Promise 686

Ok! An easier way to be apart of the raffle!
If you read the post below, the raffle is still going on until Monday. You can still email me and mail a check to Promise 686, but now you can also just do it through Paypal!

Just click on this link below, and shoot me and email with how many tickets you bought: jennifer.willis@gmail.com . Tickets are $3 each and the winner of the drawing gets a $100 Target giftcard.

DONATE HERE

Thanks so much for the amazing response! So far a little over $200 has been raised and every donation is matched by the agency, so $400!

Happy New Year friends!

Adoption is Good

These are some of our best friends Greg and Jessica Sykes. They are adopting a baby!
Here is their personal blog if you want to know more about their journey in trying to have a family. They feel led to adopt a baby and we couldn't be more excited for them. They also founded and started a website called, www.adoptionisgood.com.
They hope after they finish raising funds and adopting their own child, they can use this site to raise money and help other families have their dream come true with a child.
They have been super hard workers. They have had garage sales to raise money and sold other donated pieces of furniture on craigslist to raise money. They made hundreds of Christmas ornaments and sold to raise money. There is also t-shirts for sale on the website. They have received donations from churches and grants. Like I said, they have worked REALLY hard to not go into debt and also have a family. We are so proud and bursting with excitement for them. They could not be a more deserving couple.

So, here is the deal. I'm trying to help them finish raising money via a raffle! I'm raffling off a $100 gift card to Target. Tickets are $3 each and you can buy as many as you want. Drawing will be held on Monday, Jan. 2. Just email me or comment below (jennifer.willis@gmail.com) and I will send you my address. You can mail a check and make it out to Promise 686, tax deductible. Just put Sykes family in the memo line.
Promise 686 is also matching 100% of the donations! We are prayerful that this will finish them off!
So please help me get this raffle started!! This tugs at the heart of many.... for those who have had their family come easy for them and for those who have struggled. All couples long for a family so here is a way to help this sweet couple!!

Tis the Season

Ok! Here we go, I'm going to do one massive post and sum up our December!!

First, I found a bedroom suite for $50. Yep, $50. I sold our old one and wanted to re-finish this one. I have started a pseudo business buying and re-selling furniture, its really fun for me!
Anyway, I will probably re-sell this one, but I am using it until I find another one =)
The only catch with the set was this..... it was in a house fire!! Ha! No, really. Tim picked it up from an abandoned house that the kitchen had caught on fire there. It was not in the fire, but had dust and soot on it.
Anyway, he brought it home. It was a mess, but able to be completely salvaged. I cleaned the whole thing out, sanded it down, and re-painted it. It is solid wood, black, with silver hardware. Looks awesome, no smoke smell... you would never know unless someone asked, "Hey where did you get that?" And I respond, "Hey from a house fire in an abandoned house that someone sold me." Awesome. It turned out pretty good I think and I just spent a Saturday doing it. Here is pictures of it! Take a good look b/c it will probably be sold when I find another one to restore!

I also have really found some creative ways to organize our things.... here is the door to our bedroom...

Behind the door.... I put up tie organizers and a scarf ring. All that stuff was taking up too much room in the closet.... and with a super small closet, they had to go.

Here is Mackenzie on her birthday morning, we went to church and she loves her classroom there. They sang to her and we had a big banquet that morning so it was fun!
Later, we took her to Chuck E Cheese. So funny to me. She has never been there, yet she knew exactly what it was and couldnt wait to go.

Her and daddy in the ticket blaster


I think the adults had more fun than the kids! They were all quite the skee-ball pros!

Greg...
Tim is hilarious. I always know when he is super happy and fulfilled with his work b/c he comes home and has so much energy for other things. Remember all the trees we took down at Nellie Mae in the spring? He chopped all the wood and sold it this winter for firewood. The leftover logs he turned into Chainsaw bears! (And a pig). He has been selling them like crazy!
He also started the deck- there is a picture when they began to break ground. We are close to finishing so I will post pictures of the project soon!
Tim also had a nasty burn this month. 3 weeks ago he blowtorched his hand while welding copper with a 2000 degree flame. It was pretty bad at first and was on the verge of having to get a skin graph. Thanks to our family nurse, Cynthia, he had to dress it twice a day and now looks almost healed!

My parents surprised us the day after thanksgiving and we spent the day at Stone Mountain Christmas, it was amazing! Here is the snow angel, and the picture after is Mackenzie's face when she saw her!


All the cousins...

Seeing Santa

Cookie swap with some friends...

All warm and toasty and ready to celebrate!
We've had a great season so far! I did my shopping, decorating, and christmas cards at the end of November and it has been fun to just enjoy it all now! Every year I say it, but the kids are at the best age right now. They are just soaking it all in and we are enjoying them so much. You know when you go through a season of just being in a good rythm? That's how I feel right now. And I am thankful to just be enjoying where we are. And I'm more excited about where we are going. Sometimes that makes the "where you are now" even better when you know where you are tracking to.

Blessings to your families during Christmas!!!

December 18, 2011

I'm about to go on a blog-a-thon this week! I have so much to catch up on...... it's gonna be crazy so get ready.
But, first. Everybody stop and celebrate: Mackenzie is 3!!!!!
Unbelievable to me. I spend my days with my kids, but I still stop and panic- they are growing up! I can't freeze time and I can't even soak it in fast enough. She is 3 years old!

Oh Mackenzie!! Where do I even begin with you! You made this scheduled mother of her baby boy feel like she had NO IDEA how to be a mother to a baby girl when you were born! Talk about opposites! Raising a boy followed by raising a little girl has been the hardest, yet easiest thing at the same time. You just do the exact opposite of what you did the the first. That seems to be the method in my madness over here..... and it works. The darnedest thing.

You are seriously cute. And I know I'm your mother, but you are very petite and like this little lucky charm I want to put in my pocket. You are very tiny.

You still think you are an infant. You sleep like one in a ball, you have a blankey, you snuggle on me, you want to be held, ect.

You are all girl. Yet you dont shy away from anything your brother does. In fact, you like to one up him. Like at Disney when you sassed your way in front of him to go down the big water slide because he hesitated.

Speaking of sass- you think you are quite the boss over here. You are a mother-er. You tattle, scold, and have quite the attitude when questioned about something. You also immediately know what you think about something and don't hesitate to voice your opinion about it. (that may have come from mommy, heck and even your Mimi, lets blame her =)

You are a night owl. You also don't prefer to eat for some reason. These battles I fight and win though my little lady.

You are loving. You will kiss and hug and pat people on the back and are very touchy.

You are focused. Driven. Smart. You can understand complex directions I give you and I can tell you will naturally be a very good student. And probably type A.

You are the epitome of having a little girl. You love dolls, babies, puppies, flowers, cookies, and pink.

And you really are a dynamite little sister. You play so well with David and he is your best friend.

You also really understand Jesus at a young age. You asked him into your heart a while back, but immediately following you asked him to be in your tummy.

So.... not really sure about that one ;) Either way, you like him!
Happy Birthday to my little Christmas miracle. I think any child that is born is a miracle, but when we lost your twin early on, I prayed every day that I would one day get to meet you and have you here in our arms. I am undeserving and forever grateful to have a son and daughter who have made this mommy's dreams come true.

Thanks to my friend Sara for taking some great photos of this little 3 year old. Also, thank you again my rockstar cousin Brittany Woodall, now crazy famous and photographed Pinks baby- for taking photos of her after birth. I can't look at them enough still...

The Heart of Thanksgiving

I hope to sum up one holiday message. Don't be thankful because your life is happy, that is shallow. Be thankful because despite circumstances, Jesus has given His life for you and blessed your life with many things. There is ALWAYS something to be thankful for. Always.

Your attitude is everything. If you have a easy life and things normally go your way, you probably find yourself very thankful. If your circumstances are difficult, a thankful heart is pure gold. For a long time I struggled with believing a "health and wealth" Jesus. If you were a good christian, worked hard, went to church, served others, took care of your body, invested in your marriage and children, then you would be happy.... have healthy babies..... make a lot of money...

Right?? WRONG!!!

Since I have heard this straight out of the mouth of many recently let me just be the first to tell you, "It's wrong people!!!! It's a straight lie from the enemy!! If you believe Jesus gives you health and wealth for all the "good" things you've done, you are 100% wrong." I'm not going to throw up a bunch of verses on you, but here are a few to think about.

Isaiah 64:6. All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

What if??? What if..... what if all you had was Jesus? Would HE be enough to be thankful for? What if you didn't get YOUR way? Or your wants?? Would you be thankful?

To redeem those who are under hard circumstances, we have been there. And we have felt the weight of those circumstances. It's hard to fight the thought of, "Did we do something wrong?" to try and explain hardships. To try and justify why things may have gone bad for you at times.Let me shine some truth:

You are promised trouble. You just are.

In John 16:33 Jesus says in this world you WILL have trouble... not IF, but WILL.

We live in a fallen world and right now, sin reigns. Jesus says not to love the world or anything in the world.

God also disciplines those he loves. If He loves you, you will be tested under trial. How deep is the love and thankfulness this year in circles where there is loss, hurt, and pain. We have so many friends and family going through a hard time. And our life has not been a bed of roses either.

Tim has one semester left of his HVAC degree. He has crammed a 2-3 year degree down to 18 months. One top of a full time job, full time school, and him starting at the bottom of the chain ladder in his industry, we have fought hard and are getting close to the finish line. After 2 miscarriages in 2011, we are thankful for our 2 babies here.... but often think about being a family of 9 in heaven with our 5 babies there! Earth is not heaven. If you live around people that think that way, find new friends. Comfort those during their hardships..... soon enough, you will have some of your own. I can't imagine going through trials of life without family and friends.

Our trials have made us and have deep gratitude for family and friends on this Thanksgiving holiday.

I love reading the Cathy Blog (chick-fil-a) founder. It's neat that we had the exact same thing on our heart:

One of my favorite holidays is just a few days away. I love Thanksgiving. I think any time we can pause and reflect on the things we’re thankful for is time well spent. Sometimes, though, that’s not so easy. Sometimes it’s hard to see past our circumstances.

Let’s face it; times have been hard for a lot of people for a long time. A still-struggling housing market and poor employment conditions continue to put a strain on companies, individuals and families every day. Unfortunate circumstances can penetrate our hearts and hinder our ability and willingness to take time to be thankful. For some, Thanksgiving might even seem like a reminder of what’s not-so-great. It can hang over us and cause us to focus on all the things we wish were different.

A friend of mine’s father passed away when my friend was just a teenager. A few weeks before his father died, my friend woke to a note taped to the outside of his bedroom door. His dad had written the note some time in the middle of the night. He told his son that he was just up thinking about how hard it must be to be an eighth-grader.

Here’s how the note read:

You are going to have a great day. It’s yours, and you can make it anything you want it to be. If the weather calls for rain, decide now that you will enjoy getting wet. If the test score is low, make up your mind that ‘it can only get better from here.’ If punished unfairly for something, just smile for the many things you’ve not been caught for… Attitude is everything. Today is not yet anything. Fill it with laughter. Dad.

Talk about perspective! My hope is that we can all take a deep breath – even for just one day – and rearrange our thinking to focus on the wonderful grace we’ve all been given and the opportunities we have to choose joy over circumstance.

Here is some pictures of some blessings Jesus has given me that I don't deserve!

Football player, Cinderella, and the big 30

Here is a Halloween picture of my babies!! What is hilarious, is that for 11 months straight they wanted to be a skeleton. It all started from going trick or treating at The Avenue in West Cobb last year. A man was there doing a puppet show and had a skeleton named "Top Hat Bones". My kids were obsessed with him. We talked about top hat bones at least weekly for 11 months.
October comes and I already have the skeleton costumes ready. Low and behold, the morning of Halloween, they run off to their closets and completely pull out dress-up clothes they have.
So..... a last minute decision:

Georgia Football Player and Cinderella. Whatever!

Also, I am now married to an older man. Tim turned 30!! Chef, his dad, of course went all out! We had a small dinner party (ok small still means at least 30 people at his parents house). It was delicious! We had Shrimp and Beef Empanadas as the main course and they were awesome! My mom thought she was hilarious by bringing an "over the hill" cake. As if the party wasn't enough, everyone brought him Home Depot giftcards- and enough to build a deck! Surprise Nellie Mae, you are getting deck! Of course Tim is building it himself so this project will kick-off in December. We think it's great for a little more "living space" and of course re-sell. If you can't tell, Tim had the best birthday ever!




Happy Birthday Tim!!

Rise

I love seasons of life. Even the hard ones. They make the sweet ones so much sweeter. I had a great conversation with my friend, Sara, today. Sara has been fighting for her 2 year old to hear after being told he was profoundly deaf and lost her mother this past year to cancer. We both talked today about how life has taken a turn and started to go uphill in both of our lives.
I am so thankful for friends who walk transparently through their journey. And to see God not only change circumstances in your own life, but in the lives of our friends.
And to find contentment. God will not always change your circumstances to bring contentment, but He will change your heart.
God promises that. Because He who is in me is GREATER than he who is in the world.
And ultimately, we will rise..... out of these ashes.

My Creation is With Me

Yes! I still have to upload halloween costumes and some fun halloween pics on here!
Even with all the fun we've been having this fall, i have to take a time out and share a little bit about the season of life I'm currently in...

At the end of the summer, we joined a small group with our pastor and a small group of others. The group our pastor is leading is called, Deep Roots, and it has been really deep. We've been studying large amounts of scripture. It's been awesome. I also started attending a weekly mothers Bible study at our church on wednesday mornings that is pretty intense. And again, really awesome. We are going through a study called, Wisdom for Mothers by Denise Glenn. It is intense b/c the material is lengthy and is pulling a ton of scripture. There are videos to go along with it also. Again, we are really going deep and getting into marriage, our relationship with the Lord, and how we discipline and are raising our kids.
And lastly, about 100 people have told me to read Heaven is For Real. It is a story about a little boy who undergoes surgery at a young age and tells his dad that he went to heaven and met Jesus while he was under anesthesia. Whether the book is fake, real, or just a dream..... the point I took away from it is that well.... heaven really is for real. It's a real place. And it's cool to read what this little boy believes about it.

Anyway, I am obviously feeling super encouraged right now and filled with truth. If only every season of my life I could just be deep into the truth of the Bible and surrounded by transparent believers! Tim and I are really trusting and asking God to do some big things with us, his career, and our children. It has been really exciting to have a vision together and beg God to show up in our lives in a big way.

I know a lot of people don't share what God says to them on such a public level, but I really feel like what God spoke to me 2 weeks ago could bring encouragement to so many. So, here goes...

After reading that book, it stirred up a lot of emotions from all the babies we have lost. That's why so many people told me to read the book was b/c the little boy told his mom one day after surgery that he had 2 sisters. The mother told him, no you just have 1 sister. (In the story, the little boy has one older sister) And the little boy said, No. I have 2. I met my other sister in heaven. She said she died in your tummy. The mother had never told her children about a miscarriage she had years before she was pregnant with them.

Okay, I know... when I read it I thought.... oh how sweet. Good for them. Despite the fact of indeed this book is true or not, heaven is real and babies go to heaven.... right?
For some reason, it's always been easier for me to think of the babies we have miscarried as "gone". And not picture anything more. To count it as a loss. Almost like.... well, my body messed up and how does a 2 inch baby go to heaven at 6 weeks, 7 weeks, 8 weeks, or 12 weeks? It's too confusing to comprehend? I mean, is there a 2 inch baby in heaven? Are all babies that die in the womb just fast-forwarded to a certain age? My head and heart start hurting when I try to think about why and how and where. Like I said, it was easier to just think of these lives as gone b/c we never met the person that the life could have been....

Anyway, I knew I was wrong. And I knew God wanted to settle this issue with me. I hated to think about it. I hated to dwell on each baby we lost and think about it's life. 5 lives that were created that aren't here.... where are they and what are they?

During a church service, this song playing was being sang by our worship team. The words all of the sudden just cut like a knife:

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.
Who was and is, and is to come.
With all creation I sing
Praise to the King of Kings, you are my everything and I will adore you.

And after the chorus, A sentence was "spoken" to me that was not me:
Jennifer, that is my creation. And my creation is with me.

And that was it. God answered my question and then my thought process finally was logical.

God creates life. God created a womb, grew a baby, gave it a heartbeat. We can't "make" life appear. Only God can breathe life into a person. It was nothing I did or didn't do. It was Him.
For whatever reason, God took the life He created with Him.
And that's what He told me. That is my creation. And my creation is with me.
And as believers we all end up there anyway.... I still don't know what that "looks" like, but I know that probably doesn't matter. The lives God created in me, he took, and they are with him.

Pretty cool, huh? God clearly thought I needed an audible intervention on this one, and I'm super grateful for that.

Anyway, just wanted to share. I'll just let that sit with you.... it has with me for a couple weeks and it brings me to a place where I am in awe of what a big, big God we have and how personal and awesome He is. I'm so thankful to be a literal vessel for His work.

Party Rock.

I am happy to post that I have been unable to post for about a month because of all the FUN we've been having in the Willis household!!! We've been long overdue for some plain ole fun over here so that's what we've been doing.

Fun thing #1.
We have sold off most of the stuff from our storage unit. Remember we bought an abandoned storage unit at an auction? Well, we did pretty well. Our end goal just was basically to get rid of all of the crap that was in there. Anyway, we have a couple things left but have made $550 off the unit so far. It was a ton of work, but a lot of fun.

Fun thing #2.
Well, this is the most fun for the kids. We are growing butterflies. (For me, they are a super pain in the rear right now. They smell and they are needy). Aunt Debbie gave David some caterpillars for his birthday and its a whole kit deal. Anyway, they are currently in their caccoons and we are eagerly awaiting their presence.

Fun thing # 3.
I went to Vegas baby. It was mainly all work and no play, but it was an absolute blast. I went to work the Kia Annual Meeting and it was held at the Encore Hotel in Vegas. I worked with Tim's aunts company who does event planning for large corporations. It was seriously amazing. I learned that I LOVE to work. And I'm super excited for when my kids are both in school. I plan on working while they are in school some. Pretty pumped about that. I'm definitely am learning I'm a detail person, love logistics, and i really love people and networking. Anywho, here is some pics. The hotel was ridiculously over the top nice. I got to meet Kia's sponsors, Blake Griffin and Paul Pierce came to the event. Also, if you have seen the Kia commercials on TV, here is the group of dancing hamsters, also called The Hamstars, who showed up and danced with the Soul- the Kia Soul. The song playing is the Kia Hamsters song on the commercial. It's a little shout out to my cute teenage friends I made. I want to adopt them. And I guess I am dumb, but I thought the commercials was of costume hamsters. It is not. It is just these kids dancing with a computer image over the whole thing. Go figure. Oh technology.
Here are links to the Kia Commercial with the Hamsters and the one where Blake Griffin jumps over a car.
http://www.youtube.com/user/KiaMotorsAmerica?v=4zJWA3Vo6TU&feature=pyv&cid=sem&ppc=y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2Qy21LLhP8





Fun thing #4
We went to Disney World. I feel like in stimulation overload going to Vegas and then Disney!! Ha! It was seriously one of our favorite family vacations yet. Out of control. We went to Disney all the time as kids so it was really special going back with your own kids. I can't even put into words how much fun my children had. I uploaded over 100 pics to facebook, but hopefully these few pics will show you how their little lives are forever changed =) We went with my mom and dad, my sister and her husband Paul, and their 2 boys. We had children from 6, 5, 4, and almost 3. It was insanely fun.
Highlights-
David- he rode ALL the roller coasters. The kid has no fear. He LOVED them and couldnt get enough.
Tim- Having father/son bonding and acting crazy together on all the rides.
Me- watching David and Mackenzies face when they saw Mickey, Minnie, Disney Princesses, the resort pool and waterslide, their cousins, the Magic Kingdom castle. I have their face images in my memory forever.
Mackenzie- meeting the Disney Princesses and Mickey and Minnie. She just was on top of the world. And they were so sweet with her. She is so small and was just bursting with excitement.

Last thought on Disney. What is AMAZING to me is that Disney World in itself is extravagant and a huge, huge event every day. Not just once. EVERY DAY they pull out all the stops. Parades, decorations, friendliness, fireworks, more parades... a HUGE party. And they wake up. And they do it all again. And again. Its like groundhog day at Disney. Its so crazy to me that every day it is a ridiculous event. Mind blowing.

So this is our fall fun. Like I said, we've been overdue for a little fun around here.

Happy 5th Birthday David!!!

My baby David is 5. How is that possible? I mean, I remember things from when I was 5. It is weird when your baby goes from being a baby to a kid. To a functioning member of the family.

Oh, my sweet little David...these 5 years. I am so blessed to have a son. Here is a letter to you that I wrote.

David,
You are my first born son. Pregnancy with you was a breeze and I remember thinking, so this is it? People just get pregnant and have a baby, this is too easy! Ha! Well, I am glad I got to experience that with you buddy. You were born with a mohawk. You were such a good baby and did everything right on schedule. It was ridiculous. If it was 12:15 at lunchtime I knew, because you would be very mad I was 15 minutes late. You love bedtime. You always have. You love food. You always have.
I never had any issues getting you to go to bed or eat your food. Your momo says you are just like daddy in that way. And you love being home.
We've always called you our grumpy old man because you are very particular about things. You are a very happy little boy, but you are contemplative and serious. You always think about every side of something before you do it. You are intense. You have high highs and low lows. There is not a lot of even ground with you. You are a bad liar. You always end up telling on yourself and you are quick to apologize. You have a caring heart. You've never done anything out of a mean spirit. You are a boy and wild, active, curious.... but, you have a sensitive side and are very in tune with others feelings around you. You love daddy. You think he is the strongest person in the world and he can do anything. Which props to you, I haven't seen your daddy not try anything and do well. You love mommy. You have a sweet side that is protective of me and wants to always make me happy. You love your sister. This by far, has been the most tear producing. You take care of her, play with her, take interest in her interests, and adore her. You guys are best friends and having a sister has made you grow up. When I was pregnant with Mackenzie, you would always bring me a can opener and tell me to get her out! You love kids and just a month ago told daddy, " we need some more kids up in here!" Hopefully you will read this one day and know that we did try buddy. 5 pregnancies and 7 babies in 5 years will hopefully prove I wasn't slacking off. But, for the record, you did tell daddy you wanted 5 kids in our family and I hate to break it to you, but that's not happening. You also asked for another dog. I keep telling you that when you are a daddy, you can have all the babies and dogs you want.
You were un-controllable from about 18 months to 24 months while I was pregnant with your sister, thanks for that ;) We had the terrible 2's where you were pretty destructive, wild, you would run away from mommy. Once you left and rang the door bell and that's how I found you. We had to install top deadbolts on all our doors after that. You are still the youngest child I know that could pick locks and get out. You jumped your crib at 18 months. You were potty trained at 2 but then also would pee in random containers and bring them to me. Once I put you in time out in your room and you wiped your poopy everywhere.
Oh, but David, you are mommys angel. You've always asked the most sincere questions, loved Jesus, and are aware of your family and friends. You tell me you love me all the time and are such a sweet, sweet boy. You are so genuine and you have the most sincere and sweet heart. I know everything you tell me is something you have thought about. You are going to be calculated and you will not easily be talked into things. You are smart and you very perceptive. You are like your daddy and have a knack for building things, using your hands, and you want to fix things. You love tools and you love being outside. You are always up for anything. When we had to move and renovate the house, you were a champ. You would help daddy hammer boards, check on mackenzie for me while she napped in the car, and help me pack boxes. Everything was fun to you and you were actually a huge part of helping mommy be adventurous and have fun with that whole transition. You are very excitable and I think you will remember renovating Nellie Mae forever. You tell everyone you can build a house.
David, I am so proud to be your mommy. You started preschool 2 weeks ago. I was so sad to let you out of my day for a few hours, but you have made me so proud. I can't believe I even worried about how your behavior would be. The day I was the most anxious about you misbehaving at school, you came home with a sticker that your teacher gave you for using good manners! I pray everything we've done at home would continue to grow and thrive in you. I pray God would uniquely gift you and that I would be the best supportive mommy in the world! You have loved school so far, especially the visit from Mother Goose this week. You have learned so much and are so excited about learning. And your school is absolutely adorable. I also pray that I will not be a crazy mother in law because Tim always tells me I am headed there. I have hope, because momo (tims mom) raised 3 boys and is so amazing. I'm trying to take notes on how to not be crazy.
I love you so much David. Your daddy and I love each other so much and our love grew when you were born. And it grew again when your sister was born. I feel so blessed to have a son and so lucky that it is you. Happy 5th Birthday sweetheart! You are my snuggie buggy.

Here is a slide show I made from birth to 3 and then I have uploaded some pictures from the past 2 years. Also again, my birth story of david is below. Happy 5th birthday David!

















Birth Story
I was one of the women who unfortunately saw 40 weeks come and go by...... my due date was Sept. 14th.
Don't tell me what I should have tried, b/c I tried EVERYTHING to go into labor. (sex, moving heavy furniture, walking, eggplant parmesan, you name it). I truly believe each day past your due date passed makes you a little more insane. So insane, that sometimes you begin to be in denial when you actually do go into labor.
I woke up Sept. 19 at 7 am with small contractions. I told myself they weren't the real ones and told Tim to go to work. I decided to go back to sleep and if they were real labor pains, I would wake up. I called my doctor and gave them a heads up. (haha, thats kinda funny).
I slept through them and then around lunch decided to go down to our clubhouse and get on the treadmill. I walked forever..... I just remember that I had a crazy look in my eye and someone asked me when I was due..... I emotionally yelled, " LAST WEEK!" People started leaving the gym. I was the last one there. I started to get really dizzy and tired so I went and layed in this "cow" chair in the lobby. I was awakened by my doctor calling me. I sat up and felt pain and more contractions. They told me they thought I was in labor and to come down to Northside in Atlanta.
I called Tim and he was there in about 5 minutes! We arrived at Northside at 4 pm. By then I was in visible pain and I was dilated to 3cm (the goal is 10!) when I got to my room. I didn't get an epidural until I was dilated around 6 or 7cm. The pain got scary and I am just not someone who cares about going natural, so I decided to go with some drugs and watched "House" until I reached 10cm!!! It was awesome. I had about 30 people in and out of the room visiting.
Then, labor began. Actually pushing David out took 1 1/2 hours. It was pretty awful and intense.
Anyway, David Timothy Willis made his debut at 10:13pm and was greeted with tears by his mom and dad!!! Talk about a rush! Seeing him take his first breath, watching my stomach deflate, holding him, and our eyes meeting for the first time is one of the most wonderful moments of my life. I'm sure everyone knows this, but a baby knows voices from being in the womb for so long and they know who you are. It's fantastic. We left the hospital with no complications and our healthy baby boy praising the Lord for what we had prayed,
1 Samuel 1:27: For this child I prayed, and the Lord hath granted me my petition.