MOTHERHOOD

This is my first Mother's Day. A few weeks ago, as I was thinking about what to get for my mother and mother-in- law and grandmothers, I suddenly realized, "Oh yeah, I'm a mother, too!" This is my first mother's day to be a mom, and from now on, I get to celebrate and be celebrated each year. But what makes me most happy is not finally holding the title of "mother" but the reason I hold that title, my baby. I'm celebrating him today and thanking God for blessing Jack and I with our long awaited very own child, Smith.


So even though I'm a very new mom, here are some of my thoughts of motherhood so far.

To me, motherhood is seeing my baby's face for the first time and staring in awe, realizing that I'm holding a tiny miracle in my arms, experiencing a love that is inexplainable and uncontainable.


Motherhood is being awake in the early dawn, my baby asleep on my chest, feeling his stomach rise and fall with tiny breaths.


Motherhood is not being able to get anything done because my baby constantly wants to be held.


Motherhood is holding my baby in one arm and trying to do everything else with the other.


Motherhood is a pathway to selflessness, with the needs and wants of my child taking the place of my own.


Motherhood is the wonderful job of taking care of someone who is helpless without me.


Motherhood is a messy house and a full heart, sleepless nights and skin-to-skin naps, showerless days and sweet baby smells, sticky boobs and an everlasting bond, poopy diapers and thrilling first smiles, ear-splitting cries and precious coos... Motherhood is the most exhausting and most fulfilling job. Motherhood is having a child who is worth it all.


"There's no work more complex, more important, or more exalted than that of caring for children. After all, it's what God Himself has chosen, above all else, to do with His time." - Mike Mason, 'The Mystery of Children'

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! You're hard-working and deserve to be recognized and celebrated.

Happy Mother's Day to my mom... You have been an amazing mom throughout the years and now that I've entered motherhood, I have so much more respect and appreciation for all that you've done for me. You are an inspiration to me. I want to be like you. I love you!

SMITH IS HERE!

Wow, after a long 9 months of being pregnant (which I fully enjoyed until the last week), Smith Elisha Mooring has arrived. He was born on March 19, 2010 at 2:28 pm. He weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces, and was 19 1/4 inches long. And he's absolutely perfect!




It was a scary experience though. That week, I had terrible constant pain in my back and upper stomach. I couldn't sleep and nothing brought relief. I didn't think I was in labor because the doctor said I hadn't dilated at all. And since the pain was constant, I couldn't recognize the start and stop of contractions. Finally, on Friday, Jack called the doctor's office and the nurse told us to go ahead and go to the hospital to get checked out. The car ride was the worst part. Every little bump was like a knife stabbing me in the stomach (sorry for the vivid details). I was so happy when we finally pulled up to the hospital.

The nurse hooked me up to a monitor and I was relieved to hear Smith's little heart beating normally. The resident doctor came in and checked me and said I was 4 centimeters. You don't know how happy I was to hear that... first of all, because Smith was going to be born that day, and secondly, we weren't going to have to drive back home. The nurse said I was having contractions 5-8 minutes apart.

They moved me to a labor and delivery room, and Jack and I were getting excited. We thought we'd probably have a while to wait, but I would be able to get an epidural soon, and we could just chill out until Smith came. A few minutes later, however, my doctor burst into the room and started talking a mile a minute. She said I had preeclampsia, and the only cure was to get the baby out fast. They were going to have to do an emergency c-section as soon as possible.

I was overwhelmed and scared, but immediately, Jack and Mama Cyndy started praying over me and we gave it all up to God. Even in the hurt and fear, I felt some peace. The nurses were hooking me up to all kinds of things, getting me ready to go into surgery. My nurse, Coletta, leaned over me and said, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper." I tried to hold onto that and remember that this was just an attack from the enemy, and God was so much bigger. He was in control.

Soon, the anesthesiologist came in and said they were going to give me general anesthesia, so I wouldn't be awake for the procedure and Jack wouldn't be able to be in there with me. I was sad that I wouldn't be able to see my baby right after he was born, but I knew they had to do what they had to do. So, Jack kissed me and they rolled me away to surgery.

That room was really scary and bright. They were doing all kinds of things to me to get me ready as fast as they could. I won't go into all the details, but the catheter was probably the worst part. haha.. Before I even knew they had given me the drugs, my doctor asked me what my name was, and I said, "Whitney Mooring." Then she said, "What are we doing, Whitney?" And I said, "Doing a c-section." And that was the last thing I remember from being in that room.

The next thing I remember was being in bed and feeling extremely drowsy. I couldn't open my eyes. I could hear Jack, Leeland, and Mandy talking. And I could hear a baby making precious little noises. I remember thinking about how much I wanted to see him and hold him, but I couldn't speak. Soon, I heard Jack trying to talk to me, and for some reason, all I said was, "How much does he weigh? " I peaked open my eyes a bit, but everything was blurry. Jack brought Smith over to me and held him up. I could barely see him.





I soon was able to see a little more clearly, and finally, I was holding my little Smith. And oh my goodness, he was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen! I couldn't believe how perfect he was. And I couldn't believe that he was finally in the world, there in my arms. What a miracle!




It truly was a miracle that we were both okay. God had taken care of us. So many people (I probably can't even count) prayed for us. And if you were one of them, thank you so much. God heard every prayer and took care of Smith and I. We had to stay in the hospital for three nights, and I was really sore from the c-section. But I've been recovering really well.



Smith is now home with us, and life just couldn't be any better. I've never felt a love so strong than when I look at my baby. He is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me. My life is completely changed. When I think of how much I love Smith, and know that God loves me even more than that, I am overwhelmed.

We're still getting the hang of things around here, feeding and such. But I wouldn't trade any of it for the world. I'm actually enjoying the midnight feedings, and even though I don't get much sleep, I don't mind. I'll do anything for Smith.

And Jack is the most wonderful daddy. I love to watch him with Smith. He changes his diapers, reads to him, plays piano for him, prays for him. It's so cool to watch. I'm so excited about this new journey we've begun as parents. We have a family now.

Life doesn't get any better than this.

SMITH'S ROOM

So we finally got Smith's room done this week. We painted, put together furniture, organized. Doing things that aren't normally fun are actually fun when it's for a baby! It's all becoming more real now, and we couldn't be more excited!

Here's how it turned out...













All I have left to do is make a little pillow for the window seat. I'm going to use the blue polka dot material I used on some of the letters above Smith's crib.

Then the only thing missing will be sweet little Smith!