A Grateful Heart.

Marcy Lane has reached 4lbs 6oz.

She's scheduled to arrive a week to two weeks early, 

which means she could very well be a Christmas baby. 

(Please forgive us, Marcy.)

She has a little of her daddy, mommy and brother in her already. Her sweet little nose looks just like Brady J's.
We were also told she has "good hair"!

(All Smiles!)

Right here, she's sucking on the back of her hand.

In every ultrasound she's been very lively but very shy.

Legs crossed and hands around her face every time!

Our spirits are lifted, I'm completely relieved, but once again shown that with prayer and support, even with something weighing a little heavy on my heart, is something I'm not designed to carry myself-

I can't thank friends and family enough for the thoughtfulness and sweet words of encouragement that have made all the difference in this small but very heavy burden on my heart.

Every base touched in the ultrasound has shown good news.

She's a happy, healthy baby that just appears to be tiny! 

Only a few short weeks until we can hold our second little angel.

God is so good.
Psalm 105:1-5
Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced.

A little prayer for Marcy Lane.

The holidays are quickly here, and quickly passing. Thanksgiving was beautiful, memorable and the very last one we spend without Marcy. She's all I can think about lately. Yesterday, the three of us stayed in our pajamas all day. We napped. We lounged around every hour of yesterday. 

It was incredible.

   We're 34 weeks along, fluids are great, blood pressure is great, my weight is great, and Marcy's measurements are great, except her abdomen is measuring smaller than expected. Overall, she's measuring 2 weeks behind, where her little belly is measuring 3 weeks behind. We were sure she'd be a small baby. Brady was 5lbs 13oz when we came home from his delivery. This really isn't much of a surprise, although knowing her little body isn't getting the nutrients she needs absolutely gets to me like crazy. And the most difficult thing, is knowing I (as her mother) cannot do a thing about it. So, the very best thing to do now is rest lots and eat well. That's every females dream, am I right? We'll be seeing a specialist this Thursday to learn more about her growth and what comes next. 

    I have the most supportive clientele that keep reminding me that "This baby comes before any hair appointment. Remember that." Thank goodness. Because the last week I'm working in December, I've of course overbooked myself and for that I'll be saying my apologies... I need to be taking care of that immediately... 

    I'm winding down completely in December, preparing this family for our little beauty to bring home, the freezing cold weather that is likely to hit, and all the hibernating that will take place in the Cox household! You know what that means?! Freeze ahead meals, lots of firewood, a super clean home (One couldn't hibernate in an unorganized, dirty house, because that wouldn't even be comfortable.) Lots of fresh blankets, movies, and oh... a sled. (A peek inside my nesting mind.) Who wants to bet we'll get a good snow this winter?! I wouldn't miss the little guys first time in the snow for anything. The least we could do is prepare for him to have a ball if it does snow!

    So, I know this little something is common with babies (By the way my google search shows..you know you'd look, too) so I'll be anxious to hear Thursday just what the next step is in her little journey to meet her family! And I'll be saying my prayers that He keeps His angels around our family just like He always has. We've been so so blessed.

    

Celebration for Marcy Lane.

 Every beautiful thing in these pictures were a gift to Marcy Lane from friends and family at her sweet shower! 

Her nursery is full of new diapers and onesies, socks and necessities. I cannot begin to explain our excitement for her very near arrival.

Making A Family of Four.

We're scheduled to visit the doctor this Monday, and hopefully schedule her arrival! 

Possibly in 5 1/2 weeks! 

Lots to do, but Marcy and I need lots of rest.

Thank you to all of my thoughtful family and friends that made this day so special for Marcy. Thank you for sharing your afternoon with us at her shower.

Thank You

for playing a part of this beautiful chapter in our lives!

...While I Inhale the Chocolate.

Basically this is quick "mom-needs-to-vent" post. Oh My Heavens, the day we've had.

God only gives us what we can handle, correct?

He apparently thinks I'm capable of surviving anything.

I have so much chocolate in front of me. Leftover Halloween candy has made it's way to mama, because that's more safe than a drink at this point. 

All I could think on the quiet ride straight home (As you can see, he had no trouble getting over his meltdown.) was that toddlers shouldn't even be allowed in public. Especially restaurants. 

They should be considered with the energy and unpredictable nature of a wild animal. 

 I vow never to take Brady to another restaurant (unless they have a play area to wreck) where every person around cannot enjoy their meal they are about to pay for. 

 Anyway, right now, he's asleep in his room, but fell asleep with his face on a "Play-A-Sound" book...

My husband quickly reminded me that I should simply be thankful for a healthy little boy.

I promise I am.

I've just forgotten how to breathe today. 

     

The Beauty That Lies Ahead.

Marcy's got one heck of a personality to play with once she gets here.

They'll be perfect together.

I'm definitely not one of the gals to turn on the Christmas music the day after Halloween. More or less trying to prepare for the season ahead! Marcy's room is full of bags and wreaths and gifts...

Only about a week until the season is here...

I've pulled out my Christmas cd's, Brady's Christmas dvd's (which may be more for me...), I'm working on recipes and gift wrap and all the things that bring a little sparkle to the month ahead.

I've gathered twine, doilies, scrap fabric, (of course the miraculous hot glue gun) and random things around the house to throw together pretty little gifts! 

Beautiful (and very inexpensive!) Ornaments 

I found at P.B.Outlet!

I took a shot at making little twine trees-

Together, probably cost $10 at most.

My dollar store wreaths and clearance berries...

(I'm telling you, I'm on a kick.)

Borrowed Wreaths (Thank you to my Mother-in-Law!)

that I added burlap and berries. And seriously you-tubed how to make a bow...

that makes me laugh. 

Hello Christmas Savings!

Marcy is due to arrive in 7 weeks.

How my tummy can grow any larger in 7 weeks is beyond me, but it's happened once before! 

I'm slowly running out of energy, Marcy is bumping into every corner and Brian and I have turned into bears. Since this time change, we hibernate. In bed by 9pm, at the latest.

We've totally cleaned out all of Brady's toys throughout the house. 

He now has a basket of books in his bedroom, and a basket of toys in the living room. That's all, folks.

And guess what! He's happy. Because he doesn't know any different.

And our house is happy, too. Happily Uncluttered.

 That means Christmas will be easy this year, too. We really don't "need" all the things we think we do. And it really bothers me to see kids with infinite amounts of unused toys.

We're doing what (I pray!) is best for him down the road. Even with the small things. Who needs more than they use, right? Anyway, that little motto will surely be a little more difficult when a little lady comes into our lives. I refuse to go overboard with buying things she doesn't need. She already has plenty of oxfords and super cool pullovers in her closet from her big brother she'll wear just fine! And baby toys for Marcy? Brady had a few things he was happy to hand down.
I can't wait to see the two of them together.

This parenting experience sure is more than they'll tell you. It takes a lot of soul-searching, "Who Am I?" and what values mean most to you to pass down to your children. He's not even 2 years old, and she's yet to be born. I came home last Saturday to Brady saying "Please" and "Thank You" like it was a treasure he was proud to show off. I owe a big thank you to Brian for that one. "Yes Ma'am and Yes Sir" we're working on, too. But even at this age, they'll test limits unbelievably, and they have to learn respect.

This doesn't mean it's easy. For example...Brady threw a trash can at me earlier when I told him to settle down. (That's when that magical word "Patience" comes to play...)

Oh my gosh, how hard it can be.

Off to his room he went. Guess who's been napping for an hour!  

Regardless, every 5 minutes in this house is a test. For myself and for Brady. And if Brady isn't taught in the way we feel is best, how is Marcy going to learn by example? We want the best for our children, so we have to provide the right example. And I would be more than proud for Brady to grow up to be like his daddy, or Marcy to marry someone like him.

But I'm getting a little far ahead of myself...

For now, we await a beautiful Thanksgiving holiday, the Christmas season, and a little darling to be born in the beginning of January.

And lots of wrapping, baking, and laughing to enjoy in between.

A Full Heart.

So here was another blessed weekend. An entire beautiful free day to spend with Brady.

   Just the two of us alone, we spent our morning out and about together, and all I can think was "it's almost over." Not that I haven't made the most of my days with Brady, but a mild case of -my life is about about to change entirely. Again.- set in and well, I'm excited. I answered a call from my sister yesterday, and to hear her so happy truly made my day. She is such an encouragement, and her words really touched me! So many huge things are about to happen to us both... she's preparing to leave for Panama on missions in January, then traveling north to Costa Rica afterwards. She has beautiful adventures in store for herself, and she deserves them all. Being the wonderful sister she is, she patiently listened to my stories and encouraged me to look forward to the upcoming year with such a positive spirit.

    Thank you Elliot for making my day so positive...and simply reminding myself of
who I am. 

   Everything is bound to change in time, but having family (even as different as we all may be) to bring you back to the right state of mind is something I'll continue to be thankful for for a long time to come. She reminded me of things I've forgotten over the past few years, that I'm capable of more than I believe. What perfect reminders to wind down my weekend. 

 I promised you my next blog post would be full of recipes. (Sorry about that...I've sort of fallen out of the baking mood as quickly as I fell into it! I'll post them soon enough.) This seemed a little more important to talk about. It's been a special weekend having Brady all to myself. Brian was away for a couple days and Brady's growing and learning and he just fills my heart with joy. I may go overboard with the mom talk, (I will not apologize though!) having Brady in my life makes my world so bright. And all this love is about to double! You think my heart can handle it?? 

  This month is the month to be thankful. To count our thousand (or more than) blessings, and hopefully carry that into the rest of the year, and years to come. Brady's standing behind me in the chair as I type with his hands over my mouth hugging me tight. 

I have so so much to be thankful for.