Micah's First Christmas

Since Christmas was on a Sunday this year, we wanted to be in Valdosta to be at CrossPointe for our Christmas service. Every year for the past 31 years, I have awakened at my parent's house on Christmas day, but this year we started a new tradition. It was time, especially now that we have sweet Micah. This year we woke up at our own house and got ready for church as a family. My parents, my Aunt Anna, and my brother all drove over and joined us for our Christmas day service and then we had Christmas dinner at our house.

Like most families, ours exchange gifts. And of course the highlight this year was watching Micah "open" his. Only being 8 and 1/2 months old, he really enjoyed anything that was in front of him, whether it was a toy or just a box or wrapping paper. Although we do exchange gifts, we never want that to be the focus of Christmas. Micah will grow up knowing that Christmas is Jesus' birthday and I'm looking forward to being able to read and share that story with him as he grows up!

I pray that Micah will always enjoy Christmas time, the family gatherings, the gift giving.....but more importantly, that he will understand it's TRUE meaning!! Celebrating that fact that Jesus left Heaven and was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, all while knowing He would endure persecution and eventually face death so that He could pay the price for our sins and that we could live with Him in eternity! How thankful I am for that!

Always Something New

Seven months ago, our lives changed forever and it's been a roller coaster of emotions ever since! Micah is now starting to crawl and he loves making all kinds of noises. Most recently, he's started squealing, normally very loudly! Just this morning, he pulled up on his toy box to stand and got a toy out before sitting back down. He's growing so fast and I'm trying to slow down and enjoy each new first in his life! He has two teeth, but more are coming. He chews/bites everything he can find to put in his mouth and you can tell his mouth bothers him. Got to love teething! He's saying da-da-da-da-da-da in the mix of a lot of other "words" but no ma-ma yet!

I can hardly believe that Thanksgiving is just next week and then Christmas a few short weeks later. We are looking forward to spending Micah's first Thanksgiving and Christmas with family and friends making memories! I am so excited that Micah will finally get to meet more of our crazy family members over the holidays!

There's a First Time for Everything

The month of October has been a month of many firsts for Micah. He cut his first tooth, ate vegetables and fruit for the first time, reached for me to pick him up, sat up by himself, sat in his high chair and in a shopping cart, went to his first costume party (and won cutest kid), got to swing at the park, and got up on all fours like he was about to crawl. He's six and a half months and I can't believe how quickly time has gone by. We are super blessed to have our sweet Micah and we are loving every little first we get to experience with him. Before we know it, we will get to hear him call us Momma and Daddy for the first time, finally crawl (right now he just rocks back and forth but it's so cute), and take his first step. We are not rushing any of these things, just taking the time to enjoy each first as it comes and looking forward to many more firsts that we get to share with our sweet boy!

As a sat and watched Micah play this morning, I couldn't help but cry tears of joy and just smile while thanking God for him. It made me remember back to another first, the first time I held our sweet miracle. We were so excited that he was finally here and we didn't understand fully how we could love something so much already until we held him! Six months later and that love just keeps growing. Sure, there are days that I get frustrated because Micah fights taking a nap, kicks and screams while I'm trying to change his diaper or his clothes, or cries when I put him down or walk out of sight. But, then I remember several things. When he fights taking a nap, it just gives me more time to rock him and sing to him while trying to put him to sleep. When he is kicking and screaming when I'm changing him, those cries mean that my child has a healthy set of lungs and the kicks mean his legs are growing stronger and stronger. When he pitches a fit sometimes when I put him down or walk around the corner and he can't see me, it just means he wants me near by and needs that security of knowing I will not leave him. Oh, how blessed and thankful we are that God is allowing us to raise this sweet boy!

5 Months Already?

Yesterday marks 5 months since Micah arrived and changed our life forever! I can't believe it has already been 5 months since that special day, but I thank God everyday for that sweet miracle. It has been one of the hardest, sweetest, tiring, wonderful, stressful, awesome, time consuming, rewarding changes we have experienced in our marriage! Sure, we've already made mistakes in raising Micah and some days I just want to sleep!! But, I get out of bed and thank God that I have been blessed with this sweet boy that we get to see grow up. It's amazing how quick they change. One day he just looks at you not really knowing what's going on around him. Then he starts to smile at you, then laugh! Now he will "talk" to us and really anyone who will listen, then again, he will talk when no one wants to listen too! I love the new noises and sounds he is making and watching him smile and laugh melts my heart. Oh, how I love that little blessing!

Geocaching Turned Divine Appointment

This past Saturday night, Michael, the Darlings, and I (and of course Micah) went geocaching. For those that don't know what that is, you can check it out here http://www.geocaching.com/guide/default.aspx and find out more about it!

We started out looking for a cache in the middle of the woods off of Val Del road and searched for what seemed like forever before giving up on that one and heading to another cache. Our next cache took us to a little church off of hwy 41. Again, we searched and searched and couldn't find that one either. It was starting to thunder and we thought about calling it a night but decided we had to end the night with atleast one find. So, we set out for one more cache. This one took us to Smith Northview. Micah started getting fussy at this time so I stayed in the car with him trying to get him to sleep while the Darlings and Michael began searching for the cache. They looked around the gazebo in the front of the hospital and all along the line of woods near the parking lot. There was a car parked away from the other cars in the parking lot and a lady was in the car watching what Michael and the Darlings were doing. She thought they must have lost something and were looking for it, but I'm sure it looked suspicious to her. However, she recognized that Michael was one of the pastors at CrossPointe and approached him crying. Turns out, her family has been coming to CrossPointe and met Michael before. She began sharing her story with Michael in the hospital parking lot. She and her husband are separated and he wants a divorce but she doesn't. She drove to the hospital that night, not to visit anyone, but to just clear her heard. She was feeling like God was far away and wasn't hearing her prayers and then she looked up and saw Michael practically standing right in front of her car. Michael and I ended up praying with her and got to share with her why we were even there. Turns out, the exact coordinates for the cache we were looking for was where her car was parked. We did end up finding the cache on a pole in front of her car, but more importantly, we got to experience a divine appointment set up by God to minister to this sweet lady that was in need of feeling God draw her closer. She left knowing that God had planned that meeting that night and we left blessed to be used by Him!! What an awesome God we serve!!

My Prayer for Micah

I first heard this song on the way to a meeting at church yesterday and when I got home last night I looked it up online so that I could show it to Michael and listen to it again. Yesterday was a little rough in the Buffaloe house because Micah has started teething and nothing I did seemed to soothe him so hearing this song last night was perfect timing. The song speaks about how as parents, there will be times where we fail our children, but there is a God that will never fail them. The song speaks about how as parents we will want to be our children's everything, but we can't. Only God can truly do that! I pray that Micah will grow up knowing that we love him more than we can explain but that God loves him so much more. He will learn quickly, unfortunately, that Michael and I will fail him at times.....but my prayer is that he comes to know the One that will NEVER fail him and that He will truly let God be his everything!

My Sweet Micah,

My prayer for you is that you will come to know the One you need in a real way and that you will trust in Him fully! Your dad and I love you and have prayed for you for a long time and continue to pray for you daily! We pray that you will see Jesus through us daily and that when those times come that we do fail you and can't be everything you need, that you will turn to Him always. I would love nothing more than to shelter you from the hurt and pain that comes in this world that we live, but that's impossible. So, when those times come, cling to the only One that can truly bring comfort and peace! God has big plans for you little one, and I'm so glad He entrusted you to us and that we will get a front row seat to the awesome path he has ahead for you! I pray that you will enjoy the journey God has for you and that you will always seek His will for your life! I can't wait to see what God has in store! We love you!

Changed Forever

For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition that I made to him. 1 Samuel 1:27

Many people have asked about the day Micah was born so I thought I would share about the day that my life changed forever! Don't worry, some of the details will be left out! :)

On the morning of April 9, 2011, Michael and I participated in a blitz with our church, CrossPointe, to pass out flyers about our upcoming Easter services. I was 37 weeks on this day and miserable!! Everyone that saw me at the blitz couldn't believe I was even there! No, I didn't actually get out of the car and walk from door to door passing out flyers. I stayed in the car and followed the crew that was in our car. I drove back and forth between the neighborhood we were blitzing and the church to get more flyers, drinks, and of course.....to use the bathroom. During the blitz, I had not really felt Micah move at all so I went to Ellianos to get my favorite drink, a Tuscany Toffee Latte Freezer, thinking that maybe I just needed a little caffeine and sugar.

After the blitz, I still hadn't really felt Micah move so we went home so I could lay down on my side because he always moved a lot when I was laying in that position. After an hour of still no movement, I texted my midwife because we were concerned. She sent me to the hospital to be monitored. This was about 3:30 in the afternoon. On the way to the hospital, I texted a good friend, Christine, that just so happens to be a labor and delivery nurse and told her to be praying for us. At this time, we didn't tell anyone else we were going to the hospital because we didn't want to alarm anyone until we knew what was going on.

Once we got to the hospital and were hooked up to the monitors, we saw that everything was fine. My midwife, Teresa, came up to the hospital to check on us. I had just had a doctor appointment 2 days beforehand on that Thursday and I was already 3 cm dilated and 50% effaced so she had told me that I probably wouldn't make it to my due date since that was still 3 weeks away. In fact, she told me that she figured we would have Micah that weekend. Well, here we were on Saturday, exactly 3 weeks early, and Teresa checked me and I was 5 cm dilated and 80% effaced. At this point, she informed us that I wasn't leaving the hospital but that she was going to brake my water and get me started on pitocin.

I was a little shocked because when we headed to the hospital that day, I wasn't really expecting to be staying! Praise the Lord that I'm so OCD about making sure things are done because we already had everything ready for his arrival (nursery was ready and car seat was installed). Before leaving the house to go to the hospital, Michael threw our hospital bag in the car because he had a feeling we would be staying.

It was now about 5:30. We made a few calls to family and sent out a mass text to close friends to let them know what was going on. My parents had bags packed and ready and headed to Valdosta, thankfully they only live about and hour and a half from us.

Once they put us in a delivery room and started the pitocin, we knew that it was just a waiting game. My friend, Christine, came up to be my labor and delivery nurse even though she wasn't scheduled to work that day. It was so reassuring knowing that my L&D nurse and my midwife were people that I knew and trusted and that they were believers as well. Thank you Lord for Christine and Teresa! We knew we were in good hands.

While waiting, some friends came up to the hospital to visit and my parents made it up to see us before the chaos started!

Around 6:30 the contractions started kicking in hard and close together. I had an epidural about 7:15 or so but by 7:45, I felt that the epidural wasn't working on my right side, just my left. At this time, Teresa had left to go eat, thinking that Micah wouldn't arrive until much later. Well, by 8:00 my L&D nurse realized that Micah would be there much earlier than expected!! Christine let us know that it was time and she calmly told us that things were going to get a little hectic as they prepared the room for the delivery. Of course, they called Teresa to come back and she got back just in time. By 8:30 I was pushing and at 8:50 my sweet Micah made his grand appearance. Everything happened so fast that Michael had to quickly find the camera so we could capture those first few moments of Micah's precious life! I didn't even have time to cry because it went by so fast. I'm very thankful that I wasn't in labor for hours though!!

Holding that sweet boy for the first time did bring tears to my eyes. He's such a blessing and an answer to prayer! Michael and I are so blessed and very thankful for Teresa and Christine for taking such great care of us and our little blessing! Oh, what a day!

Micah's Story: Our God is Faithful

Micah's story actually starts long before his date of birth on April 9th, 2011.

Michael and I got married on March 8, 2003 and from the start we knew that we would have a hard time having children, but we also felt that God had told us we would have children one day and He is ALWAYS faithful! A year after getting married, we moved to North Carolina so that Michael could go to Southeastern Seminary. We continued praying for children and after 4 years of marriage and praying, and still no children, we decided to go to a doctor to see what the problem was. The doctor put us on fertility medication for several months but that didn't work. I have to admit that at this time I was consumed with getting pregnant. This was not a healthy thing for me, or anyone, and I knew I had to give my desire of getting pregnant to the Lord. I knew I needed to truly trust Him and His timing instead of being so set on making it happen in my own timing.

A few months later (June 2007), we found out I was expecting (without the help of fertility medication). Because we had prayed for 4 years for this child, the LAST thing on our mind was the possibility that I could have a miscarriage. But, that's exactly what happened a few weeks later (August 2007). The next few weeks after the miscarriage were rough on me physically. I ended up having to have 2 D&Cs two weeks apart and ended up on bedrest right after the second D&C because I had an upper respiratory infection and bronchitis. But, spiritually, Michael and I were at peace. We truly felt God's presence in the midst of the pain from losing our child. Yes, it hurt and was probably one of the hardest things we've experienced so far, but we still knew that God had promised that one day we would have children and He always keeps His promises!

The very next year, (June 2008) we moved back to Valdosta, Ga for Michael to be the Youth Pastor at CrossPointe Church. We spent the next three years focused on diving into the ministry, building a house, renovating an old Winn Dixie so that CrossPointe could have a new building, and just enjoying the journey that God had us own. But, we still kept praying and trusting that God would give us a child.

This past July (2010), I went to see another doctor. Being 30 at the time, we felt that it was time to see another doctor to see if we could find out why we were still struggling to have children. After almost 8 years of praying for a child and visits to several doctors, we finally found out that I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. My doctor put me on medication (which happened to be the same medication that my old doctor had put me on) and wanted to wait a month to see if it would have any affect on me. Even though we were still praying for a child, we didn't give much thought to the medication because it hadn't worked in the past.

During this time, (August 15th to be exact, which was the day that Michael was officially no longer the Youth Pastor but now the Executive Pastor at CrossPointe, and exactly 3 years since the miscarriage) we were approached by someone about adoption. We had prayed about adoption many times and we have always felt that this is something God is leading us towards one day. But, as soon as this opportunity opened up, God closed that door because the couple decided to keep the baby instead of giving it up for adoption.

That Wednesday, I had to go in to have blood drawn to see if the medication was working and on that Friday, August 20th, I got a call from the nurse at my doctor's office. I let it go to voicemail because I was at work, but I called back during my planning period that morning. The nurse proceeded to tell me that the medication had worked and then she paused briefly before saying I was pregnant. I was completely shocked and couldn't stop shaking. I told Michael over lunch that day but we didn't want to tell anyone else until we had an ultrasound to make sure everything was fine, which it was. We still waited until I was 12 weeks before sharing our exciting news with everyone (although we had told family and close friends by this point so that they could be praying for us).

I was pretty nervous at the beginning of the pregnancy because of the previous miscarriage, but quickly had to give those fears over to the Lord and sit back and just enjoy the pregnancy. I wasn't sick at all during those nine months, just extremely exhausted. The pregnancy flew by way too quickly and on April 9, 2011 (exactly three weeks before my due date), Micah Ethan was finally here......an answer to prayer and proof that our God is faithful!!

Where does the time go?

It's been over two years since I lasted posted anything on my blog and so much has happened in those two years. For the sake of friends and family that live out of town, I am going to try to be better about updating the blog more often. I spent some time this morning looking back over the old blog posts and I was flooded with so many memories of building our house (which we have lived in now for almost 3 years), working with the youth (which we no longer do now since Michael's new position at the church last August), and working on the new church building (which we have been in now for 2 years).

I can't believe Michael and I have been back in Valdosta and serving at CrossPointe Church for 4 years now. So much has happened in those wonderful four years and we have been so blessed. We love our CrossPointe family and the journey that God has taken us on with the wonderful staff here and our amazing church family. I'm so excited about what God has in store.

More to come soon on what's happening now in the Buffaloe family!!