Pregnancy Announcement!

   Hello fellow bloggers! Yes, it's been a while since I've posted! Lots has happened in that time! James is 6 months old now!!! Seriously, where did the time go?! He has 2 teeth coming in as well. The biggest news that James has for ya'll?... He's going to be a big brother!!! Please join us in celebration of a new life that God has been so gracious to bestow upon us. :-)
   

Patience is a Virtue

     They say patience is a virtue, right? With being a full time momma, I try to remind myself of this quite often. For such a cute and precious baby, sometimes I run low on patience. This last week, it had been a long weekend full of fun activities, but needless to say, I was done. I was low on energy, and just ready to rest. Thankfully, James agreed with me and slept really well the night before so that I was able to get some rest. However, the next day, James wasn't wanting to fall asleep. He kept crying, and nothing I did would stop him. He doesn't normally do that anymore, but when he does, often times I get impatient. My husband is very good at taking him and trying his luck with James and putting him to sleep.
     I finally had to just put him in the Moses Basket that he sleeps in, tell him I loved him, and walked away for a bit. I'm usually in tears at this point because I feel like I'm doing something wrong because I can't calm my own baby down.
     After about 5 minutes, I walked back up to his room, and he was on the verge of falling asleep. I then put the pacifier in his mouth, and just like that, he was out, fast asleep.
     Last week, it had been night after night of very little sleep for both James and I. I was at the end of my rope. It was a Friday, and my husband woke up 30 minutes before his alarm, to get the baby for me, who was crying yet again. As he walked out of the room with our crying baby, I cried. It had been 4 long nights of very little sleep, and I was at the end of my rope. A few minutes later, I joined my husband downstairs on the couch. He said, "How was last night?" I couldn't speak at all. Tears began to roll down my face, and I was completely and utterly speechless. After a while, my husband said, "Would it help you if I took today off work?" And so, with a quick text to his boss to get the okay, he was off for the day. It was a chill morning after that. Josh decided to make my day better, so he went to grab us some donuts for breakfast from the local gas station, and then later on, we went to the theater to see a movie, out for a Starbucks coffee, and home for pizza and movie night. Thanks to my hubby, the day went from miserable to great! I'm very thankful to have a husband who knows my needs and knows what cheers me up the most. :-)
    I get mad at myself for getting so impatient with James sometimes. He doesn't realize he's being difficult, or that he just needs sleep. I started thinking about how I must be like that sometimes with God. God has a plan for me, and he knows what's in my best interest, but often times, I go my own way because I feel like it's the right way, or because I'm stubborn.
     Patience is one of the things that I can never be "great" at, or even "good" at. Often times, I feel like I've got it, and it's all good, and then BAM, God decides to humble me yet again. I Look at all the characters in the Bible, and see how patient they must've been in those times. Jacob waited a total of 14 years to receive Rachel as a wife! (Genesis 29) Abraham and Sarah waited for God to give them a child, Joseph was enslaved and taken to prison for a crime he didn't commit, and he waited there.
     I look at the patience that these men and women had in the Bible, and I feel like I lack so much in this area. I pray to God that He would grant me the patience that I need to be a good momma, and wife. God works in His ways, and gives us sanctification through trials He brings our way. In each moment, learn to be thankful, pray, and always seek Gods face... ALWAYS! <3

It's Been A While...

     It's been a while since I posted anything on blogs. Truth is, it's been a good break. I needed it. Figuring out how to be a mom, and to still keep up with everything else has had its challenging moments. So, what's the update? Our little baby boy is 3 1/2 months old now! James has been smiling since he was 6 weeks old! He loves to be outside, just sitting on our porch sitting with me on our swing. He can roll over from his back to his side now, and he loves to chew on things... whether that be fingers, blankets, arms. ;) James LOVES being held! He also gets upset when you leave him in a room by himself for too long.
     Being a mom is amazing, and rewarding, and also challenging at times. At this moment, I'm typing with one hand, and holding my little boy on my lap with the other. ;) I've been slowly writing a post on my blog. I usually get as far as writing a paragraph when something comes up, and my duty as a mom needs attention. So, this posts I've been writing for a couple weeks, little by little, and updating as needed.
     James started to laugh for the first time this last week. And oh, it filled my heart! My husband and I were reminiscing last week about how far we've come. How we met, courted, got engaged, married, and now have a baby! A baby who used to sleep and cry all the time, and now he smiles, he's found his thumb, is laughing, and loves brightly colored things. James loves to be outside, so whenever he's fussy and he just woke up, I just take him out there for a bit.
     So, that's the update that I have. Life with our little guy is full. Being a momma full time is challenging, and wonderful at the same time. I've been learning all sorts of new things about our little boy.  During the challenging moments, my husband is so patient with me, and is always encouraging me and reminding me of Gods blessings that He's given to us, and how every day is a gift that we need to thank Him for.

He's going to be a thumb sucker. ;)

He loves to stick out his tongue now!

Those Cheeks!!!

Not sure what this face was for... I think he was blowing bubbles...

He loves tummy time now! :)

What have ya'll been up to this summer? I'd love to hear about it! Leave a comment below...

Dear New Momma

Dear new momma,

    You're new at this. You're still recovering from having a baby; I get it! You're trying to figure out how to be a mom and meet the needs of your husband and baby while trying to catch up on sleep and remembering to eat and take care of yourself as well. It's okay to cry. It's all overwhelming, I know, but God will give you the strength to endure every minute. Choose to focus on the precious gift you have before you, and know that you'll get through the day.

   I want to encourage you and let you know that it gets better! Pretty soon, you'll have the "mom thing" down a bit more. You'll figure out how to balance out spending time with your hubby, spending time with God, keeping up with friends, and still meeting the needs of your baby.

    I promise you, it'll all get better! Nursing will get easier, and you and your baby will soon be in sync with one another. Eventually you'll be able to make dinner with one hand and hold onto your baby with the other. Soon you'll get used to surviving on little sleep, and it'll become easier.

    You'll have lots of people telling you how to be a mom and what to do. Just stay calm, nod your head, and smile. Some of the information you get, you'll use, and some of it you won't. You're the mom; you decide what works best for you and your baby.

   Don't be afraid to ask for help. You'll have days when laundry, dishes, and other household chores won't get done. It's okay! Enjoy those snuggles with your new baby! ... they're only a baby once.

   New momma, above all things, seek God and constantly be in prayer! Becoming a mom is challenging but oh so rewarding! You'll soon look back and see  how far you've come. You've got this! ;-)
From one mama to another,
Caitlin (http://cherishandnurture.blogspot.com/)

New Blog!

     Hello all! I've started a new blog called, "Cherish and Nurture", which you can find here: http://cherishandnurture.blogspot.com
I'll still continue to post on this blog, but not as often as I have been. When I first started my "Daughter of Destiny" blog, the purpose was to encourage and inspire other like-minded Christians. Although, that's still my purpose, my life has changed. I no longer write about singleness and staying content until God brings "the one", because I'm now a married woman, and a mom. My blog posts will start to be about how God has been teaching me in the life of being a wife and mom. 

     I'd still love to give encouragement to those that are single, or who are still struggling to find contentment where Gods placed them, but I feel like my life has changed quite a bit now. As my precious baby sleeps in my arms, I can't help but praise God for the life He's given me, and for the opportunity I've had to minister and to encourage those that come to my blog. 

The reason for my new blog is to capture life's little moments - the moments that I cherish as a wife and momma - and to share how God is helping me nurture and raise our little guy into the man that God wants him to be. 

A Letter to my Son

     Over the last couple years, I've seen a couple people write a letter to their son/daughter. I wrote this a couple weeks ago, but adjusted it accordingly. I thought I'd share it with ya'll.

A Letter to my Son:

     James, you're only 7 weeks old, and somehow the time is already passing by so quickly. From the moment your daddy and I found out we were going to have a baby, we had already fallen in love with you. With every passing day that my belly got bigger, our dreams were coming true.

     You didn’t know it at the time, but I had prayed for you since I was a young adult. I prayed that when that someday came for me to get married and have children, that God would give me the strength to endure the path that He had for me. 

     The days of pregnancy went by fast for me. I had quite the scare in my first trimester when I thought I had lost you. However, God saw fit to bless us with such a beautiful and handsome son. 

  
   
     As my pregnancy with you came to an end, I began to feel excited and nervous. Excited that I was going to be holding you in my arms soon, but nervous with how I was going to be as a mother. Your dad was confident that I was going to be great, but I couldn’t see how someone so little could play a huge part in my role as a mother. 

     As the days pass, and you get a tiny bit bigger, I wonder, even now how I’ll be as a mother. I know that I’ll get upset and frustrated with you at times, but I pray that you’ll be patient with me as I’m learning to be a momma for the very first time. 

     We've had bad day, and good days, and days that were so rough on me, that I was in tears because of the lack of sleep, but you helped me grow into mommy-hood. I"m very thankful to be married to your daddy, who, during those times was so patient with me, and still continues to be.
     Last week, you started smiling for the very first time when daddy and I would talk to you. Every morning, we long to get that sweet smile, and every morning, you melt our hearts with your smile. We are in love with you!
     James, as daddy and I train you up in the admonition of the Lord, may you seek Gods wisdom always. Remember to "Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you." ~1st Samuel 12:24. Give God glory for everything in your life, and praise Him through all the trials that will come your way.
     Your daddy and I love you very much and we're blessed and honored to be your parents! We're looking forward to watching you grow. We love you James Randal Narwold!!! <3

A Grateful Heart

     These past couple weeks have been quite the whirlwind. Adjusting to life as a new mom, and meeting the needs of my 5-week old have been great and challenging at the same time. There are times I look at baby James and think, "Wow! How could God be so gracious to give us a baby of our own?!" Every day with my little boy gets better... and yes, I still have good days and bad days, but I wouldn't trade my baby for the world! ;)
     I was thinking this last week about how my life has changed for the better. I was thinking about how God used everything in my life for His glory. It's funny the things that God throws our way to teach us things in order to grow us into the person that He created us to be.
     This past week, I was actually feeling pretty confident about being a momma to my little man. I was proud of myself for being able to go in public with a 5-week old, and everything going great... and then life threw me a curve ball... or should I say my son threw me a curve ball and decided to sleep for 3 hours while I got ready for the day!... this was huge! I was thinking to myself, "Hey, this days going to go great!" After I woke him up to feed him, and played with him for a bit, it was time for his nap again. His eyes began to roll back, and he drifted off to sleep... for 2 minutes. James decided to continue to do this for the next hour. Anytime, I'd set him down, or take the pacifier from his already opened mouth, he'd wake up, and cry... sigh. Well, needless to say, my whole afternoon was pretty much spent holding him and trying to get him to sleep. So much for getting things done, right?!
     Half of me just wanted me to let him cry himself to sleep, so that I can at least get my lunch and have an hour to myself, and the other half of me, wanted to cradle my son in my arms and let him know that it was all okay, and that mommy was there for him.
     I began to think to myself, "Some days are great, and some days are terrible, but I should be grateful that I have a son that Gods blessed me with!"
     Motherhood is hard. It's hard to put your selfishness aside every hour of every-day, and focus on someone other than yourself. It's hard to possibly not be able to take a shower, or eat your lunch until later in the afternoon, so that your child can have your love and attention.
     I admit, I don't have it all together. I feel like some days I have it all together... that's when God decides to prove me wrong. "...Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good..." ~Psalm 100:4-5
      So, what am I grateful for?

• The Chance to Serve.
• A Baby that Gods blessed me with!
• The love that a mother has for her child.
• My mothers Godly example for me to follow as I enter motherhood.

What are you grateful for?... I'd love to know in the comments below! :-)

James Birth Story

     Tuesday, May 31st. It started out like any other “normal” day (as normal as it gets for a pregnant mama!). Because of my high blood pressure the last couple weeks, I had been told to take it easy and was basically on bed rest.

     On this particular night - a Tuesday, our official “date night” since the start of our marriage - Josh and I decided to see a movie at the local theater. We knew that once baby James had arrived, trips to the theater would be rare for a little while.       I had a bit of cramping during the movie but didn’t pay much attention to it. On the way home, the cramps began to come more often; every 10 minutes or so.

     Around 12:45 we decided to head for bed. No sooner had we turned off the light and snuggled up in bed than my cramps worsened to the point that I couldn’t sleep.

     It was about 1:00 in the morning when I told Josh, “I wonder if I’m in labor.” I texted my midwife Hannah and asked her if the pain I was experiencing was normal. She assured me that it was, told me that it was likely I’d be having the baby within the next 24-48 hours, and encouraged me to get some sleep.

     By 1:15, the contractions were so close together - about 5 minutes apart - that I couldn’t get any rest. By 1:30 they were about 4 minutes a part, and we called Hannah. Josh finished setting up the birth pool, as this was to be a water birth.

     Hannah arrived at our house around 2:15 to find my poor husband attempting to fill the birth pool with hot water without using the hose we had bought for the purpose (the adapter we now realized was necessary to connect the hose to the faucet had sadly gone unpurchased). Boiling water on the stove was not going to cut it given how close together my contractions were becoming, and Hannah decided it was more important to have enough water in the pool than to have perfect-temperature water. Thus began the bucket brigade from bathroom sink to poolside.

     When Hannah checked around 2:45 AM, I was 7 cm dilated. Kathy (our other midwife) and Cortnie (“the intern”) showed up around 3:00-3:15. At this point my contractions were every 2-3 minutes apart.

     I had been on my hands and knees for most of the duration of the labor. Josh had tried to get me into a more comfortable position or at least on the bed, but for some reason the floor felt most comfortable. All I wanted was for the pain to be over. I held Josh’s hand and squeezed it every time I had a contraction.

     Kathy and Hannah told me that I could get into the birth pool if I wanted to, and I did. The water felt really nice, but my contractions started to slow down almost immediately; so back out of the pool I went!

     Over the next few hours I took a shower, got back down on my hands and knees, then switched to the birth pool for a bit before repeating the process.

     I’m not sure exactly when I was fully dilated, but they told me afterwards that I had pushed for an hour and a half. We tried a few different locations and positions for the pushing, and we could see the top of James’s head before I’d returned to the pool. In fact, we almost finished labor without using the pool! It was my offhand comment “So much for a water birth!” that prompted Kathy to suggest I slip back in.

     Josh ventured into the birthing pool with me, and I leaned on him, squeezing the folds of his shirt with every contraction.

     Little baby James was born at 10:45 a.m. And I do mean little; he was just an ounce over 6 pounds! At 20 3/4", though, we think he’ll be tall like Daddy. The midwives pushed some air down into his lungs to help him breathe by himself since he had so much fluid.

     My mom flew out from Colorado later that day, and my dad followed 24 hours after. Josh took the week off and was able to work from home the second week.

     Adjusting to mommy-hood has been a challenge, but it’s been great. Having my parents here to help for the first few days made quite a difference. I’m still struggling with nursing, but we’re getting there little by little; and the sleep deprivation, though hard at first, has grown easier to manage.

     James is just about 4 weeks old now; and while we face fresh challenges daily as new parents, by God’s grace we’re getting through them.

     I’m thankful for Josh, a fantastic husband and now father who has been very patient with me while I learn how to be a mom and meet the needs of our 4-week-old.

     Our little guy brings us so much joy, and we wouldn’t trade him for the world. <3

Life As A New Mom

     It's been a little over 2 weeks now since I've had my baby. Life has been full of all kinds of new things. I've come to the conclusion that I'm a very selfish person. Having a baby is full of all kinds of joys, but also many challenges.
     From trying to figure out how to nurse, and being sleep deprived, makes mommy-hood all the more interesting.
      James is a wonderful blessing and addition to our family, but it's also been a little tough to adjust to having a baby.
     What once was nights with my hubby, sitting and watching a movie, playing games, evening walks, or having friends over, is now, time spent trying to feed the baby, or put the baby to sleep. Nights with just my husband and I, are no longer. It's been an adjustment for both of us, but we wouldn't trade it for the world.

Josh having some father/son bonding moments.

                I told my husband, "I feel like I won't be able to tell you about my day anymore! It won't be exciting. It'll be, feeding the baby, putting the baby to sleep, and maybe some things in between." ;) It gave us both a good laugh.

     James weighs 6Ibs 9.9oz as of today, which means, he's been gaining an ounce a day for the past week and a half. 

He looks so peaceful when he sleeps.

This is James after he finished eating. ;) 

      James is 16 days old, as of today. Every day is full with new challenges/old challenges, and lots of patience to go with it ... Gods working on me with that one. ;)

     I pray that God will give me the patience to endure what lies ahead, and to give me a peace that passes all understanding. Little baby James is a tremendous Joy to our lives, and we couldn't be happier to have him in our little family. We love you James Randal Narwold!!! <3

Introducing...

We welcomed little baby James Randal Narwold into this world on Wednesday, June 1st. He weighed 6 Ibs. 1oz. and was 23 1/4". He was born 2 weeks early, so he's such a little guy. Our hearts are full! 💕 

Grammy and Grandpa meeting their first grandbaby!

Snuggle Time with Daddy! <3