Feeling Discontent With Your Current Season?

Have you ever just checked out on what God has called you to do? Maybe you're so excited about the next "season" in your life that you aren't even there in your mind right now. Maybe you're graduating next May and you have "senioritis." Senioritis is when you're so not in class - you're just going through the motions. You're so tired of being there and you're READY to go. You're so ready to be finished. I can relate as I felt that way my last year of college. I was so ready to move to New York and get my "purpose" started. I kept saying - I'm going to really see my "purpose" when I finally graduate! I'm going to really see what God called me to do! Sadly, I TOTALLY neglected my current season. I was already gone in my head. I had checked out and I was totally missing what God wanted me to do in TODAY.

At times, we can become so focused on our "next" step, or the "new season" or the whatever else that we ignore what God wants us to do right NOW. Guess what, today .. you have PURPOSE. Today actually matters. And, today is preparing you for where God is taking you. What I didn't know as I "rushed" to my next season is that New York was going to be one of the hardest seasons in my LIFE. I was in such a rush to get there that I didn't realize that the next season in my life carried it's own sets of struggles, hardaches, tests and trials.

So, where are you at right now in your life? Are you sick and tired of this season? Maybe you're not as on fire as you were when you first started your job. Maybe you just violate every copy-write law as you write your last paper. Maybe, you're not as on fire and excited about your marriage because you're bored with it. Or, maybe you're engaged and rushing towards the aisle.

Today matters.

Get your emotions together and sit before the Lord. Ask Him to help you to not be lazy, complacent, bored, tired and giving up on where He has placed you. We must stop rushing from one thing to the next - thinking that wherever we are going is going to be better. The grass aint greener in your next season honey! The same you is going to be there. 

Philippians 4:11-13 

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Let's talk about that word contentment.  Philippians 4:11 says in WHATEVER situation, be content. Not happy? - Not encouraged? - Bored? - Wishing you had whatever? - It says in whatever situation that you're in, be content. And, keep reading. It says that you can do all things THROUGH Christ. Not through yourself, through your degree, through your season or through whatever else you think you need in order to be happy. 

I just sense that some of ya'll are so not happy about your current state of your marriage. Maybe, you think your marriage was fun at one point but now, it's become routine. Instead of comparing your husband to another man, focus on what your husband DOES right. Maybe, he is great with the kids, he comes home to you EVERY night, He leads you in bringing the family to church. "Well, Heather - those are things he's supposed to do." I totally understand, but sadly you have too many expectations. Let me explain. Unmet expectations birth frustrations. Instead of focusing on all of your expectations in your marriage, focus on the Lord. Then, you will burn your laundry list of what your husband needs to "be." And allow for the Holy Spirit to work on him & change him. You cannot change that man. You cannot change Him. But, you can work on you. You can let the Holy Spirit change you. Did you know that God created marriage and He can give you the inside scoop on how to make it sweet? So, give your expectations to the Lord. I'm with you on having a godly husband, that comes home to you and loves you like Christ loves the church. There's times where I feel like, "My husband isn't loving me like Christ loves the church!!" Then, the Lord asked me a questions - are you submitting to him as unto the Lord?" Umm.. well. Not really. I believe as women we become perfectionist in telling everyone what they need to do while ignoring the part we play. 

Regardless of your current season, this still holds true -- we need to finish strong and finish what we were supposed to complete or ENDURE where God has placed you (ie. Marriage). Don't allow laziness to rob you from doing what God has called you to do. So, maybe you know you're about to leave a current job for a new job. Is your employer sad that you're leaving or are they pushing you out the door in relief that they don't have to do with your attitude anymore? Maybe, you do your work, but you do it with a heart that's checked out. People can sense that you're doing  your work grudgingly and not as unto the Lord. Colossians 3:23 "Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people."

Many times, we want God to bless where we are going but we aren't being faithful in where we are today.  So, cheers to not letting your emotions & feeling dictate where you are in life. Let's press forward & do what the Lord has called us to do as long as it's called today. 

Just a few things:

1. Find my (4) books (including my NEW book, "The Runaway Bride"), purity rings, shirts & all that good stuff via pinkypromiseboutiques.com!

2. We have developed an APP! Think: daily post notifications + weekly devotionals, recipes and so much more! It's out NOW for iphones + Androids. Under: Heather & Cornelius Lindsey: Today With the Lindsey's

3.  If you live in Atlanta, I want to invite you to our church. Join us on Sundays at 11:00am at Landmark Midtown Art Cinemas. Our churches name is: "The Gathering Oasis"  931 Monroe Drive NE Atlanta, GA. 

4. Register for the 2016 Pinky Promise in Atlanta, GA! It sold out last year so you don't want to miss out! www.pinkypromiseconference.com

5. We are headed to London for the Holy Desperation Conference! Join us! www.lindseysinlondon2016.eventbee.com 

6. As always, you can join a Pinky Promise group locally! There's about 40,000 ladies that have joined! Find a group near you by joining & checking out the intro page! Join here: www.PinkyPromiseMovement.com

God loves you like crazy,
Love you all so much!

Heather Lindsey

Family Trip to Maui, Hawaii 

Feeling Down?

Have you ever felt like life is purposeless? Or that life is just weighing on you and you feel like there's no way out? You know the scriptures, you know that things are going to get better but at the same time, you're like why God? "I feel trapped in my own life." Have you ever felt like, this test is too big and I don't see the way out. I don't know how God is going to deliver me from this one. If you're feeling this way, I can assure you that this battle has nothing to do your physical environment. The screaming children, the job you hate, the fact that you're tired of being single or broke. This battle is SPIRITUAL. NOT PHYSICAL.

Ephesians 6:12 tells us: "For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places."

So, although it may seem like it's people, things and your situation that has you frustrated but I want you to know that you're in the midst of a war. A battle. An attack against your walk with the Lord. This is not the time to recite how much you hate your life, or how frustrated you are with everything. This is the time that you need to go to WAR. This is the time where you need to guard your heart more than anything. This is the time where you have to cast down those crazy thoughts and make them submit to God's word. (2 Corinthians 10:5). This is the time where you have to PRESS past your feelings & remind yourself that this season won't last always.

I discussed this in an earlier blog,  and the reality is this, satan has demons assigned to kill, steal and to try to destroy your life (John 10:10). He isn't a one man show. He sends his messengers to tell you lies. He sends his messengers to make you feel defeated. He sends his messengers to make you feel like quitting. Satan doesn't care about YOU! He just wants you OUT of the way so that he can go onto the next Christian & try to destroy THEIR life. He just wants to ruin your marriage so that he can kill your witness.

So, what are you fighting with? 

Physical means? Yelling, screaming, complaining, gossiping, worrying, fearing while comparing your life to everybody else's & wishing that you had it because you think it's better than yours? NO! Those are physical means! You cannot take earthy things to a spiritual battle!

This is what we must take to the battle:

Ephesians 6:10-18 (NLT)

The Whole Armor of God

10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we[a] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

I believe that it's in those moments where we just stand firm to what we know and we know to be true while PRAYING in the Spirit (tongues) and staying alert and UNDISTRACTED. If we don't spend time with the Lord, we will won't have our sword of the Spirit. Most of us are leaving our swords of the Spirit in the car, waiting for church tomorrow. It's not enough to get an 1 hour word on Sunday. We must be intentional about sitting before the Lord.

I recognize that satan attacks when we feel weak. Or when we are our worst. The bible says he "roars around like a lion, seeking WHO he can destroy. (1 Peter 5:8). I'm reminded of the animal kingdom. The lions usually seek to chase after those animals that are weak, are old, slower or sick. Those animals that don't appear to have a fight in them. Satan is doing the same thing to you. If you feel weak, distracted, sick or not your typical self, I believe that satan is seeking to attack and destroy you.  He's aiming for YOU because you have put your guard down and you have given him an open door in your life.

We have to FIGHT back. So, repent of your sins. Repent for not trusting in the Lord this time. Stop bickering and fighting with your family. Make things right with your spouse. Get your fight back. Get back on your face in prayer. Pray on all occasions. Don't quit. Don't give up. Don't go back to your past & what seems comfortable. Press forward. Stop emotionally eating to deal with your portion. Stop texting people from your past to fill this void. This fight is SPIRITUAL.

We win in Christ.
So, now that you recognize the enemies attack. Use it against Him.

James 1:2-4
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

My prayer for you:
Father, in the name of Jesus we bind every spirit that is attacking those people reading these words right now. Satan, you  have NO authority over us. We pray right now that our hearts aren't troubled and that we trust in the Lord. We pray for peace in our homes, on our jobs, in our family, in our marriages. We pray right now for perspective. That we will recognize that these attacks are spiritual and not physical. Lord, give us wisdom on how to deal wisely with our portion. We declare Lord that we are content in  YOU and YOU alone. YOU are our peace, our joy and our strength. Strengthen us as press forward.

You have a purpose, YOU have a plan. This earth needs you to accomplish what God called you to do. Don't give up. There's something on the other side of this all.

Just a few things:

1. Find my (4) books (including my NEW book, "The Runaway Bride"), purity rings, shirts & all that good stuff via pinkypromiseboutiques.com!

2. We have developed an APP! Think: daily post notifications + weekly devotionals, recipes and so much more! It's out NOW for iphones + Androids. Under: Heather & Cornelius Lindsey: Today With the Lindsey's

3.  If you live in Atlanta, I want to invite you to our church. Join us on Sundays at 11:00am at Landmark Midtown Art Cinemas. Our churches name is: "The Gathering Oasis"  931 Monroe Drive NE Atlanta, GA. 

4. Register for the 2016 Pinky Promise in Atlanta, GA! It sold out last year so you don't want to miss out! www.pinkypromiseconference.com

6. As always, you can join a Pinky Promise group locally! There's about 40,000 ladies that have joined! Find a group near you by joining & checking out the intro page! Join here: www.PinkyPromiseMovement.com

God loves you like crazy,
Love you all so much!

Heather Lindsey

Happy 3 months to our Ms. Taylor Milan! :) 

Pinky Promise's Statewide Baby Shower!

Getting set up for the statewide Baby Shower! Me & My husband, Cornelius! 

Whew! We've been super busy around here preparing for our 1st annual Pinky Promise statewide baby shower!! And, it finally happened on September 12, 2015!! I've been planning this thing in my head for a year and I started actually putting the Pinky Promise Dream Team in place and taking the steps towards the shower about a year ago.

It all started when I was pregnant with Logan in 2013. I had a pretty rough pregnancy with a 27 hour labor that ended in a C-section. Then, after being stuck in the bed for 2 weeks with a colicky, screaming child, non-stop diapers, nursing, post partum depression and just about everything else attacking me, I stopped and through, HOW do SINGLE WOMEN DO THIS!??! So, from that point forward, I was determined to host a statewide baby shower for low income mamas or mamas that simply need a little extra help or that want to attend a workshop that will help prepare them in taking care of their babies! So, if you're a single mama, I seriously SALUTE you and I'm praying that God gives you the grace to accomplish what He's called you to do.

I honestly was nervous when the Lord told me to start planning. I'm like, how am I going to help over 100 women.. pay for everything & do everything by myself? Then, He started to give me wisdom on what to do. So, I did both and the "Body of Christ" REALLY came together.  People came out of the woodwork to be vendors, to help, to sponsor. I knew that I was going to need a lot of help, so I reached out to my Pinky Promise sisters via www.pinkypromisemovement.com. I told them that if God places it on their heart to donate anything from diapers, to clothes, baby clothes or even finances, to please donate. I encouraged the women at the Pinky Promise Conference to bring gently used clothes and items and the ladies SHOWED out! They brought tons and tons of baby clothes, items and diapers. Women from ALL over the world started to ship items to our PO box! Pinky Promise Groups got together and sent huge boxes filled with product! People started to reach out to us and share with us that they have a cupcake business or contacts and they want to be a part of the event!

The schedule included 3 people sharing their story. My story, Melonie- who is in her 3rd year of law school as a single parent with a 3 year old and Nadra Cohens who was a single mother for 7 years before getting married. We served a light breakfast while the ladies spoke. Then, after the speakers and giveaways- the ladies went to different workshops. While at the workshops, they learned about dental healthcare, how to do CPR, breastfeeding and couponing! After each "session" they attended, they received raffle tickets in which they could use at the "mommy & baby boutique." If you want to hold one in your city, DO IT! Even if you're starting out small. Believe God that He will supply and HE WILL! I'm a living witness. Check out a few photos & my thoughts after the shower!

My hubby greeting the babies that got there early! :) 

Aaron helping us set up! 

Time to set up! 

Discussing the setup of the "Baby Boutique" with Pinky Promise Dream Team member, Wynter Deans. 

This volunteer strapped her baby on & went to WORK! Thank you for your service!! 

The Pinky Promise children's ministry! These ladies are AMAZING!

A new mama herself, Jennifer Spears helped set up the "Mommy Boutique!" She's also on Pinky Promise's dream team!

Mama Clover! (Cornelius's Mother)

A couple dream team & volunteer members! We are so thankful for you! 

Meeting some of the beautiful attendees & their babies! 

Thankful for these ladies! Dream Team Members: Anitra, Lori, April & Monica!

This AMAZING lady did our couponing session! 

I'm thankful for this guy's help! :) 

One of our vendors that assisted with insurance and helping the ladies find doctors!

Another awesome vendor!

Bethany Christian Services was an AMAZING vendor! I love that they are there for not ONLY adoption, but ladies can sign up & get "mentor families." So, if they need a few weeks to get on their feet, their baby can live with one of these safe host families and you can still see your family everyday. This is great for mothers that don't live in a stable environment or are transitioning from one place to another. Or, just mamas that have NO help and need a few days break. 

The baby boutique is getting organized! 

We didn't want to get too many items that were hard for the ladies to take home. So, we purchased a few "big ticket items" like pack and play and car seats. We did a raffle for the big items and the other items in the shop were "free game.!" :) 

At the "mommy boutique, ready to serve!"

This AMAZING lady donated balloons as decor! 

We are so thankful for Fleur de Lis Sweets in Atlanta (www.fleurdelissweets.com) for their donations! You guys are AWESOME!

Part of the baby Boutique!

The president of Pinky Promise, Lori! :) 

So beautiful! 

The doors have opened! 

Blood cord donation vendor!! 

More beautiful families! 

There was over 140 ladies there! 

The "kids" corner!

More beautiful mamas! 

Meeting some amazing mommys! 

Pretty much family! :)

Awesome volunteers!

Sharing my story! 

Melonie sharing her story! 

Pinky Promise Dream Team!

Our AMAZING speakers! Nadra Cohens & Melonie Wright 

We thank God for Chick Fil A who catered the event! 

I went home after the shower and I just sat there and cried. So many of the ladies shared their stories with me and my heart just broke hearing about their conditions. I knew that a  few temporary things wouldn't be enough for them. So, I encouraged them to visit our church or to find a church home and I'm inviting them to the Pinky Promise Conference.

Words cannot express or even capture this beautiful day! We are planning to do one in LA AND in Atlanta next year. So, if it's on your heart to be a volunteer, to donate, to do anything, please let us know via pinkypromisequestions@gmail.com! We are starting our "stockpiles." :)

Special thank you to our Pinky Promise Dream Team member, Monica who led the efforts on this shower. We couldn't have done it without you!

Thanks for sharing in our day & taking the time to see the shower. Can you do me a favor? Pray for the sweet mamas who were pregnant or currently have young children. 

God loves you all like crazy,

Heather Lindsey 

“The One” Revealed – Virtual Book Tour – *Giveaway!

“The One” Revealed: A Woman’s Hopeful and Helpful Guide in Knowing Who Her Husband Is

by: Karolyne Roberts

This book thoroughly addresses many questions pertaining to the quest for “The One” and hearing God’s voice. One of your very own questions may be: “Did God really show me who my husband is?”, “Is there such thing as ‘The One’?”, “Did I marry the wrong person?” or “When will it finally be my time to get married and have children?”

Throughout this book, Karolyne dissects the desire to be married by bringing the heart-struggles that women face to the forefront. Karolyne takes a unique approach by sharing how women can redirect their yearning to be in a relationship, in a way that brings God glory and ultimately fosters a life of hope and fulfillment. Are you ready to discover “The One” Revealed?

This book will share the keys to:

·       Hearing God’s voice and being led by the Holy Spirit

·       Overcoming the embarrassment after being wrong about “The One”

·       Patiently waiting for “The One” in a world of distractions

·       Enduring the process and becoming the woman God called you to be!

TO WIN:

1. Register for “The One” Revealed Virtual Tour by Clicking HERE

2. Share this post on Facebook or Instgram and tag @KarolyneRoberts explaining why you would like to win this book!

***ALL WINNERS WILL BE PERSONALLY EMAILED AND ANNOUNCED AT THE END OF THE TOUR!

When your Faith is Low..

Sometimes we can get tested out of NOWHERE and those tests can sometimes bring a fear to our heart. But it's in those moments that you have to APPLY your quiet time with the Lord, what you've learned at conferences, church and the books you read on faith. It's not enough to simply be fat off of the word of God - at some point, we have to take what we've learned and APPLY it to our life. We walk by FAITH and not by SIGHT. Which means, although the circumstances look BAD as you live for Jesus - it doesn't BOTHER  you. It doesn't bother you because you don't LIVE by circumstances, you LIVE by FAITH. So, you're eyes are on the UNSEEN. You know that God has your back & that He is for you! He will restore every hurt, every confusion, every situation, every circumstances! Thank God for the Cross!! He has tore the veil so that we may be ONE with Him so that when we experience hard things, we can have the RIGHT perspective!
Now, Things are going to work out as they ALWAYS do. We must get to the place in our walk where whether things "work out" or don't "work out" - it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter because you know that whatever God has for you cannot be taken away from you. So, if it doesn't work out  - it wasn't supposed to work out in the first place.

2 Corinthians 5:7

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Romans 10:17 

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

I adore these scriptures because they reiterate what I said above. We walk by faith, we don't lose heart and faith comes by spending time with God & getting the word in your heart.

So, if you don't have the RIGHT perspective, most likely - you've given your attention to something or someone else. If you feel like you're not walking by faith.. you're losing heart THEN you're most likely not spending time with God, or surrounding yourself with His word. It's NOT enough to go to church one time a week and hear an hour sermon and expect to be sustained. YOU must do your part! What are you listening to all day? Have you put your technology down for one minute to spend time with God? Technology is a huge blessing and also a curse. It's a curse if it's replacing the time you've spent with God and created discontentment in your heart as you compare yourself to others online. Staring at peoples Facebook status or periscopes won't sustain your faith walk! All of hell is fighting against you and you don't have your armor on!! It's important to recognize when your "tank" is empty! I always say this - if you need gas, you go to the gas station. If you are hungry, you go to the kitchen. If your spirit man is STARVED, you pick up your phone, call a friend or vent on Facebook about how you hate everything.

You constantly reach out to everyone for prayer but you refuse to pull away and pray to the Father. Now, don't get me wrong - I'm a fan of prayer and a fan of two or three getting together in prayer. I ENCOURAGE you to pray with your sisters in Christ but I encourage you to not DEPEND on your sisters to sustain your prayer life. At some point, you gotta grow in your walk and stop running to everybody for advice, prayer and whatever else and go sit at the feet of Jesus. YOU need a relationship with Him and it's going to cost you your entire life.
..Matthew 10:39 "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it."
Yes, it's hard. Yes, you won't understand. Yes, you will have moments where you feel like nothing is working out. BUT, who are you clinging too? It's time to start clinging to God & not man! Not your bank account, not your business, not your degrees, not your whatever else!

So, I pray that this short blog reminds you to trust in the Lord and not in what you see. We must finally start maturing in this walk and stop seeking the "quick way out." Let's get to applying and stop coveting everybody else's walk in the Lord. YOU are as close to God as you want to be.

God loves you like crazy,
Heather Lindsey

Me & my princess, Taylor!

Pregnancy & Labor: Taylor Milan Lindsey's Birth Story

Introducing the world to our little princess, Taylor Milan Lindsey! 

First, how did we come up with her name?

While me & Cornelius were courting, we used to joke and make stick figures creating our little family. The first stick figure was a little boy named "Logan," the second, a little girl named Taylor. And.. there was a third & I think we are going to adopt him/her! :) 

So, as we searched high and low for girl names, we couldn't agree on one name. It's crazy how many people you realize you know when it comes to choosing names! :) So, we were sitting at Houston's restaurant and I said.. remember our stick figures? The names? Cornelius smiled & said "TAYLOR!" Yes!! That's it! The name we've always loved and had peace about. So, with further research, I checked out a few more things. 

Taylor definition: Transferred use of the surname derived from the Anglo-French taillour (tailor), which is from the Old French taillier (to cut).

Milan definition: "Gracious" 

So, as we paired it together, we figured that God would use Taylor to graciously share the word of God which CUTS deeper than any two edged sword. She will be used to share Christ in a dark world as she shows people how important it is to CUT out anything that isn't like Him. :)

So, onto my birth story!

If you read my birth story with Logan, that I had a ROUGH, long labor. The doctors had been measuring Logan for awhile and found that he was a big boy so a C-section was always a possibility in the back of my mind, EVEN with my birth plan. I ended up having a C-section with him but I was open to a VBAC (Vaginal birth after C-section) and so were my doctors. We agreed that we would continue to monitor the size of Taylor to determine if we were going to try for a VBAC. So, we went to our 33 week doctors appointment and Taylor was measuring 6 pounds and 11 ounces! Whoaaa! ANOTHER big baby! My doctor was shocked, she said, "And you don't even have diabetes! You just have BIG babies!" So, she suggested that I schedule a C-section because obviously, we tried that whole vaginal birth with Logan and he didn't come after 27 hours because he couldn't fit in my pelvic wall. Hey, some women are smaller down there and I just happen to be one of them that births big babies!

39 weeks & one week later with Taylor! 

So, I told the Lord that if for some reason, I go to into labor before my scheduled C-section at 39 weeks and a half, that I would go for the VBAC!

Welp.

On Tuesday, July 7th, ONE day before my scheduled C-section, I went and got my hair done (the photo above), I got a manicure and a pedicure. That morning, I noticed that I was having contractions, REAL contractions (not braxton hicks) and they were about 10 minutes apart. So, I continued about my day and they became more spread out. Then, at 6pm - the contractions were every 10 minutes until 2AM. I'm thinking.. wait, this isn't normal. My contractions are getting closer and closer together! The other part of me was thinking, "WHY LORD!?" We had PLANS to go in & get a scheduled C-section! Why are we adding extra tests?!" lol! So, then the contractions started to come every 5 minutes for an hour! Those contractions were PAINFUL! Whew! So, we rushed to the hospital and shockingly, I was already dilated to 6 CM! We were shocked! With Logan, I never went into labor and the fact that my body was going into labor was a sign to me to let it run it's course.

Until.. 12 hours later.

Lots of contractions and I was still only dilated to 6 CM! The doctor continued to check my cervix to see how far Taylor was from my cervix and we kept running into the same issue, her head wasn't dropping.

It couldn't fit. Again. 

Welp, I tried Lord. And about 18 hours later.. the doctor said to me, "Heather, we've been here before, Taylors experiencing some stress from contractions -  what do you want to do?"

C-section please, sir. 

Did I want another one? Um, who wants their abs cut open and a child ripped out of them!? lol! Of course I didn't but it wasn't about me! It was about the safety of Taylor! To me, it was a tiny sacrifice to get her here safely!

1 hour later on July 8, 2015 at 4:10pm, we were holding Taylor in our arms! She was a perfect 9 pounds and 2 ounces and 21 inches! When I heard her cry for the first time, I cried happy tears! Gosh, my little baby girl is here! I have a DAUGHTER! A mini me! There's so much I want to teach her. There's so much I want her to learn! 

So, I'm a breastfeedin' mama and right when we went into the recovery room, they let me latch her on! She latched RIGHT on and started nursing! I was so proud of her! I had just finished nursing Logan about 5 months prior to giving birth so, it's like my body already knew the drill!

But, things didn't get much easier after that. 

They noticed that her blood sugar levels were low. They said it was common with larger babies, so they sent her down to the NICU. I had no idea that it was like a baby prison down there! Of course, the nurses were awesome, but I felt like it robbed the freedom I wanted to just take my baby girl with me to my hospital room. I had to get buzzed into the back to see her every 3 hours as I nursed. The first day, I took a wheelchair to go see her, but by day 2 of my c-section, I was walking around. Although my amazing husband would have wheeled me all over the hospital, I tend to be a bit independent and if I'm nursing her on demand or every 2-3 hours, there's a chance my hubby was out grabbing food or even sleeping and I didn't want to bother him. So, as I sat on the 7th floor, taking mini- naps, I would calls to go downstairs to the 2nd floor & feed Taylor. So, up & down, up & down. We prayed for baby girl's quick recovery & that we could take her home with us when we were scheduled to leave the hospital. Talk about exhausting!

Thank GOD that after 24 hours, her blood sugar levels were stable and then they wanted to wait another 24 hours to make sure they remained that way. Sadly, they pricked her every 3 hours to make sure. Although I understand their precaution, I hated that she had to go through those things just days after birth! So, we were pretty intentional about spending hours and hours of skin-to-skin and nursing. Shoutout to my hubby who was right there, present and always active!

Logan came up to the hospital every single day and spent a few hours with us each day! We did the "gift" exchange and told Logan that his little sister bought him his little superhero toys! He was so excited! :)

Finally, we were able to take Taylor home and we got discharged at the same exact time! She was in the NICU for a total of 2 days.

What have I learned? That God's will isn't always what we think. Obviously, I prayed, believed the best but I learned that I cannot control every thing that happens to me, but I can control my response towards it.

Now, back at home-- I'm pretty intentional about resting, walking and getting back into the swing of things. I'm not good at just laying around for hours and hours. I love to be active, work, and run errands but I understand that my body needs to heal! So, I've been in the house dealing with cabin fever BUT I'm enjoying all of this snuggle and bonding time with my Taylor. Never will I have just days and days and days of constant skin-to-skin and laying around together. I'm going to soak up every single moment!

Will we have more?

Long answer short, NO. lol! My prayer is that the Lord will close my womb and that we will be able to adopt a couple babies! :) I have pretty big babies, my pregnancies are usually pretty hard on my body and labor & delivery is a hot mess! My prayer is that the Lord will allow somebody else to do the work & we get the baby via adoption! :) Hey, I'm adopted so I support adoption 100%!

And now, we are a family of four and my heart is seriously exploding. I LOVE being Cornelius's wife, Logan & Taylor's mama! Our hearts are so at peace and we are THANKFUL that God chose us to be parents of 2 precious babies!

Taylor and Logan are getting along quite well and Logan is SUPER helpful. He even tried to explain to me that he needed to nurse Taylor. (blank stare). Hey, he's only 2 years old! lol!

Thank you for your prayers, support and encouragement along the way!

God loves you all like crazy,

Heather Lindsey

Our first family stroll with Taylor! She's one week old!

I love my family!