Grant's Portrait

We had the pleasure of working with Amber Castleberry from www.ambercastleberryphotography.com to have Grant's portrait made. He was almost 3 weeks old when these were done. She is amazing! We are so glad to have captured these moments.

8 Weeks and an Update

Grant is 8 weeks old now and is growing so fast -- right before my eyes. I swear sometimes I get him up from his nap and he's grown. He is full of rolls and even a double chin! He has had a time with acid reflux. I hate seeing the poor baby in pain.

He is still eating every 3 hrs and then we let him wake on his own at night. I am proud to say that earlier this week, he slept from about 11pm - 6:30 am two nights in a row! He sometimes fusses inbetween, but he went without eating. The first night, I kept waking up, looking at our video monitor making sure he was okay!

He goes for his 2 month vaccinations this week. I can't wait to see how much he weighs. I am guessing 13-14 pounds. He's heavy!

Sweet puppy outfit.

Loves his pacifier.

With Daddy, quite possibly his favorite person on Earth.

I love kissing on him. He probably won't like it forever though, so I steal a lot of kisses now. I'm so grateful to finally be his Mommy.

And finally, here he is with a Darth Vader onesie on that says "My Dad can beat up your Dad." Grant is very alert and bright-eyed these days. He makes tons of cooing noises and smiles all the time. So much fun!

Christmas!

This is a long overdue post! We had a great first Christmas with Grant. He is the best gift we could have ever received this Christmas and is such a delight.

Here he is with Santa.

Santa's Little Helper

With Pop and LaLa

With Mommy and Daddy

And last but not least, here he is with the toy gun Uncle Jer gave him. I think this picture is too cute! Now only if he had a cowboy hat.

We had a wonderful Christmas. We celebrated with Josh's family and had our traditional Christmas ham and punch and soaked in the blessing of this bundle of joy. What fun it was to celebrate this year with our long prayed for baby.

Grant even gave us a gift. He slept from about 11pm - 5am on Christmas Eve!

5 Weeks Old!

Today Grant is 5 weeks old. In one instance in seems like the time has flown, but in the next, it seems like an eternity. I can hardly believe I was pregnant just 5 weeks ago.

Motherhood is hard, but so rewarding as we are now getting smiles and grins. My days are now scheduled by feedings and naps instead of meetings and phone calls. This is something we had prayed for and longed for for so long, and now we're here.

I can hardly believe Christmas is just 10 days away. Sadly, I haven't been able to get in the full spirit with all that we've got going on and for the sleep deprivation. I love to bake, especially at Christmas, but this year, a nap takes priority.

We are very, very grateful this holiday season for this sweet little guy. A year ago this Christmas, I was in the depths of depression and never in my wildest dreams believed this year I would give birth to a son. That dream seemed impossible.

We love you sweet baby!

He's here

I guess it's about time that I update and let everyone know that our miracle baby is finally here!

Grant William Daws was born on November 10, 2008 at 8:50 a.m. via c-section. He was 7 lbs. 5 oz and was 19.75 inches long.

The whole birth was very surreal. Hearing him cry was the best sound I've ever heard in my life. As the doctor was sewing me up, he said, "They all said you wouldn't make it, but you did."

We are blessed, thrilled, exhausted, overwhelmed and totally in love. Most of all we are very grateful to our Heavenly Father who came through and gave us the desire of our hearts.

Almost There -- 38 weeks!

Today I sit here 38 weeks and 2 days pregnant -- a feat doctors said just a year and a half ago would likely never happen.

"She'll never get pregnant. And if by some chance she does, she'll never make it past the 1st or 2nd trimester."

"She'll have an incompetent cervix, premature labor..." These are the words that my OB told me other people said of my case.

I am here as evidence that my God is an amazing, powerful, mighty God. In July 2006, He gave me a promise through scripture that I would be a mom -- before I knew of the problems with my uterus and just wasn't getting pregnant. I believe there was a reason for this. If I had read that scripture after I found out about the uterus, I think I might have doubted what I heard. The "impossibility"of ever having a baby and bleak outlook later given by doctors collided with what I believed in my heart God had spoken so clearly to me. Where would I place my trust? Who would I believe? Did science in this case trump all? It is so rare. The outcomes were all different -- some devastating -- and there wasn't much information on my condition because it was so rare. A 50/50 shot? The severity of the condition and the grim outlook given by doctors put my faith and what I would believe to the test. Would I take God at His Word, even when things looked impossible?

And then the verse -- my verse, Psalm 113:9 flooded my brain. "He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children." I wish I could say from that moment on I never worried or wondered if the doctor was right. I did. Things did not immediately fall into place as I've detailed here before. Truth is, there was tons more heartache and even more unanswered questions that followed. He was right for a long time. I didn't get pregnant. Procedures didn't work. My faith grew weak and weary and there were many days I questioned what I heard.

But that's where my faith grew -- in those moments of desperation and doubt and in the next moment of hope and unwavering trust. My God wasn't and isn't a vending machine. It was and is real relationship. It's what He wants with all of us. He wants us to be real with Him, to tell Him our doubts and fears, to struggle against Him and at the end of the day, to rest in His arms.

He wants your heart and mine and He wants us to trust Him.

So here I am, full-term, fat and happy! On Monday at exactly 39 weeks, I will deliver a beautiful baby boy by c-section at 8:30 a.m. There was no incompetent cervix issue, no premature labor, and no bedrest.

My God keeps His promises.

We are pretty much ready. I am nervous, excited and scared all at once. We can't wait to meet our miracle baby!

P.S. These pictures are me at 37 weeks!

33 Weeks

It has been way too long since I've updated! I am in full-on nesting mode and getting everything ready for Grant's arrival.

I can hardly believe that I can say that next month he will be here. Due to him being breech, I have a c-section scheduled for Monday, November 10 at 8:30 a.m. 5 weeks from this Monday! Wow! We will finally get to meet our son and the baby we've been praying for and hoping for for so long. God is so faithful.

My pregnancy has been nearly complication-free contrary to what the doctors postulated and we feared. My cervix hasn't budged and remains long and closed. My amniotic fluid is in the lower limits of normal and he is breech, but other than that, I've been a "normal" pregnant woman.

I now go to the doctor twice a week for non-stress tests to make sure he is okay due to the fluid levels and he has been more than perfect! I've gained about 24 pounds so far.

Grant moves all the time. Poor baby seems like he is stuck. I'll feel his head bouncing up and down against my rib cage and feel his tiny feet wiggling at the same time in some sort of c-shape due to my right-sided uterus. There's just nowhere to tumble and move. Poor little guy.

His head is constantly in my ribs and is very uncomfortable. The doctor checked his position the other day and said, "This baby is not going to turn." My instinct has been telling me the same with the way that little head is!

This is all still so surreal to me. I've loved being pregnant and although I'm thrilled to meet Grant, a part of me is sad that pregnancy is almost over. I count it as such a miracle in so many ways -- especially because it was so hard to achieve for us. I am so blessed to have been able to experience it. From the positive test, to seeing and hearing his heartbeat on ultrasound for the first time, to finding out he was a boy and the precious u/s at 13 weeks to the cravings and preparations and feeling him move inside and having him all to myself for just a little while -- it has made the journey all worth it.

We've enjoyed getting the nursery ready. It was so much fun! Now to wash all the stuff!