22 Weeks

Believe it or not, Ansley (yes, my 4 year old) is the photographer here. She was helping me set up my lighting and wanted to take my picture instead of me taking hers... these were the results of her making funny noises so I would smile as she yelled "saaayyyy cheeeeesssseee!" and "smile!"... What a ham!




On a different note, I dreamed of Wyatt again last night. It was a weird combination of dreams but the jist of it was that Wyatt was almost nine months old and doctors were still telling us they expected him to die any second because he shouldn't be alive. I spent my entire dream trying to keep him from going to sleep for fear of him slipping away from us while he dozed. It wasn't a sad dream though... Wyatt looked perfectly healthy. He was babbling and saying "ma ma ma ma ma" and "da da da da da". He was blowing raspberries and laughing. I remember looking at him and thinking the doctors were stupid and needed to go back to medical school because seemed to be so perfect.

I was even woken up from my dream once and able to go right back to sleep and pick up where I had left off in my dream. It was great. Sure, I woke up missing Wyatt, but I miss him everyday anyways... I wasn't so sad after dreaming of him this time. Maybe because I knew it was a dream instead of hoping it was reality this time around. I hope I am able to have more dreams of Wyatt like this. It was really nice to spend time with him, even if it was only a dream.

A Joyful Heart

I just wanted to share a cute picture with you today...

Joseph has been gone since Wednesday with the Marine Corps, but he returned home today to a very delighted family. We all missed him so incredibly much. The kids spent the entire morning and afternoon looking out the window for their daddy's white truck to pull up in the driveway!

Anyways...

I was able to snap this picture earlier as Joseph took Ansley for a walk out to the mailbox (Eli was asleep so he missed out) and it just melts my heart. This picture makes my heart joyful. Truly joyful... which is a big deal these days! I love how a single picture can speak more for itself than words ever could. I am so thankful for my husband. I love how he loves me, but it absolutely melts my heart how well he loves our children. I couldn't have asked for a better father for my kids. In the midst of heartache, fear, healing, and so much more... I know I am blessed beyond all measure.

21 Weeks

Well, here you go!

Stretch marks and all...

Here's my 21 week pregnant belly with Mr. Seth Alexander.




Just for comparison, here I was at 27 weeks with Wyatt before I started retaining all the water weight. Seeing these pictures together really gives me hope that Seth is growing like he should. My belly was really tiny with Wyatt and I took forever to show. Not this time...

4 Years Ago

Four years ago today, at 5:20 in the afternoon, I gave birth to a healthy screaming baby girl. Ansley Joy Finchum made her arrival after 20 1/2 hours or labor and an hour and a half of pushing. Was it worth it? I asked myself this many times during the course of my laboring. My answer? I’d do it a million times over to bring this sweet, strong willed, little diva into my life. This 8lb 1oz, 18 3/4 bundle of joy has blessed us with four wonderful years. It has been an absolute privilege to be her mother. I am honored to be able to share some of my favorite pictures of these last four years. I hope you enjoy a glimpse of the joy Ansley has brought into our lives as she's grown.

Happy Birthday my sweet baby girl! Mommy, Daddy, Eli, Wyatt, and Seth love you so very much!