3 Months Old!

Well, unfortunately maternity leave doesn't last forever. I wish it did. 10 weeks off with my baby was so much fun, and much needed. We had so much time together to bond, and learn how to manage our new life and schedule, etc. I am so thankful I had 10 weeks, even though I wish it could've been even longer.  Winston Duke turned 3 months old on May 20th. I know I will probably say this the rest of his life, but gosh time sure does fly by. I want to remember all of the special moments from each month, so I'm trying to keep up with it on the blog, even if I'm a few weeks late :) Being a working mom is no joke! Especially with nursing. I have a whole new respect for nursing/working moms! It's totally worth it to me to continue nursing, but pumping at work gets old. And people at work in a male dominated industry don't really understand all the time. But that's ok, I just take my pump breaks, ignore the comments and go on. Sometimes I have to bring my laptop home and work from home after Winston goes to sleep to make sure I get all of my work done. I've had good and bad days but coming home to my smiley baby boy is the best! I also get about an hour with him in the mornings before I leave for work, and I love that precious time with him. He is so happy in the mornings! Our nanny share is working out great, and Winston LOVES her. He lights up when he sees her and she is so good with him. We feel very blessed to be able to do a nanny share with great friends, and it was a huge answer to prayer to find Celia.

Here are lots of pictures from Winston Duke's 3rd month of life :) Enjoy!

One afternoon we took the whole family to Hermann Park for a picnic because it was gorgeous weather! 

This is one of my all time favorites.... 

Smiling while he sleeps on me.... our happy place ;) 

This was the day we were picking up our Congolese family from the airport, and Winston was pretty excited about meeting them! 

Had to document the Doxie outfit :) Thank you Daniel and Sarah!!

I think it's pretty obvious in this picture, but this was the night before I went back to work from maternity leave. I think I cried through his whole feeding before putting him to bed. :( I was and still am pretty emotional on Sunday nights. Jerrod said I become a different person on Sunday nights which I hate.... I'm trying to work on being JOYFUL through ALL circumstances.  I heard someone say recently that your joy should be conistent through any situation, because it comes from the Lord, not based on your happiness. Christ is the reason we can have joy in the midst of tough circumstances. I think this is so true!! And this kid brings me so much joy each day too!

First day of work!

Mother's Day weekend my parents came to town! It was so fun being able to celebrate my 1st Mother's Day with my sweet mama. I love her so! We also had Winston's baby dedication on Mother's Day, so we had a lot of family time. Winston Duke, you are one loved and prayed up little boy! 

Mother's Day was really special to me. Jerrod and I prayed and searched for a verse for him that we wanted to pray over his life. There are several but here is the one we shared at church. "Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation." Isaiah 12:2. Since Winston was in my womb, we have been praying for him to be a man that is fearless for Christ. We don't ever want him to say no to something because of fear. And not out of carelessness, but because He trusts the Lord so much, that he wont have any reason to be afraid. This has been on our hearts for him before we even met him. I can't wait to see how his life unfolds, and we are praying we can witness this lived out! It was really awesome to hear what God put on Gigi's (Jerrod's mom) heart for him too. It was all along the same lines as what was put on our hearts!

Our Pastor Curtis Jones, reading the blessing we wrote for Winston Duke. 

After the baby dedication and lunch he was exhausted. He got passed around a lot! We took a 2 hour nap together after lunch and I let him sleep on my chest the whole time. Love those sweet snuggles with him!

He sleeps sooooooooo well in the baby Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit. I highly recommend it to all new moms! 

Ready for a road trip to Austin! 

This was our first time to take him to a hotel. We stayed at the Hotel Granduca in West Lake which was so pretty and nice. He slept in the pack n play and did really well! We went to Austin for a wedding for one of Jerrod's college basketball teammates. 

The pretty view from our room. 

My hott date :) 

Jerrod and I bought this shirt last summer when we were in Antigua on vacation. I was 9 weeks pregnant and we had no idea if it was a boy or girl yet, so we went with something that could work for either. I had no idea at the time how much I would love the little baby that would wear this shirt!

First plane ride to San Antonio! He did awesome and ate for almost the whole 45 minute flight. 

Sweet cousin Molly, loving on baby Winston. She loves to hold him :)

Amy's whole crew got some baby time with Winston! It'll be fun when he's a little older and can actually play with all of his cousins.

May 20, 2016 -- 3 Months old! He smiles a lot, loves to eat and sleeps great all night. Loves his nanny, has become a better napper, moved up to 6 month clothing, and is all around easy going! He was dedicated at church this month, went on his first plane ride, and stayed in his first hotel room. It was a big month for 

Winston Duke!

Blessings,

Amanda