Humility Faith is here!

Humility Faith Morris was born Friday, July 6th at 12:22pm. She was 6 lbs. 12.5 oz. and 19.5 inches long. I woke up with contractions around 5:30 that morning and labored at home until about 10:35am. My contractions were not very consistant in that they were sometimes 10 minutes a part with the next one being 5 minutes a part. But we decided it was time to go the hospital when I felt like I needed to push! I was thankful the hospital was only 10 minutes away. We got to the hospital at 10:45 and we are thankful she came into the world with a smooth labor and delivery with no complications. Throughout my pregnancy I had been praying for a quick labor and delivery. And it went a lot faster than I had expected! Right after Cody cut the umbilical cord they laid her on my stomach and she peed and pooped on me! We were happy to find out everything was working well in that department. :) They usually check the weight and measure the baby right after a baby is born, but because they were so busy with other mothers giving birth we got to cuddle our new little one for about an hour. I'm glad we got to have that special bonding time right after she was born.

We love our new little blessing from God. Humility makes the sweetest baby noises and loves to cuddle. Samuel and Abigail love to help take care of their little sister. They like to hold her and give her kisses. They also like to bring stuffed animals for her to look at. If I have Humility laying on the floor Abigail likes to bring her a blanket. Samuel likes to help me change her diaper and change her clothes. It is very fun to watch them interact with their baby sister.

These pictures are from Memorial Day, Samuel's camping trip and Mother's Day. (You can click on them to see them better.) I know I am really behind in posting these, but we have been busy getting things ready for the baby. I am 39.5 weeks now and we are excited to find out if this little one is a boy or a girl! I had an ultrasound done last week and the baby's head is down very low and is getting ready for departure. :) I told the ultrasound technician at the beginning that I did not want to know the sex of the baby. He said he could tell the sex of the baby and then asked me 3 times during the ultrasound if I wanted to find out. He asked me if I had any questions and before I could speak he said, "You want to know the sex of the baby? Haha, just kidding." He made me laugh, but I declined. I feel very blessed. Morning sickness ended after the first trimester and since then I have had hardly any discomfort during the pregnancy. I still enjoy walking, taking an afternoon nap with the kids and having the occasional mid-night snack. :) 

Camping at Ice House

Samuel ready to go fishing. They didn't catch any fish, but he said he did catch some pine needles. :)

Mother's Day

5 Days Old

My parents planned on coming to visit us for the last week of July. With my due date being July 22nd I had prayed that Abigail would be born sometime while they were here. Little did I know that God was going to answer my prayer.

My parents arrived here on Sunday evening July 25th. Early Monday morning I woke up around 2 with labor contractions. I continued to labor at home until around 6:45 a.m. when my contractions were 4 minutes apart. My parents watched Samuel for us while we were at the hospital. This would be Samuel's first night away from me so it was such a blessing to know Samuel would be well taken care of and I know my parents enjoyed this one-on-one time with him as well. When we got to the hospital I found out I was 7 cm dilated. Cody was a big support for me throughout the labor process. He would massage my lower back during the contractions and dab my forehead with a wet wash cloth when I got hot. I also got to use a jacuzzi a couple time while going through labor. This helped me to relax during the contractions which helped my labor to progress. Once I began the pushing process, it took about an hour until Abigail was born. When she was born she was covered in meconium. The doctor said this happens to babies when they are under stress. She also had a knot in her umbilical cord. So we believe she may have not been getting as much nutrients during the last week or so.

Once Abigail was born I forgot about any discomfort or pain that I had experienced. When they laid her on my chest it took a little while to sink in that I had just given birth to our baby girl. It felt kind of surreal like someone else had just gone through the labor and the delivery. A couple hours later I felt this wave of thanksgiving come over me. I felt so grateful that I got to experience a natural birth without any complications or medication after having a c-section with Samuel. Doing a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) is against the policies at our hospital here in Cody, WY. I'm thankful the Lord provided me with a doctor that supported me in my decision to do a VBAC. I'm so thankful to Jesus for being my source of strength and for giving me grace through the labor and delivery.

We had a great time with my parents the remainder of the week. They were such a blessing to us helping with laundry, cooking meals, walking Toby, playing with Samuel and just being the great company that they are. I am so glad they got to be here to help us welcome Abigail into the world. Abigail is such a sweet baby. She is never fussy. She is very content as long as she has been fed and has a clean diaper. And Samuel loves her so much. If she is crying he will bring me her pacifier or blanket to try to comfort her. He also likes to hold her (with assistance) and gives her hugs and kisses. The week has seemed to fly by and my parents left this morning to head back to Missouri. I am so thankful to God for how He planned their arrival and Abigail's birth this week. I couldn't have planned it better myself.

"For you formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them." Psalm 139:13-16

Our little sweet pea

Daddy's little girl

Love at first sight

Grandpa Bowler gave Samuel his first set of clubs and first golf lesson!

What a blessing it was to have them here the week of Abigail's birth.

Fun at the river

Abigail's first outing: Scenic drive on Chief Joseph Highway

Abigail has Arrived!

We are happy to announce that Abigail Grace Ann Morris was born Monday, July 26th at 3:12 pm! She was 6 pounds 5.5 ounces and 20 inches long. Jess was able to do a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) with no medication and the delivery went well. Jess and Abigail are doing great! They were released from the hospital today. Samuel is a great big brother and likes to give Abigail hugs and kisses. Thank you for all of your prayers during the pregnancy and delivery. We love you all very much.

Fresh out of Mommy's tummy

A burger and fries hit the spot after the delivery!

Proud Big Brother

Coming Soon...

This month we were happy to welcome our first out of state visitors. Our good friends Steve and Brad were able to come out to see us June 31st-July 6th. We enjoyed eating meals together, having times of worship and prayer, going to the river, the Buffalo Bill reservoir and the 4th of July parade in Cody. It was a blessing to have them with us. It felt like we picked up right where we left off when we last saw them about 10 months ago. On July 7th we got the opportunity to attend our first Rodeo in Cody, Wyoming. It was a lot fun! One of my favorite events was when they invited all the children 12 and under down to the bottom level. Then they let 3 calves loose with ribbons attached to their tails. The children chased the calves and the first 3 to get the ribbons won a prize. Samuel wanted to go down and be with the other kids. Maybe next year he can give it a try.

Steve, Cody and Brad

Buffalo Bill Reservoir

39 weeks !!!

I am trying to cherish each moment in these last few days I have with Samuel as my only child. I know things will be a little different when Abigail is born and I'm praying he adjusts well. We talk about what it will be like when Abigail is born and how he can help take care of her. He is going to be such a great big brother! He is growing so fast and learning how to say so many new words. My favorite Samuel phrase as of late is: "I love you too much, Mommy!"

On July 11th our church, Living Fortress, had a baby shower for me. It was a lot of fun to spend the afternoon with these ladies, eating yummy cake and being blessed with so many gifts for Abigail. This month we have also received many packages in the mail from family and friends. Samuel has enjoyed helping us open these presents for Abigail and has received a couple for himself as well :) Thank you to everyone who has prayed, sent gifts and helped us prepare for Abigail's arrival.

It's hard to believe I'm already 39 1/2 weeks pregnant! My due date is July 22nd! I can feel that Abigail has dropped and my doctor said she is head down. During the past couple weeks I have begun to feel more contractions. But they aren't very consistent yet. The closest contractions have been 20 minutes apart. I know some people experience contractions for weeks and others pick up fairly quickly. I hope Abigail comes sometime this week, but only God knows the day she will be born.

By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother's womb. My praise shall be continually of You. Psalm 71:6

Boy or Girl?!

Baby Morris' side profile

A week of great news... On Friday, we moved into a RV that a friend isn't using right now. It is on our friends property and has running water, a shower, toilet, stove and is just the right size for us. We have enjoyed our time so far in our new "home." Samuel especially likes having a big yard to run around in, a bike, a swing and lots of new toys to play with. That same day Cody turned in an application to a BBQ restaurant called Bubba's. On Sunday, Cody was called in for an interview. His first day of work was Monday, yesterday! He is a line cook and will also do some dish washing. It looks like he will work 6 days a week, for 35-37 hours. It will be a change not to have dinner every night together, but we are thankful for this new job and will cherish the time we do have together. Tomorrow we will celebrate that on March 17th, four years ago, Cody proposed to me! It's hard to believe we will have been married four years in June. Time has flown by fast.

I had my 21 week check up yesterday. I couldn't wait any longer and decided to find out if we're going to have a boy or girl. I asked my doctor to write it down on a piece of paper so that Cody and I could find out at the same time after he got off work. So, last night after Cody got home from work and Samuel had fallen asleep, we opened up the envelope that read, "It is..." on the outside....and inside we found a little green sticky note that read....GIRL!! We were both surprised! We thought we were going to have another boy, but we were very excited to find out we are going to have a girl.

Back Home

The Lord has continued to do miraculous things in the lives of people on the streets of Seattle. For those who haven't known, Cody and a friend hitch hiked up the west coast and the Lord led them to Seattle. Cody had been gone about 40 days traveling up the west coast, sharing the gospel and ministering to the homeless and drug addicts in Seattle. Though it was cold and rainy for much of Cody's time in Seattle, the Lord gave him a heart of compassion for the homeless and he is thankful for the opportunity he got to live like they live for a moment.

One weekend, our good friend Steve flew into Seattle to see his brother and do work on his brothers house. He was able to contact Cody and Cody helped Steve work on his brothers property that weekend. Steve's brother welcomed Cody to stay in his home and Cody was thankful to be in a warm place, take a warm shower and sleep on a comfy couch. The Lord also provided a plane ticket for Cody to get back to California which we were very thankful for. Samuel and I picked up Cody at the San Jose Airport Tuesday, the 19th! We were all excited to see each other and Cody was amazed by how much Samuel has changed over the past month. He is saying so many new words and putting together 3 and 4 words to make phrases. Our time apart has caused us to fall more in love with the Lord and with each other.

I also got to hear the baby's heart beat for the first time on Tuesday. It was strong and didn't take long for the nurse to find it. I'm at 14 1/2 weeks and definately starting to show! I'm excited to be in the 2nd trimester!

Big Brother Samuel

That's right, you read the title correctly! As they would say in the good old days, "I am with child!" Cody and I are excited for Samuel to have a little brother or sister. Samuel loves to help me do things around the house, so I think he will be a great big brother. Our baby is due around the 2nd week of March. I haven't been experiencing very much morning sickness so far, so that is a blessing. As long as I eat a little bit throughout the day, I seem to do great. Samuel is still an active little man and loves to play outside.

We are now living in Grandview, Mo right next to Kansas City. There is a trail that is really nice to take Samuel for a walk through. The trail has a lot of trees and open fields. It reminds me of my grandmas old farm. There is also a library within walking distance where I can get internet access to make this post. We were also offered a managing position recently. We are going to start managing the apartments where we live at the beginning of September. We are excited for what the Lord is going to do in the coming months.