Judah David McClanahan

These past three and a half months have absolutely flown by! So much so that I haven't had a chance to write about motherhood (and how much I'm loving it) or post pictures of our precious Judah! I've actually picked photography back up have been posting pictures of other people's beautiful children ha! It's weird how that works, you would think as a photographer that I would have a million pictures of our little family but I've actually not taken that many (insert new goal here).

Judah David McClanahan was born on September 21st, 2015 and weighed in at a perfect 7lbs. 4oz. It was a long 37 hours of labor but thankfully a quick and smooth delivery. Drew and I hadn't decided on a name but as soon as Drew saw his dark hair and dark eyes, Judah just fit him beautifully. We wanted his name to have both biblical and sentimental roots. Judah means praised in Hebrew and we loved that Jesus' lineage can be traced back to the tribe of Judah. David means beloved in Hebrew and throughout the pregnancy we prayed that one day he would become a man after God's own heart. We also named him David in memory of Drew's best friend who passed away when Drew was in college.

Being a mother is wonderful, difficult at times but overall I'm just loving it. From the moment the doctor placed Judah in my arms, my heart has been so full. I've tried to soak up each little stage as much as humanly possible because I know that these cuddle filled days will soon be replaced by a little one who won't want to stay in one place. As much as I'm loving being at home, I know myself and knew that I needed to work from home in some way. The Lord has been faithful to provide photography jobs, a part time position at Refuge Coffee Company and I'm about to dip my toes into selling essential oils with DoTERRA. Sounds like a lot but it works out well, usually during Judah's naps and most of the time I have the ability to bring Judah along with me which I'm so thankful for.

I've been reading "For the Love" by Jen Hatmaker and am learning about giving myself grace while trying to balance life as a new momma and found this so encouraging: "To Mama at home with a bunch of littles, you can live a life worthy right now. Your calling is today. God makes you worthy as you desire goodness for your children, meeting needs and nurturing little souls. No future calling is any more important than your current situation. Every good, meaningful possibility is yours today. You can have access to the kingdom now: the love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. That is every Christian's calling, and the gospel is perfectly demonstrated through the daily labor of parenting...You don't need to wait another day to figure out your calling. You're living it dear one. Your gifts have a place right now, in the job you have, in your stage of life, with the people who surround you. Calling is virtually never big or famous work; that is rarely the way the kingdom comes. It shows up quietly, subversively, almost invisibly. Half the time, it is unplanned- just the stuff of life in which a precious human life steps in, the good news personified".

Here's to this new adventure of fully embracing this new stage of life with open doors and endless possibilities! And also for your viewing pleasure, precious newborn and three month pictures of Judah.