Nae's Heart » Updates

Happy New Year

Renae — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:19:08 +0000

Well…it is the New Year and We are all doing great. We had a great 2 week vacation and are back to work as of Tuesday! We had a wonderful time with my family for Christmas and James’ family for New Years!

It was great to see all of my siblings and for my sister and brother-in-law to meet Jacob for the first time! He loved his auntie and uncle! We had an enjoyable Christmas with Jacob being spoiled with clothes and toys!

Then it was on to San Francisco to spend time with James’ family…We had one day where the whole family was together (my brother-in-law had to fly home for work) but we used the time to get family pictures and play games! It was also Jacob’s first time meeting his cousins, Melissa and Anthony, and his Auntie Mary and Uncle John! He loved all of them also.

As we head into this New Year I am so thankful for all blessings in my life. We celebrated James’ 26th birthday yesterday and that celebration will continue until Friday night. I just want to say thank you to all my friends and family who love me and encourage me! Sometimes life isn’t easy but know I have such a wonderful support system makes things a little easier!

Jacob: 6 months

Renae — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:22:39 +0000

6 months old

My baby boy s 6 months old today! I can’t believe just 6 months ago I held him for the first time and cried. He is so big now and I love every minute I get to spend with him. We have had our bumps thus far but for the most part things have gone smoothly. He has 2 bottom teeth and is working on a top tooth…he likes his rice cereal, applesauce, peas, pears, and sweet potatoes…He is getting ready to crawl (he gets up on his hands and knees and rocks) I love him so much. He loves to laugh and talk to any one who will stop and pay attention to him.

I have learned many things in the last few months but the biggest thing I have learned is “it doesn’t matter what the house looks like…if my day was spent teaching Jacob about the Lord!” I love the moments of cuddling, or when I pick him up and he puts both his hands on my face, or when he tries to bite my chin, or when he wakes up in the middle of the night…He is a precious gift from God and I am so thankful for the many lessons I have learned already!

Among other news I can’t wait until Christmas…Looking forward to spending time with all our family and making memories with Jacob!

Moving forward

Renae — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:09:38 +0000

Sorry I have been silent for a little bit…Our power was out last Friday which made it impossible to do my Five Minute Friday since I had no internet. This week has been busy. It started Saturday with friends over…It was so much fun to spend time with them.

Then Sunday we had an early afternoon service after a soup fellowship…so Sunday seemed like a long day since we were at church from 8:30 am until 3:00 pm…but it was nice to have an evening at home.

Monday and Tuesday were fairly normal days. Jacob has been fighting a little bit of a cold so he was a little more fussy then normal.

Wednesday was a rough day…Jacob was really fussy, even to the point of being so tired and not wanting to sleep that all he did was scream. Then we had church and Jacob’s schedule was off…then we had a youth leaders meeting and that pushed his bed time back a little farther. We finally got home at 8:30 and I feed him and then he proceeded to fuss for an hour before finally falling asleep…I think part of the reason he was so fussy yesterday was because he wasn’t getting enough to eat.

All of this brings us to toady…I called the pediatrician and they suggested starting him on rice cereal…so we went to the store and bought some…after work James and I took Jacob to Babies R Us and bought plates, bowls, and cups…We got home and he had his first meal in his highchair…He loved it! He couldn’t get enough! After the cereal I fed him and then he went to bed…we will see how he does! He will be 5 months next week and I am so happy with his growth.

James and I are doing great! I love being a mom and the time I get to spend at home with Jacob is so precious!

Busy weekend

Renae — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 21:35:53 +0000

Well this week was fun and sad all at the same time. It was a great first week of school and I am really enjoying my schedule. On Thursday and Friday the Jr high and High School had Spiritual Emphasis and because I am off most of the day I was able to participate in some of the activities. We spent Thursday at the park and Friday we joined them at the beach.

Friday we also received the sad news that Jesse Ravega, a friend of our family, had been killed in a motorcycle accident. Jesse was a Godly man who loved his Lord and family. He will be greatly missed. This of course made my Friday evening very emotional. I am so thankful Jesse was saved and that we will see him again.

Friday also brought James’ parents to visit. We had a great weekend with them. Saturday was a relaxing day of grocery shopping and walking around the mall. We bought Jacob an outfit for his dedication on Sunday and mom and dad found some good deals on clothes.

Sunday brought church. We dedicated Jacob to the Lord and both of his sets of grandparents were able to be there. We had a relaxing afternoon at home with both of our parents.

Today brought good-byes. We said good-bye to mom and dad Ashton. We will see them on about a month but I still hate good-byes. After they left we went and got our rings cleaned at Robbin’s Bros. and then walked around South Coast Plaza. Now we are home listening to the Giants game while Jacob takes a nap.

8 Weeks and finally feeling normal

Renae — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 04:37:04 +0000

Well, Jacob is 8 weeks old and I am finally feeling back to normal. I have worked through the hormones and the healing from childbirth. We have finally settled into a routine and the feeling of reality has hit. I actually have a baby, all our own. It is kind of an unreal feeling but becoming more real every day. I am finally learning to respond to certain cries and to let him fuss through others. I am becoming more efficient at bathing him and changing diapers. We are both getting more sleep at night and that is helping our days to go more smoothly. Do James and I as parents always know what Jacob wants? No. But we are learning slowly and surely. We are doing our best to love our little bundle of joy and to teach him about the love of God. I am so thankful for all of the love and support that we have and for our wonderful family. I would not have made it to where I am today without all of you!

Jacob-7 weeks

Renae — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 04:34:11 +0000

Well, Time has seemed to fly by and my baby is 7 weeks old…I am still learning to be a good mommy and to understand what his different cries mean but we are doing good. He has grown so much since he was born and he is a joy to have in our lives. He is doing really good especially at night…He eats at 8:30 pm and goes to sleep all by himself in his bed. He sleeps for 4-5 hours before waking up for his first late night meal. Then he goes 3 hours before his next feeding. This has allowed me to get some much needed rest. We are all falling into a routine that allows us to spend time together and also with friends and family.

I have enjoyed being able to spend time with Helen Wright once a week, she allows me to do laundry at her house and it gives her the chance to have Jacob all to herself! I have also spent afternoons with Sarah Jones and her 2 kids, Chase and Cassidy. Chase loves baby Jacob and enjoys showing him all his toys and he also sings to Jacob when Jacob cries. It is nice to be able to relax and just fellowship with other ladies. This afternoon I hung out with Sara Nelson and her 3 kids, Aaron, Caleb, and Hannah. Hannah is the sweetest little girl and she loves holding Jacob. She spent the afternoon sitting next to me on the couch sharing Jacob with her mom. I am so thankful for the wonderful friends and family that God has placed in my life. I would not have survived the last 7 weeks without them. So a great big thank you to all who have encouraged me and been there for me and put up with my emotions and tears. I love you all so much!

Jacob’s First Road Trip

Renae — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 04:23:07 +0000

This past weekend our family took a road trip to San Francisco. It was Jacob’s first road trip and he did very well I will say. We left Friday evening at 6 pm and arrived in SF at 2 am after a long but fairly uneventful drive. Traveling with a child is so different then just the 2 of us. We stopped twice to feed him and he had a few fussy moments. Besides that all went well.

The weekend was fun…Saturday found us getting ready for Ruth’s going away party and making a trip into the city to visit AT&T Park which is the home of the Giants. We took lots of pictures and had a great time.

Willie McCovey Statue

Mommy and Jacob at AT&T Park

Sunday found us going to church and then having Ruth’s going away party. It was a fun time filled with food, friends, and family. After everyone left we cleaned up and then all relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Our Family

Monday found James and I getting things ready to leave. We took much longer to get home then we did getting there. We left SF at 1:15 pm and didn’t arrive home until 11:00 pm. We stopped to feed Jacob and also for a nice dinner out of the car. All of us needed the break from traveling and it helped us make the last leg of the trip without much problem.

We had a great time and are glad we got to see Ruth before she moves to South Dakota next week. Today Jacob and I went to visit my parents and Tim. It is nice to be home now and I am looking forward to a relaxing day tomorrow. I have my 6 week dr appt tomorrow morning and church in the evening but the afternoon will be relaxing. I can’t believe Jacob is 6 weeks tomorrow! Time has flown by!

Eric and Joyann’s Wedding

Renae — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 01:45:38 +0000

Today, we went to the wedding of some wonderful friends…It was a beautiful wedding and Baby Jacob’s 2nd wedding in his one month of life. He was a model baby. But back to the wedding…It was a simple affair but very elegant. Eric and Joyann wrote vows for each other and surrounded by family and friends committed their lives to each other. I am really happy for them but sad at the same time…because they are moving to Kentucky right after their honeymoon. I am really going to miss both of them, but am happy to see them following the Lord’s will in their lives.

Our family with Mr. and Mrs. Eric Lokker

Baby Jacob-a month old

Renae — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 00:35:30 +0000

Well my handsome little man will be one month old tomorrow…Time has gone by so fast. He is a wonderful blessing and I have loved every minute of being a mom. He is doing really good now that I cut dairy out of my diet. No more colic, well at least not bad…He still has it every now and then. Other than that he is really a calm baby. He is on a 2-3 hour eating schedule except when he is cluster feeding which just means he is growing. James and I are learning how to be parents…it is tiring but so much fun.

"Yes, I know I am cute!"

Jacob Has Colic

Renae — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:45:13 +0000

Well, we have hit our first bump in the road of child raising. My very wonderfully mildly tempered son has colic. This has caused Jacob to have fits of crying and fussing. At first I had no idea what was wrong…I have never been a parent before. I didn’t know that Jacob’s little digestive tract was given him tummy trouble…I thought he was still hungry. I would try to feed him but that just seemed to make it worse and he would fuss louder. A friend told me it was his tummy and told me of a medicine that I should try. So we bought the medicine and it seems to help but Jacob is still having a hard time going to sleep after feedings and he isn’t sleeping very well at night. This makes for one tired mommy and daddy who are trying to function on very little sleep. We are working on keeping him swaddled, and moving as these things seem to help but they are hard at 3 am when you are half asleep. We are praying that his tummy troubles clear up soon. Until then we will be the couple functioning on little sleep!