4 Months Old and Rolling Over

I can't believe my little baby is already 4 months old (as of yesterday). He celebrated his 4 month mark by rolling over for the first time. He was so proud. You should have seen that big smile on his face. Here are the pics you have all been asking for. :) I promise to do better.

Ready to go swimming.

With his friends...all together for the 1st time.

Meeting his best friend Samuel for the first time.

Blain and Sam

Blain and his proud Mommy

Lounging at the pool

Look at me hold my head up!

Cute, sweet baby

Almost 4 months old!!!

It is hard to believe that baby Blain is almost 4 months old. I have owned this blog for over a year now and love going back to read the postings where all of our faith was in God giving us a baby. Blain is so big now. I think he weighs over 16lbs, but we will know for sure on Monday. He is now holding up his head and chest when lying on his belly. He can stand on his feet (with assistance) and holds his head steady when pulled up from lying on his back. He smiles and laughs all of the time, and his favorite person is MOMMY! He is sleeping about 10 to 11 hours at night. He is the best baby in the world!
We have had a VERY eventful summer. We were hit by a drunk driver on June 6 and Blain took his 1st ride in an ambulance...and hopefully his last. We were all o.k. God took care of us, as always. My car was totaled (we were stopped at a red light and hit from behind at 55 mph). Most of my weekdays have been spent traveling back and forth to physical therapy. I got a pretty good whiplash.
Also, I decided I just couldn't work full time. I needed to be home with Blain if I could. God answered that prayer when he had another Williamson Co. Kindergaten teacher call me and ask
if I would be interested in doing a job-share. I will be working 2 days one week and 3 days the next week (alternating)! Great huh?

Motherhood is AMAZING!!!

Since my last post, Blain has grown so much! He now weighs 12lbs 12oz and is almost 24 inches long! He is doing great. I hate to brag, but he sleeps fabulously at night. He wakes once per night to eat. He is smiling and cooing all of the time. His favorite part of the day is bathtime. He is definitely going to love the water, like his mommy. I went back to school for 2 weeks and cried every morning when I left him. He was in good hands, though. Phillip watched him in the morning until my mom arrived. It was still torture to spend the day away from him. I am now home for the summer and praying for my next miracle (to somehow be able to stay home with him when school starts back). I am VERY attatched to this little boy. God really outdid himself with this little guy! Enjoy the pictures. They are from the past couple of months. Sorry I haven't updated lately. By the way, Blain is now 2 and a half months old!! My big boy.

Our Little Gift from God Has Arrived

Hi everyone!!! So sorry I haven't posted yet, but motherhood is a BUSY and amazing job. As you all know, Blain made his grand entrance at 11:58 am on March 24th. That was induction day, but thankfully I didn't have to be induced. At 8pm the night before, I went to bed. Phillip told me goodnight, and we were both very anxious . So, we had our sentimental moment, and I closed my eyes. Seconds later Blain did a great big STRETCH !!! Then, POP and gush! My water broke!!! Long story short...I received an epidural, labored for 16 hours, and gave birth to the most beautiful precious angel in the world. He is now 2 weeks old and an absolute charmer. He does not cry much and sleeps a lot. Nights are easy so far. We love him SO much.

About the pictures...one of my bestest friends, Rachel, is an amazing photographer. She came over and took pictures of Blain. Check them out by clicking on the link, click on ENTER, click on SESSIONS, in the bottom right corner type the password: Amber.

Link: http://lilachillphotography.com/#

More pictures!!

Hey it's Natalie again here are a few more pictures for your viewing pleasure....

Sweet baby boy!

The first picture of the future couple (my little one Brylie and Blain)

Super happy Grandma!! (Amber's Mom)
Phillip his mom and Blain

Phillip, his dad and Blain

HE'S HERE!!!!

Hi everyone this is Amber's friend Natalie and I just wanted to let you all know that baby Blain is here!!! He is perfect and beautiful!! Amber's water broke Monday night and he was born today at 11:58 a.m. He weighed 8lbs 6oz and measured 21 inches long! He has lots of brown hair and I believe he looks a bit like his Daddy!! Mom and baby are doing great! He is nursing like a champ! Amber is a little tired but she did GREAT and had no problems, everyone is so proud of her! I think they are planning on going home Thursday afternoon or Friday. So when they get home and settled Amber can let you in on all of the details! Tonight when I left the hospital she said "I have never felt love like this"! I'm so glad that god has blessed them with this beautiful miracle! Here are some pictures I know you are all waiting for.....








The beautiful baby boy!

The beautiful Mommy and Blain

A family of three!!!

Proud Daddy!!

Proud Mommy!!

Update on Baby Blain

Well, the weekend is here (4 days past my due date) and baby Blain still has not made his grand entrance! For weeks we thought: "he is coming any day," but he got pretty cozy and decided to stay a while. We are so thankful that he went full term and is the picture of health. So you ask "what now?" Well, Tuesday is induction day. Yes, I know, he could still come anytime. However, mommy has a feeling that we will be meeting him on Tuesday. We are spending the weekend at home...enjoying our last few days as "just a couple." Phillip and I have been "just a couple" for 10 years in July!! That is a long time, and we are so excited to become a team. :) Blain is going to add so much to our marriage and home. God is so good! Thank you all for your prayers and for continuing to send them our way. I am not sure how Blain will get here, as he measured...9 lbs. 3oz. during Thursday's ultrasound!!! We may be looking at a C-section, but I am at peace with whatever has to happen. I will have someone announce his birth and put pictures on the blog after he gets here. So, stay tuned for the grand finale'.
Love, Amber

The Journey Continues

This is the best picture the ultrasound tech. could get. Blain's fist is right in front of his nose and upper lip, and he looks a little scrunched up (as I am sure he is)! So CUTE!!!

I had a doctor's appointment this morning at 9 am. Everything is the same: 2cm and 60%. The dr. sent me for an ultrasound and said "if we see any cause for concern, we will induce your labor in the morning." He is leaving town on Sunday and really wants to deliver Blain. Well, the ultrasound showed that everything is PERFECT!! I really want to meet Blain, but we are so happy to know that he is healthy and safe. The plan, now, is to wait and see if my water breaks or I go into "real" labor. If not, my dr. will induce labor on March 24th. I know that sounds like an eternity... trust me, I know!!! But we have not even reached the poor baby's due date and everyone is shocked he hasn't come yet. I am just going to relax, be patient, and wait for him to come. God has a plan...he has all along, and we are going to trust that. I am so excited for him to come and to share his arrival with all of you. Thank you so much for continuing to pray for our sweet little baby boy.

Due Date One Week From Today!!!

I am feeling so very blessed today. I told Phillip this morning that I can remember sitting across from our fertility dr., and he told us the baby's due date. March 17th. What a magical date. I remember feeling so excited for March to come. It was definitely a long wait but well worth it. I can't believe that we are one week away from March 17th. Our little boy will be joining us any day.

I had a special surprise last week. My friend, Angela, had her precious angel baby at 30 weeks. He is a true miracle. His name is Samuel, and he has been so very strong over the past 4 days. Please keep little Sam in your prayers. I love him so much.

Below is a picture of the newest addition to our nursery...the glider. This chair was Phillip's grandmother's chair. My dad painted it white to match the nursery, and he did a beautiful job! Grandmother and Grandaddy would be so proud to have another great grandchild rocked in that glider. We are proud that it is part of Blain's room.

The picture at the bottom is a picture I bought right after we found out I was pregnant. Of course, we didn't know if the baby was a boy or girl. The picture could go either way, and I decided I would have it framed with blue or pink matting...depending on the gender. This is the precious end result... Thanks mom for having it framed. Your the best.

Can you tell a difference?

Ok, so the title of the posting is VERY sarcastic. :) The first picture is when I was just 9 weeks pregnant. In the other picture, I am 2 days shy of 38 weeks. Wow! I can't believe how different I look!!! I am having contraction ALL the time. False labor stinks!! I don't know why they call it false. It hurts. Every contraction reminds me that Blain will be here very soon. :) I can't wait to meet my baby and tell him how much I love him. Every person in my and Phillip's family is on pins and needles. We are all so anxious to meet our little guy. At my doctor's appointment on Thurs. I was one centimeter dilated and 60% effaced. Hopefully, I am making more progress. Keep praying for us. The finish line is in sight.

A Loving Family Adopting From Etheopia

I absolutely LOVE this family. Their daughter was in my classroom last year. They are very strong Christian people, who have found it in their hearts to adopt from Etheopia. I must say that they have SO MUCH love to give! I could go on and on about how wonderful they are. :)

They need your help. Below, are some FABULOUS t-shirts to help their cause. The little girl they adopt is priceless; however, adoption is EXPENSIVE. Please consider ordering one of these precious t-shirts to help bring Bristol home. The shirts are $20, but as I said Bristol is priceless. My prayers are with this family and their baby girl. Please pray for them, as well.

The shirts have the outline of the continent of Africa with a heart where Ethiopia is located. they say "bringing Bristol home". in case you hadn't heard yet- Bristol is her name! they also have a Bible verse on them Matthew 18:5 "And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me."

If you would like to help, please comment on this posting or email me at amberp1@wcs.edu

Thank you for your generosity...and I'm sure Bristol thanks you too!

Blain's Nursery

After worrying that we just could not possibly get this baby's nursery finished before his arrival, we now have a complete and beautiful nursery. It is a GREAT accomplishment that took all 4 of our parents and Phillip. Phillip and his dad transformed the room from a yellow-painted guest bedroom to a sky blue and white beadboard nursery. They worked very hard and eventually the construction zone was Blain's room. They finished the construction work and painting on Saturday morning. Later that day my mom and dad came to our house. My dad helped Phillip assemble the adorable crib and dresser/changing table. The shelf you see was in my room growing up. This shelf was built by my great-grandfather, redone by my dad for my room, and painted and spruced up recently by my dad for Blain. My mom put all of the goodies in the room, as I pointed (and helped as much as I could). Sunday, Phillip's mom and dad returned to put up the curtains. Phillip's mom is a window treatment pro! She did a great job monitoring and instructing Phillip and his dad on the curtains. All-in-all we finished on Sunday...with the help of our loving parents. We are so thrilled about his little room. It is by far the BEST room in the house. As expected, Phillip and I peak in his room first thing in the morning and last thing at night. We still have some things to hang on the wall, but we will get to them when we can. Enjoy the pics!! By the way, I know... I'm HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!