One month with Emerson Ruth. Goodness gracious we are in LOVE with our angel baby. She’s a grade A sweetie and we are so thankful. On her one month birthday it hit me that we have been sleep deprived for exactly one month now. So that made me feel better about all the carbs I’ve been eating, trash tv I’ve been watching and my occasional meltdown about a messy house. Let’s just put it this way… Emerson and I are currently hiding out in her room while two housekeepers deep clean my house. I raise the white flag of surrender. Was thinking… I can either have a tidy house or a happy house – pretty sure I can’t have both. Or maybe I can – enter housekeeper.

I feel like I have won an Academy Award… a very active 4 year old at home, a newborn, exclusively breastfeeding and trying to recover from my 3rd c-section in 4 years. Not to mention I’ve had thrush, an eye infection that I can’t pronounce, a tiny-bit-antsy husband (although he won’t admit that!), the crud that made me lose my voice, a UTI and have been on 490mg of blood pressure medicine.

So I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my village for helping take care of me so I can just enjoy this miracle baby that we call Emerson.

Lemme start with the iPad. Oh beloved iPad. I used to think you were just an invention to trick us into spending more money but now I realize you are the most necessary parenting tool for a preschooler that has a new sibling. I don’t regret one single dollar I’ve spent on games and coins and data. Thank you iPad for being there for me in my darkest hours.

Thank you mom for staying with us for 9 nights and keeping me stocked on chicken and rice and chicken salad. Also for listening to me over morning coffee.. those were sweet mornings that I miss already.

Thank you to my mother in law for doing all our laundry and changing all of our sheets and staying with us for a week and tending to Fenley Grace even when she was Miss Grumpy Pants and for making Walt his favorite meal on the planet that I never make quite right 🙂

Thank you Netflix. Nuff said.

Thank you Rock n Play… I don’t know what I would do without you. Thank you Carly who gave it to me for free 🙂

Thank you MRA for teaching my 4 year old her vowels and how to write and how to read. I have zero energy for that currently. Go Pats…..

Thank you Jennifer Rutledge for the dreamiest newborn pictures on the planet.

Thank you to my nurse friends for answering all of my hypochondriac questions – you know who you are.

Thank you Walt Bowie for paying all the bills and not making me work right now in this season. I know budget would be easier with 2 incomes but I also know this chapter is fleeting and you give me the gift of being able to embrace every second of it. Thank you for all of the night time diaper changes you do and for being honest and sweet and kind and gracious with me. And sorry about your lack of clean clothes – give me a month and I’ll be back on top of my A game. Okay maybe 2 more months. Til then, embrace the wrinkles, honey!

Thank you football season for keeping Walt entertained on the weekends.

Thank you to all of my friends – I’m so grateful to have such full friendships in my life. I hope I am half the blessing to y’all that y’all are to me.

Thank you Emerson for making me a mama times 3. And for being such a sweet cuddly baby. And for letting me love on you all the time. And for not crying when your big sister thinks you like having your feet tickled. And for putting up with all of the selfies we take 🙂

And in all seriousness… thank You God for this precious baby girl. Thank You for a full house and full arms. We love her with our whole entire hearts. Thank you for time with her and for her life and her health. Thank You that she was a big chunky baby at birth and still is. My heart feels a whole lot of joy holding her and I can’t wait to see her life unfold. Help me just let her be a baby and not look at her as a task to be managed but rather a person to cherish. Thank You for still pursuing me even when I can’t seem to find time for a decent quiet time with You. Also, God, thank you for fall and candy corn and pumpkins. You are so creative 🙂

The End.

Lauren