Today is a pretty special day. Today the hardest working mother I know is retiring. Last night when I was on the phone with her I asked her if she was excited and she said, "Yes, but I love my job."
I hope and pray that I can be half the mom that my mom has been. Growing up she would go to work while we were at school and always come home and make dinner (not processed) always home cooked meals for us. She would also do all the laundry and cleaning. She should have made us kids help her, but she didn't. She did it all and never complained. It has taken my into my adult life to realize how hard she worked and how much she did and still does for her family. When I get home from teachin I'm so spent that laundry waits until the weekend, floors don't get vacuumed, bed doesn't get made. She is amazing!
My mom has always worked with older people. She spent many years working in home health care and the past year or two as an activities coordinator at an assisted living place. I've had the pleasure going with her to work or just visiting her at work through the years and you can tell that these old ladies love her. They light up when talking about her. She has made a huge impact.
My mom would do absolutely anything for her family. She also knows me sometimes better than I know myself. She will mention something about me and I will deny it over and over again, but then usually a week later I will think...my mom was right. She is always right.
I could go on and on about how wonderful she is! Thank you for all you do mom an I'm excited to see you more in your retired years! Thanks for showing me how to be a mom. I pray I can be half the mom that you were to me. Happy retirement!
Friday, February 27, 2015
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
What I've Learned
Hey all,
Ruby will be 4 weeks old tomorrow. She is growing like a weed. She is almost 9lbs already. She had a great well check up on Monday. I have learned so much about being a mom and about myself through this journey so far. I will list some things I have learned.
1. I need Jesus daily. I need him to help be be an uplifting and loving wife. I need him in the moments where I can't quite figure out what Ruby needs. I need to spend time in His word daily.
2. When Ruby sleeps well at night I'm one happy camper the next day. It's amazing what a good nights sleep can do.
3. I've learned that you can't hold or spoil your baby enough, yet tummy time is very important.
4. I've learned that when burping, you best have a burp rag because chances are you will end up with milk down your chest if you don't.
5. I've learned that the love you have for your child is so deep an unlike any other love.
6. I've learned that it is ok to put Ruby down and even let her fuss if I need to go to the bathroom or unload the dishwasher.
7. I've learned that you always, let me repeat ALWAYS have the next diaper ready.
8. I've learned that my husband is an incredible daddy and brings me such calmness.
9. I've learned that I feel better every day if I get out o my pajamas each day.
10. I've learned that nursing Ruby is by far my favorite time spent with her. May sound weird, but it's true.
On Monday Ruby will be one month old. I will post then more about her and what she's been up to in her first month of life.
Ruby will be 4 weeks old tomorrow. She is growing like a weed. She is almost 9lbs already. She had a great well check up on Monday. I have learned so much about being a mom and about myself through this journey so far. I will list some things I have learned.
1. I need Jesus daily. I need him to help be be an uplifting and loving wife. I need him in the moments where I can't quite figure out what Ruby needs. I need to spend time in His word daily.
2. When Ruby sleeps well at night I'm one happy camper the next day. It's amazing what a good nights sleep can do.
3. I've learned that you can't hold or spoil your baby enough, yet tummy time is very important.
4. I've learned that when burping, you best have a burp rag because chances are you will end up with milk down your chest if you don't.
5. I've learned that the love you have for your child is so deep an unlike any other love.
6. I've learned that it is ok to put Ruby down and even let her fuss if I need to go to the bathroom or unload the dishwasher.
7. I've learned that you always, let me repeat ALWAYS have the next diaper ready.
8. I've learned that my husband is an incredible daddy and brings me such calmness.
9. I've learned that I feel better every day if I get out o my pajamas each day.
10. I've learned that nursing Ruby is by far my favorite time spent with her. May sound weird, but it's true.
On Monday Ruby will be one month old. I will post then more about her and what she's been up to in her first month of life.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Faces
Ruby is 3 weeks old. She definitely looks bigger to me and has already changed so much. This last weekend was nice because Ben had a three day weekend. We took Ruby to church for the first time and also took her down to Ben's parents house. She was a big hit with her Harvey cousins. It's kind of funny though. I'm not used to sharing her quite yet. Everyone else was holding her all day and so when we got home I told her I missed her and I soaked her up. Haha. Obsessed? Yep, I am.
This morning after I was done feeding Ruby I got some of the best faces. When awake she is very alert and will focus in on you. Today I was being silly and she gave me the same exact look that Ben gives me often. I would like to call it the puzzled yet amazed look. Haha. I've never seen Ben in her so much than in her puzzles amazement look. :) Speaking of Ben...he is amazing! He has been such a good daddy and an amazing husband.
My sisters family is coming this weekend which I'm so excited about. I can't wait to show Ruby off. They haven't seen her since she was born. Ruby also has her second well visit on Monday. I love Rubys doctor and can't wait to see how Ruby is doing from a medical stand point.
That's all I have. It's been a quiet week. It has been so cold that we haven't really made it out of the house much. Please keep our family in your prayers. We are loving this parenthood adventure, but couldn't do it without God.
This morning after I was done feeding Ruby I got some of the best faces. When awake she is very alert and will focus in on you. Today I was being silly and she gave me the same exact look that Ben gives me often. I would like to call it the puzzled yet amazed look. Haha. I've never seen Ben in her so much than in her puzzles amazement look. :) Speaking of Ben...he is amazing! He has been such a good daddy and an amazing husband.
My sisters family is coming this weekend which I'm so excited about. I can't wait to show Ruby off. They haven't seen her since she was born. Ruby also has her second well visit on Monday. I love Rubys doctor and can't wait to see how Ruby is doing from a medical stand point.
That's all I have. It's been a quiet week. It has been so cold that we haven't really made it out of the house much. Please keep our family in your prayers. We are loving this parenthood adventure, but couldn't do it without God.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Two Weeks Old!
Ruby Ann is officially 2 weeks old. In some ways it seems like time has gone super fast and in other ways it seems like she was born a year ago. Either way, with another week under our belts I'm feeling a bit more confident as a mom. Her one week appointment went very well. She had no signs of jaundice and weighed in past her birth weight! Healthy baby makes for one happy mama! I think we have also gotten on some kind of night routine. She has been sleeping in three hour stretches, sometimes more. She has been sleeping in the pack n play in our bedroom and when she needs to feed I just bring her into bed with me and then lay her back down. It is so nice. I had worried that Ben would lose sleep and get crabby. Haha. Last night he told me that whenever I'm up with her an feeding her he gets really happy and just smiles. Sure enough, last night he had his eyes closed with a smile on his face. I'm loving seeing Ben melt over this little girl!
I have felt a lot more comfortable as well. Yesterday we went to Target and Bible Study and I wasn't paranoid with feeding and all that. Today we went to a Target in a different town and I bought the boba wrap. We will see how that goes. Everyone has told me how wonderful baby wearing is. I also took a bath today without Ben home while Ruby was sleeping.
Moose is handling Ruby very well. In fact, he usually just acts as if she isn't around. Moose is a pretty dramatic dog and so it is a relief that he hasn't been super needy. Ruby is a pretty calm baby. She doesn't really cry often. She grunts when she needs to poop and she squeaks sometimes when she is feeding. She also makes the most adorable sighs when feeding. Nursing is one of my favorite moments with Ruby. Sometimes she looks at me and it is such a cute adoration type look....or so I think, but then she will go into a wrinkled forehead/frown. Ha! She enjoys baths, being held, and looking at the world around her. She is just wonderful! Our new family is in a good place. We are so blessed to have this precious little girl with us!
Please pray for Ben and his job. He enjoys teaching, but isn't quite sure if that is what he wants to do forever. Teachers work so hard! Pray that Ruby and I would continue to figure out life at home together. Also pray that I would continue to live without fear. This week has gone SO much better! Thank you all for your support, gifts, and for all who have come to visit! We appreciate you!!
I have felt a lot more comfortable as well. Yesterday we went to Target and Bible Study and I wasn't paranoid with feeding and all that. Today we went to a Target in a different town and I bought the boba wrap. We will see how that goes. Everyone has told me how wonderful baby wearing is. I also took a bath today without Ben home while Ruby was sleeping.
Moose is handling Ruby very well. In fact, he usually just acts as if she isn't around. Moose is a pretty dramatic dog and so it is a relief that he hasn't been super needy. Ruby is a pretty calm baby. She doesn't really cry often. She grunts when she needs to poop and she squeaks sometimes when she is feeding. She also makes the most adorable sighs when feeding. Nursing is one of my favorite moments with Ruby. Sometimes she looks at me and it is such a cute adoration type look....or so I think, but then she will go into a wrinkled forehead/frown. Ha! She enjoys baths, being held, and looking at the world around her. She is just wonderful! Our new family is in a good place. We are so blessed to have this precious little girl with us!
Please pray for Ben and his job. He enjoys teaching, but isn't quite sure if that is what he wants to do forever. Teachers work so hard! Pray that Ruby and I would continue to figure out life at home together. Also pray that I would continue to live without fear. This week has gone SO much better! Thank you all for your support, gifts, and for all who have come to visit! We appreciate you!!
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Target
Hey Everyone,
So, today I woke up with this new attitude or take on Parenting. I decided I was going to stop being so paranoid about everything that could possibly happen to my daughter and be brave. Today, I took Ruby to Target. Just Ruby and I. It felt liberating. I felt more like myself and I'm not going to lie...Ruby kind of loved it. I kept her in her car seat and put it in the cart. By the way, how are you supposed to shop when the car seat takes up the whole cart basket? Anyway, Ruby was alert the whole time taking in the new sites. I probably only spent about 10 minutes in the store, but that is besides the point. The point is that I took Ruby out of the house. She cried for half the way home because I think the sun was blinding her. Oops. I can't wait for spring and summer and really be able to take her out.
So, today I woke up with this new attitude or take on Parenting. I decided I was going to stop being so paranoid about everything that could possibly happen to my daughter and be brave. Today, I took Ruby to Target. Just Ruby and I. It felt liberating. I felt more like myself and I'm not going to lie...Ruby kind of loved it. I kept her in her car seat and put it in the cart. By the way, how are you supposed to shop when the car seat takes up the whole cart basket? Anyway, Ruby was alert the whole time taking in the new sites. I probably only spent about 10 minutes in the store, but that is besides the point. The point is that I took Ruby out of the house. She cried for half the way home because I think the sun was blinding her. Oops. I can't wait for spring and summer and really be able to take her out.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
First week with Ruby
Hey All,
So far so good in the Harvey household. So, today Ruby is one week old. It has in one way gone so fast and in another way seemed like the longest week of my life. Nobody tells you about the stressful parts of being a first time mom. When we first came home from the hospital all of our families were here. Ruby got quite the homecoming. :) The hospital gave us a chart to document how many times Ruby has pooped and peed. Well, Ben and I noticed that after about 24 hours of being home, Ruby wasn't doing either. We called the hospital and told me to pump and feed ER what I pump an see if she pees or poops. It was very stressful. Well, it worked and she had a wet diaper followed by a dirty diaper. Ben and I both laughed and said we have never been so excited to see a dirty diaper. I have a feeling my milk just hadn't come yet. Boy has it now though. I feel like is all this girl does is eat. I might as well walk around without a shirt. Haha. Not joking. Since that scary moment, things have gone really well. I say that it is stressful because all of a sudden you are given this miracle and it is your job to keep her alive. You question everything your doing along with every little thing she is doing. For example, she jolted as if she was startled and I questione if that was normal. Little things like that.
However, here comes the amazing part. I'm so obsessed with this little girl. I look at her in awe and just stare all day long. Now I'm not really an emotional person. I would say I'm sensitive, but not overly emotional. This girl combined with crazy hormones have made me one big sap. I seriously will look at her and just get tears in my eyes. I will be looking at her and praying for her and just start crying because im so amazed by Gods creation. I'm tearing up as I write this and hold her in my arms. Then there is Ben. He has been SO amazing. I didn't think I could love him more, but throw a kid into the equation and you can. Watching him hold her or hearing him gently ask me if he can hold her for a bit. Haha I think I am a baby hog. This little girl has changed him as well. We are forever changed.
Since I have to write these posts from my phone I haven't figured out how to upload pictures. If you are my facebook friend there has been no shortage there. Oh yeah, we had a home health nurse come check up on Ruby on Monday and she said that Ruby looked great and had even gained 4 oz. already! We have her one week wellness visit tomorrow and I'm excited to see how she is doing.
Please continue to pray for our new family. Pray for rest and that we wouldn't be so anxious with little things and just enjoy her.
So far so good in the Harvey household. So, today Ruby is one week old. It has in one way gone so fast and in another way seemed like the longest week of my life. Nobody tells you about the stressful parts of being a first time mom. When we first came home from the hospital all of our families were here. Ruby got quite the homecoming. :) The hospital gave us a chart to document how many times Ruby has pooped and peed. Well, Ben and I noticed that after about 24 hours of being home, Ruby wasn't doing either. We called the hospital and told me to pump and feed ER what I pump an see if she pees or poops. It was very stressful. Well, it worked and she had a wet diaper followed by a dirty diaper. Ben and I both laughed and said we have never been so excited to see a dirty diaper. I have a feeling my milk just hadn't come yet. Boy has it now though. I feel like is all this girl does is eat. I might as well walk around without a shirt. Haha. Not joking. Since that scary moment, things have gone really well. I say that it is stressful because all of a sudden you are given this miracle and it is your job to keep her alive. You question everything your doing along with every little thing she is doing. For example, she jolted as if she was startled and I questione if that was normal. Little things like that.
However, here comes the amazing part. I'm so obsessed with this little girl. I look at her in awe and just stare all day long. Now I'm not really an emotional person. I would say I'm sensitive, but not overly emotional. This girl combined with crazy hormones have made me one big sap. I seriously will look at her and just get tears in my eyes. I will be looking at her and praying for her and just start crying because im so amazed by Gods creation. I'm tearing up as I write this and hold her in my arms. Then there is Ben. He has been SO amazing. I didn't think I could love him more, but throw a kid into the equation and you can. Watching him hold her or hearing him gently ask me if he can hold her for a bit. Haha I think I am a baby hog. This little girl has changed him as well. We are forever changed.
Since I have to write these posts from my phone I haven't figured out how to upload pictures. If you are my facebook friend there has been no shortage there. Oh yeah, we had a home health nurse come check up on Ruby on Monday and she said that Ruby looked great and had even gained 4 oz. already! We have her one week wellness visit tomorrow and I'm excited to see how she is doing.
Please continue to pray for our new family. Pray for rest and that we wouldn't be so anxious with little things and just enjoy her.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Ruby Ann Harvey
But you spell your name with an e. Ha ha. The name Ann comes from my mom and grandmas middle names being Ann without and e. I know, kind of confusing. Anyways, as you all know, Ruby made her grand entrance on Thursday, January 29, 2015. I thought I would share her birth story with you.
Starting on Monday after my doctors appointment...yeah the one where I found out zero progress had been made since the week before. Anyway, I got home and started to feel a little crampy, but didn't look into it too far. That evening when Ben got home I started to have some very mild contractions. I didn't realize it at the time. Ben kept asking if that's what they were and I just laughed saying your guess is as good as mine. We went to bed that night and I would wake up about every hour with a contraction. Again, I still didn't quite know that they were contractions. The same thing happened on Tuesday, but they were very spread out. Same thing on Tuesday night, but with a little more intensity and a little closer together. Wednesday morning they were more sporadic, so I told Ben to go ahead and head to school. He got home and the contractions started to pick up again starting in my lower back and moving to the front they were getting a lot more intense to the point where I couldn't talk through them and I had to use some breathing techniques. The night went on and they were about 6-8 minutes apart so Ben called the hospital and they told us to wait until either my water broke or they were 3-5 minutes apart. Ohhhh they were painful. At about 4:00 we took off because they were coming every 3-5 minutes. We didn't head straight to the hospital though, we went to Ben's school because he had to get sub plans and materials set out. He is lucky I too am a teacher and understand that you can't just say I won't be there. So, Ben went in and I stayed in the car and dealt with the contractions. Finally, we get to the hospital and first got checked out by a nurse named Monica. She was great! I was skeptical thinkin maybe they would send us home or my cervix would still be closed. Well, I was wrong bi was dilated to a 4. We got checked in to our labor room and got introduced to our new labor nurse, Ashley. She was awesome! They hooked me up to some fluids and the fetal heart rate maching along with a machine that said when I was having a contraction, which was pretty much constant. I could no longer talk, just breathe in and out. They checked my cervix again and I wS at a 7. Yahoo! I asked fo an epidural. I know there are many anti epidural people out there, but can I just say that it was a God send for me and in the end, still got Ruby. Well, as soon as I got the epidural I had instant relief. I just giggled because I couldn't believe it. My doctor was in a different town but would be at the hospital by 11:30. By about 11:00 I was at 10 cm. and we basically just waited around for my doctor to get there. She got there and I started pushing. The nurse would tell me when I was having a contraction and then I would push. We did this for about an hour before Ruby came. It was kind of awkward in between contractions. We would all just kind of wait. So, what does Anne do? Breaks into song of course. Yep, I started singing Push it. Push it real good. Then, the labor nurse Ashley starts singing oh baby baby ba baby baby. It was hilarious and fun. At 12:44 Ruby came into the world. It was the most amazing feeling when she came and they sat her on my tummy. I heard her cry and Ben and I also were in tears. Ben then cut the cord. I will spare some of the other details from delivery for your own good. :) I will share more about life with Ruby in the next post.
Thank you soooo much for praying for Ben and I. It was such an amazing day and I wouldn't change a thing about it. 2 days of home labor and 8ish hrs in hospital to get out perfect daughter, Ruby.
Starting on Monday after my doctors appointment...yeah the one where I found out zero progress had been made since the week before. Anyway, I got home and started to feel a little crampy, but didn't look into it too far. That evening when Ben got home I started to have some very mild contractions. I didn't realize it at the time. Ben kept asking if that's what they were and I just laughed saying your guess is as good as mine. We went to bed that night and I would wake up about every hour with a contraction. Again, I still didn't quite know that they were contractions. The same thing happened on Tuesday, but they were very spread out. Same thing on Tuesday night, but with a little more intensity and a little closer together. Wednesday morning they were more sporadic, so I told Ben to go ahead and head to school. He got home and the contractions started to pick up again starting in my lower back and moving to the front they were getting a lot more intense to the point where I couldn't talk through them and I had to use some breathing techniques. The night went on and they were about 6-8 minutes apart so Ben called the hospital and they told us to wait until either my water broke or they were 3-5 minutes apart. Ohhhh they were painful. At about 4:00 we took off because they were coming every 3-5 minutes. We didn't head straight to the hospital though, we went to Ben's school because he had to get sub plans and materials set out. He is lucky I too am a teacher and understand that you can't just say I won't be there. So, Ben went in and I stayed in the car and dealt with the contractions. Finally, we get to the hospital and first got checked out by a nurse named Monica. She was great! I was skeptical thinkin maybe they would send us home or my cervix would still be closed. Well, I was wrong bi was dilated to a 4. We got checked in to our labor room and got introduced to our new labor nurse, Ashley. She was awesome! They hooked me up to some fluids and the fetal heart rate maching along with a machine that said when I was having a contraction, which was pretty much constant. I could no longer talk, just breathe in and out. They checked my cervix again and I wS at a 7. Yahoo! I asked fo an epidural. I know there are many anti epidural people out there, but can I just say that it was a God send for me and in the end, still got Ruby. Well, as soon as I got the epidural I had instant relief. I just giggled because I couldn't believe it. My doctor was in a different town but would be at the hospital by 11:30. By about 11:00 I was at 10 cm. and we basically just waited around for my doctor to get there. She got there and I started pushing. The nurse would tell me when I was having a contraction and then I would push. We did this for about an hour before Ruby came. It was kind of awkward in between contractions. We would all just kind of wait. So, what does Anne do? Breaks into song of course. Yep, I started singing Push it. Push it real good. Then, the labor nurse Ashley starts singing oh baby baby ba baby baby. It was hilarious and fun. At 12:44 Ruby came into the world. It was the most amazing feeling when she came and they sat her on my tummy. I heard her cry and Ben and I also were in tears. Ben then cut the cord. I will spare some of the other details from delivery for your own good. :) I will share more about life with Ruby in the next post.
Thank you soooo much for praying for Ben and I. It was such an amazing day and I wouldn't change a thing about it. 2 days of home labor and 8ish hrs in hospital to get out perfect daughter, Ruby.
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