Friday, August 31, 2012

Five Minute Friday: Change

(Part of a series by lisajobaker.com)

What an appropriate title for a post at this stage in my life right now!  We are about to embark on a BIG CHANGE.  I'm about to pack up my family and my duplex and move from Saginaw, MI to Durham, NC.  Our life has come full circle.  When we last lived in Durham, I was a Family Medicine resident at UNC; we had been recently married, were living in our first co-habitated dwelling, and had a 4 month old baby boy.  Now, 4 years later, I am an "experienced" family physician, about to be part of the faculty of UNC and working for my all time favorite UNC-associated clinic; we have been married for 6 years; and our little baby is now 4 and a half years old and has a little 2 year old sister to accompany him.  And we are just so HAPPENING to be moving back into the SAME apartment complex where we started out 4 years ago.  And I breathe a sigh of relief.  The CHANGES that we have gone through during our relatively short marriage I have not always welcomed with grace, and they have been difficult ones.  I am hopeful that THIS change will be different; it is one that we have been waiting for expectantly, with hope for a bettering of ourselves somehow.  We know we can't run away from life and hope it is going to magically be BETTER somewhere else, but we are trusting that since it is our LORD and our GOD who is calling us to return to Durham, He will be able to show us even more of His blessings as we do His work in Chapel Hill and Durham.  CHANGE is hard; we will cry, miss our family, miss our friends; I will miss my colleagues and patients deeply as well; but I am trusting that since this CHANGE is authored by the Maker of the Universe, it will be GOOD.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."--Romans 8:28


Friday, August 17, 2012

Five Minute Friday: Stretch

(Part of a series done on  lisajobaker.com )

When I think of stretching, I think of running--something that you are supposed to do before your workout to get your muscles ready, and afterwards to keep your muscles lithe and flexible and prevent soreness.  It kind of sounds like what prayer should be...something I do before I start my day to prepare me for the "workout" of the day, and something I end my day with, to prevent any pain, bitterness, hard feelings, hurt feelings from lasting into the next day.  I've been praying a lot more lately, but I haven't been running as much as I would like.  It's so hard to find a balance between being physically, spiritually, and emotionally fit.  My whole life I've been committed to my physical fitness, and I still think it's very important, but sometimes I've let my spiritual fitness slack in the meantime.  Maybe this season of my life it's okay to spend more time praying and stretching my spiritual wings more than stretching my running legs; I'm beginning to FINALLY see that everything is a season, and it's really hard to be "okay" with each season along the way, but God has this all ordained in His perfect plan, and He IS faithful in keeping his promises.  Maybe I'll go for a run tomorrow, and I'll be sure to stretch afterwards :)

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Potty Time...

Just had to share...
Savannah went potty FOUR times yesterday!  Jackson is the cutest potty coach, it's adorable!!  I splurged and bought her Cinderella Pull-ups for days I feel motivated.  :)  I can't even imagine the day I will no longer have to buy diapers...oh my, extra money for adorable clothes on zulily, ha!

Friday, August 3, 2012

Here...

Here...is where we've lived for 4 years.  Here is where I lost baby #2 and gave birth to beautiful baby #3, Savannah!  Here is where I've figured out how to be the doctor that I want to be, someone who makes a difference, someone who listens, someone who is affected by her patients even more than she affects them, sometimes.  Here is where we found a church home and family that will forever change the way we think about church.  Here is where I've had to learn to be content in any situation...and I haven't quite learned it yet.  Here is where we've gone through ups and downs (a lot of downs) and learned that our marriage is worth fighting for.  Here is where we still are, until we get There, where things won't necessarily be better, but different, and we will have new experiences to go through, new lessons learned, and new chances to learn Contentment.  Here, I will miss you...  But the good thing about life, is that there will always be a Here to live through, to grow through, and to learn from...

"From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere!"--Dr. Seuss.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Savannah Turns Two!!

One week ago, my "baby" turned two!  I was waiting until we had her well baby visit so I could document her stats, so here goes...

Dear Savannah,
You are 2 years old!  You are officially a toddler, not a baby, though I still think of you as my little baby.  :)  You weigh 30 lbs and are 34 inches tall.  You wear 2T-3T, size 5 diapers, and size 7 shoes.  You love playing with your baby dolls, your new play kitchen, and you LOVE to draw and color.  About a week before your birthday, your vocabulary just took off, and now you can say practically anything.  Your favorite color is purple, your favorite book is Ten Tiny Babies by Karen Katz, your best friend is Gigi, and your favorite song is Jesus Loves Me (you can even sing some of it yourself!)  You love to eat and will eat practically anything, especially anything that mommy and daddy are eating.  You don't really watch TV yet, you lose interest very quickly, and you would much rather be coloring or reading or playing.  You are starting to enter a destructive phase, but we haven't quite begun "time-outs" yet; we may be close.  You LOVE your brother, you still love to nurse, and when anyone meets you they ask, "Is she always this happy?"  YES!!  You must take after your mommy, ha!  I love you so much and I am so proud of the little girl you are becoming.  I am so excited for this next year together, and I am so thankful that God has blessed me with my little Savannah. 
Happy Birthday, Savannah Banana!

Love, Mommy