Tate Christopher

Cheerful carrier of Christ. Tate Christopher. Honestly I just had to look up what his name meant. We chose family names for our guy. But I wanted to know what his name meant, and I can only hope and pray that Tate is cheerful and takes Christ with him wherever he goes.

Now, it has been years since I blogged, and honestly I think this post is more for my sake than anyone else's. I want, I need to write out Tate's story and I keep thinking I will get a journal to do so, but here we are 2 months pp and no journal has been started. So here is Tate's story, from his older sibling I can't wait to meet to when we got to bring our sweet rainbow baby home.

Christmas 2016 we traveled to Texas after moving from Florida to South Carolina. We were excited to be back home for many reasons, but the big one was that we were telling our family we were expecting! I was 8 weeks along and everyone was so excited! We made them promise to keep it a secret until we announced it once I had made it through the first trimester. Well they never got to share that secret. January 13th I learned our sweet babe no longer had a heartbeat. We were broken. We clung to each other and to God. I knew God had spoken the promise of motherhood over me and it was all I could do to cling to that and trust.

Then comes summer. Summer 2017 was full of excitement and was looking like it would be a breath of fresh air. Gabe would be graduating from the first part of school and all of our family was coming to celebrate! Plus we were pregnant again...or so we thought. I had gotten multiple positive pregnancy tests, missed a period and was feeling rough. I had scheduled my first appointment for right after everyone left as I would hit 8 weeks when they were in town. But then we were in downtown Charleston exploring and I started bleeding. I went home to put my feet up and rest and pray that we weren't losing this baby. I went to my doctors appointment the day after everyone left and while I got another positive pregnancy test there, there was no proof of life on the ultrasound. Nothing that showed there was ever a baby. So was there a baby in one of my tubes or was this a chemical pregnancy? Lots of blood work happened over the next 2 weeks and a couple more ultrasounds. It was determined that it was a chemical pregnancy and I was never actually pregnant. I didn't know how to feel. Thankful that we didn't lose another baby or sad because we weren't pregnant. It just seemed like this year was against us but we kept believing that we would be blessed with a sweet babe in God's timing.

Fall arrived and my Nannie was spending her time back and forth between her apartment and the hospital. It seemed like things would get bad and then she would bounce back, but come October she wasn't bouncing back and she ended up being put on hospice. So I flew to Texas. The thing is, I was pregnant, and struggling with morning sickness. With our pregnancy history Gabe and I had decided that we weren't telling anyone we were expecting until I got through the first trimester. However I was only about 9 weeks along and there was no way I could hide how I felt when I would be sharing a room with my mom. Thankfully I was able to get some meds to help some, but we decided that since my mom was going to find out, Gabe's mom should also be in on the secret. Nannie passed away at the beginning of November and my heart broke. She was the grandparent I was the closest to, and I had so looked forward to introducing my baby to her, but that just wasn't going to happen this side of heaven. I'm so thankful Tate was sticking around because I needed a bright spot going into the holiday season. We told the rest of our families on Christmas that we were expecting a summer babe, and then announced it to the world on New Years. Our secret was out and we couldn't have been more excited!

My sneaky announcement post picture :)

Pregnancy with Tate had a rough start with morning sickness, which for me was really at night, that lasted for roughly 16 weeks. Then we had a little bit of just enjoying being pregnant, but then things got crazy. We were moving across the country, but we didn't have an exact date! Talk about stress. Thankfully my mom was able to help us move, so around 34 weeks along we made the trek from Charleston to Bremerton. With help from my mom we got almost completely settled in pretty quick and then it was time to meet my new OB and do last minute prep before Tate arrived. Tate's due date of June 18th came and went...with no signs of his arrival. He was perfectly content where he was. I was trying everything to get him to come but nothing. So we scheduled an induction, and then things started happening. It was like Tate was making sure we fully realized he was in charge.

Friday morning (June 22nd) I woke up and thought my water broke, but wasn't feeling any contractions. Gabe was only scheduled for a half day so we decided he should go in and then I would get ready to head to the hospital and we would go when he got back. We get to the hospital around 1pm and I was just barely dilated and my water had not broken. So we got sent home. Pretty soon after we got home I started feeling contractions, so Gabe started timing them. They were all in my back and it was rough from the beginning. I bounced on the ball, took a bath, and thought I would lay down and try to get some sleep. But my contractions were getting closer together and more painful, and standing was becoming the only comfortable position to be in. It was around 10pm that we decided to head into the hospital. My contractions were consistently getting closer and closer together and the pain was quickly escalating. The ride to the hospital was ROUGH. Sitting through contractions was not fun. At all. When we got to the hospital, I was only about a 2, but I was in so much pain they gave me some meds and decided to see where I was in an hour. Well an hour later I was at a 4 so they admitted me. Thank goodness because I was NOT getting back in the car and going home.

So early Saturday morning (June 23rd) we were checked into the room where we would eventually welcome Tate into the world. It was finally here! I had really wanted to labor naturally as long as possible, but those back contractions were killing me and rest wasn't really happening. So when I was offered an epidural I took it, hoping I could somehow get some rest before our world changed forever. Saturday was a complete blur. Every time the nurse or doctor came in something else was wrong with me. I ended up being diagnosed with pre-eclampsia and I spiked a fever. So my plan of giving birth as naturally as possible, quickly changed to having an IV rack full of meds. All those meds were interacting and causing my labor to be all over the place but before I knew it it was time to push. Tate had been measuring ahead essentially the entire time, plus he was 5 days overdue, so I knew he wasn't going to be a small baby. I pushed for 2 hours and he was not coming out. Since it was the weekend I had the on call OB, who of course was not mine. BUT I am so thankful I had Dr Christen for Tate's birth because he wanted to do everything we could to avoid a cesarian. (Not that my OB wouldn't have done the same, but according to the nurses Dr. Christen was the best for my case.) We tried the vacuum and Tate didn't budge. So he told me Tate was in the textbook perfect position for forceps and within the first 2 seconds he would know if Tate would come or if I would have to have a cesarian. Thankfully the forceps would work, unfortunately my contractions just stopped. WHAT. THE. HECK. The nurses were feeling my stomach to help determine when a contraction was happening and NOTHING. So it was me and Dr. Christen and what felt like minutes later Tate was born! 5:26 pm on June 23rd our lives changed forever.

Because of all the meds I was on we knew Tate was going to have to be observed for a bit after birth, but because he was stuck in the birth canal for apparently only 19 seconds (felt WAYYYY longer to me) he was whisked away immediately. He was not moving his left arm at all, if the nurse picked it up it just fell limp. They also put a mask on him that provided pressure to help clear his lungs. I barely got to see him, and I definitely didn't get touch him before they took him from the room. Thankfully Gabe got to go and be with him. Dr. Christen and my nurse (who I feel AWFUL that I cannot remember her name because she was amazing) were doing all kinds of things to distract and assure me that Tate was fine. We all guessed on his size and the nurse was spot on for his weight and Dr. Christen was the closest on length. Before I knew it Tate was being wheeled back in and handed to me. He was perfect. 10 pounds 22.5 inches long, and his left arm was totally fine. I nursed him and then it was time to move to the recovery room. We had to stay an extra day because of my meds but it worked out well because our friends Cardin and Christina were up in the area visiting and they got to be the first to meet Tate! We were discharged Monday late afternoon and were sent on our way, ready or not, with our rainbow baby.

Y'all I started writing this post when Tate was 2 months...he is 5 almost 6 months. If that isn't proof of how crazy life with a newborn is, than I don't know what is! It's not perfect, but its here for me to remember how faithful God is and how crazy Tate's arrival was. So here we are, almost halfway through the first year with our babe and I am FINALLY getting this posted.

Conquering the Mountain

In case you are wondering how I'm really doing. [I started this post on a rough day, but decided to put it aside for awhile so the emotions of the day didn't take over the post.]

An early morning "see you later"

Y'all let me tell you. Military life is not for the faint of heart. This isn't the first time Gabe has left, and yeah we spent around half of our first year apart. BUT this was different. Oh so different. Deployment is no joke. There is a given end date, but from what I've heard there is a small chance that will stay the date. I am not a fan. My planner mentality has been shaken over and over and over again in the last year. But I'm getting better at rolling with the punches. OH, by the way we just celebrated our ONE YEAR anniversary...and Gabe was on the other side of the world. I know we aren't the first, nor the last couple to do that, but it sucked.

Kimberly went to dinner with me to celebrate our 1st anniversary!

One thing the Navy has given us that has been really sweet is some good friendships. Not many, yet, but quality ones. I wouldn't be surviving this thing without them. Nala even has a best dog friend who she plays will ALL the time!

Headed to the dog park!!

ALWAYS playing!

So this mountain I finally feel like I'm conquering...its been rough. Crying has become way more norm than I'm used to...and a lot of times it's over ridiculous things. Like a 90 year old getting the golden buzzer on America's Got Talent, or Nala not letting me put her harness on. Ridiculous. The first few days I counted it as a win to get out of my house to get food. Then I started running normal errands, however the house became a MESS. Like the sink full of dishes, things everywhere, and clothes not in the hamper. I only worked 2 days after Gabe left so then I had no commitments. So I lost track of days and spent alomst every evening on the couch. It was rough.

BUT things have changed.

I wouldn't say I'm good (like normal good), but I'm getting there. I try to leave my house to have some kind of interaction at least once a day. Nala and I have gotten more active...Kimberly and I are training for a 5k...so Nala is training for a 5k. HA! The house is ALMOST clean. Currently there are dishes in the sink...but Gabe who normally cleans after I cook isn't here. At least I remember to take out the trash! I'm loving volunteering at Rethreaded (if you havent checked them out, do it NOW! ...well after you finish reading this... http://www.rethreaded.com/) AND I'm about to start quilting. But like I said, it's been rough, including getting my supplies to quilt. Remember how I said crying has become part of the norm. Well, this is the first time I've quilted without my mom around to help out when needed. The thread on my machine KEEPS breaking, AND after I had cut some fabric I realized my ruler was crooked! Are you kidding?? Bring on the tears. So I've been "about to start quilting" like all summer. But really, nothing has been done. Maybe one day.

A peek into Rethreaded!

I'm hopeful that in this next month there will be even more improvement! I'm not sure I'll ever feel normal, I mean I wouldn't really think its possible since my best friend is not here. But we shall see. I'm visiting Texas for a little bit and that will be a much needed break from here. I love living in Jacksonville, but being at our place, by myself is hard. So I am looking forward to going to Texas to visit with family and friends! After my trip to Texas, school will be back in session, so that means I can start subbing again! YAY! I am thinking and hoping that once I start working, time will go faster and it will take a lot of focus and energy. Which will be oh so good.

Let me take this moment to say, I am incredibly proud of Gabe, and the crew aboard the ship. And Gabe and I feel like this is where God has us for this season of life. So we are doing our best to be positive, and really looking at this as another part of this adventure we are on as husband and wife. Gabe is working hard to be successful, and while things are hard for him too, I mean he is the one deployed, he is better at being positive than I am. He leads us well and I know that if he can lead well from the other side of the world, I know for a fact he can lead well at home.

So there is a pretty good glimpse into life currently. Seeing as I haven't been blogging often, hopefully they next one will be more joy filled! But this is where we are, its rough, but we are seeking out the positive and doing our best to enjoy the adventure set before us!

Ups and Downs and Ups and Downs

Real Talk. Life lately has been emotional to say the least. Highs, lows, and everything in between. 

The ship has been busy, which means Gabe has been busy. A crazy schedule that changes almost daily. My planner personality is not a fan. Pretty much anything involving Gabe's schedule is written in pencil because it will change. It's basically guaranteed.

Let's go back to the beginning of the year, when we got to go home, to both of our homes for some fun, family time! We flew into San Antonio to celebrate New Years and then we headed down to Portland for a few days! After time with my family we flew up to Dallas to spend some time with Gabe's family! We got to go to our nephew's soccer game, and even made a day trip down to Waco! It was a great time overall, and the most time in a row Gabe and I had spent together in awhile. I mean 24 hours together for 10 days in a row. That's a big deal! 

After we got home we got our sweet pup Nala! We have been wanting to get a puppy pretty much since we got married so she was the perfect 6 month anniversary gift to ourselves! ha

I mean look at that cutie! She is 9 months old and is the sweetest, snugliest (it's a word!), cavapoo you will meet! We are pretty smitten with her. 

Thankfully I had Nala because pretty much right away Gabe's schedule got busy. He was here and then he was gone, and then he was back, but had to work late. It was never ending. We thought we were going to have a long weekend so we planned to go somewhere... but surprise surprise it didn't happen. 

We have learned how to make the most of the time we do get together though. We did a stay cation that weekend (the one where we thought Gabe was going to get some extra time off), and still sent Nala to boarding. We did some fun things in Jax one day and had an extremely lazy day the next!

Some nights dinner gets planned and then postponed and taco bell gets picked up. You just never know. We are getting the hang of it. I think. But really we are just getting better at scrapping plans and making stuff up along the way. 

A huge win for us was being able to celebrate our birthdays together! (Early yes, but we still got to celebrate them!) For Gabe's birthday we went and saw The Phantom of the Opera and it was incredible! Then for mine we took advantage of a full weekend and went to Jekyll Island! It was beautiful and oh so fun to get out and explore! 

This is our life now and even though it can be super stressful, or we don't know what to do, we are in it TOGETHER. We are figuring it out TOGETHER. We will get through it TOGETHER. 

ALSO: Let me add that this is truly where we feel God has called us to be. Even though we are away from family, we will cling to Him and trust this is the best place for us to be in this season of life!

Our Little Home

Life lately has been pretty busy. Between me starting work, it being a busy season for Gabe, and Gabe's sister's wedding, we have been busy. But it has been fun :) We loved visiting with family last weekend for Lexie and Kane's wedding and we already can't wait to see everyone again for the holidays! 

Our home is pretty much put together and I wanted to give you all a tour. As I've posted things on social media I've been tagging it #ourlittlehome and Gabe always says our home is not little. But it is, I mean it's a one bedroom/one bath, but it is perfect for us! I love our apartment because it is our first home together, the beginning of our forever started here. And while the home is small we don't need more space. Our home is cozy and perfect. 

So lets get started with this tour! 

When you walk in our front door we have the laundry room on the right and then a super cute table my mom got us!

On the left is our "dining room" or spot where our dinner table is :) Although we don't sit here often, because it sometimes becomes our dumping spot, I love that we have this table to eat together plus there is space for others! 

Just past the cute table my mom got us, is the junk corner. But really. It's a nook with a built in desk and it became the space that stuff just got stored. I've attempted to clean it up...but as you can see it didn't really work. Ha

Then you come to our kitchen! I LOVE our kitchen. I mean we have a HUGE island, well huge in comparison to the space we have in the kitchen. I do wish we had more cabinet space, but as you can see we have gotten creative to store the things we don't use on a weekly basis. 

Next to the kitchen is the living room. And really the dining room, kitchen and living room are one room... yay open floor plan! Our living room became our Waco/Baylor room, and we love it! As you can see we have our suspension bridge hanging in there, you can spot a couple of Sailor Bears, and even some antique Baylor dedicated Dr. Pepper bottles. Oh and there are a couple Magnolia things too! Oh and our "coffee table" is a really awesome antique trunk one of my mom's friends found for us! It is covered in old Baylor stickers and we love it! 

Off the living room is our patio! I love this space and I can't wait for it to cool down some more so we can really start to enjoy this space! I have a small garden going, but it's not going so great...oh well. You live and learn right? I have a project I need to work on to get us a table out there with those chairs...and then it will be perfect! 

Next comes our bedroom, a space that I love because of certain pieces that are in there! We got our dressers and that cute bench from my Nannie (or grandma) and we are so grateful! They are real wood and will last us forever, plus we will get to keep a piece of my grandparents with us wherever we move. Also hanging in our room is our "guest book" from our wedding! We love to read y'alls sweet notes and remembering that sweet sweet day. 

And last is the bathroom. This room was the first room to be put together. I mean all we did was hang a curtain and that awesome map and it was good to go! (I think this was Gabe's favorite room to finish...because it took all of 5 minutes to put together!)

Well that's it! That's our home and we LOVE it! Come visit! Seriously! We will either make it happen here...or there is a hotel like 1 minute away! Plus there is LOTS of good food here and the beach! 

P.S. Sorry these aren't high quality photos...if you want a better look at things come visit! :)

The Best Day Ever! [Part Two}

Y'all I am so sorry it has taken me so long to do the second half of this post. I have had a lot more on my plate and hopefully it will continue! I have applied and done all the intro parts to become a sub in Duval county. I almost became a sub in Waco, and then the Magnolia job basically fell in my lap...so I'm going for it again. I think it will be perfect for me because I can create my schedule around Gabe's schedule! When he is gone I can work all the time, and when he is home I can work less, or not at all...I have some requirements but they will be easy to meet! I'm excited to get started!

Anyways this post is about our wedding day! My favorite day yet! I talked about Friday night and Saturday morning in part one...now lets talk about the evening! 

Our ceremony started at 5pm...well a few minutes after to make sure everyone who was coming found a seat. I was so nervous yet so excited! Everything I had been dreaming of was about to happen and I would be walking down the isle to Gabe! Here is a glimpse into the ceremony:

Our ceremony was perfect. We were surrounded by family and friends, had a time of worship, had friends pray over us and read scripture over marriage, and for our unity time Gabe led us in communion. It was everything we could have wanted to start our marriage! 

After our ceremony the party got started! Here is a glimpse into our reception: dinner, dancing, toasts, friends, family and a photo booth! 

 Our reception was one heck of a party and a pretty fantastic way to start our marriage! We had a ton of fun and were so grateful to get to talk with all our guests! (SO SORRY if we didn't get to say thank you to anyone!) While my dad and I were incredibly proud of our dance (neither one of us are big dancers...Gabe and his mom ROCKED the dance floor! But Gabe LOVES to dance and he had to get those moves from someone :)) We had some tackling for a bouquet, a garter that didn't have a lot of elastic and somehow we only got the bites of cake we fed each other...BUT we wouldn't change anything. We loved it, and we are so incredibly thankful for each person who was a part of our day! 

**If you weren't able to make the wedding (or if you want to relive the day) our wedding video should be out soon!!!**