Perfect

Found this bib at Target and thought...

...Perfect!

Adding to the Menu

Last Wednesday Mackenzie had her four months well check up and came in at a whopping 14 pounds 4.5 ounces.  She's in the 85th percentile in weight and 75th percentile in height.  Dr. Elder was very surprised at how much she has grown.  She also had two shots and an oral for the rota virus.  She did great and only cried for a little bit before falling asleep.   

Dr. Elder gave us the go ahead to start rice cereal and oatmeal.  She ate a good bit before screaming and wanting out of the chair.  I can't believe my little baby is starting cereal...  

Four Months

My sweet little baby you turned four months old on Friday!  I can not believe how much you have grown.  We go to the doctor tomorrow and I am curious to see your stats!  You are in size 2 diapers and you drink about 7 ounces of formula every 4 hours.  I know it's time to start you on cereal, but I wanted to wait just a little longer.  I waited with your sister and it worked out so much better than with Bubba.  You are such a happy baby.  You only fuss when you are wet, dirty, hungry or want some attention.  You are content anywhere I put you.  From your crib, to the bouncy seat, to the floor, to the couch, and to the bed.  You've even sat in your bumbo seat some, but not quite mastered it.  You are holding your head up so well and working out the muscles in you little chunky legs.  I have packed away all of your newborn, 3 months, and 3-6 months clothes.  You are in some 3 months, but have no problem wearing 6 months.  You even wore a 9 month jumper the other day!!  I love dressing you and your sister alike even though I didn't enjoy being dressed like my sister as a kid ha!  I'll do it now since you can't complain.  You continue to sleep through the night and take a couple of naps a day.  When you hear your Daddy's voice you turn in his direction and want him to hold you.  You are growing up so quickly right before our eyes and I know that in no time you will be crawling all over the house. 

Baby Girl you steal my heart every day.  I am so thankful that the Lord saw me fit to be your mother.  Even though there are days when I ask myself what was God thinking?  I know He has a perfect plan.  You complete our family and it's like you have always been with us.  I love you with all of my heart precious baby!

How can you not love this girl!

May 8, 2011

God has entrusted us as parents of Mackenzie Faith Eterno.  It is a blessing and tremendous responsibility to "bring her up in the training and admonition of the Lord."  Therefore, we dedicate ourselves to:

A personal life of devotion to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Teaching our child the Scripture and instilling in her Christian values.

Bring our child to church and subject her to Christian teaching and fellowship.

Modeling the Christian life before her eyes daily and therefore enduring that she has a healthy understanding of what it means to follow Christ.

Living in faithfulness and fidelity as husband and wife so that our child will see the permanence of marriage.

Demonstrating Biblical morality and thereby helping our child to form a wholesome disposition marked by purity.

Lovingly discipline my daughter which will preserve her life; teach her to respect authority and teach her the consequences of disobedience.

Giving our daughter to the Lord to use in any way that brings glory to Him.

These things we dedicate ourselves to before these witnesses by the grace and strength of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mother's Day Sunday, May 8, 2011

Airline Baptist Church

(Taken from the Certificate of Dedication)

First Night in Her Room

I'm not sure of the exact date, but i wanted to post a picture of Mackenzie Faith's first time in her crib.  She started sleeping through the night at around four weeks so we decided to go ahead and let her sleep in her room.

She is such a good sleeper and we are so blessed.  It's almost as if she knows that mommy has her hands full.  I am so thankful that she can sleep through pretty much anything.  I just want to eat her up!  I love this girl!

    

Mom

Josiah: "Mom?, can I call you mom?  I like mommy but I want to call you mom..."

Me: *stands there*

Josiah runs off...and I stand there not really knowing how I feel about this.  I like that he is growing up, but I'm not quite sure that I want to be called Mom just yet.  It's amazing to watch him grow up and do new things...I can't believe he starts pre-k next year.  I am one to embrace my children growing up, but I want to be mommy just a little bit longer :)...

3 Months

My sweet baby Mackenzie Faith...you are 3 months old today.  Time is flying by so fast that I have to remind myself every month that you are one month older.  You  are starting to finally smile big.  You recognize our voices and I think you are able to see us better too!  Mackenzie Faith, you are the best baby ever...I joke and say that if you would have been my first, I would have had more kids by now ha!  Your daily routine is set and you are a great sleeper. I will lay you down around 7:30 or 8:00 and you will sleep until 8: or 8:30.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!  You are such an easy baby during the day...you sit in your swing and bouncy seat all day.  After I lay Bubba and Sissy down for the night, I just want to hold you because I feel that I haven't held you all day.  You are drinking 6 ounces every 3 to 4 hours and I think you are more than ready to start cereal next month.  I think you are going to follow in your sister's foot steps and like to eat.  The other day you not only gave me a smile, but a little laugh.  I am so ready to hear you cackle (not sure of the spelling).  

My sweet baby you are fearfully and wonderfully made and my prayer for you is that you will always have the favor of God everywhere you go.  I love you very much and thank God everyday for blessing my life with you.  Being pregnant with you was tough, but all worth it when I stare into your eyes.  I love that you know that I'm your mommy, that I'm able to calm you down and rock you to sleep.  You are my sweet baby girl and I love you very very much.

Love,

Momma

A Bond Like No Other...

is that of a father and his little girl.  I love watching Joseph with our children.  

 

My favorite!

Two Months

Mackenzie Faith is two months old!  She is a growing little girl and after checking her out yesterday, Dr. Elder gave her an A+.  She weighs 11 pounds 3 ounces and measured at 22 1/4 inches long!  I can not believe in two months she has almost doubled in weight.  We switched over to formula because she was not getting enough and now I know why...this girl is an eater!  She drinks six ounces every 3 1/2 to 4 hours.  She has outgrown her newborn clothes and is now wearing 3 months clothes.  I call her my little chunk something I know she will hate me for later.

Where's that smile?

Talking to mommy

  

Big brother loves his sweet sister.  He also loves to run around with no clothes on ha!!

Elisabeth is a natural momma.  She loves helping me.

Everyone was right when they said that the third child is the easiest.  Well bless them they have to be with two other siblings running around.  Miss Faith sleeps through anything and is rarely bothered by her brother and sister's "loudness." She has been sleeping through the night for a couple of weeks now and has fallen into a great daily routine.  Following in her sister's footsteps after her evening bottle I put her in the crib and she falls asleep on her own.  

I am still in awe at the fact that I have three kids.  I thank God everyday for the privilege to be their mommy and to stay at home with them.  Yes there are crazy days and lately I feel like I have more of those, but in the end I am still thankful for all three of my babies.  

January 13, 2011

Induction Day is here!!  I woke up at about 3:30 AM feeling a couple contractions on and off.  From then on I couldn't go back to sleep.  I tried to get some sleep since we would be leaving for the hospital soon, but my tummy would not quit grumbling...I was hungry!  I think I finally dozed off for a little while and then woke up at 5:00 AM, called the hospital and got the go ahead to come in.  Woohoo, it was finally here.  I was going to be holding my sweet little girl in just a few hours.  But good grief with the hunger pains!!  I got up and got dressed and ready.  I let Joseph sleep a little longer and got all of our bags out in the living room.  I woke Joseph up a little after 6:00 AM.  He pulled our car down to mom's drive way and loaded our bags.  While getting ready to go out the door, Josiah wakes up asking for Mackenzie.  We tell him we were going to "get" her today!  He's upset, but thankfully Aunt Gabby and Abui (my mom) are there to comfort him.  

We get to the hospital and we are ready to get this show going!  My nurse is super nice and we find out we both went to Brenau and I worked with her husband at Sam's Club.  Paperwork is filled out, IV is put in and we are hanging out waiting on Tiffany to come and break my water.  My nurse starts pitocin at a low drip since I was already 4-5 cm.  She goes ahead and orders my epidural and the anesthesiologist comes in not too much longer after that.  I tell her everything that went wrong with my other two epidural and she promised to do what she could to make this one a good one!  Well....it was.  She was really good about watching my blood pressure, making sure it did not drop and talked me through it.  They sat me back in the bed and I immediately started to feel my legs going numb.  I finally got a good epidural!  While they were making sure I didn't have any crazy side effects Tiffany came in ready to go.  She went ahead and broke my water and asked our nurse to check me every 30 minutes and call her with an update.  She had a feeling this was going to be pretty fast.  I figured by about 12 or 1 I would have a baby.  So as everyone was coming in and getting settled my nurse checked me and I was at 6-7cm...wow this is going pretty fast!  At that point we called Joseph, he had gone with Papa Rob to get breakfast, and tell him to come on!  He points out that my contractions are pretty intense and about 3 minutes apart and I happily answer "I can't feel a thing!"  By this point I am STARVING.  Epidurals work great on labor contractions, but not so much on hunger pains.  So next check and I am at 8cm.  Yeah...still can not feel a thing!  So the waiting continued we took a couple of pictures...well if you know our family...we took LOTS of pictures...

                                               

Waiting...

Waiting...

And finally last check 10:30 AM and I was 10cm...still could not feel ANYTHING!! We wait on Tiffany to come.  She comes in and we are ready!  She tells me to push and normally I can feel the contractions coming and know it's time to push, but this time I was like ok...  So I push....I get done pushing and say "I can't feel anything!"  She tells me to push again and I do.  Then she says "ok stop pushing."  and I think I said "stop pushing, like don't do anything...?"  She tells me to grunt and I grunt twice and she's out at 10:44 AM!  Could not believe how easy that was!  I remember thinking..."Did I just have a baby?!"  Oh, but she was beautiful!!  They laid her on my chest and I think I was still in shock of how fast and easy that had been.

6 lbs 13 oz and 20.25 inches long 

 She was finally here!  Alive and healthy and perfect, absolutely perfect...  Thank you Lord!

Look at those toes

Gorgeous

Proud Daddy and Amazing Husband

Parents of 3 kids....yikes :)

My girls... wouldn't want to share this with anyone else 

God is so good

Let me take a minute and thank my awesome midwife Tiffany!!!  She now has delivered all three of my kids.  She was so amazing during this tough journey.  Thank you Tiffany!!!  Her exact words right after I had Mackenzie were "Let's do this again next year!"  Ha!...nah... 3 is GOOD!

So there it is Mackenzie's birth story.  She's my miracle baby and after 14 weeks of bed rest, 20 ultra sounds, many scares, fears of losing her, trusting God with my entire life, learning to accept His will even when I didn't like it, she has already changed my life.  Thank you God...Thank you...

20 Ultrasounds...I think my insurance company probably hates me ha!

"For this child (Mackenzie Faith Eterno) I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition..." 1 Samuel 1:27

oh....and those hunger pains....finally gone....mmmmm....