Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:1-5
~
We are so thankful to have Jesus as our light! Many times this last year we prayed that He would light our paths so that we may follow His will.

As new parents, we entered 2013 hoping to find a routine and sense of normalcy, but we discovered that life with a baby is always a great adventure! Sariah is a ball of energy and never ceases to surprise us with her extroverted personality. We can already tell that Sariah is a people lover and has the ability to bring joy to anyone who interacts with her. She is also incredibly persistent and in many ways challenges our patience, but we pray that God will guide us as we teach her to honor her heavenly Father with her all strengths – including her persistence.

Danielly continues to love mommyhood and completely melts every time Sariah calls her “Mama”. She is enjoying getting to know other moms through MOPS and is so thankful for the women who have been a great source of encouragement and wisdom this past year. Danielly had the opportunity to dive into photography once again this past summer and although it was hard to balance all the different areas of life, she is excited for the new experiences and challenges that are helping her become a better photographer. If you would like to see some of her current work, visit: http://www.DaniellyNobile.com

John is thankful for his job at Logos Bible Software and continues to gain more responsibilities as the company grows beyond anyone’s expectations. There is so much to do and not enough people! Some of John’s dreams came true this past autumn as he took Sariah on hikes near Mt. Baker and showed her a little bit of God’s amazing creation. Sariah loves going on adventures with her dada. The guys’ small group that John leads has been going strong for a year and a half and God has proven faithful time and time again. As each member grows closer to the others, they have been able encourage one another more and more effectively. It is wonderful to see!

This past year presented unexpected challenges and the roller-coaster of life took us upside down a few times, but we are thankful that Jesus is our hope and our strength; His light shines in the midst of our darkness.

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and we wish you the best for 2014!

Blessings,
John, Danielly and Sariah Nobile

Friday, December 20, 2013

Sariah's First Snow


I put some snow in her mouth since she couldn't use her hands...and she wanted more. :)


The driveway was slippery. We need to get some snow shoes! 



Happy girl!


My pink snow bunny.


Watching the cars drive on snow.



She wasn't sure what to do with the snow, but she didn't want to come inside. I say it is time to hit the mountains!!



Wednesday, December 18, 2013

A New Year and a New Normal?!?

Life has felt a little pretty crazy these last few weeks and I am looking forward to a new year and hopefully a new sense of normalcy.

Almost a month ago, John and I (with the help of a lot of people) packed our things and moved to a new home. Our new home needed some TLC and we will forever be thankful to our family and friends who helped us clean, paint walls, paint doors, fix stuff, etc before we moved. That was a lot of work!

Despite all the help, moving and settling down has still been overwhelming - especially with an active toddler around.

Sariah put her never ending energy to use when we moved and constantly removed things from boxes and spread them everywhere possible.  Whenever I managed to put the belongings from a box in its correct place, I turned around to find everything back on the ground again as Sariah did her own rearranging.

I decided unpacking was only going to happen during nap time and after bed time...but bed time became an issue.

The nights were long as we helped Sariah get used to her new room which she refused to sleep in. Sariah has slept in her own room since she turned two months old, but the new bedroom with new lights and new smells was too different for her. John and I brought her to bed with us and she slept and snored while we tried to keep ourselves from falling off the bed because somehow out little girl takes up a huge amount of bed space when sleeping.

I wished I could go on a 'sleep vacation'...and then I slept even less.

When we felt a little bit more settled, John started having headaches that would not go away despite all our efforts and after 5 days of unbearable pain, we ended up in the ER hoping a CAT Scan would give us hopeful results.

I prayed and I asked God for strength, love, patience and wisdom...He had never failed me before and I trusted Him.

We were thankful to find out that John had an acute sinus infection that needed a little help from antibiotics and while we celebrated his healing and relief of pain, Sariah started teething yet again and spent most of her days crying, biting her fingers and rubbing her snotty face all over me.

I stopped attempting to be productive and spent my days and nights holding and comforting my baby girl...I am still not getting anything done.

Life has been crazy but the Lord has sustained me. He has held everything together when I thought life was going to collapse like a mountain-side landslide. He has helped me get up each morning and be what I need to be during each day.

Life has been crazy and hard but I am hoping for a new sense of normalcy in the new year.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Fifteen Months Old




Sariah...
  • Only eats if she gets to use an utensil to feed herself: eating cheerios has become more complicated
  • Learned how to go down the stairs by herself
  • Makes the cutest 'meow' sound on earth 
  • Knocks on the walls looking for studs with uncle Jim
  • Likes to put things into boxes
  • Slept with mommy and daddy a couple of times while getting used to her knew bedroom
  • LOVES cuties clementines
  • Has had really dry skin because of the cold despite all of mommy's effort to keep her warm and moisturized
  • Saw snow for the first time and did not stop pointing outside
  • Is teething yet again

Monday, December 16, 2013

Truth in the Coke Ad

I just watched this coke ad four times in a row because in so many ways it tells the story of my life (although baby #2 is not on its way...at least not yet).

http://www.fastcocreate.com/3023400/this-new-coke-ad-totally-captures-the-reality-of-early-parenthood

Monday, December 9, 2013

Abigail Smith

I am so inspired by Abigail Smith and her legacy of hope: http://vimeo.com/57246376http://vimeo.com/81277084. The last few weeks have been hard and we have been battling a lot of sickness, but Abigail reminded me tonight that my hope and strength come from God, that in my weakness He makes me strong.

"And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10


Monday, December 2, 2013

Thankful


Day 1: Thankful for John's lovely massages and the way he so willingly rubs my tired body at the end of the day.
Day 2: Thankful for  family visits during rainy weekends.
Day 3: Thankful for friends and their hospitality.
Day 4: Thankful for Crock-pots.
Day 5: Thankful for MOPS.
Day 6: Thankful for worship nights with church family. 
Day 7: Thankful for a warm home during such a cold and wet Autumn day. 
Day 8: Thankful the sun came out.
Day 9: Thankful for the yummy sweet potatoes that are in the oven.
Day 10: Thankful for restful weekends.
Day 11: Thankful for my upcoming date with John.
Day 12: Thankful for women who are willing to be vulnerable in order to encourage others and be encouraged.
Day 13: Thankful for our new home.
Day 14: Thankful for some quality time with God.
Day 15: Thankful for my extrovert and joyful little girl.
Day 16: Thankful for family.
Day 17: Thankful for a warm shower and bed.
Day 18: Thankful for helping hands.
Day 19: Thankful for baby carriers.
Day 20: Thankful for the strength and peace only God can provide.
Day 21: Thankful for clean carpets.
Day 22: Thankful for my mother in law who worked so hard to help us pack and get out new home ready.
Day 23: Thankful for friends who helped us move.
Day 24: Thankful for worship at church.
Day 25: Thankful for a working kitchen.
Day 26: Thankful for my brother in law who has helped us tremendously this past week.
Day 27: Thankful for dinner with friends.
Day 28: Thankful for my mother's hard work in preparing us a delicious meal.
Day 29: Thankful for a healthy body that can fight a cold.
Day 30: Thankful for the husband that God has given me. 

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Fourteen Months Old

Sariah...

  • Went on a long hike (9 miles) and mommy and daddy forgot to bring the carrier
  • Is learning to whistle with daddy
  • Throws a fit when she doesn't get what she wants - mommy and daddy are working on establishing healthier ways of dealing with frustrations
  • Is willing to try different kinds of food: mushroom, olives, sausage, apple sauce...
  • Says 'WHOA!' every time something surprising happens
  • Had a bad cold that included a couple of day with a fever
  • Likes to talk on the phone
  • Helps mommy around the house by carrying the clean laundry from the dryer to the bedroom, picks up some toys, throws away her dirty diapers, etc
  • Has been drooling a lot - perhaps more teeth are on their way
  • Sings with mommy 
  • Is trying to spoon feed herself
  • Climbs everything
  • Really wants to play with the toilet water
  • Spends a lot of time in boxes these days as mommy and daddy get ready to move to a new home

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Reasons Why My 14 Month Old is Throwing a Fit


  • I took the glass lid away from her
  • The magnets are all under the fridge because she put them there
  • I turned off the water when giving her a bath
  • I didn't let her play with the toilet water
  • She is tired in her crib, but doesn't want to go to sleep
  • I put her sweater on so we could go play outside
  • The book does not have more pages
  • Her toy ran out of batteries
  • I told her she could not play with garbage
  • The tissue box is out of tissues
  • I didn't let her get inside of the dishwasher
  • Daddy closed the fridge and didn't let her hang out in there
  • The rock is too heavy for her to carry
This list could go on and on...

Monday, November 11, 2013

Living in the Danger Zone

When John and I found out I was pregnant, we wanted to share our baby news with everyone we knew and we wanted to do it in person, because we wanted to witness the excitement on people's faces. We also wanted to share our baby news as fast as we could because exciting news should ALWAYS be shared! We planned a special way to announce the news to our families and we called the family members and friends that were too far away for us to drive to and we giggled out of joy with them.

And then someone said...

"Oh! You are only 6 weeks along? You are still in the danger zone!"

My smile went away and I began to worry. I worried because I had no idea if our baby was going to make it to full term...I worried because miscarriages are real. I worried because I was in the danger zone.

If I could go back and relive my early pregnancy days, I would worry less and enjoy each day a little more. I would repeat the verses below every morning and I would trust God's plans for our family.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:25-34

God has been teaching me that as Christ's child, I live in the danger zone all-the-time. Living a life of faith is the equivalent of walking into the great unknown! Danger is all around. When I opened my heart and declare to the God of the universe - "Not my will but thine" - I opened my life to all kinds of possibilities. When my desire is to bring glory to God through all circumstances, I have to get ready to bring him glory in the midst of jubilation and devastation. I have to remember that "all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Colossians 1:16-17 Trusting God is hard and it requires me to be vulnerable and humble, but it is in the midst of my nothingness that God shows me exactly how great He is. When I come to him with an abandoned heart, He shows me that the plans He has prepared for me are far better than anything I could come up with on my own. 

Sariah Faith made it to 39 weeks of gestation and was born full of life and personality. I have celebrated every day of life with her because every day with her is a gift, but I am still following Christ; asking Him to be the lamp unto my feet and the light unto my path. In other words, I am still living in the danger zone, asking him to lead me where my trust is without borders, having faith that I do not have to worry about anything.

So, here I go..."Highway to the Danger Zone...Gonna take you...Right into the Danger Zone...Highway to the Danger Zone..."

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Finding Joy in the Mess


My brain works better when things are organized, clean, filed ... I am a better person when everything is in its place and my "TO DO" list has a bunch of things crossed off.

Before I had a baby, my life was neat. I had time to make things pretty and I was always on time.

Before I had a baby, I imagined being able to continue living the same life once the baby arrived. I thought that if I was organized enough, I would still be able to clean, cook, do the laundry (including loads of cloth diapers), work on photography, read my Bible, hang out with friends, go grocery shopping, paint my nails, exercise, spend quality time with my husband, work on crafts, etc.

I didn't know that my world was about to change in the most terrifying and wonderful way.

For a while, I allowed frustration to set in when I couldn't get everything done that I planned to do. My TO DO list kept growing and growing and I kept praying that God would multiply the hours like he multiplied the fish and bread in the Bible.

God didn't multiply the hours, but he provided a community through MOPS that has helped me prioritize what is most important to me. I am learning that life is a beautiful mess and it is time to embrace it!

I looked around my house yesterday and was discouraged by how messy everything looked: clean dishes waiting to be put away, dirty dishes waiting to be cleaned, a load of dirty cloth diapers waiting to be washed, clean clothes waiting to be folded, emails waiting for a response...

I wanted to pack a bag and go out, ignoring all that had to be done, but it was cold and cloudy outside and I didn't have anywhere to go. I had a choice to make: Be grumpy about my current stage of life or embrace it all with a good attitude.

I turned on some worship music (worshiping God always does good to my soul), danced with Sariah while we wore out pajamas and slowly started working on the day's TO DO list. By the end of the day, I had accomplished quite a bit - not everything - and dinner was yummy!

Night time arrived and I was tired, Sariah was tired and John was not going to be home until late, so I decided it was time to have some fun relaxation with my baby girl! I got her in the bathtub and decided to join her. She was so excited to be with me she never even played with her bath toys. We just splashed and practiced whistling and sang songs and gave hugs and kisses. We had a wonderful time!

Our time together is precious and I don't want my life's mess to get in the way of finding joy in this stage of life. Some days are better than others, but I am working on leaning on God and doing the good works that He prepared in advance for me to do!

"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

Monday, October 28, 2013

Church Mountain

We have been enjoying these past crispy clear Autumn days by spending some time hiking around Mt. Baker! John and I absolutely dislike spending time at a gym, but we love to be outside enjoying the Pacific Northwest beauty that surrounds us.

We were excited to hike Church Mountain with some friends and like always, we got our stuff ready to go the night before so we could get out the door a bit faster the day of the hike. Unfortunately, we managed to leave Sariah's carrier by the door and didn't realize it until we were almost at the trail.

Did I mention that Church Mountain is 8.5+ miles roundtrip with an elevation gain of 3750 ft?

Lets just say that we are NEVER going to forget to bring Sariah's carrier again! I was thankful that we were able to pass Sariah around from person to person, but that was still rough.

We improvised by attaching two tourniquets and using it as a sling to help hold Sariah's weight...and I thanked God Sariah is a light-weight baby!

This was a hard hike and the circumstances made it even harder, but the view was spectacular! We will definitely be coming back in the future with a carrier.









Thursday, October 17, 2013

Thirteen Months Old

Sariah...






  • Likes to color with crayons
  • Kicks her soccer ball around the house and invites others to play with her
  • Had a rough month of sleepless nights
  • Got her fourth tooth
  • Likes to go on walks
  • Attempts to say a few words: ball, apple, baby, there, this, that
  • Gets a little nervous around animals
  • Imitates everything mommy and daddy do
  • Washes her own hair during bath time
  • Gets excited when we put her shoes on because she knows we are going outside
  • Is becoming more caring with her stuffed animals and even puts them to sleep on a pillow
  • Plays peekaboo with anyone
  • Has great problem solving skills and is very persistent

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

National Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day

I read this post a couple of weeks ago and was deeply impacted by its message.

SUFFERING IN SILENCE NO MORE

'“So what happened last week?” the vendor asked, wondering why I’d disappeared for several days in the middle of a critical deadline. “Did you have the flu?”

“It was…” I trailed off, trying to decide how much I wanted to share with someone who was really more of a professional contact than a friend. “It was…lady stuff.”

Just like that, I slapped a vague label on the most excruciating loss of my life.

Mere days before this conversation took place, I was chipper and dreamy and carrying a baby. Then, in the course of one horrid day, it all unraveled. Now, I found myself sitting back in my office chair, stunned, grieving, and facing an urgent mountain of work.

I pawed my pile listlessly, wondering how the world could go on when mine had surely ended. All around me, keyboards chattered and telephones rang. Coworkers eyed me suspiciously, clearly not buying my excuse that I was ambiguously under the weather.

I’d just lost a baby. And it had dropped me into a hell of despair so deep that it hurt just to breathe.

So, why was I keeping it a secret?

Miscarriage is death. It brings with it all the agonizing grief that comes with losing a loved one. But miscarriage is also a taboo topic. It’s the very reason that we hide our pregnancies during those first dicey months, fretfully waiting for the danger to abate before making any announcements.

When bad news comes, couples that lose a pregnancy tend to mourn in secret, telling only close friends and family about their loss.

There are no funerals. No memorials. You don’t get sympathy cards and bereavement time. Instead, routines go on, and you take sick days.

We reduce a miracle to a topic not fit for polite conversation.

An estimated one in seven pregnancies ends in miscarriage. Each year in the U.S. alone, over 700,000 babies don’t survive to be born. Millions of people must be mourning them. So, where are they?

As a society, we let ourselves believe the lie that miscarriage is a minor event in a woman’s life. “It happens all the time,” people tell you, as if knowledge of its frequency will put the loss in perspective. (Imagine giving that same line to someone who just lost a grandparent.)

“It really wasn’t a baby yet” is another line people glibly offer. Or, “You hardly even knew you were pregnant.”

I ultimately had two miscarriages, both at about 10 weeks. Both times, I knew I was pregnant for nearly two months.

That’s a lot of mornings to wake up enchanted that there’s a child growing inside you. It’s many long afternoons of fatigue, strange cravings, and nausea. It’s countless cups of decaf coffee and glasses of wine declined. It’s 60 prenatal vitamins.

I don’t blame society for being so callous about pregnancy loss. If nobody ever tells people how much it hurts, how are they to know that miscarriage is such a big deal? Why shouldn’t they think that it is no worse than blowing a job interview or having your team lose the big game?

As with so many verboten topics, perhaps the answer is simply for people to be more open. To stop pretending that if we ignore miscarriage, it won’t hurt.

Years later, I still think about that miserable afternoon at work and how much easier it would have been if I’d just exhaled the truth. If I could have let people say, “I’m so sorry.” If I hadn’t had to pretend that it was a normal day even as I was in the grips of soul-swallowing grief.

Because the only thing worse than losing something that meant the world to you is pretending that you lost nothing."


Author
- Jody Pratt


Please re-share for your friends and family. Hopefully it will help this taboo topic, be taboo no longer. So many women, men, and even others close to the couple, have experienced this heartbreaking pain alone.


VIsit Jodi's words here:
http://www.babble.com/pregnancy/coping-with-miscarriage-pregnancy-secret/





Monday, October 14, 2013

Sleepless Nights

I did not read a whole lot about sleep training a baby when I was pregnant, but I did spend a lot of time praying that God would bless me with a child that loves to sleep. My prayers were inspired by the fact that I cannot function without sleep. I pretty much become Godzilla when I don't sleep well for a couple of nights in a row. 

The newborn days were hard because babies have no concept of time and want to nurse every 2 minutes 2 hours. I felt constantly tired and wondered if I was ever going to feel like a normal human being again. 


God heard my prayers and Sariah started sleeping through the night when she was 2 months old. I felt like a new person the morning I woke up and realized I had slept a whole night without any interruptions. 


I wish I could say that Sariah continued to be a great sleeper...but the reality tells a different story. 


This past summer, Sariah got a cold and then she got a couple of teeth and then she got Roseola and as a result, woke up multiple times a night. I let her nurse as much as she wanted because she felt comforted and safe. When she got all better, I expected her to go back to her old sleep patterns but it never happened. Sariah continued to wake up once a night to nurse and while I was slightly annoyed, I figured that getting up once a night for 10 minutes was not bad. 


Our little sleeper turned one year old three weeks ago and for some unknown reason, decided to start a new sleeping routine which includes hours of screaming in the middle of the night. Sariah goes down to sleep just fine and wakes up at 3:00AM screaming. I always let her nurse and put her back in her crib, but she continues to scream for the next 2.5 hours. John and I are SO tired! 


For 2.5 hours I sit in her room, encouraging her to lay down, assuring her that she is okay, telling her it is night-night time... while praying for supernatural patience and love. 


These last couple of weeks have been extremely challenging to me and I can truly say that my prayer life is very active. 


I keep hoping that tonight will be different and that this is just a stage, but sometimes when I am up for hours in the middle of the night, I start wondering if it is going to be like this forever. My logical self reminds me that Sariah will eventually sleep through the night again, but my emotional and tired self whispers that if this is the new normal, our child is never going to have a sibling because I can't handle having another child that will keep me up like this. 


I am being reminded almost constantly that I need to lean on God for strength. I am thankful that the Spirit reminds me that I can find rest in the arms of my Father. 


Friday, October 4, 2013

Who You Are

I have watched this video a couple of times today, because one never gets tired of receiving words of encouragement.

May we never forget our worth in the eyes of our Creator. It is time to find that woman and set that woman free!


Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Sariah's First Birthday

Every day with Sariah has been a gift and we are so thankful God has given her to us as a daughter!

God also blessed us with a beautiful day to celebrate Sariah when there was 90% chance of rain! We enjoyed time with friends and family and missed friends and family who were not able to join us.

 We pray for many celebrations in the future!






















Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Twelve Months Old

Sariah is one year old today!

To tell you the truth, I still can't believe it. How is it possible that my little newborn girl is almost a toddler? 

She is fun and full of joy, but I miss her littleness at times and have to accept that she will only continue to grow. Looking at pictures of her first year serves as a great reminder to enjoy her every day, because she will never be this little again. 

Baby girl, mama and dada love you and we pray that you will continue to grow into a healthy toddler, sharing your joy with everyone in your life!




Sariah walks around the house holding on to the string of her birthday balloon


Top tooth on its way


"I am one year old!"


Hand motions to "Itsy-Bitsy Spider"


Curly hair everywhere




Sariah...
  • Stands up and walks with confidence
  • Likes to 'put away' her toys in the garbage and recycle cans
  • Cleans just about anything with her washcloth
  • Can make a hurricane size mess around the house in just a few minutes
  • Loves blueberries
  • Climbs anything that is in front of her and can climb into her bouncer
  • Gives her stuffed animals the sweetest hugs
  • Raises her hands and worships God at church
  • Loves to spread paper around the house
  • Is learning to be gentle when petting others
  • Went to sleep without nursing for the first time while mama was out during bedtime - Dada has the magical touch
  • Is getting two more teeth for a total of three teeth
  • Likes to read; her favorite book is "Thank you, God" because it has pop-up pages
  • Blows on her food before eating to make sure it is not too hot: she blows on beans, chicken, cheerios, bread, etc
  • Is super outgoing and definitely an extrovert
  • Claps when mommy sings "Happy Birthday" in Portuguese 
One year ago she looked like this:



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