One Month Old!

Time goes by even more quickly with two children than it did with one! The past month has flown by like a whirlwind! Zoey has been a perfect angel. Right after she was born she screamed for an hour or more, and I was a little worried that she would be a high maintenance baby. But she has proven me wrong, thankfully! Zoey is getting on a bit more of a predictable schedule, now that I am paying close attention. She is usually ready for a nap about 1.5 hours after she woke from her last nap. Her naps vary in length, but she spends a good deal of the day sleeping. We are still working on getting a set bedtime, but she's been sleeping from 10 or 11 pm to about 3 or 4 am before a feeding, which is heaven for me. She even slept 7.5 hours straight last week! She is usully pretty mellow and sweet. I think that when she was getting fussy before, we had just kept her awake too long and she was over-tired.

 I hate that she is getting bigger already. She weighs 9 pounds now, so she's gained 1.5 pounds in one month. Newborn-sized clothes are officially too small for her, and she is into her 0-3 month wardrobe. My favorite thing to do with her is snuggle her tiny body up on my chest and nuzzle her soft head. I missed that once Zach started getting so much hair! I keep wondering what she will look like as she grows. Will she get Corey's beautiful hazel eyes and auburn hair? Or will she be a copper-top like her cousin Spencer? Her hair could end up strawberry blonde like her Aunt Tessa and Uncle Nick's were. Will it be curly like Zach's (please, please!!), stick-straight, or frumpy/wavy like mine? She may have blue eyes and light hair, like her brother....Hmmmm...

 Another thing we love that she does is make her angel baby noises as she sleeps. I love these sweet sounds! Zach made them, too, but I couldn't sleep through them. I was up all hours, worried he was suffocating or choking. I am so much less neurotic with my second child, thankfully! I still worry like crazy about SIDS, dropping her, and other uncontrollable things. I just hate hearing horrible stories about things like that happpening. I know we all have our trials, but I hope and pray that ours don't include terrible things happening to our children, because I don't think I could take it. People that make it through such trials are amazing and so much stronger than I think I could ever be!
Zach is doing okay being a big brother. He adores Zoey, and is super helpful when he throws away her diapers and puts giant blankets over her face when I am out of the room and such! He really seems to be adjusting pretty well, but there are definitely times when he craves more attention from us, which is why Corey couldn't say no to him and took him along to his PPI (church meeting) tonight! It is difficult to give adequate time and attention to both children. I have no idea how you handle it with four and five children!

We are just treasuring every precious moment we have with these angel babies the Lord has sent us. I am so very, very gratful for eternal families, and for His plan that revolves around the family unit. I am so grateful for the Savior's teachings and for his suffering so selflessly for us that we might be able to enjoy the blessings of exaltation as a family unit in His kingdom. These children are such a sacred gift. I pray with all my being that I can raise them in righteousness. Losing one of them physically would indeed be crushing, but the thought of losing one of them spiritually would rack my soul with torment. I hope I can be a righteous example for them. I hope I can teach them their individual worth as children of a loving Heavenly Father. I pray I will be able to teach them what they need to know and do to find happiness in this life and to qualify to return to His presence.

A friend of mine recently sought my advice on having children versus and/or along with having a career. To me, there is no comparison. Any joy I have found in my profession, which I really enjoy, is so overshadowed by the immense satisfaction that motherhood brings. It is no contest. For me, parenthood has been the best teacher for what life is really all about. The other stuff is just fluff in comparison. I am not in any way trying to minimize the life experiences of those who do not have children. But what I have learned since becoming a mother is so much different and more vitally important than what I focused on all those years we did not have children. Every time I cuddle one of them up in my arms, or hear the precious word, "Mother," on thier lips, my heart melts and the whole world and all its cares can float away, for all I care. We have our own piece of heaven right here!