Holy Roller...

Bet we caught your attention with that title!

It's been an amazing few days with Daniel. We have watched him as he continues to grow right before our eyes. From laughter in his sleep to tears rolling down his face, we have been witnesses to the beautiful handiwork of God. We are daily fascinated and wonderfully surprised with Daniel's growth and his changing ways...

Just this past weekend, as a fellow church goer asked if Daniel had been pushing up off of his stomach, we realized that our little boy wouldn't be little for much longer. Well, we realized that only after having to admit we had completely forgotten about the ever-so-talked-about "Tummy Time." We came straight home from church and put Daniel on his stomach in the living room floor. Not seconds later, this is what we witnessed (be patient with him):

Holy Roller from Jenna Johnson on Vimeo.

Did we mention that Daniel is ONLY five weeks old?! Our little one is rolling... Not in God's Word yet, but he's on his way!

Daniel in the Past Few Days...

Guess Who Is...

Daniel Benjamin is! He is one month old today, and I cannot tell you how much he has changed. It is such a blessing watching him grow, seeing his facial expressions, and hearing his sweet little voice. Here are just a few of the things that happened in Daniel's first month:

In Daniel's 1st week:
He spent two days in the hospital.
He lost a few ounces there.
He slept... a lot.
He was visited by many friends and family.
He finished the week by gaining his birth weight back.

In Daniel's 2nd week:
He weighed in at 9 lbs. and 6 1/2 ounces.
He had an ultrasound of his kidney.
He was cleared of any abnormalities!
He cried... a lot.
He began smiling in his sleep.

In Daniel's 3rd week:
He had his first church visit and got his Bible.
He took his first trip to Walmart.
He met his cousins for the first time.
He went to the playground with them.
He started crying/screaming after every feeding.
It was determined he has reflux and started Zantac.
He would not sleep through the night.
He weighed 9 lbs. and 11 ounces.
He had his newborn pictures taken.

In Daniel's 4th week:
He would smile while on the changing table.
He had his first Cracker Barrel visit.
He grew out of his newborn clothes.
He started blowing out diapers...
and messing over whoever was holding him.
He laughed and giggled in his sleep.
He slept three hours at a time.

Fits and Fusses

You wouldn't know about these if you've seen Daniel out in public yet. See, our little boy has learned how to impress people and get your attention at a mere 4-weeks-old. He is the best baby when he's around all of you, but as soon as we are by ourselves, he lets us have it.

Just yesterday, as we ate lunch with family and friends at the Cracker Barrel, Daniel slept through the whole thing... We get in the car, and on comes the tears. Saturday, Grandpa stopped by to see his perfect little grandson, and not ten minutes after he left, Daniel started screaming to no end.

It's become a joke with us... We wait to see how long it takes after people leave or we get alone before Daniel brings on the crocodile tears. It's almost like he knows he has everyone's attention, and then he also knows when he doesn't - thus the crying fits.

Everyone seems to ask how Daniel is doing, if he's sleeping through the night, and if we are getting any sleep. We always reply that he is growing quickly (a whopping 9.11 pounds as of 3 days ago), has his days and nights mixed up, and that sleep is a thing of the past.

Just last week, Daniel spent two days screaming after his 11:00 feedings. Both a.m. and p.m. might I add. He would scream for 3 hours until his next bottle. We were so afraid of colic, we took him to Dr. Cormier on Friday. Turns out Daniel has some reflux and he is now on Zantac, rice cereal, and sitting upright after feedings. It's amazing that you can be thankful for reflux, but we are.

Daniel will be a month old in 2 days... I have a lot in store for you then. Check back later this week!

That's What I'm Doing... These Days.

Do you know that I haven't written a blog in over a month? That's somewhat insane considering I used to be checking my blogroll every hour just to check in on all of my friends and those I had been praying for.

These days, I'm spending every hour checking in on this handsome, young man.



I used to spend hours at my desk painting Gifts of God for my friends, family, and supporters. When I say hours, I mean every waking minute.

These days, I'm too busy watching as God continues creating His own masterpiece in the face of my little boy.

There was a time when going shopping for myself and being alone was fun.

These days, I leave my little one with my sister or my mom to go shopping, and I feel so alone without him.

Not too long ago, I thought going back to college was the only thing I had to do. It made perfect sense to me to spend my days studying, preparing papers, and going to class.

These days, school seems completely unnecessary. I look forward to studying my sweet boy's face, preparing bottles and Zantac doses, and going to the nursery every few minutes to change diapers.

I once believed that it would be years before Brian and I had children...

These days, I believe God knew what He was doing when He gave me Daniel.

Growing Like a Weed

I finally broke down and mowed the yard yesterday. I realize how ridiculous I may have looked, considering I just gave birth two weeks ago, but I wanted to help Brian out and feel like I had actually accomplished something. So, the front yard is mowed. Ha, I didn't say I mowed ALL of it.

Just like the weeds that had popped up in our yard, we have a little boy that's growing that same way... fast and totally unexpectedly. Daniel doesn't even seem like a newborn anymore. He went for his two-checkup yesterday, and he had gained 1.4 lbs. in seven days... He's now weighing WAY over his birth weight(8.8) at a whopping 9.6 lbs.! We also got the results from the ultrasound of his kidneys, which were "perfectly normal."

I'm amazed at how well Daniel is doing, and sometimes I forget, when he's up all night or screaming at the top of his lungs, what a blessing he truly is. We are honored to hold him in our arms, and we have become so aware of the perfectly, great God we serve! Enjoy the latest pictures of our growing boy!



It was 3:04 a.m., and Daniel was wide awake and grinning ear to ear!


I see God's fingerprints all over this picture. Look on the top, right side of the screen and notice Daniel's profile at 28 weeks... He is wonderfully made!


Daniel is two weeks old, and already holding his head up all by himself...


Daddy and Daniel needed a day-time nap.


Daniel's gift from our sweet friends, the Woodards. It's on the wall right as you walk into his room.


He lost his cord just days before Mother's Day, and just so happened to have on this "Mommy" onesie. Look how big Daniel is!

I Live for Moments Like These.

In the early hours of the morning, I have found myself wishing my son's life away. As friends discussed their sleep-through-the-night baby, I honestly was jealous of their bright, rested eyes. We have had to fight for every hour we have gotten, and those hours during the night are few and far between. I don't want to be the kind of mother that misses the joy of her son because she spent her time wishing his habits and days away.

God brought me down to that realization and off of my pity party the other morning as I was getting ready to take Daniel to Vanderbilt for an infant ultrasound of his kidney. If you didn't already know, throughout our pregnancy, we were informed our baby had fluid on his kidneys. Anyway, not the point. My mom had given me the Jim Brickman, "Valentine" cd, and I played it for Daniel as I prepared to leave. I was hit hard when a familiar song came on. I had always believed it was a romantic song, but as I listened to the lyrics, I heard the Lord's voice loud and clear. "Cherish him; He is my gift to you." I cried over the words for what seemed like hours, and again that evening as I played it for Brian.

But, God reminded me through this song and through moments like these that my child truly is a gift. We prayed for him, and now he's here. He's not sleeping as we wish he would, but he's ours to love, nurture, and pray over, and that's a blessing we do not take lightly.


May the angels protect you, Trouble neglect you,
And heaven accept you when its time to go home...

May you always have plenty, the glass never empty,
And know in your belly... You're never alone.

May your tears come from laughing; you find friends worth having.
With every year passing, they mean more than gold...

May you win but stay humble, smile more than grumble,
And know when you stumble, you're never alone.

Well, I have to be honest, as much as I want it,
I'm not gonna promise that the cold winds won't blow...

So when hard times have found you, and your fears surround you;
Wrap my love around you... You're never alone.

Never alone, never alone...
I'll be in every beat of your heart when you face the unknown...

Wherever you fly, this isn't goodbye...
My love will follow you, stay with you...

Baby, you're never alone.




"Never Alone"
By Lady Antebellum