wow! i am a bad blogger.... Lee is now 8 months old and growing way too fast!

Baby boy is already 4 months old!

Sweet Lee is 3 months old!

We have been having lots of adventures with my growing boy. He is 3 months old and growing strong! VBS at church Family trip to the park Fathers Day Thumbsucking Big boy can roll over now!

Sweet Boy is 2 months old! Time is flying by.

He is so alert and holds his head up. He follows us with his eyes and plays on his play mat. He giggles and "talks" when we lay beside him. :)

He is learning to sit up on his own- not too sure how I feel about my baby boy growing up so fast!!

I am back at work and it is going ok. I had a hard run for a few weeks... serious PPD and anxiety. So much so that my doctor did not release me to return til April 30, which was 2 weeks later than I'd planned. I am back on my anxiety meds and going to a new counselor. I am doing much better but still have a long way to go... one step at a time. In happier news, I am so blessed that Lee gets to stay home with Josh during the week. He goes up to the church and Lee goes right along! I cherish my time with them so much.

Easter

Happy Easter from the Caines!


My studly man all dressed in his suit to match his daddy!


FIRST EASTER!


First time feeling the grass- I think he's a fan! He LOVES being in the sunshine- I think he is a outside lover like his daddy.

Life with Lee Updates!

ONE MONTH OLD: Lee turned one month on April 1. He has grown and changed so much.


Cloth Diapers: Cloth is going really well! We only have a dozen newborn prefold inserts so we are washing a little more than we like, but as Lee gets bigger he will grow into the bigger size prefolds and covers which we have lots more of. He seems to really like the cloth diapers- they breathe better and Ive noticed he does not have redness with them like he has with disposables. We still use sposies at night, bc he's still in the pack n play in our room- so its easier to just toss them in the trash. :) When he transitions to nights in his crib/room, hopefully will be in cloth MOST of the time, if not all.


Bath Time: Lee has gotten to LOVE baths in his lil bath tub. Here he is in his froggy towel.


Sleepy Prince: Our growing boy is sleeping so well at night- the past 3 nights he has slept for 6 hours straight!!


Bright Eyed Boy: Sweet Lee is so much more alert these days. He looks at us and seems to follow us when we walk by him.

Visit to GA

It was my Granny's birthday on April 1, so we made a surprise trip to visit them!


On the road to Granny and Grandpa's


The Caines Crew


Tatum and Lee


Snuggles with my Granny

One Little Heartbeat at a time...In honor of my mommy friends

It has been a crazy adjustment to becoming a mommy over the past almost 4 weeks. Lee is the most precious gift and I thank God for him each and every day. Being a mommy is the most wonderful and hardest job I have ever known. When I don't know what he wants or feel overwhelmed or think I will never get the hang of it... to those moments when I am snuggling my sweet miracle boy or sharing the special bond of breastfeeding or watching his bright eyes take in all that is going on around him... I would not change a minute.

Sleeping miracle boy...


Bright eyed!



Heard this song on my new Steven Curtis Chapman CD- and it was exactly what I needed during one of the harder moments. Hope you mommmies enjoy just as I do!

More Firsts...

We have had a lot of "firsts" with sweet Lee!

First walk in the stroller


Meeting Avri, Mommy's college friend Marley's little girl. She is 6 weeks older than me.


First Bottle with Daddy


First Cloth Diaper

Life with Lee

We have had a busy two weeks getting used to life as parents. We have had lots of help- our moms stayed for a week. We are on our own now and settling into a routine. I am so in awe of how much I love that little boy. He is such a miracle to us, after our miscarriage a year ago. Sometimes I just look at him and praise God for blessing us with the chance to know this little boy, much less be his parents.

Also, my anxiety has been over the top at times because I do not want anything to ever hurt my son. I do not want to leave the house and I cry ALL THE TIME. I get so scared when Josh is not home that I will do something wrong. I cant help but picture the worst situation that would happen (for example, when I am carrying him- I picture myself falling down and dropping him). Crying/worry is a normal, hormonal post partum issue- but I am having to keep a close watch on my emotions due to my history of anxiety and depression.

All that to say- I am so grateful for the blessing of my wonderful boy!

Goin Home!


Meeting Big Sister Blaze


My Parents



First Bath


Happy Family


With Big Sister


Cousin Tatum giving kisses!


My 3 Loves


Sweet Baby Feet


My Lil Man

the life of a pastor's wife

Today I am linking up with one of the blogs I like to follow Kelly's Corner. She does really interesting link ups for different topics that help people in similar situations to connect. This week it is Ministry Wives. And I am so blessed to fall into this catagory!

My husband Josh has known since the age of 16 that God was callling him into ministry. I have known since I was about 13 that I would marry into a ministry position. I saw the important role that the supportive women in my church (most specifically, my youth group) played in their husband's ministry. My youth minister's wife had a profound impact on my life and I prayed that God would use me in the same way for others.

Josh and I met through ministry. We both were staffers at a christian children/youth camp and retreat center, Camp Longridge. We were friends for a while and then felt God calling us to a dating relationship. After some ups and downs,a long distance relationship, and many lessons- we were married June 12, 2010. At that time, he was a part time youth minister in Georgia while I was a teacher in South Carolina. He felt it was time to leave that ministry and join me in SC to see what else God had in store.

During the first months of our marriage, he applied to churches as he felt called but the job as senior pastor we had been praying for didn't come. So this added more stress on an already crazy time as we were learning to be husband and wife. He took a part time job at Lifeway Christian Bookstore. We got pregnant unexpectedly and then lost our sweet baby at 8 weeks. We had been searching for a church home during the search for a pastor position and came upon Gethsemane Baptist Church. Josh applied for their pastor position and we visited the church one Sunday not long after we lost the baby. We fell in love with the church at that first visit! They were all so loving and welcoming- we felt like family from the first moment. Over time and through the interview process, we continued to feel God calling us to make this church our home. The church felt the same and in June of 2011 Josh was called into a bivocational position as pastor.

Since then, we have been welcomed and cherished as part of the family. Most of our biological family lives 3 hours away- so we have so many adopted parents/grandparents through the church. The congregation is primarily older and we currently have 2 youth and 2 children- so not a very active youth/childrens department. We are praying for God to lead us and grow our church as he sees fit. There are times when I do feel the pressure of being a "pastors wife" and feel the need to be exactly what everyone wants me to be. When I don't meet their expectations- I have to remind myself that I serve an audience of ONE. I take on the burdens and joys with my husband as he serves. I celebrate as he shares his vision for the church and we watch it slowly unfold. I listen and encourage as he shares the challenges and frustrations he faces- and try to help him think/pray through solutions.

One of the questions we were asked in the interview was "How will you handle the challenges of sharing your husband with the church and not take things personally when problems arrive?" All I could say was, I knew before we got married that Josh belonged to God first and foremost. Although I can't say I KNEW what I was in for- I did know that God would not have called me to marry Josh had he not been preparing my heart from young age for the role.

Josh and I claimed a verse as the foundation of our dating relationship and marriage. Psalms 37:4 "Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." First above all- we must seek God's guidance to reveal his plan. When we seek him first, his desires (for ourselves, for our family, for the church, ANYTHING) become our desires. Instead of asking God to give me- give me- give me what I want, ask him to make his desires what I desire. We continue to strive to keep this at the forefront of our marriage and as we serve the church.

He is here!

My wonderful little boy has arrived! Joshua Lee Caines Jr was born March 1, 2012 at 11:51 by C section at Trident Medical Center. He was 8 lbs 14 oz and 21 1/2 long. We are so in love!! We have had lots of visitors come to meet our little miracle man.

Triple Baby Shower

The three Mommies to be!


Yummy Cake!


Sara and Baby Savannah- 34 weeks


Meghan and Baby Lucas- 29 weeks


Me and Baby Lee- 32 weeks


Opening Gifts


Baby Lee is so blessed!