Monday, December 31, 2012

A Year In Review 2012

I was reminded today by my son that I should capture a few memories of this past year in writing.  There are so many blessings that we are thankful for, and moments that I would love to capture while they are still so fresh in my mind.  So here is the Goble 2012 year in review.

This year started for both of us as first time parents, and for me, going back to work full time as a pharmacist.  Shortly after returning I reduced my hours down to 32 hours, and then even later, down to 16.  I love being at home with my little man, and I want to first and foremost thank my husband for this.  He is so unselfish, and although there are many mornings that I know that the look in his eyes wishes that he could be at home with us, I am so grateful that he works so hard for the three of us, and I want him to know that he is showing our son a great example in the time and effort he spends helping so many other people each a every day.  For that, I love you.

I wanted to capture of few of my favorite Brady moments from this past year.


  • I love how he is such a great night sleeper.  Not quite during the day, but since 5 months old, he has consistently slept through the night.  Thank you for that!
  • His blue eyes melt my heart every time I look at them.
  • I love how his hair sticks up in the back and makes him look like Dennis the Menace.
  • He was NOT a good teether...but we made it through it each and every time. Thanks to Tylenol and Oragel.
  • He went on his first plane ride, and tried the pool for the first time.  For the rest of the summer the pool was a great baby calmer when he would get fussy in the afternoons.
  • I love how he smiles and grabs my phone whenever I play Paul Simon's Father and Daughter song.  I am not sure if it is because the album cover is a baby's face, or if he likes the song, but either way, I love to sing it to him, and always change the words to Mother and Son. 
  • I love how he says Uh Oh! to almost everything.  It is just so sweet and innocent. 
  • Lately there are a lot more toddler tantrums and fits, but those too, we survive one at a time. 
  • He loves to feed the dogs his snacks, and most end up in the dog's mouth than in his. 
  • I feel special that I captured his first smile. 
  • He goes through his phases, but he is such a daddy's boy.  I love to watch the two of them together. 
  • It was cute that he started grabbing our hands and leading us to something he wanted, except now that means we climb up the stairs 10+ times a day.  No need for a stairmaster here! 
Gosh, I think I could make the list go on and on.  And I am not a "real" mom if I did not say there were days when I wanted to scream right along with him, but looking back, they were just small bumps in this amazing road we are traveling on as parents.  And through our travels, I have realized how fortunate we are to have such an amazing support system in our parents.  My mom flew down at a moments notice when I decided to pull Brady from daycare and needed a sitter.  My mother-in-law is our saving grace when we are sick or out of sitter options.  I hope their guidance continues to mold Dave and I in our roles as mom and dad.  

This year has brought us joy in welcoming another new nephew, and Brady is so blessed to have 2 boy cousins so close in age to him.  We also have some sadness in realizing that we may lose a wonderful woman in our life, who has shown my husband, his family, and myself, love, strength and endurance.  As these holidays came filled with sickness and stress, knowing that for all of us, it could be our last, truly makes you reflect on where you came from, and where you are going.  

My hope for this next year is one filled with blessings for all of you.  Wishing you all a Happy New Year ALWAYS!!  

"Always"
Kristian Stanfill 

My foes are many, they rise against me
But I will hold my ground
I will not fear the war, I will not fear the storm
My help is on the way, my help is on the way

Oh, my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always
I will not fear, His promise is true
My God will come through always, always

Troubles surround me, chaos abounding
My soul will rest in You
I will not fear the war, I will not fear the storm
My help is on the way, my help is on the way

Oh, my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always
I will not fear, His promise is true
My God will come through always, always

I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord
I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord
I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord
I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord
From You Lord, from You Lord

Oh, my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always
I will not fear, His promise is true
My God will come through always, always

Oh, my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always, always

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Gobble, Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving!  The Gobles were able to share a wonderful weekend with family.  Our gathering was quite a bit smaller this year since my in-laws were in NYC and my sister and her family were in TN.  Despite the fact that my husband and I both had to work on the actual Turkey Day, we were still able to share in a wonderful feast on Saturday.

I have decided that roasting a turkey is not so difficult, it is the last minute prep on everything so that it all comes out HOT is the tricky thing!

But the holiday is a great time to reflect on what we truly are thankful for, and I do have to say, I could compile a gigantic list, however, I will narrow it down to a few things.

1. My parents and my husbands parents.  They have been so helpful in our first year of parenthood.  There were a few days where we were not sure what we would do without Nana.

2. The lovely ladies that I have met through our church and MOMS group.  It is great to share my growth in God with wonderful supporters.

3. Lastly these two guys.  I think the pictures state it all. I am one lucky lady!

Happy Holidays!



Monday, November 19, 2012

Our Little 1 Year Old

I know this is about 2+ weeks late, but this past month, our little guy turned one year old.  It amazes me every day to see how he has changed and the new things that he is learning.  At 12 months old we are getting a few "words" out of him.  He seems to say "Mama" and "Baba" and the last day or so he has started babbling quite a bit to himself.  It is pretty cute to listen to, and I am sure it is a preview of his vocabulary to come.  Despite his limited speech, he is able to communicate through sign language.  He can sign milk, more, all done, water, food, dog, bath, nap, and thank you.  When asked (and he is in the mood) he can tell you what a lion and monkey says.  He knows where his head, nose, and ears are located and he can clap, stomp his feet, and blow kisses on command.

He has 7 teeth, and the molars are on there way.  I noticed a tear in his gum on one side, so I think one will be making it's appearance soon.  He is now on whole milk, but both Mom and Brady made it to the one year mark breastfeeding.  My freezer stash helped us get through the last few weeks, and I am thankful for that.

He truly is a sweet little boy.  He has his moments and tantrums, but he has a shy side that is precious.  I think he gets that more from his Daddy, but I can see why, because he is a Daddy's boy!

I cannot put to words what this past year has meant to me, but I will say as I have before.  The LORD truly allows us to be parents to give us a glimpse of the love that he has for US, and what a LOVE that is, so powerful and life changing!





Monday, November 12, 2012

Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See?

A few weekends ago, we celebrated our little guy's first birthday.  We actually had to have it a week early since my husband had to work on his actual birthday weekend, but we were so blessed that our friends and family were able to come and share the day with all of us!

I decided to go with a Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?  theme based on the Eric Carle book.  Once I started planning, it seems like it kept going and going, and with some help from my Mom and Aunt, it turned out to be quite a success.




This was the beautiful banner my Aunt Sharon made and shipped it all the way from Colorado to NC.  My mom put together the 3-D table and mantle decorations using the Eric Carle fabric cut out and glued on different colored paper.


Our balloon wreath welcomed guests into the party.  I found this idea here, and we attached a cut out of the brown bear from the Brown Bear fabric my mom purchased. 

Next came the food.  I had alot of fun decorating the dessert table and found alot of items from multiple Etsy shops.  We had Brown Bear Chocolate Grahams, Goldfish Crackers, and Red Bird Red Velvet cupcakes to name a few treats. 



Instead of getting a smash cake, we let the little guy experiment with a cupcake, he wore the Brown Bear bib his Grandma made him and he seemed to enjoy the frosting for a bit, then was ready for it to be off of his hands!





I had a great time putting together the favor bags for the kids.  I was able to print off a bunch of Brown Bear themed learning activities, which allowed them to play Heads or Tails with the animals from the book, and they were also able to color their own book to keep.  I stuck in a bag of Goldfish Crackers, Chocolate Teddy Grahams, and gummy bears for an additional treat (as if the cupcakes and ice cream weren't enough!) 


I think the little guy had a great first birthday party surrounded by wonderful family and friends! 



If anyone is interested in where I bought any of the products in the pictures, feel free to leave a comment and I am sure I can do some digging and find the sites I visited.  I know most are pinned on my Pinterest page, and most things were bought on Etsy or Target.  

Happy Halloween

I know this is a tad bit late, but I have been BAD about uploading pictures.  Here are a few of our little lion man on his 1st Halloween.


Monday, October 29, 2012

New Mom Hospital Essentials

I was reminded a few weeks ago of my hospital stay after the birth of our son, when I saw a post on Facebook asking for recommendations for items to put in you hospital bag.  I, like a lot of first time moms, most likely over packed for that two day stay.  I added my two cents in the comments of my friend's post, but it was great to read all of the other comments of other moms, filling in the blanks where I left off. 

So I decided I would compile a list of things to put in that hospital bag, and hopefully help out other first time moms, when they are planning ahead for their stay.  
1. Nursing Bra- If you are planning on nursing (or a nursing tank will also work well) 
2. Toiletries for you and your significant other
3. Lanolin
4. Breast pads
5. Couple of outfits for baby
6. Swaddle blanket (hospital will provide this but you may want to bring your own)
7. 2 outfits for mom 
8. Granny panties
9. Snacks
10. Robe
11. Slippers
12. Your own pillow and maybe a boppy to help with nursing 
13. Phone chargers
14. Maybe music
15. Health insurance info
16. You will have lots of visitors so whatever you forget, they will bring it!

I hope this list will help out a few other new moms, and feel free to share your experiences/suggestions as well. 

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Playroom Decorating Part II

The playroom is finally coming along.  We are just missing a few pieces and it will be complete.  In the meantime, we have been using it non-stop, and the little man is loving it.

We were looking for a nice shelving unit that would fit along the long empty wall, and everything we seemed to like cost a fortune, and I was trying to be as cost effective as I could with this project.  After researching some websites, I decided on the Ikea Expedit bookshelves.  So I sent my husband down to Ikea to make the purchase and put them together.



I really liked the green baskets that Jen used in her blog so I decided on using the same Room Essentials Yweave Baskets from Target. The rug was from Urban Outfitters and I love the look, however, since I was trying to stay on budget, I went for a cheaper rug, and now, I wish I would have splurged for a nicer one.  I have a feeling we will get a year out of this one and then will be looking for a replacement.


I found inspiration from Pinterest on putting together an ABC wall.  There are some Etsy shops that you can purchase all of the letters already painted, but I went to my local craft store, picked up the letters and a few cans of spray paint, and saved myself $80 on my DIY project.  The little guy loves the wall, and every time we sing the ABC song, he looks up there and waves his hands.  It is pretty stinkin' cute!


The last few pictures are of our reading area.  I found the bookshelf from Land of Nod and the pillows I had recovered in fabric that I found at a local fabric store.  They are Dwell Studio pieces and can be found on my Pinterest board.



It is still a work in progress, but we are almost done--and most importantly the little guy loves his new play area and mom and dad love the clean space downstairs!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Quick weekend dinner - Pesto Quinoa with Chicken, Broccoli, and Sundried Tomatoes

My husband was working last weekend and I was in need of a quick meal that I could whip up while entertaining a 10 month old.  I had some chicken defrosting in the fridge and I wanted to use up some frozen broccoli I had in the freezer.  Pasta sounded good but I did not have any in the pantry.  So I reached for the quinoa again and tried to get a little creative.  So, I scrounged through the refrigerator and found some pesto, sundried tomatoes, and parmesan.

I baked my chicken breasts ahead of time so I could just throw everything together right before my husband walked through the door.  Once they were done I chopped them up, along with my sun-dried tomatoes.



Next I cooked the quinoa in chicken stock to give it a little extra flavor, and steamed my broccoli.

10-15 minutes later we were ready to throw it all together in the pot and toss in a couple tablespoons of pesto.

I decided to top if off with some shaved parmesan.
It was a nice quick meal, and the husband and little guy enjoyed it.  I am really starting to enjoy cooking with quinoa.

Pesto Quinoa with Chicken, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Broccoli
1 cup of dried quinoa
2 cups of chicken stock
2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
2 cups of broccoli (can use fresh or frozen- I had frozen on hand)
1/4 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
3 Tablespoons of basil pesto
Parmesan shavings for garnish

Cook quinoa in chicken stock according to package directions.  Meanwhile, Steam broccoli 8-10 minutes, or until tender.  Chop cooked chicken and sun-dried tomatoes.  Add to cooked quinoa.  Mix in 3 Tablespoons of pesto and serve. Top with shaved parmesan.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Roasted Tomatoes with Shrimp and Feta

I ran across this recipe about 8 years ago when I was in college in Ann Arbor and was receiving a monthly subscription to Real Simple magazine.  That was when Facebook was just making its way across colleges, and pinning recipes on Pinterest did not exist.  I often found myself ripping pages out of a magazine and sticking them in my recipe box for later use.  Most of them were not put to use until I was married 3 years ago.

I remembered I had this little gem tucked with my recipes when my mom pulled it up on Pinterest during our visit to Florida and made it for our family one evening.  I have made it twice since then, usually when I have a lot of tomatoes to use up in the summer months.  I whipped it up this past week, and it was YUM, YUM, YUM.


I had to take a picture to prove that I had the original published magazine recipe.  Or you can find the original one online here.

It really is simple.  I cut up some tomatoes (I did not measure anything for this--I pretty much used what I had on hand at home).  Added minced garlic, EVOO, and salt and pepper and popped it in the over for 20 minutes.


In the meantime I got the shrimp ready, and topped it off with a little extra salt and pepper.


After the 20 minutes I threw in the shrimp, lemon juice, and feta.  I did not have fresh parsley on hand, so I used dried basil and oregano to give it a little more flavor.  I have used fresh basil before, and I would have used it again if I had not let the second plant I had this summer perish due to the extreme heat. (I do not have a green thumb-obviously). 

In the pan went back into the oven for another 10 minutes.

During that time I was able to catch my two guys having some fun on the kitchen floor (my husband is going to kill me for posting this!)


After the 10 minutes, we served it up and enjoyed.  The original recipe states to serve with crusty bread, which would be delicious, but I think it would be great on rice or pasta as well.  We decided to put it on a bed of quinoa, just to change it up.


This was the best picture I could get.  My husband scooped it up for me since I was having to feed our little guy, so I was not able to make it too presentable.  But it sure tasted good!

ROASTED TOMATOES WITH SHRIMP AND FETA
from Real Simple

Ingredients
5 large tomatoes, cut into eighths
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
salt and pepper (as desired)
1 1/2 pounds of medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 cup of crumbled feta

Directions
1. Heat overn to 450 F, Place tomatoes in large baking dish and spoon garlic and olive oil over.
2. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss.  Roast on top rack of oven for 20 minutes.
3. Remove dish from over and stir in shrimp, parsley, and lemon juice.  Sprinkle with feta.
4. Return to oven until shrimp are cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve


Thursday, September 6, 2012

Playroom Decorating Part I

A few weeks ago, my husband and I were upstairs in our playroom with our son, and we were reminded of an idea we had a few months back.  Shortly after the birth of our little guy, we quickly realized how difficult it would be for the two of us to get back to the gym, so we had this grand idea of finally putting our bonus room to some use.  We thought it would be a great place to throw some small weights and workout equipment so that they would be at our reach.

Well, we laugh about that now, because a few short months later, after our TV room downstairs seemed to be accumulating more and more toys, swings, play mats, etc, we decided to put our bonus room to a more logical use.  We decided to declutter the downstairs and make our little guy a playroom of his own.

Here are some pictures of what we started with.





Of course I had to scrounge Pinterest for a few ideas.  You can check out my playroom board here. I found a few blogs that had a look that I loved.  One was from one of my favorite blogs.  I Heart Organizing.  You can see Jen's room that inspired me here and another blog that used a similar idea was found at bubblesandbobbins.com.  

More pictures of the playroom update coming soon.

Monday, September 3, 2012

10 Months and Counting

This labor day marks our little guy's 10 month birthday.  This past week has been a rough one for not only him, but mom and dad as well.  He has been fussy all week, and on Tuesday, he starting running a low grade fever.  It was pretty pitiful, because the kid that LOVES to walk all over the house, just wanted to be held and put his head on his mommy's shoulder.



Of course, it was just a viral infection, and it needed to run it's course, but it still was hard to watch him in pain and not feeling well.  I am grateful that it was just a viral infection though, and I really to think the power of breastfeeding does help keep him pretty healthy.  So, Friday the fever was gone, then of course...more teething.  I love this stage, transitioning from my baby to my little toddler, but I could do without the teething process.  I think tooth #7 is starting it's way down his gums, which makes for another screaming, fussy few days.

Nevertheless, I hope this coming week, and starting his 10th month will be better for him.  He is developing quite a personality now. He has been walking for a month and half now, and is a lot more sturdy on his feet.  He can stand on his own, and I am quite impressed at the strength of those little calves and thighs. He can bend and hold a squat for quite a while.  I am pretty jealous!



He has not said any concrete words quite yet, but is still babbling.  I tried yesterday to get him to say "mama" and all I could get out of him was "rahrahrah".  Close enough I guess. We have been signing some words to him as well, and last night after dinner, when I asked him if he was all done, he waved his hands in the air and signed "all done".

He is a pretty good eater, and is nursing still about 4 times a day.  I made most of his baby food (which I will go into in a another post) but he now is primarily on table food.  He eats what mom and dad eat and he loves any and all kinds of protein.  Steak, pork tenderloin, chicken, shrimp, you name it, he shovels it in.

He points to his alphabet on the wall when you sing him the alphabet song, and when you count to ten he is starting to point to the numbers on the wall.  His new thing is to run to a pillow or mommy and put his head down.  It is pretty sweet, however, mommy is the recipient of most hugs.  I think daddy is feeling a little left out, but he will warm up to him soon.

He has been sleeping through the night since he was just shy of 5 months (8pm-6:30am), but lately, with a few vacations, the illness, and teeth, we have had a few interrupted nights of sleep, but I won't complain.  It just means a little extra cuddling with my little guy.  He still is not a great napper, but I rather get my sleep at night these days!!

These ten months have been the most rewarding time in my life, and my husband and I are so blessed to have this wondefrul source of love and joy in our lives.



Stats: (some from 9 month appointment) 18 lbs 5 oz, 28.5 inches long

Sunday, September 2, 2012

I Kept Running

We are now at 10 months old, and I figured since I am starting part-time this week, (and the fact that it has been TEN months) I would dust off the old running shoes and hit the pavement.  It is funny, during my maternity leave I was jogging some and was attending yoga more regularly.  But since I went back to work, that has slacked off, since I prefer to spend my spare hours with my little guy.  I mean, look at him.  Who could resist.



But it is time to focus a little on me, maybe just 20 minutes a day, and I think I can make daddy spend some spare time with the little guy and I can get back in shape, maybe even hit the gym that I have not frequented since I was 8 1/2 months pregnant.


I often wonder how hard can it be.  I completed a half marathon 3 months before I was pregnant.  I ran until I was 33 weeks pregnant.  I think I can manage it 10 months post pregnancy.  So, with my jogging stroller in one hand and pumping against the wind with the other, I hope to get what every new mom deserves, a few minutes to breathe in the fresh air and gather my thoughts, and to feel good about myself all the while.


Even the thought of running wears this guy out!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

A Letter to My Son

During our pregnancy my husband's mother brought over some old pictures and a calendar from when my husband was a baby.  It was fun for the two of us to look through it each month to see the milestones that he made during his first year of life.  Dave's mom was meticulous about jotting down each food he ate, the sounds he made, and when he took his first steps.




It was this little calendar that inspired us to keep one of our own for our little guy once he was born.  It is fun to look back at the end of the day and jot down what he saw, or what he did, and I hope that 30 years down the road he will read it and share it with his own family.



Also, shortly after I went back to work after my maternity leave, I was thinking back on my pregnancy and the birth of our son, and I wanted to put some memories down on paper.   I started to write a letter to my son, and I have continued this for the last 5 months, sharing my experiences and feelings as a first time mom.

I once again was inspired my some letters my mother-in-law had given to my husband on the day he graduated from pharmacy school.  They were letters that his father had written to some family friends, and the friends had given them back to his family after his father passed away.  I find myself once and a while spending some time in our office and reading these letters, because it gives me a glimpse into this wonderful man's life, which was so full of the Lord's love and also love for his wife and sons. I wanted something like this for my own son to cherish, so I thought a letter from mom would be a treasure one day for him.

I want to share my first letter here with you.


For the last 4 months I have been meaning to sit down and reflect on our lives since our son was born.  Since my baby boy turned 4 months 3 days ago, I decided it was time.  I am not a writer or a blogger by any means.  I usually leave the writing up to my husband, who puts our Christmas newsletter together every year for the fact that he indeed is the better novelist.  But I have been thinking a lot lately about the power of the written word and I wanted to document ours son's coming into this world, so that one day, he can read this and appreciate the love that is put in it.  I know that my husband's mother had saved so many letters that his father had written during his life as a new husband and father, and I know how they are cherished, so I hope one day, my son will cherish these words as well. 
                I often read our little guy a book that was given to him by my cousin called, On the Night You Were Born.  So, of course, every time I read it, I think back to that day in the beginning of November.   Well, I often think back about 6 days earlier when we were visiting my OB for my weekly checkup.  It was a Friday afternoon and I was at 37 weeks and 6 days.  When I went in to be measured that day, I was measuring around 34 weeks, not the almost 38 weeks that I should have been.  The doctor was concerned and wanted to do an ultrasound on me that day.  After the ultrasound the doctor called us in her office and she shared her concerns about the growth of the baby.  They were measuring him in the 6th percentile for his gestational age and they were concerned about intrauterine growth restriction.  I thought, what is IUGR and what does it mean for my baby? Having had a complication free pregnancy, my husband and I left the MD office scared and unsure about what to think.  We had to wait out the weekend until Monday where we could then be seen in Charlotte by a perinatologist for a level 3 ultrasound.  That weekend was awful.  I shed so many tears, worrying and wondering.  I was thankful when we went to church that Sunday and I was talking to my friend, who had delivered twin boys a year before.  She shared her similar experience and reassured me that everything was probably alright.  I felt relief just hearing those words and it helped me get through the day before our appointment the following morning.  That next day, we travelled to Charlotte and after a talk with the doctor there, he said everything looked alright, we may just have a little guy on our hands in a few short weeks. 
                Well those weeks turned into 3 short days.  At about 1 am on Thursday November, 3rd, I started having tightening in my back.  It seemed to come and go every 30 minutes, so needless to say, I did not get ANY sleep that night.  The next morning I starting timing this tightening that started in my back and went around to my abdomen.  And sure enough, they kept getting closer.  So, I called the doctor and they said to come in that afternoon.  So I waited around the house as the pain started to get a little worse.  In the meantime, my husband felt the need to mow the lawn.  (Yes, your Dad felt the need to get yard work done on the day you were born).  Once he was done at around 2 pm, we went to the doctor and were checked and I was….only 1 cm dilated.  No labor yet.  So we were sent home with a prescription for some Ambien and I was told to sleep. 
                Sleep?  Well that wasn’t happening.  The pain continued to increase.  I was in the bath. That did not help.  I lay on my side.  That did not help.  It seemed like it was getting worse and worse and a crouching position on the floor was the only relief I could find.  At about 6 pm that evening I told my husband we had to go to the hospital.  My logic was that even if I was not in labor, I could get pain medication.  So I called my doctor and she said to go ahead to the hospital and they could check me again.  At about 6:45 pm we arrived at the hospital and were placed in a room for the nurse to come and check my progress.  At that point I was one of those crazy women you see on television screaming in pain.  I think the only words I could get out were, “When can I get my epidural?”  The sweet nurse who was getting ready to leave her shift kindly told me that they would have to admit me first.  Oh yeah.  I forgot, we did not know if I was even in labor.  I kept thinking, if this is not labor, this is a cruel joke.  I was finally checked and…..4 cm! Yes, I would be admitted.  I was just happy because that meant an epidural.  An hour later I was pain free.  Life was pretty good, despite the 3 hypotensive episodes I had that resulted in a BP of 60/30 and 3 doses of EPI and a bag of fluids.  30 minutes later I was 8 cm.  Wow, this baby was really on his way!  The next hour seemed like a blur.  I was exhausted already and unknown to me, the baby's heart rate kept dropping.  I saw the doctor insert a fetal head monitor which I vaguely remembered from our birthing class.  Next thing I know, I am on all fours, with no feeling in my legs, trying to reposition the baby.  With no success, I remember the staff pulling cords from the wall, and wheeling me, still on all fours, to the OR. 
During the short time from my room to the OR, I prayed. I can’t remember exactly what I was talking to God about, but I knew at that point that I was telling him that it was all in his hands.  And I had to have faith that he would answer those prayers. Within minutes, which seemed like seconds, I was prepped for a cesarean. I could feel some pressure so I knew they had started, but I had no idea where my husband was.  They had instructed him to wait outside until they knew the baby and mom were okay, and thankfully he was let in right as our little guy was getting pulled out.  Laying on an operating table not knowing what was going on, I was immediately reassured when I heard a beautiful, loud scream. Our baby boy was finally here.  5 lbs., 15 oz. and 19.5 inches long.  Life has never been the same. 
I know that was a lot of information leading up until becoming a mom, but I wanted to document it all, knowing that in later months, and years, those memories may not be so clear, and I felt that every moment, as scary, happy, or uncertain as they were, all were part of who our son is and who he will become. 
So the first 10 days as a mother were great.  My mom was here to help cook and clean, and the baby did what all babies do.  Eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom.  He was like a clock, every 2 hours he would eat.  I can see why a lot of new moms have difficulty nursing during those early weeks.  I was up every 2 hours, while my husband could sleep most of the night (I say most since he was woken up a lot).  After those 10 days passed, and I swear it was the day after my mom left to head back to Michigan, my son seemed to have changed.  The baby that would only eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom, became the baby that would eat, go to the bathroom, cry and avoid sleep (during the day).  Those first 6 weeks were a struggle for me.  I loved every minute of it, but it was hard, a lot of the time.  There was one weekend in particular that my husband was off work that was probably the worst of those 6 weeks.  Our little man ate and cried and would not sleep.  He slept for 2 hour stretches at night but not a wink during the day.  It was exhausting.  I was up nursing every 2 hours at night and without him napping during the day, mommy did not get any sleep either.  Looking back on it, he was most likely going through a growth spurt during that time, but when that 6 week mark came along, something changed.  Our crying baby turned into a happy little boy. 
He has been a pretty easy baby ever since.  He still is not a great napper.  He likes to fight sleep during the day, but hopefully he will get on a more precise schedule in the next few months. We are now getting on most nights (I stress most, not all), 5 hours in a row and I hope in the next month or two, that will lengthen out even more. 
The last 4 months have truly been a blessing.  I was so fortunate to be able to stay at home for 12 weeks before returning to work, however, it did make leaving him after 3 months even more challenging.  Weeks before returning to work, I decided that I wanted to cut my hours back.  My baby would only be this little for a short time, and I wanted to spend as much of that time with him.  My husband and I are very fortunate for the great jobs we have, but to me, my time was better spent with our new son, and I am thankful for every minute that I have with him.  I have been back to work now for a month, and the transition was made easier by family and friends helping us out those first few weeks.  To be honest, it is hard balancing work and motherhood, and it is exhausting most days but it is worth every minute of it. 
I sit here after just rocking my precious little boy to sleep.  Yes, it took 3 tries to get him down for a nap, and I can’t guarantee he will stay down, but I will continue to rock that boy until he out grows mommy putting him down.  My mother-in-law tells a story about how she rocked all her boys to sleep, and one day, her youngest, simply pointed to the bed while she was rocking him and her days of putting her sweet boy down were over.  I know those days will be here soon, but I cherish the special moments I have with him now.  As much as I am tired from getting up in the middle of the night, there will be a day where I long for those nursing sessions that I was able to spend with my baby.  I did not know what to expect when I became a mother, but for those of you who are, you know that it is an indescribable feeling.  A love that cannot be explained.  It just is.  It is a gift that our Lord has given us to test and strengthen us, but most of all it is a gift of Love.  It is one that I am so thankful for and would not give up for the world.  I love that little man. 



Saturday, August 25, 2012

Life as a Goble

The past 3 years I have spent my time as a full time working woman.  I have always been passionate about my job, despite the stress that comes along with working in a community pharmacy, encountering a thankful patient, or one that I have been able to help in some way, has always made my job a delight.

Fast forward over the last 10 months, and here I am getting ready to cut back to a part-time pharmacist position and start as a full-time wife and mom.  It definitely is a scary thing to let go of the security I had with my job, but I am ready to take on a new challenge and I want to share it with you.

I can honestly say that I love my job as a mom the best. With an active 10 month old running around, it sure is tiring most days, but I am ready for the challenge!


Of course I could not or would not be where I am if it wasn't for the support of my wonderful husband.  We met in pharmacy school and he dragged this Michigander to the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.  (and down South it is pronounced with a short "a"- not the long "a" that we Meechiganders like to add to most words).  I could not ask for a better half, and I am thankful each and every day that the Lord put him in my life.  



I hope that for friends and family that are scattered across the country, this blog will keep you posted on what is going on in the Goble household.  Enjoy!