My Little World

Hey y’all! I am so excited to share this post with you! This post is dedicated to my simply beautiful and amazing children, Haylee, Easton, and Hannah. My little world is filled with much happiness and that happiness starts in my home. I’ve learned over the years that I have a more successful day when I begin and end my days in prayer. In previous years my mornings were always filled with rushing. When my kids were younger, I was blessed to be a stay at home mom; however, I have never in my life been an early to rise type of girl. Therefore, I always rushed to get my kids ready and out the door to school on time. Then I became a working momma. I was able to chase my dreams and become a special education teacher. Once that working mom in me took over, I felt even more rushed. Thankfully, my children were at an age they were able to get themselves ready in the mornings, but this girl slept until the very last minute. Those times have certainly shifted. I’ve slowly transitioned myself into a morning girl. I enjoy waking up early, reading my short devotional, getting in some cardio exercise, and hitting the shower. The shower is typically when I allow my mind to start processing how my day will be. This is often the place I land myself into prayer. When I step out of the shower not only do I feel awake because of the warmth from the shower, but also because I showered myself in God’s love through speaking with Him in prayer.

I love starting my days out feeling completely refreshed and motivated. My greatest motivators are my children. Each time that I look at my children I am reminded of the deep love that I have for them. Every decision that I make is thoroughly thought out and prayed out in order to make the best decisions for my children. Let me just tell you about my kiddos. My oldest, Haylee (18), came into this world on a hot summer August day. I had never shared her birth story with her before until a few weeks ago. We were on a trip together to visit family in Arkansas. We were in the bathroom getting our faces put on, and I said to her, “Haylee, did you know I almost died when I had you?” She had no idea. I gave birth to Haylee naturally. Once I had finally got to the point that I was able to push, she made it into the world rather fast. She was a perfectly healthy baby girl. My doctor though worked so well that I had no idea that there were complications with the birth.

Haylee was a tiny little thing, but the width of her shoulders had caused the artery on the left side of my cervix to rupture and the right side of my cervix tore. I was bleeding profusely, and this forced my doctor to remove the placenta on his own. Due to this, I also retained part of the placenta; This also caused hemorrhaging. I was losing blood at a very rapid pace. An operating room was booked, and I was transported into the room. I remember before being rolled into the room my doctor telling me that it was a very big possibility that he would have to remove my uterus. I didn’t know how to respond. Here I was just seventeen years old, just gave birth to my baby girl, and my mind didn’t know how to process this information. Right before I was rolled into the O.R., a nurse came to take blood to run a few tests. I remember looking over at the needle. She had placed it in my giving vein, but she was unable to get even the tiniest drop of blood to run the tests needed. That was the scariest moment of my life. I wasn’t scared for myself. I was scared for my baby girl. I started praying for God to be with the doctor, staff, and myself as I went into surgery. The rest is history. It took several days for me to recover. I knew then that my purpose in life was to be a mother, and I was going to make sure that I was the best mother that any child could possibly have.

Haylee has lived up to that crazy birth story. She is a fierce young lady. She has a love for life that creates happiness for those around her. My girl has set goals for herself as an adult, and I have no doubt that she will reach those goals and beyond. She has taught me that being a mother can bring anxiety to the table, cause you to bow in prayer very often, and also that love and strong relationships with your children are vitally important. Watching her perform, study, make it through tough times, and remain a strong young lady firm to her beliefs puts the biggest smile on my momma heart. She is amazing!

Which brings me to Hannah (15). Hannah is my third born, my second daughter, and by far my easiest birth. She came into this world rather fast, and hasn’t stopped making it known that she is around. I often get frustrated with Hannah’s attitude, but then it’s a quick look in the mirror. She is her mother’s child. She has so much love for life. She has a servant’s heart, just like her momma. She loves to give and to see others happy. She loves all people, and doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. She loves the Lord with all of her heart. She is a natural born leader. She has taught me all about raising a strong-willed child. Some days I end up more in prayer because of her attitude than any momma should have to. Those prayers are more about asking God to help me learn how to deal with a child that is just like me. She also makes me cry tears of joy. When I see her give to others it makes my heart sing. She is so tenderhearted. Don’t cry around her, unless you want her to cry too. She gives this momma a happy heart.

Last, but not least, my favorite guy. My son, Easton (17). As a young girl I had always dreamed of becoming a boy mom. I had heard many people state that there is just nothing like a mother/son bond when I was growing up. As a kid, I would laugh it off, but when I knew I was having a son and people would make that statement to me, it gave me all kinds of feels on the inside. I couldn’t wait to have that bond with my son. Although I had complications after Haylee’s birth, Easton’s birth was my hardest birth. He was born naturally without any medications to help relieve the pain. I had asked for an epidural, but in the small hospital the anesthesiologist was in surgery. By the time he made it to my room I had progressed too much, and I wasn’t able to have the epidural. We tried a spinal block, but that didn’t help one ounce. He came into the world making a scene. He had a bowl movement in the womb, the cord was wrapped around his neck, and his apgar score was low. He had this momma very worried. With a little bit of oxygen he was good to go.

Easton was a momma’s boy from the start. The boy cuddles were the best. Hearing him walk in the door saying, “Momma.” even at the age of 17 makes my heart smile. This boy has a love for sports. He is an athlete, but he certainly didn’t get that from his mom. He loves people. He is an avid worker. He loves life. He is a protector of his family. He is my boy, and I love being his mom.

Being a mother has been the greatest adventure of my life. When the kids were younger, they kept me extremely busy with activities. I loved every minute of travel baseball, travel basketball, football, dance competitions, volleyball tournaments, softball games, birthday parties….you name it, the kids did it, and this momma heart was so happy to do all of those things with my kids. Seeing the friendships and life skills that my children gained from those experiences has to be the one of the greatest blessings for me. My children have taught me that patience is one of the most important traits to have as a parent. They have taught me that no matter what life throws at you, you can always overcome it. My children have taught me what true love is. In every season of life that I have enjoyed with my kids, something new has came out of it. I’m embarking on a new season of life with my children, and that season too will be a great blessing. Proverbs 22:6 tells us to “train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” I pray that as their mother I have trained them to be Godly humans. I pray that they take on the world with motivation, anticipation, and Godly character. Haylee, Easton, and Hannah, you are my greatest blessings and you make this momma heart so proud.

Much love,

Jessica

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