Happy 1st Birthday, Adalyn!

We had a great time at Adalyn's birthday party on Nov. 5. So grateful for so many family and friends who came to celebrate with us. She enjoyed her cake so much that I had to take it away or she would have eaten it all. I cannot believe she is a year already. I love her little personality and her big smile. She brings us so much joy! Here's some things she is doing:

• clapping all the time saying YAY!
• patty cake
• still crawling and walking around the furniture. The last few days she is finally letting go of the coffee table long enough to clap but not brave enough to take steps yet.
• singing EIEIO
• saying Ohhhh Weeee when she hugs her giraffe pillow pet
• still saying "Hey" and hooting like an owl a lot
• stands at front window saying DaDa when he gets home and says MaMa when she's hungry or tired
• loves books. Jason reads about 4 books to her every night before bed.
• has 2 teeth but went to dr yesterday and she is cutting 8 teeth at once--4 top front teeth and 4 molars. Ouch!
• she weighs 26lbs 12oz and is 31 inches long per the dr yesterday
• just moved up to size 5 diapers. size 4 started leaking.
• been off the bottle since mid October and doing very well drinking whole milk
• loves daddy's chicken alfredo and mommy's beef tips and gravy
• loves oatmeal, eggs, yogurt melts, and cool whip. Doesn't like grits. Still eating a lot of squash and peaches and cheerios.
• loves water. Still have not introduced her to juice and according to her pediatrician, she doesn't need it and advises me not to start it. Milk and water is all she needs.
• loves to play in the refrigerator, opening and closing the bottom drawer
• she is daddy's shadow when he gets home. If he goes back to the office to do bills or practice trumpet, she has to be right there beside him. He installed locks on the cabinets yesterday and she was so curious. She tried to get in his lap as he used the electric screwdriver. I think she likes tools. lol.
• loves animals. Took her for a stroll in her wagon today and a stray dog tagged along and she talked to him the whole time. Also, she liked playing with Hannah's cat through the window at Matt and Laura's this weekend.
• she has adjusted well to the nursery. She doesn't even cry when we leave anymore. She even did good at Matt and Laura's church this weekend. This makes me happy.
• sleeping well. Time change messed us up some, but she went to bed at 7 pm last night and slept till 8:30 am. Momma got to sleep in! Yay!

We are so looking forward to the holidays with her. Christmas is going to be so much fun! Gonna put up decorations this weekend, but I am sure the tree will only have ornaments on the top half;)

Adalyn is 11 months old!

New things since last month:

• Adalyn started crawling on labor day!
• We upgraded her to a big girl car seat. She looks so grown up. She sleeps better in it. Usually not a good traveler, but on our recent trip to FL, she slept almost an hour and a half in it. Yay!
• Jason taught her to hoot like an owl. It is so funny to hear her imitate him.
• She shakes her head no so I have started saying yes and shaking my head the opposite way and she laughs at me.
• She says "Hey!" in a high pitch voice, mostly when we walk back in the room.
• Gagging on most table food except puffs because she still only has 2 teeth.
• Loves to dance and wave.
• She rode in a wagon and loved it. She loves outside.
• Her hair is long enough to put in a little pony tail on top. Looks so cute. My mom fixed my hair almost the same way when I was her age.
• Bought her a chunky wooden puzzle and she cannot stand for it to be together. She must destroy it. The same thing goes for her stackable toy from Nana and Pop. She always takes all the rings off. She will tear it up and then crawl to play with something else and Jason will hurry and put it back together, and sure enough, she stops what she is doing and goes straight to what he just fixed. He gets the biggest kick out of her. Oh yeah, her foam ABC mat gets destroyed all day long too.
• Opening cabinets and digging in the dishwasher.
• Following me all over the house.
• Still in size 4 diapers and bought her some 24 month pajamas and jumpers.
• Still sleeping 12-13 hours every night. So thankful!

Adalyn is 10 months old!

Cannot believe we are in the double digits now-10 months old! We took Adalyn to the doctor yesterday due to a cold and she weighs 25lbs 8oz. My sweet little rolly polly! Thankfully, she did not have an ear infection:) We gave her benadryl for the first time and she slept from 8pm to 10am. That was a record!

She is getting on all fours alot more these days as seen in the pic above. She is getting braver and braver. She loves to stand and play with her activity table. Jason and I catch ourselves singing the songs it plays all day long. Adalyn dances everytime she hears music of any kind. It is so cute. She likes to copy what we say too. If we say Ba, she says Ba, and will repeatedly do it as long as we do it. It is so funny! She is such a joy to our lives! We are so grateful for a healthy baby!

Adalyn is 9 months old!

Took Adalyn to the doctor yesterday for her 9 month checkup. She is 23lbs 10oz (off the charts) and 28.5 inches long (75th percentile). They checked her sight and iron, and we are praising God all was well. She didn't even cry when they took blood. I liked this checkup alot better because there were no shots!

Adalyn is still crawling backwards. She can't seem to get the forwards part, but the dr said not to worry. Her daughter did not crawl until 12 months. She loves to pull up and stand up holding onto things. She gets excited when we sing. She will start bouncing moving mostly her head and arms up and down. Jason is trying to teach her to "raise the roof"-lol. I am trying to teach her to clap and give a five. If it take her hand and slap mine once, she will copy me and do it over and over. She also started squinting her eyes and doing this loud heavy sniffing. It is so stinking cute! She started holding her bottle last week. She has been holding her sippy cup for a while now. She loves sweet potato puffs. She manages to get them in her mouth when they stick to her pointer finger by accident. I think she is getting close to picking them up though. We gave her some ham off the salad bar the other day and she loved it. I gave her some of my grilled chicken, and she liked it as well. We always give her bread wherever we go. It won't be long until we say goodbye to baby food. She likes the non liquified stuff. She has 2 teeth now so we decided to brush her teeth for the first time tonight. She liked it. I don't blame her because the toothpaste smells/tastes like bubblegum. She is still a great sleeper. She's been sleeping 13 hours--8pm to 9am. I love this since I am not a morning person. We got her a DVD player for the car and she LOVES Baby Einstein and Cedarmont Kids bible songs. This was a lifesaver on our recent trip to Destin and North MS because she does not like to sleep in the car longer than 30 minutes. She is very particular when it comes to sleep. She must be in a crib on her belly to sleep well.

I started the first birthday planning. I am going to do a polka dot/cupcake theme. Very excited! Planning is so much fun! I found the cutest denim outfit on etsy. Can't wait to see it on her! I also started shopping for a new carseat. When she grows an inch and a half, we have to buy a new one. Everyone is recommending the Britax so I think that's what we will get.

Happy 4th! I am 8 months old!

On July 2, Adalyn turned 8 months! It was a special day for me because she said "MaMa" for the first time! So now she is saying BaBa, DaDa, and MaMa. She loves to stand, but still does not crawl forward. She goes backwards and looks like she is swimming, and she can move all over her crib. She is very ticklish and we love to hear her laugh. It is so contagious. She still loves bath time and splashing in the pool. I can't believe she will be a year in 4 months. Time to start planning the 1st birthday party!

Adalyn is 7 months old!

Adalyn is 6 months old!

We took Adalyn to the doctor this past Saturday, and she was 21 lbs 9 oz and 27 inches long. She is growing up so fast! She had a double ear infection so we are on amoxicillin again. Praying she gets better soon. I hate it when she coughs and there is nothing I can do about it.

As far as food, she is still loving her cereal, fruits, and veggies. She's not so sure about meat yet, but she will eat it if I mix it with applesauce. I have been giving her water in a sippy cup, but she mainly just plays with it.

She started sitting up at the beginning of May. I can walk away now, but she does get tired and falls sometimes. Today, she fell and bumped her head, and you would have thought she had fallen off a 2 story building. She screamed bloody murder. No red mark. I think it just scared her more than anything. My heart just breaks to hear her cry like that. I know it is all part of it.

Don't you just love this picture?!! She looks so much like her daddy. We love her to pieces! It is so fun/sad watching her grow.

Lunch at Zoe's

This is a picture of me and my sweet friend, Joy, at Zoe's kitchen this past Sunday. She and her sweet family came for a short visit from San Antonio. This was their first time to meet Adalyn. At lunch, sweet Joy even got teary eyed seeing me rock Adalyn to sleep. She was very faithful in praying for our miracle. I am so touched by her compassion and love for us. They are moving to Tallahassee in a month. Yay, closer to us! We are planning a trip to visit them in September. So looking forward to seeing them again!

My First Mother's Day!

WOW is all I can say! Jason Sansing outdid himself again. It started Saturday morning when he made me cinnamon rolls and came home with a beautiful vase full of tulips (my fav). Then, on Sunday, he made breakfast and lunch for me. He gave me a beautiful pearl drop necklace that he picked out himself and a matching bracelet that has a silver flower with Adalyn engraved on it. He also gave me 2 sweet cards from him and Adalyn. He had a corsage for me too, but we forgot it in the frig. lol. The best part of the day was dedicating Adalyn to the Lord. Mom, Mr. Jim, and Matt and his family came to her dedication service. Jason and I were very touched and humbled by it all. I could not help but think of many prior mother's days where I was in tears longing for this very child that we are holding today. What an awesome God we serve!

Everyone came to our house for Jason's homemade lasagna. It was the bomb! He is such a good cook. Dad drove over after church too. After lunch, we got in the pool for the first time, but it sure was cold. It didn't bother Hannah a bit! She had a blast! Olivia and Adalyn sat out this time, but I know they will enjoy it soon.

I got a few other cards and gifts that were equally as special. My friend/hairstylist from church, Ashley Tippens, sent me a 1st mother's day card in the mail on Saturday. She is so sweet and thoughtful. My dad got me a card with a picture on the front that looked just like Adalyn. That was very sweet of him as well. He said he is very proud of the mom I have become. And, last but not least, my mom got me a sweet card that had prayer letters inside. These were from when she had prayed specifically for God to bless us with a child when and if it was HIS will. I will forever be grateful for my mother's prayers. I know now how important it is to pray for your children. There is great power in prayer! Thank you, Mom, for staying on your knees for all 4 of us kids. I am sure we all can attribute who we are today to those prayers. Mom also got me a willow tree figure called "Generations". It is a grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter sewing a quilt together. I know that the 3 of us will always be close. I have it sitting on the table in my foyer.

Another highlight of the day was meeting a new friend, Ashlie, and her baby, Ellie. I have been praying for a close friend in Mobile to hang out with, and voila, here she is. God just dropped her in my lap. We had an instant connection and she's from MS too and has been praying for a friend. God is good! His timing is perfect! Cannot wait to see what Miss Adalyn and Ellie can get in to. I know they will be close friends.

Easter 2011

Easter was fun this year. Our church took these free family pictures for everyone. I was very pleased at how they turned out. We bought Adalyn an easter basket, a few clothes, and a toy giraffe named Sophie. She loves it all. No candy this year. I also bought her some bunny ears and took a few pics with those on as well. After church we went to Nana and Pop's house for lunch. Nana made ribs and I brought baked beans and potato salad. Yum! Matt and his family were there so we hid easter eggs for Hannah. She had so much fun!

Adalyn is 5 months old!

Heather Williams - Hallelujah

One COOL chick!

Hello Spring!

Lovin' this spring weather! It is so much fun playing dress up with little girls especially for spring and summer! This is the first outfit I bought when I found out I was having a girl! She's even cuter in it than I had imagined! I cannot wait to put her in a "baybin" suit! (Robin, that was one of my Rachelisms as a child-LOL)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Goodbye bassinet, Hello crib

On Monday, we finally decided it was time to move Adalyn to her own room. After all, she is 4.5 months now. I think it was harder on Jason and me than Adalyn. It was so odd not having her beside our bed in her bassinet. I missed her, and I did not sleep well. It is hard knowing she is in the back of the house, and we are in the front. So thankful for baby monitors. Both nights she has gone right to sleep, but she wakes up numerous times between 3am and 6am for her paci. I can't just lean over and put it in her mouth anymore:( Hopefully, she will learn soon how to put it in herself. My OB told Jason that she put 6 pacifiers in her daughter's crib hoping she would find one. We may try that tonight:)

Going for a stroll

Adalyn loves her feet

Adalyn is 4 months old!

Adalyn in her black tutu dress today. Her bow looks like cat ears--lol! Look at those sweet thighs!

Adalyn went to the doctor on Friday for her 4 month well baby check up and shots. She weighs 17lbs and 1oz and is 25 inches long. The dr said that we could start her on 1 tbsp of cereal if we want, so we decided to try it out yesterday morning. We made it real watery. She looked like a puppy licking water out of a bowl except she was sipping out of a spoon. She made some funny faces. It was hilarious, but she did pretty good. Today, we made it a little thicker and she kept spitting it back out. I don't think she knew to swallow it. I hope to post the video soon. We can start fruit n veggies too, but we may just wait until 6 months to do that. Overall, she is a happy, healthy little baby, and we are thankful. She slept 12 hours on thursday night. That was a record! She also makes a loud spitting sound all the time. In fact, I noticed that the mirror facing her car seat was dirty the other day, and I could not figure out why. Then, it dawned on me that Adalyn had spit all over it. Today, in sunday school, she kept making those spitting noises, and all the men kept laughing and blaming it on one of the men in class. She made class very interesting. Another thing she started doing while at bunco on thursday night is sucking her thumb. She still loves her paci, but it is so cute when she finds her thumb:)

My little model

Adalyn had her pics made on Monday, Feb. 28. There are so many good ones, but this has to be my favorite. I just love those blue eyes! She was so sleepy in this picture.

This little light of mine

Yesterday, Adalyn's photographer showed me a video with this song playing in the background. I sing this song to Adalyn all the time, but had never heard this version before. I love it! There is such truth in the words to this song. I like the part about living each day with no regret and making the most of every chance you get. That part reminds me of the song "motions" saying I don't want to go through the motions of life. We don't want to look back and wish we had done it differently. So let your light shine now and live with no regret. The music video is at http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=92MC91NU. It is so sweet. You won't regret watching it.

This little light of mine lyrics by Addison Road:

There's a little flame inside us all
Some shine bright
Some shine small
The rains will come
And the waters rise
But don't you ever lose your light

In this life you will know
Love and pain
Joy and sorrow
So when it hurts
When times get hard
Don't forget whose child you are

This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
Gonna let it shine

May you live each day
With no regret
Make the most of every chance you get
Let your eyes get wide
When you look at the stars
With the same sense of wonder as a child's heart

With the ones you love-
Treasure the time
And for those who are gone
Keep the memories alive

Hold on to your dreams
Don't you ever let go
There's a fire inside you
Burning with hope

This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
Gonna let it shine

There will be days when you wanna give up
When the clouds settle in
But after the rain comes the sun
Don't you ever forget
Don't forget
Don't, don't forget

One day there will be no more pain
And we will finally see Jesus' face
So until then I'm gonna try
To brave the dark
And let my little light shine

This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
Gonna let it shine

This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
Gonna let it shine
Oh, shine
Gonna let it shine
There's a little light inside us all

Adalyn helping mommy cook supper

Adalyn loves to sit in her bumbo and watch mommy. She is getting so big. Last time we weighed her, she was 16 lbs and 6 oz--a butterball! I cannot believe that she will be 4 months tomorrow. She had her pictures taken yesterday and they are SO cute!

We have had a crazy couple of days. Jason has been on call for 3 days in a row and very busy. My left ear has been hurting for a week from some sort of infection or TMJ, and Adalyn still has some congestion and cold in her eyes. I am so thankful Nana came over Sat and Sun to help out. Praise God, we are all on the mend:)

Adalyn laughing out loud

There is no sweeter sound than a baby's laughter! So happy I caught this on video yesterday. Adalyn even had me laughing! It was so contagious. She has such a sweet laugh. I am enjoying her so much!

Beautiful day

Today was a beautiful day outside so we went for a stroll around the block. Based on this pic, I think Adalyn enjoyed it. I love that smile!

More of You, less of me

More of you lyrics:

More of You and less of me
Lord I pray that there might be
More of You and less of me
More of You and less of me
Lord I pray that there might be
More of You and less of me
Like a grain of wheat that falls to the earth
And dies to live anew
All my plans and earthly desires
I lay them down to follow You
……we need more of You

John 3:30 "He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less."

How does God speak to you?

My devotion was on this today. I read a verse I had never read before so I had to share it. Psalm 119:130 "The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand." I have always said that some parts of the Bible are too deep for me to understand, but if I ask God to help me understand, He will do just that.

Also, speaking of God speaking to us, God spoke to me alot in my infertility journey, and I think you will be touched by some of these verses. The first one was sent to me by an old co-worker, Melody, while I was pregnant. It is Genesis 30:22. It says "Then God remembered Rachel's plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children." So neat! I had never read this verse either.

The book of Psalms really helped comfort me in so many ways in my journey. I will never forget the following verses. I believe God gave them to me to help me get by. Without them, I do not know what I would have done. They gave me hope.

Psalm 12:6

Psalm 27:14

Psalm 30:5b

Psalm 113:9

Isaiah 30:18-19

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Sunday's devotion

On Sunday, my devotion was titled "Choose to be free". I was reminded of how bound I was almost a year ago as I was focusing on what I did not have instead of being content with what I did have. I focused way too much on my circumstances and was miserable. When I finally let go, I felt so much better and free just like the article said. One line that stuck out to me in the article was "The outcome of our lives is not determined by what happens to us but by how we respond to what happens to us." This is so true. It is all about a choice(how we respond). We can choose to be miserable or free. I was basing my happiness on whether I would have a child or not. But, happiness cannot be determined by what happens to us. We have to be happy and content in knowing that God is in control, and He knows what is best for us. His grace is sufficient.

My article for an infertility newsletter

The Day that Changed my Life Forever

By Rachel Sansing

February 4, 2010, was the day that changed my life forever. On that day, I received an email from my youngest brother encouraging me to let go and let God. He knew I wanted to completely surrender my desire to have children to God, but I did not know how. I asked God to show me, and He quickly did through my brother’s email in which he attached a song by Christian artist, Ginny Owens, called “If You Want Me To”. As soon as I heard the first note of the song, I began to weep. I had heard this song a thousand times, but the words never meant anything to me until now. I knew at that moment that God was not necessarily asking me to give up my desire, but wanting to see if I was “willing” to walk through the valley of infertility if that was His will. I sincerely made this song the cry of my heart that day. Ten days later, on Valentine’s Day, my prayers were answered. How special was that! God chose to bless me on a day designed specifically for celebrating love!

February also marked a year since my husband and I stopped infertility treatments. We praise the Lord that we were able to conceive our child with no medical help. We prayed that God alone would receive all the glory and He did! After all, He is the giver of life. We will be forever grateful for “our gift”.

My prayer is that the words of this song will be a source of encouragement to you like they were to me. There is a verse in the song that says “I am not who I was when I took my first step”, and all praise goes to God that I am not the woman that I was three and a half years ago when I started this infertility journey. I am happy to say that this trial has brought me closer to God, showing me to be thankful in ALL things, even infertility. The Bible says in James 1:2-4 to “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

"If You Want Me To”

by Ginny Owens

The pathway is broken

And the signs are unclear

And I don’t know the reason why You brought me here

But just because You love me the way that You do

I’m gonna walk though the valley

If You want me to.

Chorus:

Cause I’m not who I was

When I took my first step

And I’m clinging to the promise You’re not through with me yet

So if all of these trials bring me closer to you

Then I will walk through the fire

If You want me to.

It may not be the way I would have chosen

When you lead me through a world that’s not my home

But You never said it would be easy

You only said I’d never be alone

So when the whole world turns against me

And I’m all by myself

And I can’t hear You answer my cries for help

I’ll remember the suffering Your love put You through

And I will go through the valley if You want me to.

Our first family photo

Good Monday Morning!

Daddy went back to work today after being off for 9 days. We miss him greatly but are so thankful for the great provider that he is.

Adalyn accidentally rolled over when she was 2 months old, but this morning she rolled over from her stomach to her back 3 times in a row. I think she's got it down now, but it may be a while before she goes from her back to her stomach because she hates tummy time. I caught it on video so I will post it later.

Adalyn pics

Adalyn-newborn

A

Adalyn-1 month

Adalyn-2 months

Adalyn-3 months

Jason's birthday

Jason and I went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse on Saturday night for his birthday. This was our first date since Adalyn was born. Thanks Nana and Pop for watching Adalyn:)

Ready, set, blog

Well, here it is. I finally decided to create a blog. I was inspired after following Robin's blog the past couple of weeks. I love being able to see what is going on in the lives of my friends and family. At first, I had no idea what to name it, but I knew I wanted something with the word "sing" in it since I love music and singing, and my last name ends with the word sing. Also, God tends to speak to me through music more than anything else.

Jason and I were sitting on the couch listening to christian music and the song "Lifesong" came on by Casting crowns. Almost immediately, I thought that would be a great name for my blog. I asked Jason to help me think of something too, and he came up with "The Sansing Sojourner" which was a great name as well. I also knew I wanted a verse as my subtitle, and Psalm 19:14 came to mind. We recite this verse almost every Sunday at church. It is my prayer to please God in all I do, even in a blog.

I plan to use this blog to brag on God's gifts to me, Jason and Adalyn, and also to share what God is doing in my life, and how He is speaking to me. You will definitely see lots of scripture and song lyrics. So, get ready. Let's sit back and enjoy as God writes my Lifesong. I am so excited to see what the future holds! To God be the Glory!