President's Week

It has been so wonderful having both Anna and Ron home this week. We have been able to spend time together as a family of four now that Sawyer is here and Ron's wrestling season is over. We haven't done too much as Sawyer can't go out much yet but we have enjoyed warm toasty fires in our stove, movies at night, stories that Anna reads to us during the day and lots and lots of snuggle time. It will be hard Monday when things get back to normal.

Sawyer is doing very well and has begun smiling at us and even cooing a bit. He melts each of our hearts when he does this -often you hear one of us yell "Come quick, come quick! He's smiling!" and then everyone sprints across the house to see his adorable little grin. Anna is quite the mommy's helper alerting us when he's spit up -AGAIN! She has such love in her heart for him, not an ounce of jealousy. Praise God for all he has given us.

What I'm Thankful For

So I'm just going to be open and honest that I really suffer from anxiety. I've always been a worrier but its been getting worse lately and I think that is because of all of the change in my life. I stopped working, was pregnant and then had baby Sawyer. Now that I'm home more and not working I've noticed its gotten pretty bad....I feel anxious on a daily basis. I'm sure lack of sleep and crazy changes in my hormones help fuel the fire but I do have to be honest and say that my anxiety was an issue long before I became pregnant. I think my Mom's passing has made things worse too. I could always go to her when I was having a hard time and I'm unable to do that now.

I've read that focusing on your blessings from God can help. I've read about people writing in gratitude journals to help them feel better about their circumstances and lessen their anxiety. I do tend to be a glass half empty kind of person and so I've decided to try and do this. God has given me an unbelievable amount of blessings in my life and I truly do not have anything to complain about -although I'm truly looking forward to hearing his reasoning in taking my Mom. I truly believe that He had a very good reason and I often do think about what that is. I'm not angry at him for it....but I do struggle with it a lot.

Anyway, I wanted to come up with five things I am thankful for today -and not the typical my husband, my house, my kids etc. I want to list five deeper things. So here goes:

Anna's rosy red cheeks this morning after coming in from playing in the snow. Thank you God for giving me a healthy five year old, full of energy and joy.

A husband who is outside once again shoveling snow off of our driveway. My next-door neighbor lost her husband several years ago and has no one to help her do this. Thank you God for giving me a healthy husband who never complains about having to work so much to take care of our home.

The beautiful flower that bloomed yesterday and is still displaying its beautiful colors today on my hibiscus tree. My mom and dad bought me the tree for my first Mother's Day when I became pregnant with Anna. It brightens our family room on this cold, snowy morning and is a reminder to me of my Mom's love for me.

Thank you God for letting sweet Sawyer only wake me once each night to be nursed. Thank you for letting him be healthy and precious. Thank you for letting me be able to nurse him each day.

Thank you God for allowing me to stay at home and raise my family. Although I complain about all of the laundry, housework and loneliness it truly is a gift from you that I am able to do this. So many people are not given this opportunity. Thank you for allowing me to have the most important job in the world: taking care of my precious family.

Best Date Ever!

Last night was Anna's Daisy (Girl Scouts) Father-Daughter Dance. She and Ron got all dressed up and went to school for a fun night complete with music, refreshments and lots of dancing! They both had a great time.

Spring Fever

God blessed us yesterday and today with warm, sunny weather. Our pediatrician told us not to take Sawyer out for the first two months due to all of the germs and viruses going around. She said she wanted him to have his shots before we allow people around him. Its been a bit of a juggling act since we can't really run errands. Ron's been wonderful about picking stuff up on his way home from work. We also used Peapod after a friend introduced us to it. Peapod is a local delivery service for groceries -for only 7 dollars extra, they deliver whatever you need. Diapers.com has been great as well. But, staring at the same four walls for the last month has been a little tough on Mommy so when we saw the mercury rising yesterday, we packed up and headed out for a nice, long walk! There is a development near us with flat roads and little traffic. What a treat to be outdoors and get some fresh air! Sawyer snoozed through it but it did Mommy's mood wonders :) Spring can't come soon enough!

Life with a New Baby

We are humming along here in the Whitehead household. Life with Sawyer has pretty much changed everything but he has found his way into our hearts and we are enjoying his arrival. Here's a picture from his first bath. Anna was very helpful and interested in what we were doing. She has been great -such a help and such good company for me too while Ron is at work. I highly recommend waiting to have your second until your first is at least four or five years of age. She truly is a mother's helper.

Welcome Sawyer John Whitehead!

Sawyer John made his entry into the world on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 admidst 14 inches of snow that had freshly fallen! It was an interesting drive to the hospital -one we won't forget and can't wait to share with him when he's older. He took 20 hours to arrive -his sister only took 12 (I thought second babies were supposed to come quicker!) He was worth the wait though and has already found his way into our hearts. Big sister Anna is proudest of all!

Good News....Bad News....

So I haven't been feeling well lately. Nothing major just pregnancy related. I'm having a lot of tenderness/pain in my lower abdomen and although the dr says its normal the second time round, it doesn't make it any easier to deal with. On and off for the last two weeks I've just laid on the couch doing as little as possible which is not like me at all. I'm always doing something "puttering around the house" as my mom used to say. In fact, I couldn't wait to stop working so I could clean the basement out before this baby came. Well, anyway, I woke up this morning very tender and decided it would have to be one of those dull, spend the day on the couch days doing the bare minimum. It gets so bad that it hurts to walk. Anyway, when Anna woke up, I checked her head to make sure no bugs or eggs had magically appeared overnight -just like we do each morning and night. Well, I found an egg and I just fell apart. This happened two weeks ago and the pediatrician said it was probably just an old one that I had missed but to start the mayonaisse again and clean the house from top to bottom. Fine two weeks ago when I wasn't hurting so much but today was not the same. Thank you Lord for somehow giving me the strength to get it done. We stripped her bed, vacumned her mattress, washed a mountain of laundry AGAIN and then mayonaissed her. The poor kid, she really is a trooper. Again it was only one egg that hopefully I missed in my obsessive attempts to get them all. I hope I never meet the little girl that gave them to Anna. Okay, I'm itching my own head while I write this! I know someday Anna and the baby and I will talk about this experience and laugh hysterically....but not for a long time!

The silver lining in this cloud though is that I had my ob-gyn appointment today and it would seem that all of my cleaning and laundering have helped "move things along". I am officially 1 cm dilated and my cervix is thining! Doesn't mean anything she said however I will share that when my water broke with Anna and we got to the hospital, I was only 2 centimeters dilated. So we are moving in the right direction. Please God though, no more eggs!