Working mama

<Well, I have made it over the hump of my first week back. Let me tell you, I had respect for working mamas before, but now I have a tremendous amount. It is definitely one of the hardest things I have ever done.
Don't get me wrong, my baby is in great hands during the day, but they are not mine.
The first morning was the hardest. She was asleep when we dropped her off, so I really didn't get to tell her goodbye. The only thing I could think was she would wake up, and, for the first time, I wouldn't be there. I called several times during the day and visited on my planning. There was no need to worry. My baby was fine!
I am not going to say it has gotten easier because, truthfully, I don't think I will ever be comfortable leaving her. I am so afraid I am going to miss out on something. It is something I am sure every working mom struggles with, and I don't know if I will ever be ok with it.
I am lucky that I have a job that allows me to spend the summers with her.
This experience has also made me appreciate my students more though. I now know what parents are going through when they entrust the safety and welfare of their child with someone else. I loved my students before, but now I just adore them!
Hopefully this will get a little easier as time goes by.
All you working mamas out there pat yourselves on the back. I'm saying prayers for all of us!

Catherine's First Wedding

Today was a big day for my baby girl. She went to her first wedding!

Austin works with Special Occasions Catering, so he was working the wedding all day. Catherine and I spent our last morning alone before I go back to work just playing and eating. Then in the afternoon we went to spend a little time with my sister and darling nephew.

We got home from my sister's with just enough time for us to get dressed and her to eat. Then we were off to the wedding!

The wedding was of a close friend of mine. It was on his parents' property, and it was gorgeous! We got there as they were walking in. Catherine was very well behaved the whole time. She hardly made a peep during the whole ceremony.

The reception was in the barn and it was so lovely! The food was excellent! It was interrupted by a dirty diaper and a spitup induced costume change, but it was wonderful!

Catherine had a great time at her first wedding, and I enjoyed catching up with many friends. They were so good they even made my drinks and plate for me! Catherine and I are two lucky girls.

Best wishes to the happy couple! May you live happily ever after!

April 27, 2011

As I sit in my house holding my baby girl and looking out the window, I can't help but remember the events of last year.

The night before my dad told me there were going to be bad storms, and we needed to be careful. However, his nickname that one of my sister's friends gave him is "Tad the Weather Dad". He worries about storms, so I wasn't that concerned.

We went to school the next day, and it was business as usual. When the storm alarm went off, I assumed it was a precaution. Little did I know how serious it was. I felt awful because when we did storm drills I told my kids we will probably never need to do this. I mean tornadoes don't happen here. Needless to say I don't say that anymore. They dismissed the kids and sent us home. The worst was over, or so I thought.

Austin and I went home, and Aus took a nap. I didn't because I was still anxious. It started to storm again, and I woke Austin up because the sky looked green. He told me it was fine, but let's go to Ft. O to eat and see the weather because we didn't have power.

I'll never forget sitting at Applebee's when Laura Aldridge called and said a tornado is headed for our town, but I still didn't worry too badly because tornadoes don't happen where we live. Aus and I went to Walmart to wait out the storm. When we parked, we both were commenting on the lightening; it seemed to be nonstop.

They did a code black while we were in Walmart, and we had to stand in the middle of the store. After they cleared us, I got a text from a friend asking if we were ok. I said yes and kept shopping. I got two more texts quickly asking if we were ok, then the first friend wrote back that a tornado was on our road. I dropped everything I was holding and ran to Aus saying we had to leave then.

The whole way home I kept wondering if we still had a home. I sent a text to a neighbor asking if it was still standing, and she said we were blessed. When we got to our neighborhood, the police wouldn't let us in because of a gas leak. We went to my parents' house to wait out the rest of the storms and spent the night.

The next morning we came home and saw the devastation that was our neighborhood. God truly blessed us. Our home was fine. Our back porch was rearranged, but that was all the "damage" was had. Across the street had roof damage, the next house was missing a roof. The house three houses across the street was gone.

Throughout the next few weeks I was amazed at how our community helped each other. Our next door neighbors went from being neighbors to close friends. We delivered water during the day and "camped out" at night.

It's weird to think of how much has changed in this past year. I now appreciate every day a little more, especially now that Catherine is here. (A month after the storms we found out she would be here. Maybe I'm a little thankful for no power. ;) )

God brought the storm to teach us not to underestimate His power, but He also showed us the love we all have for Him and one another. Even in the midst of a storm He can calm. 

Crazy 9 weeks!

Well, Catherine is here!  In fact, she has been here 9 weeks.  I am really good at keeping up this blog.  I can't imagine why I haven't found time these past few weeks to write. ;)
Life as the Copes know it has changed. 
The first few nights home were crazy.  I knew I wanted to be able to feed Catherine, and my mind was set.  However, she had different plans.  I know that mother's milk is best, so I pumped - every 3 hours for 30 minutes.  She was also eating every 3 hours, so not only were we going by her schedule but mine as well.  I was getting zero sleep, but that sweet face was all I wanted to see.
I was very much a stickler (still am really) about germs.  I essentially kept her under house arrest for the first 8 weeks.  I still make everyone wash their hands before they touch her.  Some people may get upset, but she is my first (and only - says Austin), and I want her to stay healthy. 
When Catherine was born she weighed 8 lbs 9 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. Her two month check-up was today.  She weighed 12 lbs 13 oz and was 23 1/4 inches.  She is a growing girl!
Today was rough!  I had a great deal of milk frozen, but she eats so much that she is flying through it.  Today we started supplementing my milk with formula.  I can't seem to figure out how many ounces she should be eating though.  If I feed her the normal 5 oz, she cries because her stomach hurts 2 hours later.  If I feed her 4 or 4 1/2 she screams right after she is finished.  We will figure it out though.
This new adventure is very scary, but oh so rewarding!  Hopefully I will be a better blog updater. :)

Down to the Wire!

Well, we have now begun our 39th week, which I am sure will drag out an eternity. 
I am trying to savor every kick, roll, and hiccup she is giving me because I know once she's here I will miss having her inside me.  However, the idea of being able to see and hold my precious angel is so exciting!
I keep trying to imagine what she is going to look like.  Will she have my hair, Austin's, or a different color entirely?   Will she really be the 8 pound baby they are expecting her to be?  Will her eyes be/stay blue?  All these questions are in the forefront of my mind, but I'm also starting to think of "thick" questions, too, as I call them in school.  Will she be kind?  Will she be a rule follower (judging by her arrival time, I'd say that's a yes so far)?  Will she love unconditionally and be loved in return by others? 
I just can't wait to meet this perfect little person that God has created especially for us.  I can't wait to see my husband take on the role of daddy! Most of all, I can't wait to embark on this wonderful journey called parenthood with my very best friend.  I know we will make mistakes, and I know that there will be messy times and heartbreak.  I also know, however, that there is no one else on the planet with whom I would rather take on this incredible task. 
Please keep us in your prayers - the Lord knows that we are going to need them!

 

39 weeks.  Come on Catherine!  Your mommy is about to pop! ;)

It's Almost Time

Well, we have officially hit the 36 week mark with Catherine.  I cannot believe that she will be here in a month!  I'm really starting to get excited.  I just can't wait to see what she looks like, smells like, sounds like, eeek! 
We have been very blessed by our family and friends who have thrown showers and given us gifts to prepare for her arrival.  I'm sure there is probably something that she still needs, but we can't think of anything.  God has truly poured out blessings on us and this little angel. 
That being said, I'm also starting to get nervous.  I still have a great deal of work to do for work before maternity leave, I've started worrying about actually having her, and I am getting anxious about what to do with a new baby.  Everyone has said not to worry and things will fall into place, but I can't help but be apprehensive about this new stage in life.  I'm working on turning all my worries over to the Lord, but that has always been my "tragic flaw." 
Well, I guess I should get back to my massive "to-do" list so that when she does decide to make an appearance we will be ready. :)

A Vacation From Our Vacation

So Christmas vacation is in full swing.  Austin and I have been busy preparing for Catherine's arrival.  I must say, I have the hardest working husband in the world.  Not only has he built a new addition to our house (his man cave from this summer), but he has also pretty much single handedly rearranged our whole house in a week. 
We were going to use his old UGA room for the nursery, but I was afraid it would be too hard to cover red and black with sage green.  Luckily we had another room we could use.  He has painted it, shampooed the carpet, built a crib, and rearranged the room.  To top it off, he would hardly let me help because he didn't want to make me tired/hurt the baby.  I love this man!
He has also been helping his mom with her roof.  It has been leaking for a few months now, and she has had him over twice to try and fix it.  He is not a fan of heights, nor am I a fan of my husband/baby's daddy being on a roof, but he does love his mommy.  He is such a great husband and son!  I just can't wait to see the amazing father he will be!
Well, it looks like we will need a vacation from our vacation. ;)
Countdown to Catherine - 53 days!