Living in the moment

It's been a long time since I wrote a blog but I feel like it's time to start back up.

It seems like the past six months there have been lots of ups and downs...news of people passing away, news of sickness...a reminder that life is short.

Working in news, it sometimes seems like there isn't much good left in the world, but you have to live in the moment.

Do what you enjoy.

Make the best of every situation.

Give your best every day.

Take the time to spend time with those you love...family and friends.

Sometimes it's hard to not think about what the next step is but there may not be a next step...you may be exactly where God wants you to be even if it's not where you thought you would be or where you want to be.

That's when you have to trust that it is all in God's plan.

So why does God have you where you are?

How can you best serve him? 

And remember, you can always do something to bless others. 

A generous person will prosper;whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. ~Proverbs 11:25

Things I have learned as a new mom

I have been a mom for 5 months and it has been the best 5 months of my life so far. Everyone tells you that having a baby will change your life and it does for the better...no doubt about it!

Here are the top five things that I have learned so far...

1. Time is priceless. There will never be enough time in the day, so you have to make it count. You will never get everything done, so do what HAS to be done and don't worry about the rest. I do the dishes, wash bottles,and vacuum huge dust bunnies but that's about it. At the end of the day, I would rather spend the time with baby and dog.

2. Weatherly's smile can put me in a good mood no matter what...the only thing better is her little laughs and giggles.

3. I have equal respect for working moms and stay-at-home moms. I think moms just have to do what suits their family and their financial situation. I have friends that are both and I have learned from all of them. It is a juggling act either way...just have to remember balance is important.

4. My dogs are still my children and always will be. I know Abbie is a dog, but to me she is a person and member of the family. And Blondie is with us in spirit...and always will be.

5. I'm so blessed. I have a wonderful family, fabulous friends and a career that I enjoy. It's just the whole balancing act that I'm still trying to figure out...but I will soon...I hope :)

I know that I'm still a "rookie" mom and I hope I will continue to learn more so that I can be a good mom to Weatherly. For those of you that have shared your words of wisdom, thank you and keep them coming!

Blondie...RIP Sweet Dog

It is with a heavy heart that I write this ...we had to put our oldest dog, Blondie, to sleep today. She started going downhill quickly last night and was in rough shape this morning. The decision to put a dog down is never an easy one but seeing her in pain told us it was the right call. I can't imagine what it would be like to go through this without a fantastic vet or a supportive family.

Blondie has been around for half of my life...we got her when I was a junior in high school. She was definitely a member of the family growing up and came to live with Ed and I almost 7 years ago...to help keep Abbie company.

Blondie was a sweet, loyal dog. 16 years is a long life for any dog but especially one with a heart murmur. As she got older, she was high maintenance but Ed and I loved her so much that we just made those extra things a part of our life. One of us would get up and take her out in the middle of the night (it was Ed alot of the time), she had her own doggie socks so she didn't slide around on our wood floors, she had her own pill box with all her meds, and was the only one that didn't get yelled at for snoring or whining when they were hungry. I will miss doing all these things for her and more than anything am grateful that she did her part to get me ready to be a mom.

She never turned into that croutchy old dog and was so sweet around Weatherly. She would let the baby lay on her like a pillow and fortunately I captured it on camera several times because I will forever treasure those moments.

Blondie, we will always love you. Thanks for your unconditional love, your loyalty, and your friendship...rest in peace sweet dog.

Looking Back at 2013

2013 started out on a joyful note as we found out we were expecting our first child. After a fairly easy pregnancy, Weatherly Carol Heath came into this world on her due date, October 8. She is destined to be on time for the rest of her life now, right?

She has been such a blessing and a wonderful addition to our lives. The whole family is smitten, even Blondie and Abbie. It has been a big adjustment with little sleep, but completely worth it. We have had plenty of help from family and friends. Sonya’s family is here, so they stop by frequently. Ed’s parents stayed for two weeks in mid October helping out with the baby and cooking. Between the two families, we truly are blessed.

Ed is still loving his job at Boeing. We got to attend Family Day in early November and even the baby was able to see where her daddy works although I’m sure she didn’t realize how cool it is! It was neat to see where Ed spends a good chunk of his day and just exactly what he does.

Sonya is still the weekend meteorologist at ABC News 4. She was able to spend 6 weeks at home with Weatherly and then ease back in for two weekends before going back fulltime. She misses being home with the baby, but her crazy schedule means that Weatherly only has to go to daycare 3 days a week.

Our other big news? We bought a house in June. It’s less than five minutes from the tv station, so Sonya can come home on her dinner break to see the family. It’s been great to have more room and a backyard for the dogs. Weatherly had her room specially painted with hot air balloons and clouds…a good mix of “aviation and weather” J

Ed found the time to complete five sprint triathlons this summer…pregnant Sonya slept in those mornings J He also played soccer and Weatherly was able to go to the last two games of the season to cheer her favorite player on…go daddy!!

Abbie and Blondie are exhausted being big sisters. Blondie turned 16 last month and she is the cutest, toughest old dog for sure! Abbie doesn’t like it when Weatherly cries, so we call her the protector….Blondie settles for being an occasional pillow.

We hope that you’ll come visit us in Charleston…all five of us. We always have an extra bed and love to see family and friends.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Heaths!

 

 

 

Welcome to Parenthood!!

It has been a busy month as we welcomed our little bundle of joy, Weatherly Carol Heath, to the world! She was born on October 8, 2013. She actually came on her due date, which is something only 5 percent of babies accomplish. I'm hoping that means she is destined to be punctual for the rest of her life :)





The first two weeks were a whirlwind as Ed and I just tried to get enough sleep to semi-function. We struggled with Weatherly's weight...she wasn't packing on the pounds like she should. We finally figured out the right solution to get her to gain weight and for us to keep our sanity. At her one month appointment, the doctor gave us gold stars as our little girl was finally over 9lbs AND we seemed more alert and happy...(the truth is we were relieved she had made weight!)

We are blessed to have so much support and love from friends and family...all the calls, texts, visits, thoughts, prayers, and gifts have been amazing! Thank you! We were lucky to have Ed's parents stay for two weeks, his sister came for a weekend, and my parents and brother come to visit at least once a week. We are so fortunate to have such a great support group.

We are just living one day at a time and enjoying every minute of it. The dogs love their little sister and are enjoying all the company too. As I write this all three "babies" and Ed are asleep...hopefully I will be soon.  

 

 

Maternity Pics!

I just had to share these pictures from our maternity shoot earlier this month. One of my co-workers, Dave MacQueen, did an amazing job. Just waiting for our little girl to join us now :)

If anyone in the Lowcountry needs any pictures taken, I would highly recommend MacQueen Event & Photography!

Busy summer

It has been a busy, but fun summer for us and it's not even over yet...fall doesn't officially start until September 22nd!

We took a trip to the west coast to check out Seattle. Ed spent some time working and we got to catch up with one of Sonya's best friends, Sarah, and her husband. It was a neat place...definitely recommend visiting!

We moved into our new house in Mount Pleasant in June and we love it! Ed has been working on numerous little projects and we have been working on getting it ready for the baby too. The nursery is basically ready.

Ed did 5 sprint triathlons this summer at James Island County Park. He did great and only saw one alligator...fortunately the sighting was a while after he got out of the water!

I celebrated my two year anniversary at ABC News 4 at the end of August. It has been a fun ride so far and I'm looking forward to the future as our station will transition from being owned by Allbritton to being owned by a much bigger company, Sinclair Boradcasting.

The dogs are doing great...still spoiled as ever! They are ready to get another "rotten baby" in the house :) We are all looking forward to meeting our new addition...she should be here in about a month!