOD IS STILL GOD AND GOD IS STILL GOOD

Thank you Lord that we have comfort in this- that you only have plans for us that are for our good and eventual JOY, even if we can't see it now.

Please keep Jon, Kori, and their entire family in your continued prayers. The pain they are dealing with is unimaginable and not short-lived.

Praying for Smith

Our old friends Jon and Kori welcomed their sweet baby boy, Smith Randle Bailey on April 29th. Kori was 23 weeks and 6 days and Smith was born 1lb 8 oz. God has already shown up in mighty ways, but there is still a long road ahead. None of us could ever imagine what this must be like for the entire family. Please join us in continued prayer for Smith as he faces many months and procedures in the hospital.
We praise God that He is good and is working everything for His glory- He is holding Smith in His hands and has already orchestrated his entire life.

Help us to see the good in this and to trust in YOU Lord. Be with Jon and Kori and breathe peace on them- peace that can only come from YOU. Please send your great Comforter in Jesus' name!

They posted a scripture this scripture:
Isaiah 43:1-3 “Now this is what the Lord says—the One who created you, and the One who formed you, Israel. Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name; you are Mine. I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire, and the flames will not burn you. For I the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior give Egypt as a ransom for you."

What a blessing it is to see them cling to The One with hope.

Click on the button above to see Smith's website with up-to-date prayer requests.

Is there one waiting for us?

Amos Story

Worth it ALL

You are mine, you are loved
You have always been thought of
When you hurt I feel it every time
You are mine, you are loved
And I’m never giving up
Till I’ve dried all the tears you cry
Long before you took a breath
I knew your name, I heard you call
You are worth it all