Hi! It’s been a while. If you follow Still Waters Blog on Instagram and Facebook then this announcement is old news. In real time our angel boy is already 12 weeks old! I have so much to share that I’m breaking it down month by month. Thanks for reading along 🙂

Introducing our beautiful miracle baby: Atchison Elijah Jenkins. Born July 3, weighing 7 pounds 5 ounces and measuring 20.5 inches. Atch’s birth story is coming soon.

It was a long labor because I was induced at 39 weeks (due to our high risk status) and probably not ready to give birth. However, giving birth was the most incredible experience and the pushing process was one of my all time favorite moments. Atch came out healthy, perfect and sweet as can be. When we found out he was a boy we sobbed tears of joy. The entire pregnancy we believed this baby was our son and seeing that come to fruition made our hearts soar. Praise Jesus for a healthy boy!

The first 24 hours with Atch were total bliss. Tyler and I missed our families (COVID19 restrictions) but we enjoyed the being in our own bubble with the baby before having to share him. He latched right away and nursed like a champ from the first time. Our breast feeding journey has been so smooth and incredible. I love that bond although it is a HARD JOB.

Adjusting to life with a baby was, well, an adjustment and I kept waiting for the day when I would feel like, “I got this!!” I doubted myself as a mother so many times (and still do) and I was terrified for the day Tyler would go back to work, leaving me alone with the baby. Luckily he is still working mostly from home so I have his help when needed.

When the baby was exactly two weeks old we headed out of town for the weekend. Aunt Andrea (Tyler’s sister) was getting married! As a bridesmaid and brand new momma I felt overwhelmed. I would be away or a few hours from the baby… I was still quite emotional… still wearing a diaper for postpartum bleeding… breast leaking… and felt like I hadn’t slept in weeks. However, the weekend was JUST what we needed. It was hard but so beautiful. We wouldn’t have missed the marriage Andrea and Jonathan for anything. What a wonderful day! My mom came with us and kept the baby hidden so that we could enjoy the celebration. Thanks mom!

Around the 3 week mark the witching hour began. We were shocked and beside ourselves when he began screaming EVERY NIGHT from 9-11 pm. Even when all his needs were met, he didn’t seem gassy, he was snuggled and loved, we couldn’t get him to stop crying. Once 11 pm rolled around he would magically calm down and sleep. After learning more about colic it became clear that we had a colicky baby.

I found comfort from a community of other moms on Instagram who shared their experiences and witching hour tips with me. Nothing prepares you for the challenges colic brings. Or the heartache. Many many nights I cried with him…

I felt like an absolute failure… shouldn’t I be able to comfort him? Prayer is really what carried me through this time. I would pray the whole time he cried, asking the Holy Spirit to fill all three of us with peace. I prayed for strength to carry on. I prayed that his little body would stop hurting (if that was the cause of the tears.) I prayed that he would sleep. Heck, I begged for that!

We sang worship songs while we rocked and kissed him. Some nights that only thing that calmed him were the words of Reckless Love, sung by a mommy who cannot sing well. Eventually, I realized he was most comforted by laying beside us in bed, held tight, while we prayed over him and told him he was safe.

Thankfully, just like the doctor said, the colic has mostly gone away as he gets closer to three months old.

We are so thankful for the help of our families! Thank you for the meals, clean house, baby snuggles, advice, visits, gifts and company! We love you more than words can say!!

We are also super thankful for everyone who signed up on our meal train. Thank you for the delicious meals and for taking away the stress of fixing dinner during such an exhausting time. We love you!

It really does take a village.

Parenthood is not what I expected and also it’s everything I expected. It’s a wild ride of the highest highs and low lows. It’s a constant mix of joy and pain, victory and frustration, confidence and second guessing. Ultimately, gratitude outweighs it all as we constantly praise our God for the gift of our miracle baby.

You are so loved Atchison.

Coming soon… reflections on month two, month three and Atch’s birth story! Thanks for being a part of our story, friends ❤️