Pictures

I took Zoe for her 18 mo. pictures recently (she was 19 mo. until we actually had them taken). She is starting to get scared about it and cried through the whole session. I believe she thinks she's at the doctor. The photographer was wonderful though and she managed to get a few pictures of her smiling. I don't think it helped that I tried doing two outfits, but here are the results!

Happy Mother's Day

Before I was a Mom
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew how much I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Someone sent me this via email and I thought it was rather fitting for Mother's Day. Being a mom is so rewarding and one of the greatest blessings from God. I'm so thankful we've been blessed with Zoe and I have the privilege of being a mom! Happy Mother's Day!

Growing Up Too Fast

I haven't had a lot of time for blogging lately (posting or commenting), but I did want to post an updated picture of Zoe. Its hard to believe she's 19 mos. old. I'm sure I'm a little bit partial because she's my kid, but I think this is one of the sweetest pictures.
Everything is pretty much the same as far as her reflux. She's still unable to tolerate dairy or soy and is on the highest possible dosage of a new medication. And she's still almost off the growth charts because she's so tiny, but at least she keeps slowly gaining and hasn't stopped thriving (she's in the 5th percentile for weight). Praise God between the medication and a bland diet (for the most part), she is doing better and actually has been sleeping through the night. We were able to cancel her endoscopy for now at least (I did not relish the idea of having to give her anesthesia).
Also, her right eye has shown improvement with her glasses, so we were able to hold off on eye surgery and hopefully she won't need it ever. The Ophthalmologist was very surprised the glasses worked, but it was confirmation to me Who is really in control. God has graciously answered our prayers concerning Zoe and so wondrously provided for us and we are so thankful!