The Beginning

Since I am new to the blogging thing and my son is almost 2 years old, I thought I would do a little recap.

Pre-Tobey:

Not many people know this, but we actually tried for a year and a half before I got pregnant. It was definitely a struggle emotionally and spiritually. I have always dreamed of having a family and I selfishly thought that I deserved the easy road because of past hurts. After a year of trying I went to my OB and had several tests. All of my blood work came back normal. Rodney and I decided to wait another year before we had any further testing. Month after month God worked on my heart until I completely gave my struggle to him. As I look back at that time in my life I am so thankful for the growth that I experienced. I developed a love for His word and I learned so much about His character. We have a women's prayer time at our church on Saturday nights. It is mostly to pray for Sunday mornings but we would often share what was going on in each other's life. This particular night there were only four of us. The pastor's wife, another minister's wife, my mother-in-law, and myself. For the first time I opened up and shared what was on my heart and how much I desired to have a child. Those sweet ladies prayed for me and I was filled with peace. Two months later I found out I was pregnant. God is good!

"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

The day Tobey arrived:

I started having contractions on Labor Day while we were eating at Red Lobster with Rodney's mom but they were not consistent and actually went away after we got home and I rested. I woke up the next morning with contractions that were every 4 to 5 minutes apart so we went to the hospital. The nurse examined me, had me walk around the hospital several times and then reexamined me. I had only dilated to one and I was sent home with false labor. I was devastated because the labor felt very real to me. The nurse did not want to send me home and told us we would probably be back later in the day. She was right. After a long morning of sitting on the couch or bent over hugging a pillow through a contraction, we went back to the hospital around noon. By then I had dilated to 6. My husband was such a wonderful coach especially before I got my epidural. He held my hand and rubbed my back with such concern on his face. I was in alot of pain and a little out of it. The epidural immediately started working and it was wonderful. I highly recommend one. I started pushing around 2pm and had Tobey had 3:10pm. He was so alert and bright and beautiful. I fell deeply in love. Our family and friends who had been waiting patiently came in a little bit later and I sat Tobey up in my lap. Everyone crowded around my bed and he just stared from one side to the next soaking them all in. It was incredible and the best day of my life.



I love being a mom. It is the greatest blessing in my life and also the greatest challenge. The first challenge was breastfeeding. It took us about two weeks to get that one down. I can remember one particular night that first week. I was trying to get Tobey to latch on and it just wasn't working and he was crying and I was crying. Rodney walked in and I said "please, just give me a bottle". Just as Rodney was handing me the bottle, Tobey latched on. He made his decision and we had a beautiful nursing relationship for 14 months. Oh, how I miss those days when we would cuddle up in bed together. The second challenge is eczema. Tobey developed eczema around 6 weeks and we still battle with dry skin. Lotion is a necessity around our house. The third challenge is food allergies. Tobey is allergic to dairy and eggs. Add that to the fact that he is a picky eater and I could pull my hair out. I so hope and pray that he grows out of these food allergies for his sake and my sanity. But these challenges are small compared to the blessing and joy he is. He really is a sweet little boy with a personality all his own. He can crack me up with his goofiness but is quick to let me know when he doesn't want to be bothered. He loves to be outside where he digs in the dirt with sticks or picks up rocks to give to Mommy as a present. And he most always cries when it is time to go back inside. Most of all, I love it when he suprises me with a kiss or the way his face lights up when Daddy comes home. I am overwhelmed at times by the joy he brings to my life. So that is where the name of my blog comes from. I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart........