God is so good!

this has been probably the most amazing week ever...except for when i got married, and when i had roman. God had orchestrated an AMAZING chain of events in our lives the last few days. let me start at the beginning. when i got pregnant, and even before, i always thought i would stay at home with roman. that would become my new job, my dream job. when i found out i was pregnant last april, that is what first came to mind. so everyday i went to work got me a little more excited because i knew this was only a phase, and soon enough i would be at home taking care of my husband and son. however, there was this other part of me that really loved where i was working and all my co-workers. i was torn. how can there be a way for me to stay, but also stay home...there wasn't. i had to make a decision. so i decided to stay home, only to change my mind later (this went on FOREVER). as jeff and i discussed our situation: jeff in school, only working part time, me on maternity leave (not making any money), and a new baby, the only logical solution for this was for me to return to work for sure. oh how i struggled with this idea, especially after having roman. my heart longed to be home! after talking about this with several other moms, and praying a crap ton, i felt as if God was telling me to stay home and take care of my family. if i were to go back to work, even part time, i believe it would have spread me toooooo thin! i would be good for nothing, and my family and myself would suffer as a result. so, jeff and i had yet ANOTHER talk about it, and we decided to keep me home (for lack of a better word). i was/am so thrilled! i believe so strongly that God would have me in the home to grow myself, and to be a help mate for my husband and a mother to my son. there's nothing better.
So, we have made this decision, and now i have to tell my work....with a week before i am supposed to go back. i was so freightend about how they would react! i didnt know if they would be upset w/ me, disappointed in me or what. i was nervous. but yesterday (wed.) i was hanging out with a good friend and she, yet again, helped me feel more confident that this staying home was the right decision. a few hours later i went into work and it couldn't have happened more perfectly. Praise God!! my bosses were compeletly understanding, sad that i was going, but no hard feelings. i am soo greatful for their understanding, it meant sooo much to me. and that was it! i was done.
now, although i was going to stay home, there was still the question: how are we going to pay our bills?' jeff had asked me if i could work one day a week here in town, if i could find a rental that would allow that. and guess what.. i did! and better yet, it's a friend of mine i used to work with years ago! she is opening a 2 chair rental salon and was looking for someone to rent the other chair just 1 day a week! how crazy is that?! the salon is called 'Modern Strands' and it's in west ames by our by the broiler. i feel incredibly blessed to be in this situation. God has opened doors in my life like i've never seen before. i believe this is truly what was supposed to happen, and i thank God (and jeff) everyday for allwoing me to do what i've always wanted to!

my kid is hilarious

here are a couple videos of Roman. One is his cry, and the other is of him sneezing.

i'll start at the beginning

alright, so here we go. first blog in almost 8 months. it's been a busy eight months! last time i wrote i was 17 weeks pregnant. my whole pregnancy was kinda crappy, ok no, it was really crappy. to start, i was really sick up unitl 20 weeks (which is 1/2 way). i was very sensitive to smells and the only thing that didn't trigger gagging (which led to throwing up) was the smell of aveda. it was awful! then i hit 20 weeks and it's gone. i think there were maybe 5 to 6 weeks of feeling great, and then along came swelling, carpel tunnel, a separated pelvic bone (which made it horribly painful to to simple tasks such as walk, sit, stand, turning over in bed...etc.), the migranes. pretty much the worst of everything! i was getting along with all of that until my 38 week appt. when apparently i developed pre-eclampsia. therefore i was admitted to the hospital right away! i was under observation for 24 hrs to see if it would go away, but it didnt. i was induced thanksgiving evening and my water broke friday morning! i labored for 16.5 hours until Roman Miles arrived at 9:25 pm!! he was 6lbs, 15 oz, 20 inches long, and perfect!

so, Roman's 3 months old now, and getting awesomer! he smiles and laughs and babbles a whole lot now! i really cannot believe at 3 months he's in size 3 diapers! huge kid! jeff loves being a dad and motherhood is such a blessing!! God has given me such a good, easy baby. he only crys when he's hungary or gassy. i'm so thankful to Him because i dont know if i could have handled a coliky, fussy baby. Now that i am responsible for another life it has really made me get my (spiritual) act together. its kind of sad it took up until now, but better now than never! :) I'm really trying to learn as much as i can on how to be an example to Roman and to teach him, even now, about his Creator, and how to be a good wife to Jeff!