We have so much to be thankful for this year!!

O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; for You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago with perfect faithfulness…
Isaiah 25:1

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a Son, and she will call His name Immanuel…
Isaiah 7:14

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I apologize for the lack of posts lately. Y’all know how I am around Christmas – pretty much, I turn into a nutcase and this year has been especially bad since I’ve now got a great reason to go crazy. BUT, unlike most years where I’m totally done shopping by two weeks before Christmas, I barely even started shopping this year until then. So, I’ve been running around like an insane person trying to get everything done before Christmas and this is really the only time I’ve had to write a quick post.

Note the word quick. 🙂 Hopefully, though, I’ll get a chance after Christmas to catch up on things! I have like a zillion pictures that I’ve taken over the last few days that I want to post. Our church did a Baby Dedication service where we dedicated Nathan and it was just SO special. So, prepare for TONS of pictures very soon!

I hope that you have a FABULOUS Christmas and that even in the midst of the craziness that you get a few minutes by yourself to just remember that Christ came as a baby boy… This is so real to me this year with our little Nater Tot here! I have been thinking a lot about how God gave us His Son… His Son. I can’t even imagine. I have a hard time letting people even hold Nathan – I can’t imagine giving him over to people who I knew would abuse and kill him.

It’s not even fathomable.

This year, I hope you are able to find time to be alone with Him.

It’s almost Christmas!!!

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I have no idea where the time is going. Even on days like yesterday where he was being absolutely awful, the days STILL fly by.

MOST of the time, he is a happy, happy boy. He squeals and talks and shrieks and yells all day long. Nathan wakes up around 6 to 6:30AM, nurses and then goes right back down until around 9 or so. However, today he slept until 7:20 and then slept again until about 10.

Yesterday must have worn us both out!

He still, by the grace of God, is being exclusively nursed. I am so so so thankful that the nursing is going so well! We’ve decided to start cereal and then changed our minds about six times by this point. 🙂 I think we might wait until after all of our Christmas festivities. One less new thing to adjust to for him!

He can roll easily from his tummy to his back now. Actually, most of the time I put him on his tummy he’s only on it for about two and a half seconds because then he flips over. He tries very hard to roll over from his back to his tummy, but that shoulder just gets in the way. 🙂 He’ll get there! He can also sit unsupported for a few seconds – we’re working on that.

Nathan LOVES to read! I hope that he will always appreciate reading. He’s a snuggler, so we are both very content to cuddle up on the couch with a few books and just read and read. He loves to grab for the pages now too, so those cardboard books are a great invention! 🙂

His other new favorite thing is to make this silly face:

Ha! He started doing it in the bath and Jon and I just rolled. So, now he does it all the time. He’s also discovered that coughing gets him attention (I think we have his best friend Noah to blame for that one!). 🙂 And he LOVES to blow raspberries. I wake up to him talking and blowing raspberries into the monitor.

He is SO ticklish! We can laugh forever tickling him because he has the funniest laugh! His little voice is so high, but his laugh is so deep – it just is the cutest thing. Jon caught it on video the other day (something of a miracle because everything stops when Nathan sees the video camera), so I’m going to try and upload that this week. So cute!

He grabs for everything!! It is almost impossible to drink something while holding him now because he is always reaching for it. No more hot drinks while snuggling in the morning! Jammie time has become one of my all-time favorite parts of the day – after we both wake up and he finishes nursing, he’ll just sit and snuggle for a long time and I just love it.

He is such a silly little guy. Even on cranky days like yesterday, we just love our little Nater Tot!

He met Santa and Mrs. Claus this past weekend, so I had to show the progression through pictures:

Ha! Such a silly boy! It went SO much better than I was envisioning – I was counting on tears and screaming, but he loved Santa! And he loved Santa’s beard! Ha!

We even got a decent family picture in – this isn’t the same one I’m using for our Christmas cards, but I thought it was cute too!

Have a great night!

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Well guys.

I had grand plans about posting Nathan’s five month post today filled with facts and cutesy pictures. But MY WORD has it been a Monday today. For whatever reason, Nathan decided that he didn’t need a nap today and decided to scream at the top of his lungs the whole day instead.

The top of his lungs. He got hoarse at one point but then he mustered up some more vocal cords from deep down and continued on.

I finally gave up hope of getting anything done around my house, packed the screaming boy into the car and went to the place that would most likely succeed in sucking all the rest of the Christmas spirit out of me – the post office.

Where the Nater-Tot and I stood in line for about 30-45 minutes. He, thank goodness, didn’t scream while we were there but decided to try and grab for everything that was within about ten feet of him. The diaper bag. The pen I was using. The labels I was adhering. The books I was mailing. The guy working the mail counter. The brochures about how easy moving is. The poor people behind me who just came back from a baby shower/funeral (I kid not).

Needless to say, there was a lot of twisting and I kept having to adjust my hold on him because, silly thoughtless girl that I am, I imagined it was going to be a quick wait and I didn’t bother to get the stroller out. We got back in the car and the screaming started up again.

So, I headed to the mall to get some Christmas gifts and maybe see another human being who would look at me as more than their next meal and a waiting eardrum to pop. And THANK GOODNESS my mother happened to be just going to the mall at the same time because I was seriously about to burst into tears (and did a little bit actually in Old Navy).

Y’all know that I love being a mom. Love it, love it. I cannot imagine a better life than the one I have right now. And I love Nathan more than I could ever imagine loving a child.

But that doesn’t mean that I don’t sometimes get very lonely at the house, or on days like today where he just screams and cries for no reason at all and nothing I do makes any difference that I don’t get frustrated. Sometimes I do wish that I could just sit and write in the mornings with no distractions again. There are days where I have to pray many times over for patience with my son.

So, my mom today at the mall was a HUGE help. I got intelligent conversation and she even got Nathan to stop screaming! It’s helpful even to be told feeling like this is very normal. I’m not just losing my mind! Ha! 🙂 And then Jon met us there and drove Nathan (who was back to screaming) home so I could drive the quiet car back. I love Mom and Jon so much! Thank you guys!

We got home and Nathan took, miraculously, a short nap before dinner. And I am now in my jammies and Jon took care of him all night. I’m so thankful for such a good husband. While I can usually find a smile for Nathan, Jon is the one to get all the flack. And I’m sorry for that. 🙁 And even on days like today where Nathan has been such a pill, all it takes it one adorable little smile while his daddy gives him a bath and I’m all back to loving being a mom.

So, all this to say that Nathan’s five month post will hopefully be up tomorrow!

Also, I’ve gotten a few fun things that I just have to share especially since the rest of this post has been such a bummer!

This is a book trailer that Jewell Kirkendoll, a 7th grade student at Moore MST Magnet School in Texas made for Miss Match. Isn’t it great? I loved seeing this! Thanks so much, Jewell!

And this is a picture of my uncle David Terry, aunt Dolly, my two cousins, Marissa and Rachel and my grandma, Nama (or as she’s known in her real life, Eloise Terry), with Michael W. Smith and David Hamilton (who works with Michael). TOO FUN. I’m having serious envy of my book right here, which I didn’t even know could be possible. Miss Match has met Michael W. Smith!

SO cool! Thank you so much, guys, for taking my books there!! 🙂 Love you all!

Well. The Nater Tot is now in bed and I’m about to make a pan of gingerbread cookies, courtesy of Pillsbury. It is definitely a good time for cookies. Hope all of us have a restful night!

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Yesterday, guys, I officially became a mom.

And yes – Nathan was born almost five months ago (what??!!) and on that day I became a mother. But yesterday.

Yesterday I was definitely a mom.

So, it began with a trip to Wal-Mart because I hadn’t been there in over a week and I’d started getting notes in my mailbox from the employees wondering if I was even still alive. It was time to go visit. Plus, we were out of a bunch of necessities like eggs and bread and I wanted to look at a few things for Christmas gifts.

I put Nathan in the Moby wrap (which we both love, despite it being fairly complicated and time-consuming to put on in the parking lot while everyone stares at you like, “Hey lady, Halloween already passed”) and I was standing there looking at a potential Christmas gift when I felt it.

Explosion. Down south of Nathan’s border, if you get what I’m saying.

I just started praying that it hadn’t busted out the sides of the diaper, but my prayers got a resounding no because it was already soaking through Nathan’s pants.

SIDE NOTE: Sorry in advance for all of the diaper and diaper-related messes contained in this blog post.

I ran to the closest place I could find, the women’s dressing room, and told the lady guarding the doors that he was exploding and could I just run in there and change him?

She was very nice. I think she actually laughed before she unlocked the dressing room door for me which just proves that she is also a mom, I’m sure. I got out my little changing pad from the diaper bag, pulled Nathan out of the Moby and pulled his pants and diaper off and got him all wiped off.

I reached in my bag for a clean diaper.

And guys…

THERE WAS NONE.

Not one. I could have sworn that I had at least three in there, but as I dug through my entire bag, I did not find anything. “Crap, crap, crap!” I kept whispering.

Which, yes, was the source of this issue. 🙂

I looked down at Nathan, who was, of course, happy as he could be being half-naked in Wal-Mart. I dug through my bag again and came up with a maxi-pad from the days after Nathan was born (you who have had babies know exactly why that was there).

There was only one thing to do.

Y’all. I put a maxi-pad on my son. I buttoned his onesie over it, put on some clean pants, put him back in the Moby wrap and RAN through the rest of the store.

I get to the checkout and the girl cashier looks at Nathan and goes, “Aren’t babies just the sweetest things?”

By the time we got home, he’d peed through the pad and all his clothes. So I did laundry yesterday. And lots of it.

Yes, you guys. Babies are just the sweetest things. 🙂

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This has been one of the most fun days ever! I absolutely LOVED getting to talk to all of you throughout the day! 🙂 SO FUN.

I’ll be taking all the orders to the post office Monday, so you should definitely have them all by Christmas!

And it seems like I had another giveaway to do… 😉

Since Nathan is all into grabbing things these days, I decided I’d let him be a part of the fun!

Here he is, getting all ready to draw the name!

Helga-Marie, it’s you! 🙂 Thanks so much for your orders and fun conversation today! I’m so excited! 🙂

Thank you all SO MUCH for making this day such a wonderful day!! I hope you all have a fabulous Sunday! 🙂 Love to you all!

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I’m loving chatting with you guys!

Here’s a couple of questions for YOU now!! 🙂

* What has been your favorite character in the Lauren or Maya series? Why?

* What is your favorite hot drink this time of year?

* And lastly, favorite hair styling product? What can I say… I’m in a rut and need some new ideas! 🙂

YAY!! Loved all of your answers! Here’s some new ones:

* What is the best thing you’ve ever received for Christmas? And why?

* What is your favorite winter time snack?

* What is your favorite thing to have around your house?

Too much fun!!

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Don’t forget, guys, the Buy Two, Get One Free special ends tonight at 5PM Central time! 🙂 I’ll be drawing the winner of the second giveaway tonight at 5PM too! Any purchase of a complete series enters you to win!

And I still have a few backpacks to giveaway – order a complete series and you get a FREE “I’m Waiting for My Ryan” backpack. But order quick – I’ve only got a few left! 🙂

I’m having so much fun chatting with you guys!! 🙂

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Gettting ready to draw the winner!! 🙂 (Don’t you love the coffee cup and the sticky notes? So, while I was writing this and not paying attention, I nearly tried to take a drink from it… Oops…)

And the winner is…

Laura Jackson!! I’ll include the giveaway with your order! Yay! 🙂

Remember, there’s still a chance to win another giveaway! Any order of a complete series qualifies, so if you ordered one this morning, you’ll still get a chance to win! 🙂

And keep those questions coming! This is SO FUN. 🙂

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The Bookstore is now open!! Remember, ANY purchase between now and 11AM Central time gives you a shot at one of the giveaways! And if you want to double your chances, order a complete set this hour!

To get the Buy Two, Get One Free offer – add two books of your choice to your cart and then use the drop down menu at the top of the Bookstore to add your free book. Be sure to specify what name you want them signed to. Remember, this is only until 5PM tonight!

Also, I’m live blogging today, so leave comments, questions, whatever you want in the comments section and I’ll respond right then (also in the comments section)!

YAY!!!

P.S. HA! Look how I found the Nater Tot when I went in to get him this morning? How do you turn the wrong way in your crib in a sleep sack?! (A sleep sack is just a wearable blanket! You zip him right into it)

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