Does anyone know where June went?!? If your family is anything like mine, it flew by! While I'm sitting in the sunrise enjoying my bowl of freshly cooked deer sausage, biscuits, and gravy, I'll see if I can remember a recap...

Zachary finished work on the 17th, and isn"t due back until August 13! Having him home has been incredible, you have no idea how much laundry and deep cleaning I have tackled since having an extra set of hands around here. My mother-in-law came down for a short visit from the 16th-19th, time with her is always special. If any of you know her, you know her energy, and it's wonderful having that energy around, especially now with a baby. She helps out so much with Zaylen!! The amount of naps I took during those few days is insane. I was able to catch up on sleep, get some good cleaning done, and pack for the beach...and I did all of that alone! I usually do the chores and things with Zaylen wrapped to me so when I get to do something without an extra 15 pounds on me it feels like I'm a new person! It was very nice having her and we are looking forward to her coming back down in August with Zaks brother and nephew. After Joyce left we had one day to finish packing for a two week beach trip, talk about exhausting! Nobody warned me about the overwhelming amount of stuff you have to pack for a baby. We literally brought the entire house...and there's not an ounce of exaggeration in that. We had so much that we had to buy an over-the-car luggage carrier. Needless to say...by that Friday night I was a zombie; a worn out, tired, delusional, exhausted zombie. Oh wait, thats every day now...I forgot I'm a mom.

Saturday morning (the 21st) we packed up last minute stuff and headed off to the beautiful Carolina coast. Can I take a minute just to say how blessed we are to live in such an amazing state?! Sure, gas tax and teacher pay could be better, but we are so very fortunate to live in a free country and a state that stands out from the rest. I know I'm biased towards North Carolina, but I've been to about 6 other states...and let me tell you, Carolina beats them all. Anyways, we left a little earlier because I was expecting to stop several times with Zaylen. Would you believe we stopped once in 5.5 hours?? That baby slept and slept some more. Talk about some proud parents. We went to the Outer Banks for week one of the trip. We had beautiful weather the entire time, and had such a great time!! Zaylen really enjoyed the beach, he didn't take to the water, but he loved the wind hitting his face and the sounds of the ocean. I couldn't have asked for a better first experience for him! We had a nice relaxing time and I know the rest of the family had the same. For week two we headed down the coast to Atlantic Beach. We had to take two ferries to get there, and according to Zak that will be the last time we take a ferry for a long time. What was supposed to be a four hour trip turned into an almost eleven hour trip. Yes, eleven hours. Ferry number one was an awesome ride; it was short, easy, not choppy, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Ferry number two was a different story. We got to the dock in time for the 1 o'clock boat, but found out that the car in front of us was the last one on...so we had to wait two hours for the next one. We were kind of happy about that because it gave us time to go eat and hang out for a bit. Well the 3 o'clock ferry had some mechanical issues so we didn't leave till 4. Once again, not a big issue, we weren't in a hurry. About an hour into the ride, Zak is in the drivers seat reading his book, Zay and I are in the passengers seat napping, and at least 20 gallons of salt water decided to join us. We had the windows down to get some air and enjoy the outdoors and thought we would be protected by the huge wall we were hiding behind if any choppy waves sprang up. We were sadly mistaken. Luckily none of the electronics got any water on them, but the car was filled with water!! The floorboard still had water in it after 3 days. Talk about a mess. We wiped everything up as best we could and didn't think anything of it. Well when we tried to get off the ferry after 3 hours of being wet in the middle of the sound we kept stalling out. We were seriously both losing it at this point. After talking to Zaks dad, letting the car dry out for a bit, and then driving 35 mph for a while, the car finally got us to our destination. Needless to say, our nerves were shot, we were exhausted and ready for some sleep. 

We stayed in Atlantic Beach for two days and then decided to come home. My great-grandpa, Papa Hassie passed away on June 30. He was a handsome man who had all the love in the world to give!! Once we got home we were in Eden for a few days attending his funeral and being with family members. Papa Hassie had the sweetest services and seeing the amount of people that week really let us know the impact he had on so many peoples lives. He was the definition of a God fearing man, if every man strived to be like Papa the world would be such a beautiful loving place. 

This past week has been quite an adventure and just added on to the craziness of the past month. As you can imagine, we had our fair share of bills to catch up on, plants needed taken care of, our house was begging for a good cleaning, and life just hit us again. We celebrated the fourth with a downtown festival and grilling/fireworks at my moms house. Would you believe it if I told you Zaylen slept through all the fireworks, and then woke up as soon as I laid him in his car seat to go home?? That child certainly has a mind of his own. The Sunday after the fourth we went to Black Mountain to see some family members and hang out for the day. It was so nice getting to see uncles/aunts, and cousins that we haven't seen in a while. It was everyones first time meeting Zaylen, and even the first for some meeting Zak. Family sure is a wonderful blessing and we are so grateful to have the tight loving family that we do. Our garden has been producing more than we can consume (which is a nice thing, but zucchini bread gets a little tiring after the third or fourth loaf). At the end of the week, our friend Donny from college came down for a weekend visit. We grilled out at Victor and Annies house Friday night and we all hung out off and on the next two days. It was really nice having Donny down, he and Zak haven't seen each other in over a year, and this was his first time meeting Zaylen. It's sad how you don't see your friends as much when adult life hits you, but at the same time it's a wonderful thing to see friends pick up right where they left off. Oh and one last thing...one of my dearest friends, Anna, had her precious baby boy Friday!! Weston is such a perfect baby! Anna is a beautiful mother and I am very thankful I get the opportunity to watch her journey in motherhood. It feels like yesterday I was only a child myself, and now my friends and I are all getting married and starting our own families, wow time sure does fly by.

Well that's a little summary of our June and part of July. I'll try to write back next week. I hope you all have had an exciting summer so far and I look forward to hearing from you!





  Zaylen and Grandma reading
    

This seems to be a pretty touchy subject among mothers, I heard about it constantly as I browsed websites during my pregnancy, and I thought I was one of the lucky ones who wouldn't experience it....until now. I had read stories of mothers judging, giving unnecessary unwanted advice, and being downright rude and mean to other mothers. This isn't right and it needs to stop. We as women first should always support and lift up one another, not tear each other down. And as mothers we should know the daily struggle of wanting to do right by our children and should take that into consideration before we "help" one another.

This past week I was in a baby clothing store getting some new summer items for Zaylen. He was in his stroller enjoying a bottle and I was talking to the cashier as we were checking out. There was a lady behind us in line who popped up and asked me how old Zaylen was. As you all probably know, checking out with a baby and people talking isn't really the most attentive state you can be in. I was pulling his diaper bag (that contained my wallet) out from under the stroller, the cashier was asking me if I was a member and wanted a discount, you know how they are, all while responding to the lady behind us, "oh he's eleven weeks old." I get the diaper bag up, my wallet out, Zaylen loses his bottle and so I grabbed it and gave it back to him, again all while the cashier is asking for my email and phone number, you know the deal. Well the lady behind me notices that Zaylens bottle isn't all the way propped up and he's getting the littlest bit of air. She goes on to step beside him and starts lecturing me on "how babies can't drink in any air because it messes with their digestive systems and gives them bad gas. Their digestive systems aren't complete yet so they can't handle air like adults. You should really hold that or prop it up better so his stomach doesn't hurt from air bubbles that cause gas. From now on, (yes, this lady had the nerve to tell me from now on) you need to watch his bottles and make sure no air is getting into his system." I didn't even give her the time of day by looking at her. I mumbled "thank you" and quickly grabbed my bags and left. I was so hurt! I called my mom as soon as I was out and just cried! I mean, does not watching my baby's bottle for one minute make me this terrible mother who is incapable of taking care of her son? In that moment I felt so worthless and undeserving to be called a mother. Thankfully my mom calmed me down quickly and reminded me that there are some people who just think they know it all and will jump on any chance they get to put someone else down. Although I had calmed down, I was still upset the whole day and I have thought about it every day since.

Looking back on it I wish I would've told her, "since we are giving out free advice, why don't you touch up your roots and pluck your chin hair." No, I'm kidding, well kind of. But it brought me back to all the stories I had read about mothers putting down other mothers and it broke my heart. Maybe I could've understood the lady pointing out that his bottle had fallen? I'm still not sure how I would've taken that, but what she said to me and the tone she used was unnecessary and very much not needed.  She made me feel like I didn't deserve my son and she made me feel like I was a horrible mother, and I can assure you that will never happen again. If I get that type of advice again I will just smile and move on. My son and I are a perfect match and I will never let anyone make me feel any different about that.

Now family and friends are one thing. I have been very blessed with loving family and friends who have given me great advice for Zaylen and they had the right intentions doing it. My sister and I exchange kid advice all the time. There are some things we disagree on, but we always support each other through it. I am thankful for her advice and I know she is thankful for mine.

The point I'm trying to make is that we all have different ways of raising our children, whether it be cloth diapers and unlimited tv time or disposables and 1 hour of tv daily. We have different feeding times, nap times, toys, learning activities, ect. Does any of that really matter? We mothers are all doing the same job and we are trying to get to the same goal so instead of fighting each other and trying to be "the better mother", let's try being on the same team. When you see a mom who is frantically getting her wallet out trying to pay for a purchase and her sons bottle falls a little, just help out. Being a mother is the hardest job on the planet. On top of all the chores and taking care of our husbands, we have to raise a child. We have to make the hardest decisions and choices for a precious life and hope we made the right ones. We have to nurture and raise a sweet child to become a contributing member of society. We have to protect them with our lives, care for them during diaper explosions and sleepless nights, we get sick when they get sick, and our heart breaks every time we see a tear or hear a fuss. Wow, what an amazingly tough job. We've all been through it and we've all messed up. And if those little mess ups make us bad mothers, then please put me at the top of the list. Ladies and mothers, let's all be a little more understanding towards each other and know that each of us is trying our very best to be the parent our child needs us to be.

This past weekend I celebrated my very first Mothers Day, and it turned out to be everything I had dreamt of and more! Zak and Zaylen took me shopping all day Saturday, I got the sweetest card, I spent all day Sunday with family, and most importantly I loved on Zaylen the whole weekend and shared special moments with only him. Being a mother is almost exactly what I imagined it to be, but a mothers love is way more intense than I ever thought.

My love for Zaylen reaches deeper in my heart than any other love I've known. I love my family very dearly. I love my husband immensely and he will always come first in my life, but those types of love are based on conditions. And my love for Zaylen is unconditional. I don't believe there is a pecking order on who we love most, I think love is spread evenly, but different types are more intense and filling than others. Conditional love is based on conditions/circumstances/situations. My love for friends and family is conditional. If someone seriously hurts me, is a bad influence, doesn't show love/respect, ect., then I'm going to excuse myself from that relationship. And yes this even includes family, I hate it has to be that way, but water is thicker than blood sometimes.

 My love for Zak is conditional too. We made a vow to each other and to God saying we would stick by each other through the hard times and the good, and we hold strong to that, but the enemy is sneaky and there's nothing more he loves than putting his nose in healthy marriages. We are only human, we get attacked every day and we fall short, no matter how strong our faith is, that's just human nature. If Zak were to ever become abusive or get involved with other women, I would definitely try to mend our marriage first, but after a season of it I would have to excuse myself from that relationship as well. I know God intends for marriage to be a life long commitment, but I also think He doesn't want us to be stupid and get hurt in the process. I could go on all day about marriage and divorce, but the point I'm trying to get across is that my love for my husband is ultimately conditional.

Now, my love for my son is the first unconditional love I've ever known. There is nothing he could ever do or say that would make me love him any less. And there is also never anything he could do or say to make me close the door on our relationship. He is my son. He is half of me and I am half of him. I would give up my life right now just for him to be able to see another day. There is no greater love I have ever known. To me unconditional love has such powerful meaning that it's hard to put into words. It's showing Zaylen that I love him (not just saying it), it is proving it to him in every action I take and every word I speak. It's disciplining him (when the time comes! please don't think I spank or time out my two month old son!), Proverbs tells us "Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him." Wow that's powerful stuff! Unconditional love is raising Zaylen to be a contributing member of society, pulling his weight and doing his share. It's teaching him real stuff, no matter how embarrassing or uncomfortable it may be. It's showing him a healthy marriage and how partners should respect and love one another! There are many other examples, but the one I want to close with is the most important. Unconditional love is shaping Zaylen to be a strong, fearing man of God. If I don't do anything else as a mother, this is my ultimate responsibility. Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."

There is something remarkably intimate about being a mother. It's more than holding Zaylen or rocking him and feeding him. It's more than playing with him or talking to him. That intimacy rises from the unconditional love I have for him; that sweet, precious mother's love.

As most of you know, our precious baby boy finally arrived! Zaylen was born March 13 at 3:44 pm and weighed 9 lbs 13 ounces. We weren't expecting him at all that day, I had an appointment that morning and due to his size and his lack of movement I had have a c-section. The surgery went great, thankfully Zaylen wasn't as big as they estimated him at, I am recovering well, and we all are settling in to our new lives. I adore being a mother! It is everything I dreamt of and way more! Zak is the best father I have ever known, seeing how he interacts with Zay gives me such joy. He is also a diaper master, I've never seen a man this awesome at changing diapers. Zaylen is such a great baby, we've hit a few fussy times but overall he is perfect! He is gaining a ton of weight, he's starting to be more vocal, and he's doing an outstanding job at being alert and holding his little head up. Izzy loves Zay, although she's a little jealous and super protective, she does great around him. Zak and I are both so happy that God blessed us with this precious life to raise! Being parents is the highest honor we could receive and we are striving everyday to be the parents God has called us to be. We are very excited about this journey of teaching him and learning from him :)

Hey y'all! I'm sorry for slacking on the posts, as most of you know Zak and I have had one heck of a year so far, and blogging hasn't been one of my top priorities with everything going on. Just a bit of an update on Zachary...he had to be hospitalized again, but he has been home for 2.5 weeks now and he seems to have gotten over the worst phase of this sickness although he still has a way to go. He has great days and some not so great days, but overall we are starting to see an improvement and are very thankful for that. Zak's mother Joyce came down when he was last in the hospital and she has been staying with us to help out with things. She has been a tremendous help with all the cleaning, shopping, chores, appointments, everything! Zak and I have really enjoyed having everything done for us and I know Zak will certainly miss being spoiled by his moma when she has to leave. She plans on staying until Zaylen gets here, which brings me to my next update...

Zaylen is way too comfortable and is taking his sweet time coming into the world!! His due date was today and I have a feeling he won't be here in the next 3 hours. I have tried everything in the book (besides castor oil) and still no luck getting him here. I have walked, bounced, taken bumpy car rides, squatted, eaten spicy food, chinese food, Kraft macaroni with A1 sauce, and pineapple, along with squeezing pressure points, taken evening primrose oil, and red raspberry leaf tea. A lot of women swear by natural induction methods but everything I have tried has failed so I am just letting Zaylen run his course. My midwife was nervous about his weight because he was gaining so much so fast, but he hasn't gained anything in 2 weeks so he is all ready to make his entrance, he just has to decide when he wants to. Zak, his dad, and his brother were all born on the thirteenth and Zak is leaning on Zaylen waiting until Thursday, and that is perfectly fine with me. If I haven't had him before Saturday (15th) my midwife will induce me that week.

Please continue to keep our family in your prayers, we've got a lot going on and could use all the prayer we can get. My next post will definitely include a new addition to the family, be on the look out :) have a great night and a blessed week!

Well, things have been quite hectic in the Boober household these past few weeks. I haven't posted in a bit and just wanted to update you on what's been going on. Zak is doing much better, we still have a ways to go before he is 100% again, but we are glad he is on the road to recovery. The doctors still aren't exactly sure what is going on, but hopefully we will find out something this coming week and get this illness knocked out! Thank you for all the past and continuous prayers and thoughts! Here's a picture of my sweet baby during his hospital stay...



Zaylen had his baby showers two weekends ago and man is he one spoiled baby already! We are beyond blessed to have the love and support of our family and friends. Both showers were gorgeous and turned out to be such amazing events. We received everything we needed and more, the gifts were beautiful! His nursery is almost all together, we are finishing up a few small details and his room will be set. I had an appointment this past week...little nugget is already 6.4 pounds (yes, we still have 5 weeks left) and is head down. I don't think anyone believes he will wait until March to arrive, bless my heart if he does! Here is an ultrasound picture from this past appointment, look at those cheeks!!



We have a lot going on right now and I don't see life slowing down any time soon! Zak and I are enjoying the few weeks we have left together as a plain married couple and we are anticipating meeting our beautiful son. I hope each of you have a blessed week, stay in touch :)

Over the past year Zak and I have made huge lifestyle changes. People have questioned those changes and are curious about how we live, so I thought I would take the time to write about it in hopes that more people will understand. The reactions we have gotten have been very mixed. I understand that a lot of people don't get our way of living, trust me I've been there before, but I am very hopeful that other people's eyes can be opened just how mine were.