many things

to finish out being tagged...i couldn't & still can't pick one last thing, so here's a quick summary of the last few bits of me:

6. A) gift giving is my primary love language (does that mean gift receiving is too?). B) birthdays are still pretty important to me. this may have to do with the gift thing. i discovered this this year, when i felt my birthday was mostly forgotten. :o( the good news is, i've had some pretty incredible ones in the past, so i'll just remember those. C) the Lord often uses dreams to speak to my heart, usually for the purpose of intercession. i really love this & have missed it with so many sleepless nights. D) i just want to say again that i am crazy in love with my Jesus, my husband & my baby!

on to more important things...DREW!

well, since the rolling over from tummy to back, we've had a few more milestones:

Solid food! it was really nowhere near "solid" to start, but hey, it's more than just mommy milk. she really loves it. we had a setback in there when she got a tummy bug & was sick for a little while. it took her a few days to want solids again. ps- that tummy bug spread through our whole house & was our first experience with such an illness that plagued us all. we had to call for reinforcements. thank you, grambee beth, for coming to our rescue!

here's a pic from our parent dedication in november.

we had our 4 month check up on nov. 30th. this is drew & toph looking out the window while we waited on the dr. Drew was 15 lbs 12 oz and 26 3/4 inches long. that's our tall girl!

we got to meet Drew's greatgrandma Lou over thanksgiving break. this was very special to me because i am so thankful she has greatgrandparents, and i have a special relationship with my Mamaw. Great-Mamaw Lou lives in Whitney, TX and was so excited to see her great granddaughter. she gave Drew the sweetest little "Baby's First Christmas" red velour sleeper. Drew loves it.

yes, this is actually Drew sleeping! it's been setback after setback as far as sleeping goes. the reflux, family vacations, holiday travel, vaccinations, illness...on & on. my dear friend Donna came to stay while Topher took the college students skiing last week & she first gave me a couple of nights off, then stayed up with me for the "cry it out" nights. what an amazing gift. drew is still waking a couple of times at night, but now they are very brief & i only nurse her once, after she's been down for about 8 hours. it may sound like a lot to some, but for a girl who used to wake more than 12 times, it's a little peace of heaven. Thank you, Lord! and, thank you, Donna!

Jill tagged me...

ok, so i know this was a while ago, but that's my world...a bit behind on most things. what's the deal? share 6 things about me? that's a lot. hmmm...here goes:

1. i crazy love being a mama. it's so hard & so great all at the same time. drew's not been the easiest of babies, so in just our short almost 5 months, we've been through a lot already. don't worry, i know there's much more hardship to come, but these first few months have been no cake walk either. yet, they've been incredible. i love feeling so flipping tired i could just die, but yet loving & wanting to cuddle with my little snuggle bug all at the same time. seriously, she drives me mad with the fussing, but i just want to gobble her up & smooch all over her chubby little cheeks. i often sit in awe of the fact that she's really mine, while at the same time feeling so inadequate about the fact that i have no clue what to do with her. it's wonderful & overwhelming.

2. i miss living in tennessee. it was such a "mountaintop" experience for me. the Lord took me to intimate, peaceful, exhilarating, new & unimaginable places with him & i miss walking that path. i can't even put into words all i learned while there. i have to cautiously guard my heart now & be careful not to spend time distracted by what i fear i'm missing. He's been so faithful to gently show me that where i am now is also part of the plan & he has plenty more to show me & that all the greatness didn't stay in beautiful tennessee. while it was so hard at first, i am now incredibly grateful both for the time i had there & for what lies ahead here. still...i miss it. a lot.

3. are you ready for this? i gained almost 60 pounds while pregnant! seriously. shhh...it's my little (big) embarrassing secret. turned out my baby was HUGE (10 lbs 5 oz) so that had a lot to do with it. also, i never had morning sickness. no during-pregnancy weight loss for me. just call me jenny mccarthy, i guess (except for that whole playboy thing). on the up side, it really was a ton of water retention, as evidenced by the speed with which the weight disappeared. i lost 20lbs the first week & 10 the next, then steadily until now i'm realizing that no matter what the scale reads, my body will likely never be the same. pity, really. stretch marks? none on my tummy.

4. i LOVE college ministry! i have since i myself was in college & involved in the college group as a student. to be doing it now is a great blessing. our students are incredible. i pray for mind-blowing things for them & long for the Lord to take us to incredible new places. i imagine a love for Jesus that spreads like fire & so changes us that our worlds are never the same again. freedom...constant abiding in him...loving his word...loving other people...being so in love with him that we can't help but talk of & about him. i long for that for our college students.

5. i miss my parents a lot. they are in alabama & i haven't seen them since drew was born. many, many days i just wish they were close enough to drive up for a visit. i've needed them a lot in the last few months. thankfully, i can call & chat & be encouraged by them any time. they often call to check on me, which always makes my day.

6. i can't decide what to share here. i've typed & deleted 3 different things. what should i settle on? that fact that it's getting late at the time i'm writing this...that my baby's asleep & so should i be...i'm quite exhausted as usual...so, good night!