It was this week 5 years ago that I was driving to Patrick’s home in Youngsville. I knew that a proposal was coming soon even though I was completely lost as to how he would ask the question. As I made the 45 minute drive (oh that dreadful gas wasting 45 minute drive), I was deep in thought about marriage, married life, making such a big decision so early on in my life and I remember asking myself this question. I actually distinctly remember asking myself this question as I pulled into his neighborhood.

“If I marry Patrick, will he be a good father to my children”

Yes.

Even at 18 years old, I knew that Patrick would make an amazing father one day. 5 years later, I couldn’t scream it loud enough, Patrick is an amazing father.

It’s 2015, Bennett is almost 9 months old and Patrick has been rocking fatherhood better than I could have ever dreamed. You know me and blogging, I couldn’t let this day pass without telling the world how amazing my baby daddy is. 😉

Almost 9 months ago, Patrick became a daddy. He basically stood up for 30 hours holding me, holding my hand, being by my side, as I worked to bring Bennett into this world. Even though he wasn’t the one in labor, he still had one heck of a time helping get Bennett here.

After Bennett arrived, Patrick’s dad duty was in overdrive. Not only did he have a son now but I had to rely on him for everything the first week. My guy was essential with that first week. From helping me pull up my post postpartum underwear, to standing outside the shower in the hospital because I thought I was going to pass out. He did it all with a sleep deprived smile on his face.

Then, when we got home, my guy didn’t just check out and leave it all for me to do. He would watch Bennett from 7 pm to 10 pm downstairs so that I could get three uninterrupted hours of sleep. He would send me to bed, knowing that I was on the verge of tears from exhaustion and would tell me he’s got it. Don’t worry about anything. Go rest. My guy is amazing.

For the middle of the night feedings when nursing was still a huge challenge, he would wake up with me, help Bennett get latched on and then camp out on Bennett’s floor for moral support. After a few days of this, I knew that it was silly for BOTH of us to not get any sleep, so I would tell him to go back to bed. My guy is amazing.

Oh nursing. Let’s talk about what an essential roll Patrick has played in having a successful nursing relationship with B. I have wanted to quit so many times. From having Thrush for the first 7 weeks, to the time commitment, he has been there to encourage me. When B was still a tiny baby and nursing sessions would last 30 + minutes, Patrick was always there to bring me whatever I needed while I was glued to a couch or a rocking chair. My guy is amazing.

Patrick always put his family first. He is ALWAYS thinking about how his decisions will affect us. He takes on such a huge weight as he works very long days after being in school all day so that he financially can support Bennett and I. I am forever thankful that because of how hard he works, I get to stay home and raise our son. He is the hardest worker I know and what a great quality he is teaching Bennett. My guy is amazing.

Patrick is such an involved dad. He’ll play on the floor with B, he’ll push him in the stroller for walks, he’s just as much of a parent as I am. He doesn’t shy away from the roles of being an involved parent. From diaper changes, to helping prepare dinner for B, he’s right there with me. My guy is amazing.

He has adopted Bennett’s bath time (so let me know if Bennett starts to stink hehe), and every single night, he helps me get Bennett ready for bed. You know what’s the best though? The last thing Patrick does before handing the squirmy and exhausted baby to me, he prays over Bennett. Since we learned that we were pregnant last January, Patrick has prayed over Bennett every single day.

My airplane flying, coffee drinking, can fix anything husband is the most amazing dad out there. Bennett is so blessed to have Patrick as his role model and his dad. I am so blessed to have Patrick as my husband. I know your guy might be pretty decent… but seriously. Mine?!? Out of this world.

Happy fathers day to the man who taken on fatherhood like a champ. 5 years ago, I asked myself a very important question before agreeing to spend the rest of my life with you. Would you be a good father to my children. You’re not a good father. You’re amazing.

Thank you for being you Patrick. ❤   

We are in such a fun (and tiring) stage in the Relbot household. B has learned and can efficiently pull up on anything and everything. He’s standing and learning to balance by himself and he’s oh so daring. I have two very strong emotions while watching him in this stage. My first is, “I’m so stinking proud of you!!!!!” My Second, “Oh my goodness, this is terrifying”. It’s not the act of him pulling up and standing that terrifies me. It’s the part where he falls down and gets hurt that makes me grit my teeth and use my super mom powers to NOT wrap him in bubble wrap.

Bennett has no fear of getting hurt. He is very cautious around people and new surroundings, but when he’s at home and around us, he is like a stuntman. From trying  to climb off his dress, up his dresser, up his crib, under tables, on bookshelves, out of his high chair, out of the bathtub. He’ll try to climb up you, over you, under you and sometimes through you. He’s strong and determined and when he wants something, he will do everything in his power to get it. What great qualities to have, right?!

Bennett knows no fear because he has experienced very little pain. He’s just now starting to fall and get hurt. As an adult though, I have experienced terrible pain. Emotional, physical, mental. We know that there will be physical pain if we climb up something and let go. We know that we will fall to the ground and most likely get hurt. So we live in fear and avoid things. Bennett doesn’t know that yet and it fascinates me. He has to learn for himself. I have to trust God with his life so that HE can be Bennett’s refuge through any trials and tribulations that come his way. I have to trust God enough to let Bennett venture out of the safe little bubble that I have created for him so far. I have to have faith that Bennett will be ok, even though I know he will fall down while he’s exploring this beautiful messy world.

I struggle with fear. Fear of failing. Fear of rejection. Fear of the unknown. Fear of pain. Fear of Bennett getting hurt. Fear of _____________.

What does the bible say about fear though?

Isaiah 41.10

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Psalm 27:1

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation– whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life– of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 118:6

6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

2 Timothy 1:7

7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Psalm 56:3

3 When I am afraid, I will trust in You.

Why do I fear though? Because I struggle with having faith. I’m not bashing myself, it’s the truth.

Fear flourishes when my faith is shaken. When my faith is small. When I’m not focused on His promises.

Bennett’s faith is grand. It’s unshaken. It’s abundant…. because he hasn’t experienced failure yet. He knows nothing EXCEPT faith. He isn’t going… well…. what happens if I try to pull up on this and I fall. He’s thinking, I want to stand up, so let’s do this. Let’s pull up and stand. There is not thought of, what bad thing could happen if it doesn’t work out.  I want his faith. I’m working towards his faith. He lives a life that isn’t restricted, bounded and squashed by fear.

I believe that’s one of the things that the bible is referring to when it says,

Matthew 18:2-4

² He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³ And he said:“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

God doesn’t call us to fear the what if’s. He doesn’t call us to fear at all.

He calls us to have a life of faith. Of daring leaps. Of trust. Of determination to be faithful in our loving. A life that glorifies Him and what He’s all about.

I want to be like Bennett. I want to have his faith. He doesn’t fear failure. It’s challenging to even imagine a life of not fearing failure. What would my life look like if I didn’t fear pain? Didn’t fear rejection? Didn’t fear _____________?

I want to be daring like Bennett. I want to boldly move towards what God is calling me to do without the, “What if this doesn’t work out”.

I want to have faith like Bennett. I want to have faith that God has him. That God is in control. That God will take care of him. That God will use me to guide him. That God is all the things He says He is.

This journey of mamahood is so rich with learning, trials and love. I am changed from who Bennett is and he doesn’t even know it.

Today, I pray that we replace our fear with Bennett like faith.

What do you need to replace in your life? Today I choose faith over fear.

Ohhhhh car seats. They are expensive. There are a million and one choices. They range from cheap to a car payment.

We just installed B’s new car seat. He was outgrowing his Chicco Keyfit 30 and with the hot weather upon us, it was time to get something more spacious. I just wanted to say what I love about what we have chosen.

Chicco Keyfit 30

We decided on getting this car seat because I needed a seat that could sit in our BOB stroller. If we would have gotten a convertible seat to begin with, I wouldn’t have been able to put B in our stroller until 5 or 6 months old. So, when I realized I needed a bucket seat, I started googling top Carseats and the Chicco Keyfit 30 was a top contender.

What I liked about it:

It was AMAZING when he was a tiny baby. I could put him in his car seat, then into a grocery cart, then back into the car all without waking a sleeping baby. We could go out to restaurants and he could sit in the car seat while we ate. I could put him into his stroller and go for walks, easy peasy.

It had the handle which we could hang toys on which kept him distracted when he was awake.

It was easy to install the base and really easy to click in and out.

What I didn’t like:

It gets hot. Now that the weather is warm, B’s back is DRENCHED in sweat almost every time I pull him out.

It was easy to put him in it and take him out as a baby, but now that he’s almost 19 lbs, it’s hard to lift him up over the side to put him in it.

Once he got easier to carrier on my hip, the removable car seat aspect became useless.

Overall, I would recommend the Chicco Keyfit 30. Ours doesn’t expire until 2019 so we will be keeping it for baby #2.

We just upgraded to the Diono Rainier.

I asked on several mommy pages what car seats they loved. A TON of people loved the Diono Radian RXT. So I decided after so many great reviews to go with that. After more research though, we found that the Rainier was the newer version of the Radian RXT and decided to go with that. It’s FAA approved which means we can fly with it which is really important to us because it will be B’s seat in a small aircraft.

It has won awards and has amazing reviews, so we decided it would be the next seat for him.

What I like about it (so far):

It has memory foam cushioning, so it’s super comfy. Like… I wish my seat was made out of the same stuff as his.

It’s room-y. It doesn’t have super high sides so that B can spread out.

It has a lot of open space so that HOPEFULLY B won’t sweat as much.

What I don’t like about it so far:

It was ridiculous to get ready to install. All the straps, all the assembling,

The instructions were a joke. We spent two hours trying to figure it all out.

That’s all that I don’t like so far. 🙂

Ok. I kind of knew but I chose to ignore it the past 4.5 months. Back in January or February we had a snug-a-puppy that would sit in the living room next to the couch. Our downstairs has an open floor plan which means it goes in a circle with no doorways. So, as I was walking around the downstairs, I walked past the snug a puppy and it decided to trip me!

snug-a-puppy

In all seriousness, the feet of the snug-a-puppy sit out wider than the actual seat. So, as I walked past, I slammed my foot into the metal rod. I immediately said, I just broke my foot. I even said it to Patrick. I just knew BUT I decided to ignore it and continued to ignore it for the past 4.5 months.

I honestly thought that it would just heal but after such a long period of time and I was still in pain, I decided it was time to go get it checked out. I felt SO stupid telling the doctor…”Well… I think I broke my foot… 4.5 months ago and I want to get an xray”. They kind of stare at you funny. My foot wasn’t swollen, it wasn’t black and blue and so they just nod their head and oblige my request all while thinking I’m crazy.

So I DID break my foot. It was healing, but it wasn’t healing fast enough or the correct way BECAUSE I ignored it for so long. The doctor said, “If you would have come in here when you first broke it, you would have been put in a boot and on crutches.” Since I have been walking on it though, running on it, wearing heels, she was perplexed on what to tell me to do. She advised me to wrap my foot for compression and referred me to an orthopedic doctor to see how we can get it to heal after such a long time.

So, I of course had to think of how can I blog about this? I then thought about how when something is broken in your life, you should probably go ahead and fix it instead of ignoring it. Rather it be miscommunication, sin, anger etc… if it’s broken, if it’s causing pain… ignoring it probably isn’t the best thing to do. If I would have addressed my foot when I first broke it, I wouldn’t still be dealing with pain 4.5 months later. How often do we ignore broken things in our lives in hopes that they get better but in actuality, xyz just continues to cause pain. If there is miscommunication or hurt feelings and we sweep it under the rug and ignore it, it typically still causes pain months later.

I’m really bad about hurt feelings and ignoring them, especially with Patrick. I struggle with having my feelings hurt from Patrick (which is normally me just being over sensitive) and then I hold onto it, sweep it under the rug and then I blow it up later when I should have just addressed it from the beginning, let it heal and moved on.

What in your life has broken? You’ve ignored it? It hasn’t healed? It’s been months and you’re still dealing with the pain from it?

Figure out what you need to do to let xyz heal. Give it time to heal. Then move on.

Happy healing yall.