Weekend Recap: Mother's Day & Dedication Sunday

My first Mother's Day with Jacoby {outside of my belly}.

This weekend was such a fun & special weekend.

Friday started with Coby laughing hysterically at me. I'm pretty sure he knew it was Friday and we had a fun weekend in store, because he was in such a good mood all day. I love this boy! Just watch this video and try to not laugh.

Friday evening we loaded up the car, picked up Steph & Jared, headed down to Indy. We got there around 9:30 and decided us 4 and Jeff & Kat (who we went to visit) should go get a drink.  We put all the kids down (Coby and then Jeff & Kat have 3 girls: Bella, Sophia & Eva), and went out for a drink.

When we were there for a little bit, we checked in with the babysitter & Coby was already up...haha :( Poor baby. She gave him a bottle but he wasn't going back down.  So we all headed home, and when we got there BOTH Coby & Eva were awake, but neither were crying.  Considering we were in a new place & a new babysitter I'm not surprised he woke up and was super confused.  He played happily for awhile and then {thankfully} went back down while we were all up talking until about 2am.  I love having good friends that can just sit around and talk about life.

For the record >> I want their dog, Theo.  Jeff told me I could take him, Nate said I couldn't :) hahah. 

Coby woke up at 3:30 and again at 7am, and then woke up for the day at about 9:45.  I know to some that may seem bad, but I was pleasantly surprised.  He sleeps SO well at home in his crib, but other places he has a really hard time, so this was pretty good for him.

Saturday morning we got up, had some breakfast and then headed to the zoo.  It was warm, cloudy and humid.  I love the Indy zoo because it has the BEST dolphin show & I thought it was something Coby would really love.

well...

of course the day we were there, a new baby dolphin was born {yay!} and so they weren't doing dolphin shows {boo!}.  I was a little bummed, but there was a lot of other things to see there.

 Seriously beautiful girls :) 

 knocked.out.

Considering Coby's age (7 months), he enjoyed the zoo, but I'm not sure it was his favorite thing.  He loves being outside and watching people...but when it comes to a lion sleeping on a rock pretty far away, he could care less.  I honestly just don't think he could understand that it was an animal.  To him it makes no difference whether there's a sleeping lion or whether there's a piece of grass blowing in the wind.  He needs it to make movement or noise in order for him to enjoy it!

 Dippin Dots...because you just don't say no :)

We did find out his favorite animal at the zoo is the Warthog.  hahah...because why not?

The warthog was sitting against the glass (you can kind of see him in the pic below), so I put Coby right up to him and Coby was touching the glass and trying so hard to grab the warthog. haha...he even smiled and waved his arms in excitement.  

Kisses for the stuffed tiger

 Kisses for daddy

Sweet Eva

After the zoo, we came back and grilled out with Jeff & Kat and then headed back home.  Coby slept the whole way home, which was a blessing since the trip down didn't go as well :) '

Sunday morning was extremely special for us as a family because Coby got dedicated at church. Unfortunately, this is the best picture we have of the dedication. Thankful to Alyssa for snapping a few pics with her phone.  Even if it's not the best picture, I'm glad you can see us all praying over Jacoby.

"We have this hope, as an anchor for the soul, both firm & secure."  Hebrews 6:19

This is the life verse we chose for him {it's also framed in his room}.  We LOVE our church and love that they have a way for us to openly commit to raising Coby to know Christ. We know God gave us Coby to raise & love, but we also know that Coby is God's child first and foremost.  We happily dedicate Jacoby's life to Christ, knowing He is in charge and that He has great things in store for our little one.

Of course, he was dressed SO cute & we didn't get a family picture! {mom fail for sure!} We had family & friends at the dedication and then our families went out to l
unch to celebrate his dedication. It was nice to spend Mother's Day with lots of family, including both my mom & my mother-in-law!

Although we didn't get a family picture, somehow I remembered to take a pic with my sweet nephew Gio...mid-kiss :)

We came back after lunch and Coby & I both took a 2 hr nap while Nate watched the Bulls :) That boy & his Bulls.  I love the Chicago Bulls, but I love sleep more. Much much more!

Then we headed to Goshen to celebrate Mother's Day with Nate's mom's side of the family.  The men of the family grilled out for all the Mother's.  Unfortunately it was really rainy and gross but it was still nice to eat a brat and a brownie. Or 3. {whoops}.

Nate made sure to spoil me with donuts & an Iced Chai to wake up to, along with a framed canvas picture collage, chocolate turtles, and a card that made me blush from all the sweetness. I have a good man!

I'm "mommy" to my little Benny too :)

It was such a fun-filled weekend on-the-go, but I am thankful to have a low-key Monday at home with my boy today!

I'm still in awe that God gave me the most perfect boy to be a mommy to.

Hope all you mommas out there had a wonderful day!

To the ones who long to be mommas...you are in my prayers. I've been there & pray you'll feel God's peace & comfort. 

xox,

Naomi

When my belief in God grew even more...

When I was in college and quite frankly probably my whole life, I knew that I was meant to have kids and be a mommy.  It was the one thing I knew God had planned for me.  After switching my degree {3} times in college, and now working a job that isn't related to my degree AT ALL, I can confirm that being a mommy is what makes me whole.  Cheesy? Perhaps.

But let me tell you why I have this appreciation for my sweet Coby and all the other babies here and to come.

When you're a little girl, you play house. You are the mom and you take care of your babies.  

The thing that never crosses your mind is 

the incredible miracle that these "babies" are.

The older I get and the more I see friends, family, and acquaintances go through tough times with infertility, losing children, and all the other struggles related to having children, the more my heart aches for them,

ALSO

the more my heart explodes with gratitude.

It took Nate & I about a year to get pregnant and truthfully, it wasn't ever something I imagined being difficult to achieve.  While pregnant, I can {happily} say that I had a very easy and uneventful pregnancy.  As the weeks went by and I did my weekly bump updates, I had this question constantly come to mind:

How can someone who has gone through pregnancy NOT believe in God?

Over & over again I was amazed the by the things that were happening inside of me, without me truly doing anything different.  Sure, I ate a healthy diet and avoided the things I was supposed to, but other than that-- I did nothing. N O T H I N G.

& yet this beautiful baby boy continued to grow {oh so perfectly, I might add}.  How can someone not think this was by design?  

Photo: Jessie Nichole Photography

Let's break down just a handful of innate happenings throughout pregnancy and child birth:

1. The body protects the baby, with the perfect amount of room and the right amount of amniotic fluid.

2. The baby gets nutrients FIRST, making sure he/she is never deprived.

3. Each and every body part and organ develops in the right timeline so that they can work together in unison.

4. A woman's body knows exactly what to do when it's "go-time".

5. When a baby is born, they come out breathing. Without ever having to think about it or be taught.  

6. The uterus contracts, on its own, due to the hormones that are released as the baby nurses.

7. The moment that Coby was born, it was his instinct to nurse.

8. Not only did he want to nurse, but he knew how to suck and breathe at the same time. 

I can't read these and think any of these {which is just a very small list} happen by chance.  The details and creativity behind it all is beyond human comprehension.

I can honestly say that pregnancy truly made me feel closer to God, knowing that he was creating my sweet baby exactly the way he was meant to be.  And I know I would say this even if Coby was born with any kind of birth defects or abnormalities. 

 God created this beautiful, sweet, perfect, loving human being with his own two hands.

Photo:  Chika Sunoto Photography

I am SO thankful that the One who has created the beauty of pregnancy, childbirth, and children is the One who knows me by name and the one who I can call on for everything.  Because obviously, he knows what he is doing.

Sidenote: I'm not a doctor or scientist, so please realize this isn't intended to start an argument or scientific statistics.  This is my own experience and how it helped me see God in a new light.

xox,

Naomi