3 Months Old!

I really think someone is pushing fast forward on the remote control for my life. How is my sweet baby already 3 months old? I feel more sad about this milestone than the last several. Maybe because I go back to work next week and I know time will seem to go by even faster, though I know the time I have with Hendrix and with Harper will be more quality time.
We packed a LOT into the past month so I'll use pictures to help me remember what we've done! He doesn't go to the doctor this month so no stats, but he is growing like a weed! So glad he is healthy. And the reflux medication is helping! Thank goodness!

Hendrix got to participate in his first Cow Appreciation Day at Chik-fil-A. He was sad he didn't get to partake in the food!

Big month of firsts! First trip to the beach!

This little boy LOVES taking baths! I have a feeling he will be a little fish when he gets old enough to learn how to swim!

He likes tummy time now, no screaming. But it isn't very interesting and often he works so hard holding his 95th percentile head up he eventually falls asleep! Ha!

Celebrating my mom's birthday!

 These two love each other so much!

It seriously makes my mama heart burst when I see how much they love each other!

And this one! Oh, be still my heart. She loves 'reading' and I hope we can pass this on to him as well!

Hendrix would like to add that sometimes his sister loves him a little too much. Here she shared her hair bow with him. He was not amused!

Hendrix is so snuggly. He has trouble sleeping when not swaddled, but will easily fall asleep if he can cuddle with this soft lovie. I am so glad that he loves to snuggle with me, too!

Hendrix added two new states this month! Georgia and Tennessee. We got to see dear friends from college (some that live in Nashville, some that were visiting from Texas!). It is always such a joy to see friends that we don't get to see nearly as often as we like AND to get to see all of our kids becomes friends, too!

Last picture! That is Jason on the left and Hendrix on the right, both wearing the same outfit. They obviously favor! (Though Jason was fatter!)

I really don't know how to put into words how thankful I am to be able to parent this sweet boy. God gave us such an amazing gift at exactly the right time, though a year ago I was terrified and excited all at the same time, wondering if I was emotionally ready to be mom to another child. I pray that Hendrix keeps his sweet spirit, that he and Harper will always share such a special bond, and that he will grow to love the Lord with joy and passion!

Two months!

I can't believe this sweet boy is two months old! We are so thankful and humbled that we get to be his parents! At two months he weighs 12lbs,14 oz, is 24 inches long, and his head circumference is 16.14 inches! Thankful for a healthy, growing boy! After his 2 month check up he is now on reflux medication and we hope to see that help soon. Poor boy was crying when he would spit up (usually about 3 hours after eating).

 These are some of his newborn pictures. He is 9 days old. 

 It is amazing how fast they change at this age!

 Already loving the orange and blue!

 Sweet, sleepy baby! He now sleeps in about 4-6 hour stretches at night. Nothing consistent but I'm praying he'll start sleeping these longer stretches nightly soon!

 He is an excellent baby when we take him out of the house. I love this stage where you can go out to eat with your child and carry on a conversation (heck, even finish a sentence!).

 It's not all roses, though! His tummy hurts from the reflux and he cries. So pitiful. This picture cracks me up, he really really does love his sister. He smiles for her faster than anyone!

 When he encounters something new he studies it with this very serious look on his face. I love it!

 But he's also really smiley! He really is a very sweet baby and grins big when you talk to him or even just smile at him!

I think he is so pretty here! Jason and Harper correct me for using the word pretty, but he really is! 

Hendrix, you are truly such a joy to be around! I have learned so much from you after just two short months! God is using you to teach me how to be more faithful, more patient, and how to rely on HIS strength. Goodness knows I have none left at 2am! We love you so much and are so thankful to have you as part of our family!

One month old!

You know you're not the first child when your mom doesn't update the blog until you're a month old!
Hendrix Michael Martin arrived May 8 at 6:37am. He weighed 8lbs, 6oz and was 21 inches long.

Sweet boy!

Chunky cheeks!

He started smiling at 2 weeks old!

Hendrix at one month old! He is now 22.5 inches long and weighs 10lbs 4oz. 

Hendrix,

You have only been a part of our family for a month, but we couldn't imagine life without you! You are so loved! You are a very calm, chill baby. Unless you get hungry, then watch out world (and wear ear protection) because you will let everyone know about it! Your temperament reminds me a lot of your daddy! You are steady and even and stay calm almost all the time. It takes a lot to get you upset. Even today getting your shot and heel prick at the doctor you cried just a bit then settled right back down, even though I know it hurt! Once you get upset, though, it takes a long time for you to calm down. Your sister was different. She fussed more frequently but never got as mad as you do! You do give us warnings before getting so mad, your face turns redder and redder and if something doesn't happen soon then you lose it! The only other thing that really seems to bother you is gas pains. Harper never had issues with that and it is so sad to see because you cry this cry of pain! Mommy hates to see you hurting! That seems to have gotten better in the past week, though. You are a mama's boy through and through and I LOVE it! Right now you prefer me to anyone else, though you are okay with other people holding you unless you get upset. You are warming up to your Daddy now, thankfully! You really like to be with us and don't like to be left in a room alone (i.e. if you are asleep and I put you in your crib then leave the room). You have already rolled over from back to front several times! I am not sure what I think about having another child who is so far ahead on the physical milestones. I want to keep you a baby for as long as possible. Though I am VERY thankful you are developing typically. You started smiling in response to me smiling around 2 weeks old. One night you had been a little fussy and I got you calm and laid down on the couch with you asleep in my arms. At one point you woke up, looked up at me, and smiled (as if happy to know that I was still there). At that moment you won me over 1,000 times more than I already had been! You love your sister so much and are so entertained by her. Although sometimes she is overwhelming when she gets in your face too much and you have to turn away. She loves you SO much, though, and has really transitioned well to having a new baby in the house!

Well, it's time for you to eat! 

Love,

Mommy

10!

Usually when I do a number post it is related to Harper hitting some milestone. Today it is quite another milestone, though. Jason and I have been married for TEN YEARS! That is crazy. And wonderful. And exciting. I thought I'd put in my two cents about marriage, what I've learned over the past ten years. I am in NO way a love expert (haha, stole that from Frozen) or a marriage expert, and these are just my personal thoughts, but I think making it 10 years is something to be proud of. I hope I'm back in another 10, 20, 30 years with more advice and pictures!

What babies! Junior prom, 1998

I think  our marriage could seem fairy tale from afar. Which is ironic, because growing up I never dreamed about being married or played wedding. I always wanted to be a mom and thought, very unromantically, that marriage was the means to that end. Anyway, unlike a lot of little girls I was never consumed with this idea of marriage or weddings. But back to the fairy tale part. Jason and I met when we were 15. We've now known each other longer than we haven't, for 18 years. We dated a little in high school and then started dating the day we graduated and never looked back! (Which, coincidentally, is the same date as our anniversary and the same date Hendrix was due!). To look back now and think about meeting the person I was going to marry when I was 15 is strange. I would have laughed in your face then! One of our first conversations was me trying to talk up a friend of mine so Jason would ask her out! We dated for 6 years, long distance, before we got married. Thank goodness for all that distance (though I was not thankful for it at the time) because Jason and I were able to grow up and become our own independent selves apart from each other. God's plan was that we were still going to like our new, more grown up selves, at the end of it all. Thank goodness. Anyway, I am going to keep rambling, so here's the fairy tale in a nutshell: meet the love of your life at 15, start dating at 18, date for 6 years separated by 350 miles but manage to make it work with plenty of hours long phone calls and sweet love letters, get engaged at twilight on the highest point in Nashville with fireflies dancing around and fireworks to top it off, get married in a big, beautiful wedding in front of all our family and friends, live out our lives in perfect bliss. The end.

Oh, but wait. That's not what your marriage sounds like? Well, that's not what mine is like, either! Okay, it is, but it's not. Some days marriage looks more like this:

Then like this:

And I'm okay with that. First of all, if I had one piece of advice to give to someone who is considering marriage it would be: Don't. I know, that sounds crazy. But seriously, this is a HUGE commitment not to be taken lightly. And I know, you feel all the feelings for this person and have these rose colored glasses and dreams of this amazing wedding. But feelings and a beautiful wedding will only take you so far. When you are tired and stressed and snap at your spouse. A lot. When your partner is sick and you have to take on all the responsibilities. When you have no money but bills still coming in. When you have a baby that wakes up every two hours. When you are sitting in a doctor's office listening to the worst news you've ever heard in your life. You can "yeah yeah, we'll be fine, most of that stuff won't even happen to us" all you want. You can gloss over the advice of whatever brief marriage counseling you are getting, thinking you're good. You two are solid. You LOVE each other. But that love feeling is only going to take you so far. I hate to burst anyone's bubble and unromanticize this whole marriage thing, but love is not enough. If you are considering getting married try to picture all of these stressful and horrible situations I've listed and see who you'd want to be by your side. Every day you have to make a choice to keep loving the person next to you in bed, even if they aggravate you, even if they spent way too much money on something, even if your lives are falling apart. It is NOT for the faint of heart. And divorce is so hard and so painful and has so many consequences- I have had enough friends go through divorce that I would say it would be MUCH better to just not get married than to get divorced. One of my favorite songs about marriage is Andrew Peterson's 'Dancing in the Minefields'. If I could have an image of what marriage is going to look like it would be the couple in full battle gear (armor, helmets, swords, etc.) holding hands with swords up running at the enemy. Which is life. Marriage is a battle. A battle that starts with you giving up your life for another person. Marriage is two very broken people trying, not to fix each other or complete each other, but trying to just be broken together.

Our first year of marriage...still babies with no clue what we were in for yet.

Whew. So, marriage kind of sounds terrible now that I've said all of that. However. It can be a beautiful thing to watch two broken people learn to love the other more than themselves, despite the fact that they are so broken. What a beautiful picture of the gospel, when marriage reflects that kind of never-ending, never-giving up, never stopping love- "no matter what" as Harper says. I just want people to be prepared for reality. And honestly? I think Jason and I have a really great marriage. Not perfect. That poor man has to put up with me! But really great. Maybe that's why I want people to know all of the junk, because if at the end of the day you can still make it through all of that, you have a partner for life who you love more than your own life.

Jason,
I am SO glad that God chose you for me. I'm so glad you've gotten to be by my side as my husband for the past ten years as we fight the battles of life. We've been through hell and back and there is no one else I'd choose to be by my side through any of it. We've also had an amazing time learning, growing, and loving over the past 10 years. When I think back to the day we said our vows and how I thought I could never love you as much as I loved you at that moment I can't even believe how much more I love you now! You are patient, you are kind, you keep me laughing, you are willing to try new food, you are willing to dream with me, you are willing to fight for me: you love me well. Even when I feel unloveable. Even when things are falling apart around us. Even when life is good and we forget about the battle scars. I'd choose you again and again!
I love you!
Meredith

My favorite picture from our wedding day. In the end, this is how I choose to think about our marriage. Such a great picture of the intimate sweetness that only two people who have been through life's battles together can truly understand. 

One year

At 2:31am on April 10, 2014, after a long and very painful labor, Jack Andrew Martin entered the world. All pain was forgotten as we got to meet our son for the first time. While this should have been the most difficult and painful day in our lives, at the time we felt such peace and were thrilled to finally get to see our long awaited son. Today will be a hard day, there will be a lot of thoughts about what Jack would be doing now, what he would look like as a one year old, what type of an eater would he be, etc. However, we choose today to celebrate and remember his life.

Dear Jack,
Happy birthday! Your big sister is insistent we celebrate you today and will be disappointed when I tell her we don't have cake. You are loved by so many people, some who never met you! Harper loves imagining what you are doing in Heaven and I am sure a birthday that is also the day you entered Heaven is cause for extra celebration!
I wanted to thank you for all the amazing gifts you gave us in your short time here on Earth. Just getting to meet you and hold you was the biggest gift we could have gotten. Your daddy and I still talk about how, though you were small, you were such a chunk and I've always had a soft spot for chunky babies. You also gave me the gift of time with your sister. I got a month off after you were born and the extra time I got with Harper was so precious to both of us. Even now I get to spend more time with her because I have a different work schedule than I did before you were born. Your baby brother Hendrix (due to arrive in about a month) was not ever in my plans before we were pregnant with you, Jack, so in a way we can thank you for him as well. We'll make sure to tell him all about you and we'll keep your teddy bear in his room to help him remember you (don't worry, it will be up high until he can learn how to care for his toys). Your life and death also helped bring your daddy and I closer to God. Though it seems like a situation like this would have made us run, God actually used you to bring us near to him even more. He held us through the darkest moments of our lives and he turned something terrible into something for His good.
Jack, your life- while short, has made a great impact on many people. More than some adults! While your dad and I would always choose to have you here on Earth with us, we know God has used your life to do so many amazing things already and I know He will continue to do so.
I love you sweet boy,
Mommy

Want to help continue Jack's legacy? See the options below for how you can help!

Junior League of Lee County Backpack Program: 52% of children in Lee County are on the Free or Reduced Lunch program at school. 20% of children in Lee County struggle with chronic hunger. The backpack program continues to grow and provides food for children on the free lunch program to eat over the weekend when school meals are not provided. To donate, click on this link and then go to the "donate now" button and donate in memory of Jack.

http://www.juniorleagueofleecounty.com/home

Sonshine Day Camps (sponsored through Alabama Rural Ministry- ARM): These camps are for children in Tuskegee and Livingston Alabama. The camps provide a safe environment as well as academic enrichment and Christian education for children from areas that have little access to other programs over the summer. To donate, click on this link and go to the "donate now" button on the right side of the page and donate in memory of Jack.

http://www.arm-al.org

What's in a name?- Part two

(Top picture- my mom with me when I was about 1- she is SO beautiful! Hope I look half as good as her at any age! Bottom picture- my Grandmother Wyers and I at "the Farm").

Naming a child is tough! Anybody else feel this way? The weight of that responsibility is heavy and the fact that they will carry that name for their entire lives is not lost on Jason and I. It took us 8 months to name Harper and we didn't tell anyone after we finally did come up with a name for fear that they would somehow make us change our minds. Today I can't picture Harper by any other name and when I think about the other options we had I cringe because they just don't fit her. Thankfully with Jack we had his name picked out for years before we decided to have children. And we were even more confident in our choice when we found out it meant "God is gracious". When it came time to name this newest little guy we had lots of name options that we liked, but didn't feel like they were right for our child. Finally, after months of spreadsheets, crossing names off, trying out names to see what they sound like when we say them, and opinions from 4 year olds, we have picked a name!

Hendrix Michael Martin

My mom's mom was known as "Grandmother Wyers" to our family. Though she died when I was in 5th grade I always felt very close to her (as I'm sure she made all her grandchildren feel!) and have very sweet memories of our times together. My grandmother's maiden name was Hendrix. When she was in high school the state ran out of money to fund the school and so her school was closed. By the time there were enough funds to open the schools again she had already married my grandfather and married students weren't allowed to attend. This led to her passion for education. Eventually she worked with Congressman Carl Elliott, who was also a champion for education and he passed the National Defense Education Act (read more about Carl Elliott here). 

My Grandmother Wyers always "had my back". She believed me when others didn't and stuck up for me (see: that time it snowed in April or May in north Alabama and no one believed me when I looked out the window and said I saw snow!). That makes an impression on a child!

 Even after my family moved to California and Virginia we returned to visit my grandparents farm for several weeks each summer. We stayed in a house down the street from their home. I would wake up very early each morning and walk down the road in my pajamas (often in the dark). My grandmother would be awake and I would sit on her lap while she drank her tea or coffee, either on the porch or in front of their picture window, and watch the sun rise and the birds come to eat at the feeders. Those memories of the way the humid, summer air smelled, the smell of their house, and how loved I felt are so vivid. I am so thankful for such precious memories. 

So when it came time to pick a name, a name that to us embodies passion for education, love, and a sweet spirit was the perfect choice. While Hendrix technically means ruler of the home, we hope he'll take after his great grandmother Valeria Hendrix Wyers! And while some may think he is named after  Jimi Hendrix (who was a fabulous guitarist and we pray our Hendrix inherits his Poppa's guitar playing ability) our hope is that in character he is more like his great grandmother than a famous guitarist. 

Michael is a strong name that appears in both of our families. Most importantly, my dad's name is Michael! It means "Who is like God?". Harper likes Michael best out of all the archangels because he is said to have a flaming sword! 

So, those are our thoughts behind the name of our newest family member. We can't wait to put a face with the name! 

My grandmother helping me celebrate a birthday! I wonder what she would think about the internet (or her picture being on a blog!). 

Hope during healing

"We may ask why brokenness is so often a prelude to the surrender that God seeks, and for the answer, we need to go back again to the Garden. It was there that our human nature was forged. Our natural tendency is always to assert our independence, and seek to determine our own destiny. As we have seen, the consequences of this are grave. God in his wisdom will allow events that will curb our headlong dash for independence. Inevitably, the failure and disappointment of these events will lead to personal brokenness. God chooses not to leave us there, but to draw us back into his presence with his loving kindness, so that he might remake and start to really use us."

From Covenant and Kingdom: The DNA of the Bible by Mike Breen

As we enter this Christmas season we mourn what we do not have but we hope for what is to come. 

Our newest family member is expected to arrive on our 10 year anniversary, May 14, 2015. We are delighted and excited to be able to anticipate and welcome a healthy, baby BOY. Words can not express the joy we feel at the coming of our newest son. At Christmas we are especially grateful for this gift that we have been given that we do not deserve.

 Hello sweet boy!

 Gender reveal for our family

 Action shots

 Look closely, what color do you see?

 Harper excited for another baby brother!

 Take two- we even had Skype going!

 Blue!

 Harper needed hearing protection from the balloon pop!

 Lots of blue!

 It's a boy!

All is calm, all is bright.