One Month Old..

May 3, 2008 - Reese is one month old!


One Month ago I didn't realize how much my life would change when I became a mommy. If you haven't read our prior posts from the very beginning, you wouldn't know what a struggle it was and how some days I thought I may never become a mother. Rewind..here's a brief synopsis...
*Started trying to have a baby in March 2006, no luck for 10 months. Struggled with many emotions, I wanted to be a mommy SO bad!
*Called doctor in Feb. 2007, referred us to FIRM (Florida Institute for Reproductive Medicine) here in Jacksonville.
*Had tons of testing done, realized there were issues for both of us.
*Doctor told us we wouldn't have a baby without medical intervention (and lots of money). We weren't sure how we were going to do it...we're not millionaires. Prayed for the Lord to show us how, when, and where to get the money. He provided!
*Had one unsuccessful attempt
*Made a decision to move on to in-vitro fertilization (BIG STEP!), went through daily shots 3x per day, daily doctor appointments, daily blood draws (and I have terrible veins!), ultrasound after ultrasound, struggled emotionally, and prayed hard!
*Put back 3 embryos (braced for triplets - try mentally preparing for that...it's hard!!)
*Found out we were pregnant while on vacation!
*Saw ONE beating heartbeat at the ultrasound. That day changed our lives forever. I remember sitting on the table just crying because I knew it truly was a miracle that we were pregnant. Some people make several attempts at IVF, but we were blessed to only have to do it one time. And we have our one miracle, Reese Taryn Vanzant.

Now, here we are...we've been parents for ONE whole month and I can't imagine not having Reese in our lives. We had so many people praying for us and Reese before she was even in my womb. How special!

Okay...sorry for the sappy message...now I need to wipe my eyes so I can finish this post.

Saturday was a lazy day. We just hung out here all day. Pappaw and Nona came out and brought lunch and watched Reese while I got a shower. My cousin, Leslie, got married Saturday night. We went to the wedding and it was beautiful. The bride was absolutely stunning! Here are a few pictures from the wedding. Reese looked GORGEOUS!



I finally found shoes to fit her...preemies!


Laurie, Emma, and Reese at the reception


Sunday was church and Clay had to work. So, Reese and I headed to church by ourselves. We went and visited Lara and Jackson after church and had such a sweet visit. Jackson is definitely bigger than his petite cousin, Reese. But, SO sweet!



Sunday night we dedicated Reese at church. It was such a sweet service and she slept through the whole thing.