That's right, he is here!
Ok, so he has been here for 3 days... I'm a new mom, cut me some slack!
The Facts and Stats:
William "Liam" Thomas Sledge
Born Friday October 28, 2011 at 1:16 pm
Weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces and measured 19.5 inches
Blonde, curly hair just like his daddy
He is perfect
Here he is mere minutes old!
Chicken & Waffles. Best. Food. Ever. Never heard of it? Well, you're probably not from the south. No worries, Wikipedia knows all.
UNFORTUNATELY... it's generally not a food option. Several Factors play into this scenario...
1) Finding a restaurant that serves Chicken & Waffles is nearly impossible. I have definitely never seen it locally.
2) I don't own a Waffle Iron. Sad truth.
3) In my current 9 month Preggo state... The act of standing over a stovetop frying chicken is completely unappealing.
Go figure 9 months Preggo is when I crave Chicken & Waffles!
What's a girl to do?
Cheat.
Here's the Cheater's Guide to Chicken and Waffles. Same taste... less work.
What you'll need:
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Flour
Butter
Tony Chachere's Seasoning (or whatever seasonings you like for fried chicken)
Frozen Waffles (NO, I'M NOT JOKING)
Maple Syrup
Ziploc Bag
Baking Dish
ummm.... and an oven and a toaster... but those are probably obvious... as is plate, fork, knife, etc. but just in case you were unaware, now you know.
I don't measure and I'm bad a giving directions :) Here Goes...
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| YUM! Chicken! |
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| Best Ever! Try It! |
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| Ready to go into the oven! |
+ 
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| My "plating" skills leave much to be desired... darn you food network! |
Today is Tuesday and is day T-W-O of my newest official title, Stay At Home Mom... sans the actual mom part considering my first born is still unborn. Regardless, my last day of work was Friday and I now stay at home. It is quite bittersweet, actually. As much as I am excited for my little Liam's arrival, I will dearly miss all of the girls I worked with at the ol' PFW.
It's been all cleaning all the time around here the past two days, and by that I do mean the "Pregnant Lady" version. It may not seem as though I've done much, but if you take what I've done and add the Pregnant Lady part, you will see that in reality I have done the equivalent of climbing Mt. Everest. It's not easy bent over a bathtub scrubbing with this massive belly. Not to mention, exhaustion happens by merely walking to the fridge to refill my water... any more than that is sheer woman-powered-will.
Not only am I nesting a wee bit, I'm also having a slight meltdown about visitors and the like to my humble abode. Cleaning is the only solution. I'm also bound and determined to "show" my husband that I promise to actually do things besides just stay at home! "Earn My Keep" if you will. I feel so strongly that with my new title of SAHM comes the responsibility of not only caring for my child, but also for my home. The more I study about God's desires and plans for me as a wife and mother, the more I see my responsibility in running our home.
"She carefully watches everything in her household
and suffers nothing from laziness." Proverbs 31:27
My life since that tiny faint pink line showed up on a pregnancy test in February has been consumed by "Having a Baby". Everything I eat, purchase, save for, think about, stress about, pray about, dream about, is all about "Having a Baby". I've been to my OB appointments, I've decorated a nursery, I've read books, I've "mentally prepared myself" for labor (that last one is still in question. I'm ready to have a baby.
Call me crazy, or stupid... at this point I'm so fat and pregnant (a) I don't care and (b) there's nothing I could do about it anyways...
Until tonight, while in the shower (If you haven't noticed, that's when I do all my big thinking), I never thought past "Having a Baby". Whats the next step in line? What happens after I have this baby? Oh, I don't know, maybe... BECOMING A MOM?!
WHAM! if i hadn't been sitting down I would have fallen over. Why in all of this preparation had I not even considered this whole becoming a mom thing? That is a really big step that I don't know if I'm prepared for (too late now, well you better get ready, blah, blah, blah, thanks readers, I can hear you from here!!). Being a mom is much, much bigger than birthing this child.
What if I mess up? What if I don't teach him all the things he needs to know? What if I'm a bad influence on him? What if he doesn't like me? What if I spoil him too much? What if I deprive him of things he needs? What if he's put in a psychiatric ward by the time he is 12 and it's all my fault??
*panic*
So, I did what I always do when I panic... I prayed for Liam.
Dear God, please grow this baby boy big and strong. Lord, I know you have huge plans for and him and his future and that you will provide for him no matter what, even despite my shortcomings as a mom. Father, don't let my inabilities affect his abilities. Give him a heart that always seeks you and never sways from your path. God, equip me to raise this child, because I can't do this without you. Surround me with knowledgeable, Godly women to help me. Lord, raise up baby Liam and allow him to stand strong on the promises you've made, let him fulfill the plans that you have for his life, let him always find comfort in you. Thank you Jesus for this precious little man. Amen.
So simple, I know, and probably on the verge of silly.
Isn't this what every mother wants for her son?
Well, yes, but I find that simply wanting vs actually asking God and proclaiming his promises are two vastly different worlds.
"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." Phil 4:6
Doesn't God already know you can't do this alone?
It's amazing the comfort I find in just telling God I'm incompetent even though he already knows.
"may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen." Heb 13:21
*side note* Call me crazy (again), but Liam knows when I pray for him. Seriously. There are 4 things he ALWAYS moves for...
1. Mexican Food - understandable... What on your insides doesn't move for that spicy stuff?
2. "Aunt" Lisa - understandable... She has the sweetest, most kind and compassionate voice, what baby wouldn't love that?
3. Will's Car Stereo - understandable... With subwoofers that loud, I'm surprised the child isn't traumatized from all of my insides shaking!
4. My Prayers For Him - explain that one?
Now I'm sitting on the couch hoping that I can be everything Liam needs me to be as a mom, knowing I'll fall short sometimes, and thanking God for his provision regardless.
"Mom" here I come...
*side note part II : The Remix* Progress with the nursery? Check it out....
Before
Thirty-six weeks of gestation (sounds so fancy!) is apparently the point in pregnancy in which you lose your mind. Maybe it's the big 36 week appointment at which you become violated by your OB doctor like never before, or maybe it's the sleep deprived, slightly-panicked-because-things-aren't-ready-yet state that brings about total mind meltdown. Is there a "C, all of the above"?
Not only does my brain no longer function properly (according to experts, it never will again...) but now I'm nesting. Seriously. Suddenly I have the urge to scrub base boards and clean behind things!? What the heck!? Now, I don't keep a messy house to start with so there isn't tons to be done, but I'm 30 pounds heavier than normal and I waddle like a duck and I can't lift or bend or pull anything...how on earth am I supposed to deep clean?
I'm trying to make the most of the desire while I have it. Today I returned duplicate gifts to the store and then did some shopping for Liam's nursery. I washed all of his newborn clothes, blankets, burp clothes, towels and rags, etc. I packed my hospital bag and his diaper bag, outfitted the car with the car seat, started to tackle the insanity that is the nursery (and made some progress!), made a donation bag for goodwill, and listed some items on craigslist. I know that doesn't seem like much, but that is huge compared to what I have been doing... Which is a whole lot of nothing!! I am hoping I can be just as successful tomorrow so I can call it a productive weekend and feel slightly more at ease about going into labor randomly this week.
I had never thought about googling myself until today. What changed? I had my first experience with cyberstalking and harassment.
