What time is it? Joy time!

Last week Karis was crying a lot.  She screamed so loud, and often there was nothing I could do to fix it.  It was stressing me out.  One evening, she finally fell asleep around midnight and woke up at 4:30 and 6:30.  I was exhausted and feeling totally down.  I sat on my bed crying and praying, “Lord, I can’t do this.  I NEED you.  Please help me through this phase.”  I had also been praying for peace and acceptance of my decision to stay at home rather than going back to work.  At 7:04 that morning, I woke up feeling delirious and confused.  I stared at the clock, and all I could see was JOY (as if the 7 was upside down).  Joy?  What did it mean?  I felt the Lord’s comfort right then, telling me He’d give me joy.  Then I dug through the Bible for a verse that would give me comfort.  Again, God spoke, “I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace while you trust in him.  Then your hope will overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13. The next night, I dreamt that my friend, Shannon and I were doing a word search.  The first word on the list was “joy.”  I pointed to the word and exclaimed, “There it is! Joy!  I found joy!”  When I woke up, I felt overwhelmed with peace and joy, and I knew that my friend Shannon had been praying for me.  Praise the Lord for taking care of me and meeting my needs in low moments like these. 

Enjoying every moment

Traveling with a Newborn

Our friends Nate and Kaela got married in Corpus Christi this past weekend.  We could have come home after the wedding, but I love any opportunity to get away… especially to the beach!  Getting out of the house took much longer than it did when it was just Michael and me.  Karis requires a lot of stuff!  We stayed in a hotel, so she needed her pack-n-play.  We were also planning to go to the aquarium, so she needed her stroller.  Those two items took up the whole trunk.  I don’t know how Michael did it, but he made everything fit.

The ceremony began at 4pm.  I planned Karis’s entire day out so that we could stop once on the way to eat.  Then, she’d sleep through the ceremony (so that I could enjoy it), and eat at 5pm.  Instead of sleeping through the ceremony, Karis screamed louder and longer than I’d ever heard before (or maybe it just seemed worse since we were in public).  I tried to rock her on the porch and watch the ceremony through the window.  No luck.  I was getting some looks.  With Karis strapped in her Moby wrap, I covered her head and ran through the wind and rain to the car.  After performing “the five S’s,” Karis fell asleep for about 30 minutes.  When she woke up, I fed her.  Bummer!  I missed the entire ceremony.  

Karis and Daddy's first dance

Asleep at the Party - too much to drink

Friends passed Karis around during the reception, and she did great.  Eventually, I strapped her back in the Moby and “danced” with her.  She peacefully fell asleep, and Michael and I enjoyed the rest of the wedding reception. 

April and Karis with Ellen and Charlotte

(April's messy hair - Remember the wind and rain?)

Michael with the Groom, Nate

We got to our hotel right at Karis’s bedtime.  As usual, she ate, and I put her in bed.  Then, she cried for about 15 minutes.  I was just waiting for the phone to ring, “We’ve received complaints from other guests, and we’d kindly like for you to find another hotel for the night.”  Thankfully that never happened.  I gave in and rocked Karis to sleep.  Finally, at about 11:30, she fell asleep.  Karis woke up once to eat, and then slept till 8am.  It felt stressful at the time, but when I look back, I see that Karis did a pretty good job!

The groom’s brother, Jon is Michael’s childhood friend.  We went to his house for breakfast at 9 am.  Jon and his wife Ellen have two small children, Theo and Charlotte.  Since we were enjoying each other’s company so much, we never made it to the aquarium.  Truthfully, I’m glad.  It would have been difficult to go to the aquarium with the kids.  My biggest concern was nursing in public.  I was much more comfortable taking care of Karis at Jon’s house.

Charlotte and Karis

Jon and Michael

Not that I’m ready to leave town this weekend, but all in all, our first family trip was a success.

Encouragement Everywhere

Karis and I were out for our morning stroll, and she was dressed in a onesie with pink flowers (so cute!).  A man asked, “Is that a little girl or little boy?”  I tried to hold back one of my condescending faces that revealed exactly what I was thinking.  Then, he said, “That right there is the best decision you’ll ever make.”  My response, “That’s more encouraging than you know.  Thank you.”

The decision to have a kid, quit a wonderful job, and stay home was the hardest decision I’ve ever made.  I made the decision 5 months ago, and I still wonder if I did the right thing.  I LOVE taking care of Karis, and teaching her just gets more and more exciting.  However, I still think about my old job almost every day.  My family and friends have listened to me complain a lot about this decision.  Every time, they offer encouraging words, advice, and prayers.  I am so lucky to have them!  If I were one of my friends, I’d say, “April, get over it already!  It’s time to accept your new role.  You are blessed!  Enjoy every minute, and make the most of it.”