Thursday, August 19, 2021

2021-22 Homeschool Curriculum Choices

  

On Monday, July 19, we kicked off our 2021-22 school year. We’ve gotten in the habit of starting school in July and this year wasn’t any different. My husband is training for his new job, so while he was in training we could work on school. As he has breaks, we will be able to take time off as well and enjoy some extra family time. Honestly, this is still one of the main reasons why we homeschool. Every family is different, but this is what is working best for us right now.

As you will see below, we made several changes to our curriculum. I spend a lot of time praying about our curriculum and I consider it a great responsibility to be my children’s educator. I want to honor the Lord and my children in this calling God has placed on my life. Thankfully, we were able to attend a homeschool conference in June and see a lot of these curriculums in person, before making our final decisions. Below you can find links to the different curriculum we’re using this year.

Without further ado, here are our curriculum choices for our brand new school year.

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2020-21 Homeschool Curriculum Choices 


EVERYONE TOGETHER
When it comes to teaching my large family, I try to have as many group subjects as possible. Currently, our family does Family Devotions, Memory Verses, Bible, History, Literature/Read-Alouds, and Science together. We’re not using Sonlight this year and instead God lead us to use Generations curriculum for a lot of our family subjects. Also, we’re using The Good and the Beautiful Geology for one science unit and switching to Generations science.

Family Devotions & Memory Verse: Generations The Book of Proverbs devotional and workbook and memorizing Proverbs 1
Bible: Generations God’s Big Story #2 with student workbook
History: Generations The Story of Jesus’s People, with student workbook
Literature/Read-Alouds: Generations Level 1 Read Alouds, additional read alouds from Sonlight, and picture books
Science: The Good and the Beautiful Geology and Generations God Made Everything with workbook

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4th GRADE: Olivia
How can she already be in 4th grade!? She’s a little bookworm and I can’t wait to see how she does this school year.   

Language Arts: The Good and the Beautiful Level 4
Handwriting: A Reason for Handwriting T
Vocabulary: Wordly Wise Book 1
Math: Math-U-See Epsilon and The Good and the Beautiful Musical Multiplication
Typing: The Good and the Beautiful Typing 2
Readers: Sonlight Grade 4 Readers
Other: Victory Drill, Metronome Practice, and Piano Lessons


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3rd GRADE: Sophie
Sophie’s looking forward to starting 3rd grade. She loves building Legos and I’m excited to see her thrive in school this year.

Language Arts: The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts Level 2 
Handwriting: A Reason for Handwriting T
Vocabulary: Wordly Wise Books B & C
Math: Math-U-See Epsilon and The Good and the Beautiful Musical Multiplication
Typing: The Good and the Beautiful Typing 2
Readers: Sonlight Grade 3 Readers
Other: Victory Drill, Metronome Practice, and Piano Lessons


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1st GRADE: Matilda
Last school year, Matilda learned to how to read!! It’s been exciting to watch her take off and become an avid reader.r

Language Arts:The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts Level 1
Handwriting: The Good and the Beautiful Handwriting Level 1
Vocabulary: Wordly Wise Book A
Math: Mat-U-See Beta
Readers: Sonlight Grade 1 Readers 
Phonics: Explode the Code Level 4, 5, and 6


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TODDLER  TWINS: Evelyn & Zoey
Homeschooling with toddler twins is still challenging. I try my best to keep them occupied with a variety of fun activities like puzzles, books, coloring, a cardboard castle, shapes, and so much more! If we don’t complete all of our schoolwork, I wait until the twins nap time to play catch up and get everything else done. Honestly, I could probably do an entire blog post just about this, so let me know if you’re interested.


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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For more information, here are the links to the homeschool curriculum we are using this school year.
- Generations
- Sonlight
- The Good and the Beautiful 
- Rainbow Resource
- Read Aloud Revival

Please let me know if you have any other questions about homeschooling.

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Our New Anniversary Journal

 



One of my 2021 goals is to “love Jon well” by investing in my marriage. Honestly, 2020 was one of the most challenging years of our marriage to date. We had to navigate lots of transitions as we moved back to the United States after being in Hong Kong. On top of that, was added stress of a global pandemic, which made for a very overwhelming year. By God’s grace and to His glory, on December 17, 2020 we celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary!! I’m so thankful, God continues to hold us together even on the hard days.


With February being the month of love, I thought it was the perfect time to make this goal a priority in my life. As a result, I’ve been reading some incredible books about marriage. I just finished, “A Love Letter Life: Pursue Creatively. Date Intentionally. Love Faithfully.” by, Jeremy and Audrey Roloff. This was such an incredible book with lots of ideas about how to cultivate a healthy marriage. 


As a result, I was really encouraged by their story and decided to follow Jeremy and Audrey Roloff on social media, for continued encouragement in my life. While catching up on Audrey’s most recent posts on Instagram I noticed she had just recently made an announcement about a new project they had been work on. 


To my delight, I read about their new “Memories of Us” anniversary journal which has just been released by Jeremy and Audrey Roloff. It’s an incredible tool for couples to use, each year as they reflect on the current year of marriage and look ahead to the future. There are 50 anniversary sections, so Lord willing on your 50th wedding anniversary you can share the journal with your family and friends!!





I was so excited!! Seriously, this is the marriage tool, I didn’t know I needed in my life!!


I think this anniversary journal will be a great way to invest in our marriage and give us space to remember how God has been at work in our lives. We get to take time to write down how we met, our engagement story, our wedding story, and more!! This year, I ordered this anniversary journal as my Valentine’s Day gift to Jon. I’m excited to take time to fill this out and continue to work on this each year of our marriage!!


I’m boldly praying by God’s grace, Jon and I will be able to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary together on December 17, 2056 with our loved ones, taking time to recount all the Lord has done in our lives!! 


If you’re interested and want to check out this journal, I put the link below. This anniversary journal would be a great gift idea for yourself, young married couples, or you could give it as the perfect wedding gift for couples just beginning their marriage journey. 



Memories of Us Anniversary Journal



Monday, February 1, 2021

My Skincare Haul

 



At the beginning of January, I shared about, “My 2021 Cultivate What Matters: Powersheets”. I outlined my goals, word of the year, and more. One of my 2021 goals is to care for myself!! I’m a stay-at-home Mom with 5 young girls, who often take priority over everything else...including myself. This is why I frequently have goals focused on my own self-care, because more often than not it falls to the wayside. I’ve learned, I must be very purposeful about caring for myself each and every day.


As a result, one of my “mini” goals in 2021, is to cultivate my skincare routine. Honestly, for a while, I’ve felt like it’s time for me to cultivate a good quality skincare routine for myself. I started searching Google, Pinterest, and Instagram for great skincare routine ideas. Immediately, I was overwhelmed by all the different choices out there and as a beginner I felt very confused and unsure which routine would be the best for myself.


Feeling too overwhelmed, I put it aside until I was ready to try again. 


In November 2020, to my delight, Angela Braniff released her “Ultimate Skincare Routine” on her Angela Braniff YouTube channel. I watched Angela’s video over and over again, taking notes about her skincare routine. Then I added up the prices for her inexpensive skincare recommendations and unfortunately it was out of my budget. I was so sad, because this is a great skincare routine and once I get into a good skincare routine myself I can work up to these products. However, it would be too much right now for this skincare novice!!


Just a few days later, I remembered Jamie B Golden (a co-host of The Popcast podcast) has her own skincare routine. How exciting!!





Right away, I went to Jamie’s website and read her, “10-Step Skincare Routine” blog post. Then, signed up for Jamie’s email so I could receive her free skincare routine printables!! Quickly, I printed off Jamie’ skincare routine and laminated it, so it wouldn’t get ruined anytime soon. Jamie offers “more expensive” and “less expensive” skincare products options too. As I wrote out a list and added up the less expensive options, I was surprised to discover it was right in my budget!! What an answer to my prayers!!

Thankfully, it didn’t take long before I was able to find everything on my list. Please look below, for a list of everything I bought!!





My Skincare Haul

1. Cerave Hydrating Cleanser 

2. Cosrx bha blackhead power liquid 

3. Witch Hazel alcohol free toner

4. Cosrx advanced snail 96 mucin power essence

5. Loreal Vitamin C Serum

6. RoC Retinol Eye Cream deep wrinkle

7. CerVe PM facial moisturizer 

8. Australian Gold botanical tinted

9. Palmer’s Cleansing Oil

10. Sheet masks

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HELPFUL LINKS

Are you looking to cultivate your own skincare routine? Here are some helpful links to allow you to decide which skincare routine will work best for you!!! Below, I’ve listed links to both of the incredible skincare routines I talked about today. Both of these skincare routines are amazing and filled with so much wisdom!! 


1. Angela’s Ultimate Skincare Routine on YouTube



2. Jamie B Golden’s 10-Step Skincare Routine



Monday, January 25, 2021

20 Valentine’s Day At Home Date Ideas



“I have found the one whom my soul loves.” 

- Song of Solomon 3:4



The truth is, as a result of the Covid-19 global pandemic, most of us are still in some form of lockdown and/or quarantine. However, it doesn’t mean we cannot celebrate Valentine’s Day with our significant other.


Depending on our season of life, our Valentine’s Day always looks a little different than it does in the movies!! As poor college students, we often worked on Valentine’s Day and would celebrate on a different day with our tight budget in mind. As our season changed, we could celebrate Valentine’s Day out together with dinner at our favorite restaurant and a movie in the theater. Kind of feels like a lifetime ago!! Then, when we had our beautiful girls, life changed again and our Valentine’s Day became a family date night with our littles enjoying delicious takeout with us at home. We’re still in the throes of young children, but I’m sure in time our Valentine’s Day traditions will change again. 


With that in mind, I scoured Pinterest for the best date ideas. I included a wide variety of date ideas such as, At Home, On a Budget, Family, and Romantic Date Ideas. I hope they will be helpful to you as you prepare for your own Valentine’s Day celebration!! 


For additional date night ideas, please check out my Love and Marriage Pinterest board.



20 Valentine’s Day At Home Date Ideas



[AT HOME]

Fabulous date ideas in the comfort of your own home!!


1. Indoor Romantic Picnic Date 


2. Spa Night Date 


3. Romantic Backyard Dinner Date


4. Write Love Letters Date


5. Indoor Camping Date


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[ON A BUDGET]

Here are some fun date ideas without breaking the bank!!


6. Ice Cream Tasting Date


7. Build Romantic Valentine’s Fort Date


8. Drive-In Date


9. Scavenger Hunt Date


10. Waffle Bar Date


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[FAMILY]

Date ideas which are fun for the entire family!!


11. “Chopped” Date 


12. Valentine’s Breakfast in Bed Date 


13. Dinner and a Movie Date (Lady & the Tramp)


14. Family Pizza Night Date 

 

15. Valentine’s Cookie Decorating Date


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[ROMANTIC]

Incredibly romantic date ideas spoil your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day!!


16. Fantasy Suite Date


17. Glow in the Dark Body Paint Bedroom Date


18. Sizzling Truth or Dare


19. Sensual Massage Date 


20. Romantic Bedroom Bingo Date


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Monday, January 18, 2021

Quarter 2 Update: Homeschool Year 2020-21



Guess what!? Right before our family took a two week Christmas break, my girls completed their second quarter of homeschool!! I can’t believe we’re already halfway through our entire 2020-21 homeschool year. Honestly, I’m so proud of my girls who have worked very hard this school year. Of course there have been struggles along the way, but I admire their hard work and determination to conquer any challenge which has come their way. I’m truly so blessed to be their Mom and their teacher!!



Curriculum:

As far as our curriculum goes, everything is going well!! Last year, I shared our 2020-21 Homeschool Curriculum Choices for our entire family. I’m thrilled to report, we haven’t needed to make any major, mid-year, curriculum changes. I’m very thankful for this, because I’ve been praying for wisdom regarding our curriculum. It’s amazing to see God answer my prayers and help me know what is best for each of my girls right now. I will continue to pray for my girls, so God can direct our homeschool and make curriculum changes as needed.





For those who are curious, here’s a quick recap regarding my current curriculum choices...



EVERYONE TOGETHER 

Bible time, Memory Verses, History, and Read-Alouds: Sonlight Core K 

Write the Word for Kids: Cultivate What Matters Write the Word for Kids: Plant Seeds of the Word

Science: The Good and the Beautiful Meteorology; Kingdoms and Classifications; Botany; and Energy

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3RD GRADE: Olivia

Language Arts: The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts Level 3

Handwriting: The Good and the Beautiful Handwriting Level 3

Vocabulary: Wordly Wise Level 3000 Book 3

Creative Writing: The Good and the Beautiful Creative Writing Notebook #1

Math: Math-U-See Delta and The Good and the Beautiful Musical Multiplication

Typing: The Good and the Beautiful Typing 1

Readers: Sonlight Grade 4 Readers

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2ND GRADE: Sophie

Language Arts: The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts Level 2 

Handwriting: The Good and the Beautiful Handwriting Level 2

Vocabulary: Wordly Wise Level 3000 Book 2

Creative Writing: The Good and the Beautiful Creative Writing Notebook #1

Math: Math-U-See Gamma and The Good and the Beautiful Musical Multiplication

Typing: The Good and the Beautiful Typing 1

Readers: Sonlight Grade 2 Readers

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KINDERGARTEN: Matilda

Language Arts: Sing Spell Read and Write “Off We Go” and “Raceway Book”

Handwriting: The Good and the Beautiful Handwriting K

Phonics: Explode the Code 1, 2, 3

Math: Math u See Alpha

Enrichment: Developing the Early Learner 1, 2, 3, 4

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SCIENCE

Currently, we’ve already completed our first two The Good and the Beautiful Science Unit Studies, such as Meteorology and Kingdoms and Classifications. We need to wait until spring to do the Botany study, in the meantime we’ve last week we started their Energy Unit Study. Once we’ve completed it, we will wrap up our school year with the Botany study. 





We’ve really enjoyed new Energy Unit Study!! Last week, my husband got home in time to work through some of the energy activities for our new The Good and The Beautiful Energy Unit Study. A few of them included, the exploding bags or bottle (chemical energy), shooting rubber bands (mechanical energy) and also baked Chocolate Chip Bundt Cakes (electrical energy, chemical energy, and heat energy). We all had such a fun time!! I can’t wait to see what other memories are in store for us as we continue to work through this curriculum.



Monday, January 11, 2021

Sophie's Birth Story

Sophie Joye

My sweet Sophie Joye turned 7 last month. As a result, I thought it would be fun to share her birth story with all of you. I hope you enjoy this precious birth story!!


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Sophie’s Birth Story

Written: Wednesday, February 19, 2014

 

Before I get into the details of Sophie’s birth, I would like to make it very clear that the Lord was determined to be glorified in and through this story. At first it was hard for me to see, because certain things didn't go according to my plan. However, slowly and gently, like any good Father would, the Lord shed light on this circumstance and revealed Himself to be faithful every step of the way.

 

Life’s circumstances were extremely challenging the entire time I was pregnant with Sophie. I’m not going to go into all the details now, but there were extremely difficult things that we faced as a family while I was pregnant. I believe that the Lord gave me Sophie to be a constant source of joy and an ever present reminder that I am never alone.

 

God knew about all the bad things that we had to face throughout the year of 2013. With all my heart, I believe that Sophie was born to redeem 2013 and to continue to be a reminder of God’s faithfulness to my family. How can I remember it as a bad year when it was the same year that my baby was born?

 

Sophie’s due date was Tuesday, December 31st, 2013, the very last day of the year. Personally, I loved being pregnant during the Christmas holiday season. The whole point of Christmas is to remember the birth of baby Jesus. Being pregnant during Christmas time, gave me a whole different perspective on the Christmas story and what Mary really went through.

 

Little did I know, Sophie would be born four days earlier than her due date. 


Monday, December 23rd, 2013 ended up being my last doctor’s appointment with Dr. Doerrfeld before I went into labor. Even though everything went well at my doctor’s appointment, Monday was a very stressful day, because I didn’t think Olivia was breathing and almost had to take her to the emergency room. As it turned out she was just too cold and needed to be warmed up, but it really was the last thing that I needed being a really pregnant Mama about ready to give birth.

 


Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Grandad, Grandma, and Auntie Hannah had arrived in Longview, Texas the weekend of Saturday, December 21st, 2013, so while my husband was at work they helped me get everything ready for Christmas. We baked cookies and all kinds of goodies in preparation for Christmas day. We were especially excited to find out that Jon would be home the evening of Christmas day! Our plan was to get everything ready, so that we could have Christmas dinner and open presents with Jon after he got home on Christmas day.

 

Olivia and I drove out to the airport to go get Jon and bring him home. As soon as Jon arrived it became apparent that he was very sick. He had flu like symptoms. However, he still joined us for Christmas dinner, reading the Nativity story, and opening presents. That night neither of us slept very well, because he was so sick.

 


Thursday, December 26, 2013

The next morning, I woke up and felt sick too! I had diarrhea all morning long. I was not sure if I was going into labor or if I had somehow caught the same flu, Jon still had. We didn’t go anywhere all morning, because we were both so sick. I finally started feeling better by the afternoon and went with Grandma Newsham to go get a few things from the store to help Jon while he was sick with the flu.

 

Keep in mind that I had been having Braxton Hicks for weeks. I had also been having all kinds of cramping, but I did not think anything of it. Olivia was two days late and even though I wanted Sophie to come around Christmas time, I was pretty sure that she would be late like Olivia.

 

Right before bed time, Grandad made Jon a hot toddy, which was supposed to help his fever. It was also supposed to help him sleep through the night. After dinner, Grandad, Grandma Newsham, Auntie Hannah, and Uncle Josh left to go sleep at their own places. Jon and I watched a CSI: New York before we decided to go to bed.

 

As soon as we tried to go to sleep, Olivia started screaming and part of me thinks that she knew that I was going to go into labor. For whatever reason, she was awake and did not want to go back to sleep. Even though Jon was sick, he went and slept on the floor next to Olivia’s crib in an effort to help her sleep and to let me get some sleep as well.

 


Friday, December 27th, 2013

As it turned out, it ended up being a sleepless night for me too! As soon as I laid down, I had period like cramping and my back really hurt. No matter what I did I could not get comfortable. I had noticed that the pain would go away when I was sitting upright, so around 1:30am I decided to go sleep in the recliner chair out in the living room.

 

Almost immediately, I began to notice that I was having contractions. For the next hour or so I tried to sleep and track my contractions to see if they were consistent. As I sat in the chair, they were coming consistently and did not seem to be going away anytime soon. Despite this fact, I felt like this was false labor, so I decided to change positions to see if my contractions would continue to come or stop.

 

My to-do list kept running through my mind. I decided that just in case I was in labor, I needed to get these things done now before it was too late. I got up out of my chair to get some things done. I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, packed Olivia’s overnight bag, and made sure that my own hospital bag had everything I needed inside. I also began to pull out snacks and drinks that I would need as I labored at home.

 

The entire time I was up and moving around, I continued to have contractions. I knew that they were getting stronger and coming more and more consistently. Before I sat back down in the recliner, I also made sure, Jon got back in our bed. If I was in labor, he was going to need more sleep to help me through the rest of the day.

 

By 4:00am, I had finished my to-do list and decided to begin to track my contractions for the next hour. Over that next hour, my contractions were coming every six minutes and lasting for almost a minute. All throughout the night, I had text Grandma Newsham to let her know that I was having contractions. However, by 5:00am I knew I needed to have her come over to begin to help me evaluate whether or not I was really in labor.

 

Grandma came over for the next few hours she helped me track my contractions. We were convinced that I was actually in labor. So I called our friends, Michael and Becky, because they were going to watch Olivia while I was in labor and at the hospital. However, I couldn’t get a hold of them.

 

Olivia woke up around 8:00am, I feel like at that point, I went into Mommy mode. My primary focus was not on letting myself relax, but on making sure that Olivia got where she needed to go. So for the next hour or so my labor slowed down a lot. Finally, Becky came over around 9:30am to pick up Olivia. I was so emotional that I just started crying, because I knew I wouldn’t see Olivia again until after I had Sophie.

 

Grandma let me try to sleep for an hour and said that by 11:00am we would start doing things to help get my labor going again. About the same time, Auntie Hannah came over to take pictures while I was in labor. This was the best decision we made all day long! You see Jon was still sick and spent most of the day asleep in bed. Auntie Hannah stepped in and helped me labor when Jon could not.



Daddy, Mommy, and Grandma on a walk

 

After the hour was up, Grandma, Auntie Hannah, Jon, and I went for a walk on campus at LeTourneau University. We walked for over an hour. Thankfully, being up and walking around, helped to get my labor going again. While we walked, I would have to stop and focus on breathing through my contractions.

 

We went back to the house, where we were going to have lunch. I really wanted a break, so I sat down in the recliner and again my labor stalled. This ended up being the theme of the day. Each and every time I was up and moving around my contractions would start coming every few minutes. However, as soon as I sat down, my contractions would stall. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to my contractions.

 

With Grandma and Auntie Hannah’s help, I labored all afternoon while Jon slept. My labor was not unbearable and the three of us girls actually had a lot of fun! We laughed as Grandma accidentally told me to swaddle the chair when she actually meant straddle. Auntie Hannah tried to help me with my breathing and when she said the wrong thing, so did I. Afterwards we just giggled like little girls that we just could not seem to get it right.

 

I never expected that labor could be fun. However, that is exactly how I would describe that afternoon!

 

By 5:00pm, my labor had stalled again. My contractions were not coming very often at all and I was convinced that I probably would not have Sophie for another few days. Auntie Hannah suggested that we try waddling. She explained that it was something that Auntie Eva did with her laboring mothers in the Philippines and it was supposed to help get labor going.

 

Waddling sounded silly and embarrassing, but I tried to have a good attitude anyway. We began to waddle around my little yellow house making up songs as we went, because we felt so silly! 


“Waddle, waddle, waddle till the baby’s out!” 

 

To our delight my contractions began to come back with a vengeance!

 

Grandma called Grandad to let him know that I was in fact in labor and we would probably have this baby tonight. That was such an encouragement to me and made me determined to do whatever was necessary to get Sophie out.

 

The next time I went to the bathroom, I could really begin to feel Sophie’s head, because it was so low! We waited too long to go to the hospital with Olivia and I did not want that to happen again. So, I told Grandma Newsham what I felt and that it was about time to go to the hospital.



Really in labor now!!

 

We needed to get everything together and wait for Grandad to pick us up. So, I sat down in the recliner where again, my labor stalled. Like I had said, it was the theme of the day. However, I am thankful for this, because it gave us time to get to the hospital and get settled before Sophie was born.

 

When Grandad arrived, around 8:00pm, Daddy, Auntie Hannah, Grandma, and I all piled into the car and made our way to the hospital.

 

At the hospital we checked in with the woman in the Emergency Room and signed all of the appropriate papers. Uncle Josh ended up showing up at the hospital right about the same time we did, so he got to be there too!

 

They got me upstairs where I changed into a hospital gown. I answered all of their registration questions and signed all of the necessary forms. They checked me and discovered that I was already at an 8! Finally, they got us into a labor and delivery room which I had not been able to see when I had Olivia. All the while, I was still having contractions pretty frequently. By this time, Jon was up and took Auntie Hannah’s place to help me labor.

 

Dr. Doerrfeld was out of town, so I opted to have the midwife on call named, Mary Beth Smith.This was the best decision I made all day! All throughout my pregnancy I had been going back and forth about a home birth vs. a hospital birth. In the end, God made the decision for me, because my doctor was out of town.

 

After monitoring Sophie’s heart beat the midwife said that I could get up and walk around for thirty minutes. I got up went to the bathroom and walked around. My contractions were becoming unbearable as they came one right after the other. I did my best to breathe through them, but I was not sure how much more of this I could take!

 

At 9:30pm, I got back in bed, so that they could monitor Sophie for another thirty minutes. This was the one time, all day that when I laid down my contractions did not stop! I told Grandma I was tired and she said that I could lay in bed until 10:00pm, but that then we would get up to move around.

 

In that thirty minute period I went through transition. My contractions hurt so much as they forced my hips to open up and give way for the baby that was about to be born. I had kept my cool all day and with every contraction I felt like I was going to lose it.

 

I looked up at the clock which read 10:00pm and knew that there was no way I could get up and walk around. I hoped that Grandma would not make me get up out of bed, because I was in so much pain!

 

With the very next contraction, my water broke. As soon as my water broke I felt the need to push. I knew that it was just about time for me to have my baby girl. With Jon and Grandma’s help I did my best to not push until the midwife and nurses arrived.

 

The nurse checked me and I was complete. They sent someone to get the midwife and I could finally try a practice push. As the midwife came in, she threw on her hospital gowns and asked if Jon would like to catch Sophie and cut the cord.

 

Two contractions and three pushes later, Sophie was out! They put my precious baby on my chest, which was a new experience for me, because they didn’t do that with Olivia. I could not believe that my baby girl was finally here.



So excited to meet our baby girl!!

Over the next hour, they stitched me up, took care of Sophie, and just let us bond with our newest baby girl. There were so many babies born on December 27th, 2013 that they did not have enough room for us in the mother/baby wing of the hospital, so they kept us in labor and delivery.

 

Grandad, Grandma, Uncle Josh, and Auntie Hannah had all been in the waiting room and got to come see Sophie as soon as we were ready. They fell in love with Sophie at first sight!

 

Over the next few days Sophie met her big sister Olivia and many other people that love her. We brought Sophie home and since then, each day, we have been learning more about her and how to be a family of four. Sophie brings so much joy to our lives and we are thankful that the Lord has put her in our family!

 

We continue to be thankful for the many ways that the Lord has provided for our family and will continue to provide on Sophie’s behalf!


Sophie Joye 
8lbs 2oz; 19 inches long



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MY OTHER BIRTH STORIES


When I was a kid, my Mom would always share our birth stories with us!! As a result, I really love birth stories. 

Please click the links below to check out my other birth stories.


Olivia’s Birth Story 


Sophie’s Birth Story


Matilda’s Home Birth Story 


Evelyn and Zoey’s Home Birth Story


LinkWithin

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