The One You Need

A good friend of mine shared this video with me today, and it really got me thinking.

How true is it that we are going to mess up as parents no matter how hard we try?
I know I have been going at this thing for a month and I have messed up quite a bit already.
It's a huge step going from not having a child to having one.
From being concerned about yourself and your husband to having this small child completely dependant on you,
I know I have at times looked at other mothers and thought
Wow they have it all together, they really have this whole thing down
Then I look at myself, forgetting things everywhere, stressed, trying to do the whole wife student mother and still have somewhat of a social life of my own.

But the lyrics to this song really got me

I wish that I could be your everything 
Be the one to give you all the things you'll need 
Sometimes I'm gonna let you down 
But there's the One and if you'll just believe 
He'll be your hero like He's always been for me 
Darling, Jesus is the one you need. 

Jesus is the only one who will be everything we need.
The ONLY One.

How great is it knowing that- it's okay if we mess up!  God knows we aren't going to be perfect and that is why he sent his Son to us.

As a parent it is my prayer that my daughter realizes that Jesus is the one she needs.

Peyton's First Month

Wow! People were not joking when they said that the time goes by fast!

Peyton is one month old!
One month ago at this time, I was walking into the hospital, really not with the slightest clue of how much my life would change.
One month ago, I was being told that I would have to go into surgery for a C-section and that I would have my daughter in my arms in less than an hour.
One month ago, I was spending my first night alone in the hospital with my daughter, unable to fall asleep as I looked at her just hoping I would be able to do this whole parenting thing.


Here are the things I have learned and come to love about my daughter as well as her big steps this month:
--> She loves being held, the moment she is put down she starts crying
--> She loves the fireplace as well as sleeping with a blanket over her head, though I find myself peeking under quite a bit to make sure she is okay
--> She knows both of our voices-- the other day I walked in the room and started talking and she woke up when she heard my voice
--> she is starting to focus on things and loves watching her mobile go around and around
--> She passed her hearing test and now that she's a bit older I can see how much she loves music and her lullaby songs
--> though she hates getting naked or her diaper changed, she is starting to not cry as much as she realizes it has to be done
--> She loves bouncing so often Wes and I must take turns bouncing her as your legs can only bounce for so long before becoming tired


Some funny saying from the first month:
--> I was feeding Peyton and asked her if she was full yet to which Wes replied half sleeping ....Not really...
--> I was telling Wes about my day and said how Peyton hadn't slept all day or most of the night- I look over and she had the biggest smirk on her face I have ever seen.


Our time is now filled with diaper changes, rocking Peyton and planning our day around when Peyton will be hungry, but it really is all worth it!

Here are some pictures of Peyton on her 1 month birthday! (Taken by me... sorry they definitely ARE NOT professional.)

Now I Understand

It's funny how growing up I never really understood how much your parents have done for me.


My mother carried me for  9 months in her stomach.
She fed me and clothed me each and every day (this is no easy task!)
She decided to stay home to raise me so I could have a strong relationship with her.
She put up with my fussiness, my back-talking and my grumpy days.
She nurtured me and taught me how to be a mother to my own child.
She taught me how to be a wife that is loving to her husband.
She taught me what true love was and to wait for a man that is worth marrying.

My father provided the finances to have the lifestyle that I did.
He came home tired from work each day, but still had enough energy to play with me and my siblings.
He taught me the importance of having a strong relationship with God.
He showed me how a man should treat me if he really loves me.
He sat through all my swim meets on a weekly basis and got involved in every way he could.
He supported my mother and took on the job of being the head of the household.
He spent quality time with each child doing things we enjoyed.

There are so many things that I took for granted when it comes to my parents, but after even just a month of parenting I am realizing how big these things really are.  I am seeing how great of parents they were and how great of grandparents they are as well as I watch them interact with Peyton.

I am so grateful for everything they have done for me and I really do hope that I can be the type of parent that they both were to me.

Peyton's Bath

So there may be a video explosion, but I figure while Peyton is napping good today I would get housework and these done.

This is a video of Peyton's first bath with the nurse at the hospital (well second- the first was short and I was still stuck in my bed).  

Most of the nurses at the hospital were so helpful throughout our stay there and ready to answer all the questions we had.  

Clearly, she wasn't a fan of the water at first- but now she loves it!  At home we have a bathtub with music player in it and she usually stops crying after we put on her bath time music.

Visiting Friends

Last Wednesday, two of my good friends stopped by on their way home from Niagra. 

I always love getting together with these two ladies and lately Peyton has joined us (seeing as currently her and I are one unit).

Peyton loves both these ladies but really seemed to enjoy Elisa on this particular visit!

Parenting Study

Over the last few weeks, Wes and I have been attending a Parenting Bible Study put on by a couple at our church. It has been very helpful in seeing God's view on parenting and the roles we are given as parents. Seeing as we are both new to the whole thing, and there are others in the same shoes as us, I have decided to post some of the notes from this study and some of my own experiences related to these notes.

Parenting is different for everybody but I do think that if you are given the chance to be a parent to a child of God it is important to take it seriously.

Peyton Joy Marshall

Peyton had a friend come over to take some pictures of her when she was 1 week old.
They turned out great and luckily Peyton cooperated for most of the time.
Thank you to Liz Heikoop for all her patience and work on these!

Valentines Day From A Child's Perspective

Early Friends

Last week, Peyton and I went to visit some friends. These two are only 6 weeks apart, and it has been so great to have another new mom help with these first few weeks and give advice on some things. He is such a handsome little boy and of course I'm smitten with our little girl.

10 Things You Should Know Before Getting Pregnant

1. Your body will change-- it is okay, it is normal.   Afterwards you can work it off, just take care of the baby is your number 1 priority.  I had a very hard time with this but looking back it is only a short time and you are still beautiful no matter how swollen you are.
2. Symptoms come in all different shapes and sizes.  Don't think just because you are pregnant you will have morning sickness, I didn't but I got the strange symptoms that at tines were just as bad.
3. Be prepared to pee in a cup on a regular basis.  My first appointment I was too shy to pee in a cup, by the end of the pregnancy I could do it with my eyes closed.
4. If you are scared of needles, get over it-   You will be poked and prodded more times than you can count.
5. Read books on breastfeeding and recovery.  First week of breastfeeding is a nightmare.  People usually don't tell you the extent of this.   Don't let it get you down, it gets better.
6. You will pee your pants during pregnancy, whether it be when you laugh sneeze or cough it happens.   You have been warned.
7. Don't read the Internet if you believe something could be wrong.   There are way too many stories out there of things going wrong and it will only keep you up worrying.  If you are really concerned go to a doctor rather than torturing yourself.
8. Stretch mark creams aren't all the are made out to be.  They help a tiny bit but really not worth the money.
9. When you become pregnant, people forget you still have feelings and you don't want entire conversations around your body.   Whether it be jokes about your size or conversations that normally would be very personal, all the rules on appropriate conversations are no longer applicable.
10. Though birth plans can be wonderful, be prepared for it to change, God sometimes has different plans.  

My Birth Story

This being the first time I have ever given birth,  I had no idea what to expect and to be quite honest I was scared out of my mind.
Throughout the week, I had a few times where I was sure the Braxton hick contractions were no longer just Braxton Hicks ones.  I would get all prepared mentally for what I thought would be labour in a very short amount of time... No such luck.

My due date came and passed, and I was trying all the "inducing tricks".  Here's the thing.  The baby will come when the baby is ready.  On Saturday, Wes and I decided to go to my parent's house as his family was at a conference and I did not feel any contractions or anything at all so I figured it would be safe.  We hung out there and went to bed.  At 3 am  I woke up to my water breaking.  It was definitely surreal as I had been prepared for this all week and the one time I decided I would forget about it... now was the time she decided to come.  We stayed a little longer, I had a shower (for those who are expecting... have a shower before you go to the hospital if you can... it will be a while before you may get the chance to again), tried to get a bit more sleep.  At 7 am the rest of my water broke.  I will keep from details.  But I will say it's not like the movies show it.  Not at all.

We went to the hospital, and I must say we were both pretty calm thinking back.  My sister-in-law took our car to drop us off (so we didn't have to worry about parking).  We had been prepared for this and knew where the "Delivery" door was, so we got her to drop us off there.  In this case delivery was not baby delivery, in fact if we had driven a bit further in we would have seen the trucks for the deliveries made to the hospital.  

I blame pregnancy brain.


So here we were both Wes and I walking around the hospital to the front door while I was having contractions... Looking back we must have looked like fools.


Finally we got to the labour and delivery rooms and got set up.  I had my IV put in (after 2 failed attempts) and started walking around.  I was so lucky to have so many people come to the hospital throughout the day, even though they were not able to come into the room.  It was nice knowing they were there.

We found out that I was only 2 cm dilated and they started me on inducing drugs since my water had broken and they did not want the baby having to stay in there long in case of infection.  As time went on my contractions got worse and worse and finally I decided to get an epidural.  Honestly not as bad as they make it out to be.   I'm a baby for pain and I didn't even feel it.  This went on for 15 hours and they finally decided that since I had not progressed much ( I was still only 4 cm dilated- yes I was technically not even in labour... Ha) , the baby's head was against my pelvic bone and just pushing up against it wi each contraction (which were one minute apart on average) and her heartbeat was dropping even when I was not having contractions that I may need a c-section.   Although this was not my plan, at this point I just wanted her out safe and healthy.  After waiting one more hour they made the final call and within 10 minutes I was in the OR room and ready for this baby to join us.


Wes was able to come in with me which was a huge help.  Unfortunately, some of the drugs did not kick in as they should have and I was feeling more pain than I should have been.   They decided that they would put me under general anesthetic.   But at this point I just wanted to wait until the baby was out ( they told me 7 minutes from the time they started).  I remember just asking over and over again if my baby was out or how close until she was out.  Finally she was here.  They lifted her above the curtain and I saw her for a moment before she was taken away.  As soon as they took her, I was put under.

I woke up an hour or so later, and though I was very much unaware of what was happening around me, I do remember holding her for the very first time( with help from Wes as I was still very weak).

The next few days, I had to both take care of Peyton and try to recover. The first day was tough, but slowly I began to gain more strength and really enjoy my baby girl.

I was so blessed to have both Wes and my Mom by my side throughout the day, as well as family and friends the following days.



Now begins the parenting!

A Marshall Addition

The time has finally come!  

Wes and I became parents on Sunday Jan. 27/2013 to our beautiful daughter 

Peyton Joy Marshall 

We are so excited that she was safe and healthy.

It was quite the birth, and I hope to share the story later on 

but for now here are some pictures of our beautiful girl!

Daddy and Peyton-- the wonderful nurses took this while they waited for me to wake up from surgery.

The first time I held Peyton...
a bit out of it but even though I don't remember much of the night, I  remember this moment.