The Third Year

By the beginning of our third year of married life we were busy preparing to take the students at Covington Baptist Church to Student Life Camp.  We were very excited to share this experience with them, and we had a great time.  I was 6 months along with Ella, and we dug a hole in the sand so I could lay on my stomach (something I hadn't enjoyed in several weeks).  

At the time we only had one car, so I would drop KJ off at Mall St. Matthews to work at Chick-Fil-A and drive  across the Ohio River to New Albany, IN to work at Sweetland Ltd.  It was usually a pleasant drive, and I would listen to Alistair Begg on the radio.  I would leave in the early afternoon to pick KJ up, and we would drive back to the townhouse listening to Janet Parshall's America.  KJ would then change out of his uniform and head  to the softball field for the afternoon, and I would usually park it on the sofa and play Solitaire for several hours until I could get past my afternoon slump and work up enough energy to exercise or clean the toilets.  It was a long and hot summer to be great with child.  I would get very excited when there would be a thunderstorm because that meant KJ might get to come home early.  (It took me a long time after he switched jobs to stop equating rain with KJ coming home early from work.)  Those were delightful times; otherwise, it was a long afternoon and night alone.  I tried to be productive, though, and prepare for Ella.  It was so fun putting away all the many gifts we were showered with by our church families in Alabama and Kentucky.

My due date was August 28, 2006, and I quit work a couple of weeks before that.  My mom came up and made bumper pads and a dust ruffle for Ella's bed, and the Monday before my due date KJ's mom could stand it no longer and came up, ready for the big day.  But although  everything was moving right along just as it should be there were no labor pains.  I went to the doctor a couple of days after my due date, and he agreed to induce me on Friday, September 1.  I was so excited because it was Labor Day weekend (very appropriate), so that made it easy for my parents to come up since they would be off work anyway.  September 1 was also the date that KJ proposed 3 years earlier, so I was excited that would be Ella's birthday.  

Getting ready to go to the Hospital

I didn't get hooked up to the IV until 2:45, so afternoon quickly turned into night, and the grandfathers became weary.

Finally, Ella was ready to arrive, but then we had to wait 30 minutes on the doctor, forcing Ella's birthday to be September 2.  Oh, well.  She was such a precious and sweet little girl.  She had to be poked and prodded quite a bit before she consented to cry.  She arrived at 12:43 a.m. and weighed 7 lb. 13 oz. and was 19 inches long.

There's nothing like the feeling of holding them for the first time.

From this point on I'm not sure if KJ and I have any pictures together, and it would be very easy to overwhelm you with pictures of our firstborn, but I'll try to refrain.  Our first week and a half we were blessed with the help of our mothers.  When Ella was 1-month she made her first trip to Alabama during KJ's "Fall Reading Days."  I don't think she slept at all the day we drove down.  The rest of our third year of marriage might be a blur because I was so exhausted.  I later heard that moms lose about 700 hours of sleep during the first year with a newborn, and when I added it up, that was about right with Ella.  Oh, my.  

4 days old

6 weeks

I forgot to mention that KJ's brother, Kameron, started school at Boyce Bible College, and Katie and David had moved about an hour south of Louisville to serve a church.  Our townhouse  (which we later christened Crickhollow for you Lord of the Rings fans) was often a gathering place for everyone.  Kameron did many a load of laundry there, and Katie and I enjoyed many a conversation.  I'm not sure where my Thanksgiving pictures are from that year, but the Pugh family gathered in Mooresville, KY at the Kizziah's that year.  We went home mid-December for KJ's cousin Bethany's wedding and while there celebrated early Christmases with both of our families.  Ella was able to meet great-grandparents, and then we were back in Crickhollow for her first Christmas day.

3 months

3 1/2 months with great-Grandma Murphy

with Great-Grammy

In January we went to Lake Santa Fe with KJ's family for our "pretend" Disney Cruise.  It was a very  relaxing time together, and it's always fun to be at the lake.  We organized a Valentine's Day banquet at our church with the youth and made it through the winter with some visits from family.  KJ started two new jobs.  He began work at Cedar Lake Residences where he cared for special-needs adults by transporting them to the movies, stores, doctor's appointments and preparing their meals.  He also became the interim pastor of our church when our pastor resigned.  He was working incredibly hard as a full-time student, 40 hours of work (24 of which were 12 hour shifts, one of them at night) and then preparing sermons and making hospital visits.  Ella and I learned the use of the one hour flight from Louisville to Birmingham.  It was a first-time plane ride for both of us.

4 months at Lake Santa Fe

5 1/2 months at the Valentine's Day banquet

6 months with B.P.

7 months on a visit to Arab

I just think this is a fun picture.  She's so intellectual.

We loved it when my brother, Jesse, came to visit.

In the spring, KJ bought the "Girls' Car" for Ella and I, and we were no longer forced to stay home all the time.  Our townhouse was only 1/2 mile from Wal-Mart, and she and I would often take stroller walks there.  Ella was so social and loved visiting  Wal-Mart, Target and the library, waving at everyone we passed. It was especially nice to have the car because KJ was gone so much of the time with work and school.  We celebrated an extremely cold Easter that year (the only time I ever wore a wool coat on Easter Sunday) with a dear family in our church, Bobby and Evelyn Morgan and their son, Breck.  This was the first Easter I spent away from home, so it was comforting to be in a home and enjoy a home-cooked meal.

Easter 2007

It was definitely a life-changing 3rd year of marriage, with Ella's arrival.  There were a lot of challenges and sleepless nights, but we grew in our love and respect for each other, and Ella definitely brought a lot of joy to our lives.