Guess who's 1!

Well, I would like to start off by informing everybody that I have won the Mother of the Year Award. How?, you might wonder... by waiting till my child is 14 months till I blog about her one year birthday. Wow, Kati... great job! :) That's right people, while most first time momma's are bombarding your Facebook with pictures of balloons, smash cakes, and presents, this momma has dropped the ball. Hey, but better late than never right?





Our little girl is growing up fast and we were blessed to celebrate her one year birthday with some pretty amazing people! My mom and dad were gracious enough to host a small get together for close family and friends. As far as a theme for the party, Paysli was not blessed with a momma who is creative nor very into themes. I am that girl who loves her some Pinterest, but never attempts to make the "inspirational" items she tags to her boards. Maybe one day Paysli! Instead, I found different items with a variety of colors and patterns. I figure Paysli will start choosing her "themes" in the next few years so why not take it easy for now.

We had such an amazing day. We were reminded how special our little girl is and just how many people love her! We were overwhelmed with memories, like the night we went to the Saturday Night worship service at Prestonwood's Plano Campus. We were super excited to see our sweet friends Morgan Smith (now Morgan McMullen) and Matt and Courtney McCollum there. Then during a short time in the middle of worship, Associate Pastor Jarrett Stephens asked those who were in need of prayer to stand. Tim and I stood as we knew we were 10 weeks pregnant with our precious Paysli Faith, but terrified due to the second miscarriage we had gone through a few months before at 10 weeks. Several people gathered around us, some we new and some we didn't, and prayed over us. It was great to have Morgan, Matt, and Courtney with us to celebrate one year of having Paysli on this earth with us!

Paysli also had so much fun with Uncle Craig, Aunt Wendi, Uncle Jared, and her cousins Luke and Kynli! Luke helped Paysli open her gifts and Kynli helped Paysli eat her smash cake.

And then it was nap time! :) Bahahaha!

 Everybody told Tim and me how our lives would never be the same after having a child. While we listened, we had no idea how right they were! It is one of the hardest things we have ever done, but oh my goodness, we wouldn't change one thing!














Paysli,

You are such a precious gift from our Lord. You taught your mommy to have faith and trust in Christ when she wanted to be in control. You taught mommy to have patience, during pregnancy and since you have walked on this Earth. You make your daddy's eyes light up like I have never seen anyone do before. He is so proud of you and loves you more than his own life. We do not make one decision without thinking about how it will effect you. We pray that your heart will be after Christ like ours are. We dream of the days that you will proclaim Jesus as your Lord and Savior. We can't wait to walk beside you through this temporary life on Earth as you share the Gospel with others. We pray the same prayer for you that Daddy and I once had prayed over us on our wedding day. "Father, grant her enough tears to keep her tender, enough hurts to keep her humble, and enough failure to keep her hands tightly clinched in Yours. Yet please oh God enough success to reassure her that You are her God and You walk faithfully with her." We love you Paysli Faith!

 Love, 
Mommy

First day home from the hospital

One year later

9 Months!

Well, Paysli Faith is now 9 and a half months old. Seriously, where does the time go? Pretty soon she'll be off to Kindergarten, getting her driver's permit, dating, graduating, off to college, married, and so on... : ) I really have been a bit of a wreck these last few weeks as I have started to think about planning her 1 year old birthday! Poor Tim has listened to me sulk about my baby growing up as he gently reminds me that her age is still given in months, she only has two teeth, and is in diapers.  But before I whine anymore about my sweet baby growing up, let me catch you up from my last post when Paysli was 5 months.
Unfortunately the ear infections continued for poor Paysli over the last several months. We knew when we could no longer remember what number ear infection we were on it was time for tubes. Thankfully, we were blessed with an amazing ENT and everything went smoothly (other than me just about losing it when they took her from me to bring her back to the surgery room!). Paysli had also struggled with clogged tear ducts from the time she was weeks old, which I am told babies typically grow out of around 6 months... but Paysli was not so lucky. Tear ducts procedures were also done at the same time that the tubes were put in. The ENT informed us that Paysli did have a large amount of fluid behind her ears which was also extremely thick (yummy, right?) and as far as her tear ducts, it was confirmed that Paysli's ducts were unable to drain correctly prior to the procedure. Ever since the procedures, we have thankfully stayed away from doctor visits and constant medications.

At the doctor. The day we lost count of how many  ear infections Paysli has had.

Waiting for surgery with Daddy. Mommy was a mess. So sad!

After tubes! I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER!

The last update on all things developmentally related, Paysli was rolling over. Well this little girl quickly mastered crawling and pulling up on anything and everything. She is everywhere! The days of her laying in swing or bouncer as we "ewww" and "awww" over her are long gone. The majority of our days are now spent sitting/crawling in the floor as Paysli crawls over, under, on top, and into anything and everything she can get to. She is pulling up on everything as well, which seems to bring along all the bumps and bruises that is so sad/scary to see such a young baby endure (yes, we have baby-proofed everything but somehow a 9 month old moves faster than her mommy/daddy can get to her). As far as speech, Paysli really seemed to "find her voice" after the tubes were put in. I think she enjoys hearing herself  (I think she gets that from somebody... but not saying names) and believes that everything she says is extremely important... so much so that everyone needs to hear what she has to say (Once again, I think she gets that from somebody... but still not saying names). We truly laugh at her all day as she pretends to read a book, gripes us out in her baby talk, and does adult-like turn taking in her "conversations" with us. This really is such a fun age to watch our little girl. We are learning a lot about her personality. She is a people watcher/analyzer like her momma and a goofball like her daddy. If music is on, she is dancing/clapping and if someone is giving a speech, prayer, etc. Paysli has something to add to it! Tim's brother recently got married and we quickly found out Paysli enjoys jumping in on prayers. We have also been a part of sweet speeches being given by friends/family as wedding/rehearsals/showers season is among us, and if Paysli is around she also seems to want to give a speech. We are fully aware that the party poopers are probably not a fan of our child, but those that enjoy a good laugh are. Paysli has also started doing her "mad face" (which I have no idea where she got it... we are all smiles at the Matthews residence :) ). We have laughed at this face for a few weeks now, but it wasn't so funny a few days ago during one of our Target outings where anyone who made eye contact with my child endured the wrath of the "mad face". Once again, Tim and I had one of those moments where we decided to laugh hysterically instead of freaking out about what these poor strangers would think about our child who looked slightly possessed.

Paysli had her first Easter which was a fun filled day with family! We are so excited about Paysli hearing about Jesus, his death, and ressurection as she gets older. I can't wait for her to hear what her God has done for her!








Next, I had an amazing first Mother's Day,  which Paysli was dedicated that morning at our church (Prestonwood Baptist Church- North Campus... come try it out if you haven't. It's where all the cool kids are : ) ). It was a day full of a variety of emotions. Celebration of being a mommy to Paysli but also remembering the few Mother's Days before where I had reached some of my lowest lows due to my previous miscarriages. Tim and I ended the day with celebrating all the sweet babies that have blessed me with the title of "Mother" regardless of if those precious babies are here on this earth with us or are waiting with our Maker for Mommy and Daddy.


Tim also celebrated his first Father's day and what a day it was! When we woke up, I whispered to Tim "Happy Father's Day!" and he replied "I still can't believe we're parents!". Which I have to agree. I still feel like we are the goofy 16 year olds we were when we first started dating... but now we're sooooo mature :).

School's out for Summer! That's right people, summer break is here and oh how I LOVE it! I am loving my time with Paysli and Tim. With Tim being a coach and teacher he too is off. We are truly being spoiled with our time with Paysli! I soooooo dreamed of being "bored" many times the last weeks of school, and while "bored" is non-existant when you become a mommy, I am loving being very close to it! And if you need proof... I am actually reading a book! Yea, you heard me... I am reading a book... one with chapters, no pictures, and with what I think is pretty big words in it. My sister passed along "The Ministry of Motherhood" by Sally Clarkson to me, and I must say I like this whole "reading for enjoyment" thing.  All joking aside, this book has really opened my eyes as far as reaching the heart of my current and future children by looking into Christ's example. I am a few chapters in and my thinking on "parenting" has really evolved. I would definitely reccommend this book to mothers and even fathers. In closing, the following is a prayer in the book that I LOVE and read/pray often since reading it:

A Mother's Prayer

"Most Gracious Lord,
Help us remember, in all the moments of our days, that taking time to cultivate a close relationship with our children is what will open their hearts for you. Give us strength and grace to listen to their dreams, to comfort them in their sorrows, and to mke ourselves available for their needs. Help us remember that they want our attention more than our service. Thank you that you made yourself available to people and that you always make time for each of us.
                                                                   Amen"

Paysli's Almost 5 Months!

Wow! The last time I posted Paysli was 3 weeks. It's extremely comical to think back to when she was 3 weeks old and our "parenting skills". Thankfully we are all still living and breathing, all limbs are still in place, and our sanity is still somewhere near the range of normality. :)  Tim and I LOVE being a "mommy" and "daddy". It is by far one of the hardest things we have ever done/adjusted to but at the same time we wake up each morning excited about what is to come. But enough about us, and let's talk about the cutest, sweetest, and sometimes the smelliest person in our family... PAYSLI!!! Paysli turns 5 months next week and while it feels like we have always had her, I can't believe how fast she has grown up. Her days are full of smiling, giggling, and telling us about her day in her "Paysli" talk (oh how she makes her speech language pathologist mommy proud!). We have had so much fun celebrating Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years with her. When she was 8 weeks she got to start staying with her amazing Aunt Wendi and her cousins Luke and Kynli while I went back to work. I can't tell you how blessed I am to have such an awesome family who is helping us be the best parents we can be. It really does "take a village"! I thought I would struggle with going back to work for just a few days or weeks, but I still have my random days of sobbing when I drop her off. Wendi is fully aware that if she starts doing a "big life event" such as first words, walking, etc., she is to stop it immediately. If a first step occurs later on down the road, its the only time I give her full permission to give her a slight push/nudge. Paysli and Kynli have already shown signs of being best buds. Kynli seems to seek out Paysli and tries to get to her. Paysli also adores Luke, who keeps Paysli fully entertained throughout his busy day of jumping, climbing, and just being a boy (he is a little over two so there is never a dull moment in his world!). Luke calls Paysli "Kati's baby" and I'm told becomes very concerned when Paysli is upset.

Unfortunately Paysli experienced her first round of those dreaded things called ear infections. Wendi and I noticed she wasn't taking her bottles as usual (and she does not miss a bottle!) and tugging on her ears. Sure enough she had and ear infection in both ears. Poor baby! I told Tim that I wish I could take it from her... and sure enough I was sick a few days later. We both are better now. The latest developments include rolling over. We got a little concerned when we were hearing that other friends with babies around Paysli's age were rolling over and she wasn't (heaven forbid our child be a few weeks slower than others :) ). Well now Miss Paysli has decided she will practice her rolling over skills in the middle of the night and the wee hours of the morning. We knew we had something coming to us when we were blessed with a child that has slept through the night since she was just a few weeks old. I had a heart-to-heart with Paysli this morning and told her that I am proud of her for rolling over, I apologize for talking about how those other babies were better than her in the rolling department, but it's time to stop showing off. We will see tonight how receptive she was to our little talk. Paysli also seems to be able to recognize Tim and I, as well as other close family members versus strangers. It really is so neat to watch them turn into little people.
In other family news, Tim is working on his Master's in Education Administration in all his spare time. I am so proud of him. He somehow juggles it all so well with a smile on his face! He is coaching/teaching, coaching select baseball, working on his Master's, and being an amazing daddy and husband! How am I so blessed?!?

God has really blessed us all our lives, but especially within the last several months. Tim and I are thankful we put our trust in Him and let our family be guided by His will. There is not a day that goes by I don't look at Paysli and praise Him for giving us this precious little girl. We went through a lot to get our baby girl, but oh how we would do it all over again in a second. One night while we were praying with Paysli, Tim started praying for our two sweet babies we lost through miscarriages and thanked God for "Our Little Fighter" he has blessed us with. The past few years of our journey in having a child quickly played through my head. Then what an amazing moment it was to say  "Amen" and open my eyes to see Paysli. Glory be to God!