NEW GOALS

Hello!

I have new some new goals...that I want to share with you!

So, first thing.  I want to lose my mom pouch belly.  Maggie is quickly approaching ONE! (AHHHH! give me a moment to freak out with excitement and wonder at how that happened so fast!), and although I've been back to my pre-pregnancy weight since she was like two or three months old, my body is totally different now (obviously).  So, with thoughts of Wauhop baby number 2 starting to sound like an exciting thing - I don't want to go into that with any extra fat...for a lack of a nicer way to put that.  SO - I am committing to Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30!  I'm not going to do any weird diet or anything, but I just want to kick my booty into gear and shed a little extra fat.  Then I'll go back to my regular 3 or 4 (most likely less intense) workouts a week.  So, that's the first thing.

Second, on the other end of things - Meal Planning!  This year, a goal of mine was to cook something new every week.  And honestly, I've succeeded in that area pretty well thus far - and, I have loved it!  Now, I want to start being both more organized and more frugal with my meal planning.  I want to plan two weeks of meals (8 meals), and do pretty much all the shopping at the beginning of the first week!  This week's menu (in no particular order):

Chicken and Dumplings (crockpot)

Cilantro Thai Chicken and Rice

Cheesy White Chicken Enchiladas

Mustard Chicken and Red Potatoes

Fried Egg Quesadillas and Chips and Salsa

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Grilled Shrimp Stir fry with Potatoes

Tortellini 

Yum!!  Can't wait to eat all of this up!

Next, writing!  I have about three children's books "in the works."  I've always wanted to be a writer.  I studied English in school (should have studied journalism, but O well).  And I really want to start writing now.  Robert is super busy with school and work and everything, so it's really a great time.  Mags goes to bed at 7 and I need to utilize my time and get writing!  I'm excited and also a little nervous about this venture...but mostly excited!  *Let me know if you want to be a proofreader (especially those of you who read a lot to your little ones)!

Lastly, I want to read more.  Plain and simple, I want to make more time to read good books.

So, if you see me, ask me how those things are going!  I'd appreciate it :)

Have a wonderful day!!

**(O. Also, I changed my blog format because some had said they couldn't leave comments...?  so, I think that might work better now!)

A Week Without Daddy

A week without Daddy is a sad week, indeed.

Mommy and Maggie sleep with less ease.

A week without Daddy means no strong, tickling hands

And big bear hugs are in high demand.

A week without Daddy is not our favorite week,

But tomorrow he gets back and we will go out to eat!

...OK, obviously a work of art!  But I couldn't justify any more time spent on thinking up rhymes.  Needless to say, though, I have been missing my man something fierce!  There is something about the knowledge of Daddy coming home at the end of the day that really helps to get you through a bought of crying or whining or teething or ??? you name it; but the knowledge of Daddy's absence for an entire week has the opposite effect.  But, tomorrow, he returns!  Yay!  

From the sounds of it, camp was amazing - lots of great ministry, one of one conversations, and fabulous preaching.  There were fun games and a lot of dirty kids.  Robert was one of the "hype" men this year, and he had a lot of fun doing that.  And, I'm SO thankful (despite how much he was missed) that he was able to be there, attending to all of that, and know that I was at home taking care of our baby and apartment...    

I've been thinking that with ministry this sort of thing might be asked of us a lot.  Trying to think about the future and what we might do: take the kids, leave the kids with someone else, don't go?  These decisions do not need to be made today, obviously, but it is something to think about.    My number one responsibility is my husband and children (future tense, obviously since i have only 1 as of right now!) and doing ministry with them as a family is a DREAM!  When they're littler and money is "littler" it can be tough.  But, it's so awesome to know that the Lord provides!  And, He will not call us to anything that is too difficult for us!  So, with all of that in mind, and with me wanting to get to bed...I leave this for another time.  

Goodnight Cyberspace and my few reading friends :)

Kauai 2012 (part 1)

We had such a GREAT vacation!  Family, beach, zip-line, pool, sun, and lots of food - sounds amazing, right!  I'm so thankful to my grandparents for taking us and my whole family on this trip.  It was such a blessing from the Lord and such a special time!  So instead of a long narrative about all of the details about our vacation, here are a bunch of pictures.  Enjoy!

First day at the beach!

Maggie's fun new pool float!

She's too sweet!

My grandparents = awesome!  They started it all :)

My family minus my dad (who was taking the pic).

All of us!  The Bowens, Morales', Smiths, Watsons, and Wauhops!

Anniversary Date Night!!  Seriously some of the best food I've ever eaten, and I SO loved being alone with my man for 24 whole hours!!

A gorgeous hike on the coast in Poipu!

Crazy fun zip-line tour with Kauai Backcountry Adventures! (video to come!!)

I realized this was getting a little long...so, Kauai 2012 part 2 coming up.  Stay tuned!

the sweetest little laugh

Maggie LOVES her daddy.  I'm rather fond of him, myself ;)  I love watching the two of them together; they are my two most favorite people - ever, and they make quite the duo.  Robert gets the biggest kick out of making her laugh, and this was a sweet moment they had the other night after bathtime... So precious.  Hope you enjoy it.

DATE DAY!!!

It's been a while since I've posted...my computer is old, and sometimes it won't let me use the "Blogger" website (or Fossil or look at Facebook pics, etc? Random!)  Anyway, without further ado - DATE DAY!

Robert and I have had a few dates since Maggie has been born, Sem Banquet and another dinner.  But, for his graduation gift I wanted to plan a super fun DAY for just the two of us.  So, the wonderful Amanda Taylor (and Emily for a little, too!) watched our sweet little one while the two of us celebrated together.  We seriously had the best time!!

Up first - MB2 Raceway!  MB2 is legit go-kart racing - so much fun and pretty intense.  You have to sign a waiver that basically says I won't sue if I die; but, on the up-side, you get to pick cool racer names.  Robert was Bobcat and I was Bobcat's Wife, haha.  I was pretty scared before we raced, and for good reason.  Basically, I almost killed someone, haha.  Two guys wrecked in front of me and I didn't have time to put my brakes on and I literally ramped up on top of this guy and his car!  It was terrifying!  The rest of the race I drove at a crawling pace, letting everyone lap me...it was a 14 lap race, and I completed 8 laps!  Robert came in 2nd place, though!  A highlight for sure, though, was that we saw Steve Carrel with his wife and family there, having a family birthday party! So, racing was a blast!

Next - We headed to the Americana in Glendale!  We walked around a little and then had an early dinner at the Cheesecake Factory!  YUM!! We had a gift-card, but decided to "share:" fried macaroni (appetizer), Miso salmon with mashed potatoes and sugar snap peas, and Adam's Peanut-butter Cup Fudge Ripple Cheesecake - um YES!  It was AMAZING.  I'm hungry now...I need a snack.

Then - I got Robert a gift-card for The Art of Shaving , so we stopped in there.  He got some gear? is that a proper term?  He got some stuff for shaving - very legit, gentlemanly, "luxurious" shaving, haha.  He was pretty excited; it was cute!  And, bonus, his face smells amazing these days :)

Last - We had some movie tickets from Costco and we went to go see Avengers in 3D!  It was our first time with 3D and it was pretty cool.  I probably prefer regular viewing, but it was definitely a fun one to see in 3D - tons of action!

We came home to our beautiful baby sleeping soundly!

Thank you, Lord, for an amazing husband to share this grace of life called marriage!  It truly is a gift from the Father, and I am so grateful for every second of it!  Next week we head to Kauai!!  We will celebrate our third anniversary and see all of my family - we are really looking forward to spending a lot more time together!!

Congratulations, Husband!!

Last Sunday, May 13, my amazing husband, Robert Wauhop, graduated from the Master's Seminary with his MDiv (Masters of Divinity)!  This was a day that we had been excitedly anticipating since, well, since we've been married... maybe even before that!  That's when our seminary journey started - less than a month after our wedding we headed out in the good old Lexus, made the drive across the country, and arrived here, at the Master's Seminary!  Three years later I hear these glorious words: "Robert Wauhop, Summa Cum Laude!"  That's right, Summa Cum Laude - "with highest honor!" That title is rewarded to those with a GPA of 3.9-4.0...basically he's a genius graduating with a 3.96 (while doing ministry, hanging out with his wife and daughter, and working)!  I can't tell you how excited I was to hear Dr. Mayhue call his name and to see him walk across that stage - and when it happened I was NOT disappointed!  It was such a proud moment and I am so filled with gratitude.

The Lord has provided for Robert and I so faithfully, perfectly, and abundantly throughout our three years in seminary!  We've lived in three totally different, fun places: Castaic, North Hollywood, and now Montrose!  We've been so blessed to serve on the Grace Community Church high school staff for most of our time here, and we LOVE it - our kids and the staff, who are our best friends!  And the best most significant "accomplishment" during our time here is the blessing of our beautiful baby girl!  We're parents!  I still can't believe it sometimes.  Maggie is an amazing addition to our family; we are so crazy about her beautiful face and super fun little personality!  I am extremely thankful and blessed beyond measure!  Above and beyond what we have asked and far far more than we deserve, thank You, Lord!

So, what's next for the Wauhops?  It is official - we are staying here in California while Robert gets his ThM.  And honestly, I'm excited about that!  And honestly, again, I was not so much at first...but it has become really obvious that this is what the Lord has for us.  And bonus, we have a wonderful church, great friends and neighbors - and each other, which is all I need to be happy!  So basically, the ThM is a Masters in theology, which will enable him to teach at a collegiate level and maybe even in a seminary.  He should be done with this degree by January.  After that, we will go to a church...somewhere...hopefully...!  We had some other plans that didn't end up working out, and that is ok, because the Lord is in control.  He didn't call us to this task of seminary and sacrifice to leave us stranded.  So, we are super excited about our future, and fully enjoying each day along the way!  

I am so thankful for you, Robert; for the countless hours of hard work, for the thousands of pages written, the scores of thousands, maybe even millions, of pages read, the late nights, the prayer, the dedication, the sacrifice, the leadership...well done, good and faithful husband!  Enjoy the fruit of your labor.  I love you!!

"I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction." 2 Tim. 4:1-2 

 

A Beautiful Saturday

Life has been BUSY lately!  Most recently my amazing husband graduated from Seminary with his M.Div. (don't worry, i will be singing his praises in my next blog!), family was in town from NoVa, Maggie turned 6 months (yet another blog to come), and of course just living the high profile, high energy Wauhop life - you know what they say, work hard, play hard ;) and we do!

But seriously, we had SO much fun this weekend at the gorgeous Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills!! (Thanks Carly Brannon for the tip!)  We brought a picnic (Chipotle) lunch - yum!  It turned out there was no "picnicking" allowed, nor the throwing or catching of balls, and a few other random things.  But it was an absolutely gorgeous and FREE activity!  Even the drive down was super fun, (we took the 2 to the 134 to the 101 and got off on Coldwater Canyon and followed that down most of the way) very scenic - the secluded Beverly Hills!  Here are few of my favorite pics from the day.  Enjoy!

Handsomest Hubby/Daddy I've ever seen!!

My two most favorite people!!  Love their big, beautiful blue eyes!

Maggie loves giving kisses...big, wet, slobbery ones...all the time!!

and a few of the place, itself...

Thank you, Lord, for your beautiful creation, a super fun day in the sun, and an amazing family to enjoy your graces with!!!  We are so blessed!!

5) The Honor of Working at Home

Titus 2:4-5 is very clear, "...so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored." Yet, this seems to be interpreted so many different ways by so many believers, truly trying to please the Lord with the way they live their lives.  Being a homemaker is offensive to some, outdated to others, and to others still it is the greatest joy!  There is only one correct interpretation of this verse, and I do believe that to be that a woman's place is in the home...even a working woman with no husband or children should cultivate a love for the home.  In the short amount of time I've been a full-time stay at home wife and mom I've had many people say, "It's so nice that you can do that..."  Implying that it is a nice option I've been afforded.  Praise the Lord, He has provided for me to stay at home without greatly altering our style of living.  But my "choice" to stay home with Maggie is something that I am actually called to - not just as a seminary wife, or a future pastor's wife, but as a believer!  When family or friends see homemaking as a burden, an unnecessary sacrifice, or even to the other extreme as a luxury, it becomes all too easy to "succumb to worldly thinking rather than viewing my profession as the Bible portrays it - a high calling from God."

 

In this chapter Carolyn Mahaney writes, "What we need is a biblical perspective.  For in God's economy, homemaking is a high and noble calling...By 'working at home' we can present the gospel as attractive to unbelievers.  Our homes can actually be a showcase for the gospel!"  How awesome and daunting is that!  It is my ultimate goal, as a homemaker to create an environment for all who enter to think of Jesus Christ, to be refreshed, encouraged, and happy.  Playdates, Bible studies, recipe parties, new neighbors, friends, family, you name it - there are countless opportunities to share the gospel and encourage one another in love and good deeds in the home!  And as a wife, that's my job!  

Think back to the beginning...why was Eve created in the first place?  She was created to be Adam's helper!  "We are to be our husband's helper (Gen 1:26-31, 2:7-25; 1 Cor 11:8-9)...She is called to the work of ministering to him.  He is oriented to the task, and she is oriented to him."  God ordained it to be so in the garden!  A huge part of my glorifying God on this earth is to serve my husband, family, and home.  Careers, trends, traveling, "me time," etc. are not a part of the plan.  Nothing is wrong with many of those things, but the calling is the same for all women.  Especially as wives and mothers, our lives should be centered around our husband's and children's needs - everything else can fall into place after that. 

Some think that as a stay at home I don't get to exercise my skills or interests.  First, I'd say that I actually don't have that many marketable skills :)  And secondly, it is a true joy and "skill" to love the home and manage it excellently.  I cannot wait for the day, Lord willing, when I am that super organized, cool wife/mom who has the menu ready, the cleaning all scheduled, and the calendar worked out, helpful projects lined up, and her hair done!  Maybe I'll never get there, but that is certainly a goal to which I attain.  Since staying at home, I've found a new love of cooking (and I am going to post 3 new recipe blogs asap!  The Wauhop's have been feasting on some delicious new dishes these past few weeks!).  I get so excited each week to plan out my menu and try something new.  Ask Robert, I'm always so excited for him to get home and try whatever I've been working on that day.

Honestly, I think that I have got the BEST JOB in the whole wide world!  I mean seriously, my child is gorgeous and sweet and so much fun!  My husband is the greatest man ever and my very best friend.  My house/apartment...well, I'm on my third one in three years and although it's nothing too special, but it's our home and I'm so thankful for it!  So much joy can be found in working at home.  Working at home is hard and dirty at times, it's tiring, especially when new babies come onto the scene, but I find it to be super rewarding and fulfilling - and even fun!  Either way, though, it is what God has called me to do.  And in His will there is great joy!  So, that's what you'll find in the Wauhop household - great joy!  The saying goes, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy" and I really think that is pretty true.  As the mom, I set the tone for the home.  If I begrudgingly do my chores, make the meals, attend to Maggie's schedule, etc - well, home isn't Robert's or anyone's favorite place to be.  So, if you struggle with this area, when I struggle in these areas: PRAY, BE THANKFUL, and be in the Word!  The Lord is kind to provide the grace to obey and to be delighted to do so!

Ps. 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."  

P.S. - If you still aren't convinced...listen to this sermon from Johnny Mac!

My Girl Maggie - 5 months!

One more month and my Maggie Grace will be half a year!  Half a year!  I cannot believe that she is growing up so quickly.  This past has month has been so much fun!  Life with a baby gets better and better; each month she is learning so much and it is awesome to be able to be there for ALL of it!  It is such a blessing to be a stay at home mom and hang out with my baby girl all day, every day!  We have a blast together, reading stories, going on walks, playing with toys, spitting, making silly noises, having little photo shoots, singing songs - you name it, we love it!  *Don't get me wrong, we (I) have our moments when things get frustrating...but God is SO GOOD!  And it is awesome to be being sanctified as a mommy!  What a blessing 

Maggie is to me!

So...On to the interesting things:

Maggie is talking!  She babbles and coos and gaga-goos all the time!  It is pretty much the cutest thing you've ever heard!  I am convinced she will have a scruffy, raspy little voice.  She's going to be this beautiful, little, petite, feminine thing with the voice of a smoker.  It's going to be pretty cute,  I'm sure :)

We started doing solids every day, morning and night!  Mostly just oatmeal cereal...we tried avocados and sweet potatoes (not together) once, but she didn't love them.  I think it was a little too chunky.  I mixed it by hand; I think we need to get a blender of sorts to assist in my baby food making efforts.

She is sitting up for around a minute at a time all on her own!!  So fun and scary!  I know crawling is right around the corner.  I've caught her caterpillar crawling a few times, just inching around!  Baby-proofing is coming, I guess.  I actually think my biggest need in that area will be to vacuum the insane amount of hair I lose daily (which is apparently normal) off of our floors so she doesn't eat it - GROSS! 

She was sleeping about 11 hours a night (AMAZING, thank You, Jesus!) - until the day she turned 5 months, actually, when we entered into the fun world of teething!  (I think/I hope this isn't just a new phase she's in).  Mom's any sure fire teething tricks you'd like to send my way are greatly appreciated!  I will be sad to see her priceless little toothless grin go, but a little tooth will look pretty adorable in her precious mouth!

We also started a 4 hour feeding schedule - which has been the bomb (again until the teething started, but hopefully it's just a hiccup... :) !!

Maggie had her first Easter!  She is so beautiful!  I cannot get enough of this sweet girl!!  I could just kiss her little face all day -  so I do!

22 BIG weeks!!

The happy happy Wauhop family!  We love our little Maggie!!  Thank you, Lord!

3) The Safety of Self-Control

Chapter 4, third blog post in this series of seven... This chapter obviously deals with self-control.  It is commanded in Scripture, a fruit of the Spirit, and something that is not super easy (at least for me)!  But, the good news, as Carolyn Mahaney writes, "[I]f Scripture requires self-control from every Christian, it is obviously attainable...whenever God gives a command , He also provides the grace to obey it."

She starts by talking about things we enjoy, our appetites, which, sadly, includes sin!  Sin indwelling and originating in our hearts makes self-control so difficult (along with any other God-glorifying action!).  She addresses eating and sleeping to the glory of God, which seem so mundane, but are areas in which many women lack self-control.  Martha Peace, too, has something to say on the issue of sleep , "...Once a young wife begins getting up earlier than her children and her husband, she will cease to be a 'night person.'  She will be tired at night and go to bed at a reasonable hour so she will be there to serve her family the next morning."  Yikes!  I am definitely guilty of wasting time when Maggie is in bed and Robert is up late doing school work just "online window shopping" - which, there is absolutely nothing wrong with...until I grumble as I get out of bed in the morning because I'm still tired!  Obviously, though, I take this with a grain of salt and know that late and early mean different things for different people; but, I still thought that this was helpful and a goal to certainly strive for - namely, being prepared each morning to serve my family with joy!

Next, she moves on to our thoughts and feelings.  This section was super helpful!  2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us to "take  every thought captive to obey Christ."  It's so obvious and simple, but so profound, "Sinful thoughts and sinful feelings lead to sinful behavior.  Therefore, we dare not  ignore these faculties, but we must exercise self-control in them."  I listened to a fabulous sermon years ago by this dear author's husband, CJ Mahaney from Resolved 2009, entitled The Troubled Soul (and I would encourage you to listen to it).  In this he talks about talking to yourself versus listening to yourself...Martin Lloyd-Jones says it like this, "Most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself."  Those sound sort of like the same thing, I know, but there is a huge difference between allowing our thoughts to run wild and preaching the truth of Scripture to ourselves!  I find it so easy to become greatly overwhelmed by a small thing; a little issue becomes magically compounded by 85 things that happened last week and/or what might happen next year!  Suddenly, God is not on His throne and He certainly doesn't care about me and what I'm going through!  FALSE!  Carolyn writes, and I so agree, "Time and time gain I had to stop, pray, confess the sin of anxiety, and seek to replace my sinful thoughts with the truth of God's Word...I needed to 'talk' to myself: There is always enough time to do what God has called me to do (Matt. 6:25-27).  God's grace is sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9). He is with me, and He will help me (Isa. 41:10).  He does care (1 Peter 5:7)."  We can exercise self-control by "rejecting your sinful thoughts AND speaking truth to yourself" (emphasis mine).  It's the classic put off and put on found all throughout Scripture!  

It is so important for me to remember that my "feelings are not authoritative," but at the same time they are real indicators of what is truly in my heart!  Just because I feel something doesn't make it true.  Yet, feelings are a gift from God, and they were given primarily so that we could enjoy and glorify Him!  They are such a great gift - feelings enable us to really enjoy all of our other gifts from God, like our wonderful families and food and sleep!  God is so kind; it is His Spirit that works in us so that we can glorify Him through our feelings and through our self-control!  Praise the Lord for His goodness; it is never-ending!

My Girl Maggie - 4 months!

I can't believe my SWEET baby is now a whole 4 months old!  Wow!  Yikes!

Her stats, unfortunately, are unknown.  Her 4 month appointment isn't until the end of the month, but I'd guess she is about 13lbs and 25.5in.  But, we shall see on the 29th!  

Maggie's Favorites:

 BATH TIME! 
Singing songs! 
Rainforest Jumperoo
Mrs. Giraffe

Her Playmat   

Goodnight Moon, Green Eggs and Ham, The Grouchy Lady Bug, 

Moo, Baa, La La La, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar 

A little article we read on babycenter.com confirmed what we already knew...that Maggie has "Advanced Skills" for her age!  She can roll over, both way! (Back to belly was quite the accomplishment!)  She is getting closer to sitting up, but I think that will take a few more weeks.  She started rice cereal (last week, though, so technically that was past her 4 month mark).  She can't get enough of her hands in her mouth and she drools like it's her job...I hope she's not teething : /

Nicknames:

Mags (or Baby Mags)

Mags-a-million

The Magster

Maggie G

I think the most fitting word for my Maggie, is SWEET!  She just has the sweetest smile, 

and the brightest eyes...  Her daddy said beautiful; she loves her daddy!  And she will share a smile with almost anyone.  I LOVE this little girl!  I'm so excited to get to know her more and 

more as she grows up, but I at the same time I so hope it doesn't come too quickly.  I 

know it will, though.  But, she is such a blessing and I am forever thankful to the Lord 

for this gift of stewardship!

"The Future"

So, Robert is about to graduate from The Master's Seminary this May! In 58 days to be exact! That fact literally blows my mind! For our entire marriage (almost 3 years) we have lived out here in LA while Robert was pursuing - and dominating, I might add - his MDiv. Now that this chapter is coming to a close, what's next for us??

Answer: We have NO idea! Well, we have a few ideas...

It's a little bit awesome and a whole lot of scary to have no idea what 3 months from now might look like for us?! Especially as parents, now, we can't just "fly by the seat of our pants" as easily as we could before. Robert has already started taking classes for another degree, the ThM. With this degree it would open up doors for teaching at a college level, both now and for the future. If he decides to stay and do the ThM, we would probably be ready to leave TMS this coming December or January. At the same time, however, "we" are actively interested and looking for churches that we could go to and begin implementing all of this training he's received! And while this option, and a more permanent zip code is higher on my list of preferences I am praying for and growing in contentment for what the Lord has for us - whatever that might be!

Honestly, it seems like every other week we could go one way or the other. After a fabulous class or chat with an esteemed professor Robert is excited and driven to stay for the ThM. Then, he talks to an already graduated friend in ministry or someone further along in the candidating process and he can't wait to get his own ministry and just preach! All the while, I'm thinking about the timing of our next baby, when we will live somewhere that has a real oven (and maybe even a dishwasher?!), where will that be, will it be close to our families, I wonder if there's really good food there, there's really good food here, maybe it would be nice to stay in CA with Dr. Frields for a while, warm weather year round...you know, real spiritual stuff, haha. But, my main ministry stays the same, here or there - Robert and Maggie! So, who knows what 3 months from now will hold. Who really even knows what 3 minutes from now will hold - I mean, I have a sleeping 4 month old in the other room! BUT, what I'm saying is that God is good and He knows exactly what each moment for the rest of eternity holds, and even better, He has planned it for my good (becoming more like Christ and then that we would be presented to Him) and ultimately His glory!!

And this is not where I was planning at all on going with this post. I mostly wanted to share Jesse Johnson's blog about candidating...candiDATING. So, check out his interesting and true perspective on candidating at the Cripplegate!

Introducing...My Girl Maggie (after the fact)

So, about four months ago the sweetest and most beautiful little girl entered into this world, on November 10, 2011 my precious Maggie Grace was born!

Labor: I was induced at midnight on Wednesday the 9th.  My nurses were amazing, the hospital was freezing, and the day was long.  Around noon (after 12 hours) I got an epidural - and in my case that actually sped things up; plus, it was pretty amazing!!  Then, at 6:30ish I began to push.  At 8:27 my new love was born!

Eating, Sleeping, and Diapers: That pretty much sums up a new babies life, haha.  At first I felt like all she did was eat because she would always fall asleep while eating and it would take practically an hour for her to eat, and then in about another hour it'd be time for her to eat again! So, I a lot of Netflix...  Maggie and I spent many nights on the couch; it was so sweet and easy - there is nothing like cuddling your sweet baby, holding her in your arms for hours while you sleep.  So precious!  (I did miss my bed and my husband, though, so after a couple weeks we really started to work on sleep training.)  And, Robert was a champ and changed most of the first week diapers.  

Schedules: We did/do Babywise, and I would highly recommend checking it out.  It's basically a three hour schedule of eating, playing, and sleeping.  So, she eats - now at 8:30 or 9, 12, 3, 6, and 8).   Then plays, at first there isn't much playing, there's hardly any awake time.  But now it's so much fun.  Maggie and I read stories and play in her bouncy chair and go on walks...she's such a joy!  Then there is napping!  Praise the Lord that napping is no longer a great mystery or daily challenge for us over here!   Lastly, it's bed time - and I do love our bedtime routine.  When she eats around 6 she stays up to play until around 7:45 and then she has a bath, which she LOVES!  Then it is time for jammies with daddy, and one last feeding to send her off to sweet sleep!

Now, Maggie will be four whole months this weekend!  I seriously cannot believe it.  I love my girl SO much!  I don't know how I imagined motherhood to be...not exactly like this, I'm sure, but I am so glad that it is this way!  Maggie is beautiful and fun and joyful and amazing!!  I can't wait to see how she grows and learns and changes.  She loves reading stories and singing and she rolled over at 6 weeks - what an Einstein!  Before I know it she will be sitting up and crawling and getting more hair and sleeping 12 hours and holy cow I'm so excited, but at the same time I can't believe how much she is already growing up so quickly!!  Thank you, Lord, for the great gift of Maggie Grace Wauhop.  Robert and I are so blessed!  We love you baby girl!