This has been the longest and fastest month of my life, you guys. Unbelievable how much has happened in the first month of my little man’s life. And it’s not even his DUE DATE YET!!!

We planned Marshmallow’s due date perfectly. Which is funny because we didn’t really plan it much at all. But when I found out I was pregnant and they told me my due date I thought…that could not be more perfect! It was literally days after hubs was supposed to finish his finals. And then we thought…what if this baby comes during finals?!?

Never in a million years would I have guessed that he would show up during midterms.

So besides the obvious that we spent 8 days in the NICU…this has been a crazy month.

Powering through sleepless nights.
Begging our preemie to pack on the pounds.
Trying to keep him awake long enough to fill his tummy.
Forcing myself out of bed in the morning to get the older two to school.
Giving up on homework. And being on time.
Fighting the guilt for messing up all the end-of-school traditions.
Wishing food would just show up at my door (and so grateful for all the times it did).
Falling asleep helping hubby study.

But for every struggle, there are ten more reasons to be grateful.  Our son is thriving and blowing us away with his strength and tenacity. He came into this world fighting and never quit. There was a reason that the name we picked for him from the beginning means WARRIOR. (And no, it’s not because it’s our favorite basketball team!) One of the little things God wrote into Marshmallow’s story.

I’m still in awe that I have three kids. When someone asks me my son’s name…I stop and think for a minute trying to figure out which one they mean. It’s a crazy feeling! Is it something you ever get used to?

And…psssst – we’re outnumbered! For those of you with one child who are wondering if they could ever love another baby as much as their first, I’m here to tell you it is possible! And yes, it is something I thought about and occasionally worried about with each addition. But God just grows your heart each time. I can’t believe how much we all love this little one with all our hearts. In an instant, our world changed again.

Life moves so fast it’s terrifying. So I’ll just be over here, savoring the little things. Even the spit-up on my clothes, the poop stain on my carpet (oops) and the hours and hours spent doing nothing but holding this little love.