In The Middle Of It
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In The Middle Of It
Middle Mini (Our Baby is ONE!)
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Today Jason and I celebrate our son Owen’s first birthday in this fun mini episode! A baby’s first birthday is a milestone for them, but it’s also an anniversary for the parents who made it through every late-night feed, every tiny win, and every new fear. We highlight ten favorite “ones” of Owen’s first year, from his first word that melted us, to the one thing we’d do differently, and the little quirks that we love the most. Thanks for listening today! Tune in next week for a new full episode with an incredible guest!
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Birthday Song And Welcome
SPEAKER_00Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Owen. Happy birthday to you.
SPEAKER_03Welcome back to In the Middle of It, a special edition of the Mini episodes where we are celebrating our son Owen's first birthday.
SPEAKER_01Can you believe it?
SPEAKER_03It's insane. It is literally his birthday today. This episode is brought to you in the middle of Owen's first birthday, which is really crazy. We have a one-year-old baby.
SPEAKER_01I cannot believe it.
SPEAKER_03Like, genuinely, that is insane. Everyone says the days are long and the years are short, and I'm like, yeah, whatever. No, it's true.
SPEAKER_01That is a fact. It is a fact. This year has been the fastest year of my life, I think.
SPEAKER_03For sure.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And yet there were moments where I thought, can we just get to the end of the hour? Like, you know what I mean? Or like the night is so long, and I'm like, can we just get to the morning? Like, how can we possibly make it that long? But then it happens, and then time goes by. It's crazy. Um, for those of you watching or listening, the special guest for this mini episode is, of course, Owen's dad and my husband, Jason Early. Um, you're on the podcast twice in one month.
SPEAKER_00Whoa.
SPEAKER_03It's you're like officially the most record numbers. You're the most important guest for sure.
SPEAKER_01It's an honor.
SPEAKER_03Okay, so what we're doing today to celebrate Owen's first birthday is a mini episode where we say ten of our favorite ones in honor of his first birthday.
SPEAKER_02Yep.
SPEAKER_03So each category, we're just gonna give a quick little answer to one thing about his first year that has been sweet.
SPEAKER_02Love it.
Highlights And A First Word
SPEAKER_03Okay, so starting strong with one top highlight of Owen's first year.
SPEAKER_01I mean, Owen is the highlight.
SPEAKER_03I know.
SPEAKER_01He is the highlight.
SPEAKER_03He's literally amazing.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I love everything about him.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So if I had to pick a highlight, it's just Owen is the highlight.
SPEAKER_03Wow.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Okay. All right. Well, my top highlight was that Owen's first word was mama.
SPEAKER_01That's a good one.
SPEAKER_03That's a good highlight.
SPEAKER_01That's a good highlight.
SPEAKER_03It's like every kid ever you hear about them saying dada first, but Owen decided to go against the grain and to say mama as his first word. And that is something that I'm more proud of than I can really say. Okay. Um,
Sleep, Anxiety, And New Parent Fears
SPEAKER_03the next is one thing that wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. Do I go first?
SPEAKER_01Sure, go for it.
SPEAKER_03Okay, I would say one thing for me is how I would function on little sleep. Like I before having Owen, if I had to sing at church or like do a show or whatever, and I didn't get eight hours of sleep, I really felt like, oh, I can't do it the next day. Like I'm gonna be I'm gonna be like half of who I should be and can't function. But I've realized that I really can function on little sleep and make it through the day and be just fine. Is it awesome all the time? No, but like that has been less scary than I thought it would be to function on little sleep.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah. I kind of think my answer is like this this was a scary thing to me. It's not that it was less scary than I thought it would be, but it was still was just scary to me. So when we first got home from the hospital and like the first two nights at home, I don't think I slept a wink. Yeah. Just I wanted to watch him in his crib and make sure he was okay, that he was breathing, that his heart was beating. I couldn't keep my eyes off of him.
SPEAKER_03We were just like those anxious first parents.
SPEAKER_01I guess. Yeah. Yeah. I just didn't want anything to happen to him. Didn't want him to suffocate on his mattress, even though he couldn't even roll over.
SPEAKER_03He literally was just on his back.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So yeah. That was scary for me, but I had to trust the Lord with that.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Okay.
What We’d Do Differently
SPEAKER_03One thing I wish I could do differently.
SPEAKER_01One thing I wish I could do different. I wish I could go back and really take in those moments for the moment that it was. Because I didn't realize how fleeting those newborn days were. Yeah. I wish I could just press pause on time and just soak it in even more. I did soak it in. Every single moment we loved. But there just wasn't enough of it.
SPEAKER_03I know. My my answer is similar. Like I wish that I I wish that I could live those first weeks and months with the assurance that everything was gonna be okay and to just enjoy it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Because I was so anxious and worried about him being safe and him eating enough.
SPEAKER_01Eating sleeping enough.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, like I was so he literally slept 24 hours a day for the first like three weeks of his life.
SPEAKER_01He was a sleepy baby.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, well, it's because he was a month early, so like he was supposed to still be like not born yet. Um, but yeah, I wish I could just go back and tell myself to enjoy that because it doesn't last long to then your nap time and like wake windows and all the things, it starts to get a little crazier schedule-wise. But those first newborn weeks and months are so special and so sacred and like not restful, but restful. And I wish I could soak them in more, honestly. Yeah, yeah. Okay,
Favorite Quirks And Tiny Habits
SPEAKER_03one of my favorite quirks that he has.
SPEAKER_01You want to go first?
SPEAKER_03You go first.
SPEAKER_01Okay. I have to act it out, I think.
SPEAKER_03Okay, for all of our video people watching.
SPEAKER_01When he is about to say something, he makes the cutest face as he's like prepping to get it out of himself. And he'll just come out with the craziest sound, but he kind of just like makes a face and he goes like kind of musters up, he musters up the energy or the confidence or something to speak, and it's just the cutest face.
SPEAKER_03Just like the cutest face. Like it's just like he's it's all of his energy, it's all of his concentration to just get one little ah out of the mouth.
SPEAKER_02It's so cute.
SPEAKER_03Okay, I love that too. Another quirk that I love is this baby has used his pointer finger for everything from the moment he came out.
SPEAKER_02Yep.
SPEAKER_03Like in every picture, he's pointing. Both hands. Yeah. Just we call him his antennas. He's just holding his hands, just doing his pointer fingers. And like to this day, when he's really focused on something or concentrating, or if he's not sure, if you look down at his hands, he's got his antennas up.
SPEAKER_01It'll be sticking up. Yep. It's just usually both hands.
SPEAKER_03Like, it is the funniest thing, and also similar about his pointer finger. Everyone says, Oh, babies suck their thumb. No, Owen sucks his pointer finger only. No thumb, nothing, just the pointer finger.
SPEAKER_01He's tried the thumb a time or two. Yeah, but it always switches back to the pointer finger.
SPEAKER_03Loves his pointer finger. It's so funny to me. Okay,
Unconditional Love And Faith
SPEAKER_03one of the best things about being a parent. Hmm. I'll go first. Okay. Um, I think for me, the best thing about being a parent is just this new unconditional love that I feel. Everyone talks about it. Oh, like you'll never know true love until you love a baby. And it's like, that's actually true. I love Owen in a way that I have never loved anyone in my life. And like I love you unconditionally, and I've grown to love you like by getting to know you, kind of thing. And with Owen, it's like I I love him as part of me. Like, and I love him because he's my son. Like, there's nothing he could do or say. Like, I don't know. It's just a different kind of love than I've ever experienced. And it's taught me so much about the way that God loves me.
SPEAKER_02Yes.
SPEAKER_03Um, just like the way he sees me, and how his love doesn't have anything to do with me pleasing him or earning it or anything. Like, he just loves me because I'm his. And that's how I feel about Owen. Like, I just love him because he's mine. Yeah. And I delight in everything that he does. Like, he makes me so happy and like so I'm so proud of him. Like when he falls down when he's trying to walk, and I'm not like, oh, Owen, get up. Come on. I'm like, good job, buddy, you try. Like, I don't know. There's just so much about being a parent that's shown me things about God. And I'm so thankful for that. Like, that's for me so far the best thing about being a mom.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you kind of stole my answer. No. But it's totally fine. Um, I completely agree with that. Yeah. And just realizing how much the Lord loves us is so special. And I think one other point that's related to what you just said is like w when we're any any time in life, we understand that we were a baby at one time and our parents took care of us. But now that we're parents and we have our own baby, just realizing wow, like my parents took care of me like this. Yeah. They changed my diapers, they fed me, they put me down for naps, they dealt with crying and whatever else is going on with love. Yeah. And it's just so special to have that new perspective on how our parents loved us.
SPEAKER_03Definitely. I agree with that so much. I I remember when Owen was like one week old crying to my mom and just saying, like, wow, you really love me. Like it I knew that you loved me, but now I'm seeing just how much. You know? So sweet.
The Hard Parts Of Parenthood
SPEAKER_03Okay, on the other side of the coin, what is one of the hardest things about being a parent?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. There are some hard things, but they're so worth it, first of all. Yeah. I think for me, there's two that come to mind. One is time management.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I feel like just fitting in things that need to get done into the day, into one day, is a challenge. Yeah. Um, because if Owen's awake, it's all hands on deck. If Owen's asleep, we're doing dishes, laundry, mowing the grass, catching up on bills, catching up on bills and whatever else needs to be done. On bills, that's so adult of us. Yeah. Plus just regular work, like getting work done, um, fitting that in into the windows that are available.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um, it's just it's a challenge to manage time, I think.
SPEAKER_03For sure.
SPEAKER_01Every moment matters, um, and needs to have a place. And I would say that sleep is a challenge.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01More so for you.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Well, for both of us, though, really, but yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Just the amount of it.
SPEAKER_01The lack of it.
SPEAKER_03Right.
SPEAKER_01So yeah, the amount.
SPEAKER_03Um, for me, I said sleep, obviously, but less obviously, but still about sleep. I would say I didn't realize that when you're a parent, it seems like you're always facing some type of challenge with raising your baby. And if you're done with a certain challenge, there's a new one coming.
SPEAKER_01On to the next.
SPEAKER_03It's like as soon as you figure out like breastfeeding, then you're on to figuring out napping, then you're on to figuring out rolling and crawling, and like it just feels like every challenge gives way to a new challenge.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And I think that if I heard someone saying that and I wasn't a parent, I'd be like, man, being a parent must be so hard. And it is, but it's funny how God just like intertwines all of the hardest parts with all of the best parts. So it's like, even when you're like, Man, how are we ever gonna make it through this challenge that we're facing? You always do. It always changes, but in the midst of that challenge is a new milestone to celebrate, or a new word that he's saying, or a new, like like when they're four months old and they're going through the four-month sleep regression, which is so hard, they also start really smiling and laughing and knowing you. You know, so it's like both of those challenges and joys kind of go hand in hand. And I found that in every corner of parenthood. It's like the hardest thing, challenges, but also the joys that come with the challenges too.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
Tongue Tie And Food Allergies
SPEAKER_03Okay, one moment I wouldn't go back to in his first year.
SPEAKER_01That's an easy answer for me. His tongue tie getting lasered, which was super necessary. Like I would I would have it done again. Yeah. Because it's beneficial for him. But just the recovery process. It was horrible.
SPEAKER_03It was horrible. Owen's tongue was tied to the tip of his tongue, like, could not use his tongue properly whatsoever. Um, we asked plenty of people what they thought, and they said from the first day of his life that needs to be taken care of. It's he's not gonna be able to eat or speak or do a lot of things that he needs to do well. So we did have to get it lasered, and that was really hard. He was so little. Like looking back, I'm just like, he was so little. I think he was five weeks old when we did that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Um, I was gonna say that too, but another moment I wouldn't go back to was the moment we found out he was allergic to peanuts. Um, we gave him peanut butter for the first time, which they say, like, you know, they're six months old, you're feeding them foods, give them the allergens so that they're exposed early and often. And so we gave him peanut butter for the first time, and he had a really bad allergic reaction to it. It was very scary. Um, I'll never forget that drive to the pediatrician's office. Just so many thoughts, so many fears in my head, looking at my baby, being like, Are you okay? Are you breathing? Are you healthy? Are you fine? Um anyway, we walked out of that office with a prescription for an EpiPen that we carry everywhere. And a trip to the allergist that taught us much about OM, that he has several food allergies, and we're just navigating that in real time. What it looks like to feed a baby with allergies, and I feel like he I don't know, I feel like that's a challenge that he's gonna have for a while, but hopefully he will grow out of that.
SPEAKER_00Hopefully, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. So I wouldn't go back to that moment. That was a scary moment for me as a mom, just watching him. So glad you were there. Whoo, if I had been by myself, that would have been really scary. But it was one of those moments where I was like, I'm the mom. Like, you're the dad. We have to decide what to do in this moment.
SPEAKER_01Decisions and Maced on him.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. So, anyways, I wouldn't go back to that.
Moments We’d Relive Forever
SPEAKER_03Um, and then one moment I would revisit again and again.
SPEAKER_01You want to go first?
SPEAKER_03Sure. Um, I I have two, I know it's one, but I have two. The first one is the moment they placed him on my chest for the first time after he was born.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, just the wonder of who is this little slimy person that is on my chest. Like, I couldn't even see him, so I'm like looking down, like trying to see him, and just wowed by this tiny miracle that was inside and now is outside. It was just like a moment I would go back to again and again. Um, and then the other just like more daily moment I would go back to is recently when I've been rocking him to sleep at night. Um, I hold I'm but I've been holding him like upright and he'll put his head on my shoulder and just fall asleep without a cry, without a sound, but just slowly fall asleep on my shoulder. And I'm just standing there like rocking back and forth, and he's asleep, and he's so heavy, but also just like light and sweet and small. And oh my goodness. I have had the thought multiple times in this moment, like when I'm 80 and he's grown and has a family of his own and gave me grandkids. Like, I will think about that moment forever. Just like, oh, it's so peaceful, it's so sweet, so special.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, sometimes I struggle to put him down after that. I'm just like, I don't want it to end. Yeah, but thankfully it comes every night and I've been able to continue to do it. So that's what I would revisit again and again.
SPEAKER_01I would say that I would go back and um do the early hours of the morning holding him while you slept all over again.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01There were there were several mornings or so many were early, like 3, 4 a.m. Yeah, where you had been up late feeding him or getting up or whatever. Um, and in that moment, if he woke up, I would go in there and just rock him to sleep and hold him. Yeah. And I would stay awake. I don't want to, you know, fall asleep with him on me.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um, but just holding the holding him as the sun came up through the window. Yeah. It was pretty sweet.
SPEAKER_02So sweet. He was so squishy back then.
SPEAKER_01So itty bitty.
SPEAKER_02So squishy.
SPEAKER_01Oh man.
SPEAKER_03Oh, it's so sad. Okay.
A Psalm 91 Prayer Over Owen
SPEAKER_01Now he's a year old.
SPEAKER_03I know. Okay, we have two more. One verse that we've chosen for his life. Um, it's from Psalm 91, uh, verse 14 through 16. Do you want to read it?
SPEAKER_01Sure. So it says, Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him. I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life, I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. So we picked that verse for Owen. We looked at so many verses, like, what do we want to pray over Owen or what do we want to speak over him in his first year? And I love that one. I love all of Psalm 91 in general. Like I remember you memorizing that when we were in college, and just it's been an important one for us in our relationship, but also um just knowing that we hope and pray that Owen grows up to love the Lord, obviously, to um to love him, to know him, to serve him and honor him, but also just the promise of God that if Owen loves him, he will satisfy him with long life, he will honor him, he will protect him and deliver him. And that's what we hope for Owen. That's what we pray for him. So that's a verse that we chose, and I think it's really special. Um, and
Praying For Year Two
SPEAKER_03then the very last one is one thing that we're praying for Owen's second year.
SPEAKER_01Can you believe you're saying his second year?
SPEAKER_03No, I can't believe it. It's like so sad.
SPEAKER_02But happy but sad.
SPEAKER_01I think for me, what I'm gonna be praying for is even as he's just gonna be a year old going into his second year, you know, that that next year, that's very young. But I just want to pray that he will already have an open heart and a tender heart to the Holy Spirit. Um, that he would just somehow recognize that God is real, yeah, that Jesus loves him, um, and I just want him to have that openness from a young, young age.
SPEAKER_03I love that. So um I feel like I'm just praying that he continues to be his calm, happy, sweet, sweet, tender self.
SPEAKER_00He will.
SPEAKER_03I just sit in praying that he just continues to be who he already is, and that whatever challenges year two throw his way, that they don't change who he is already. Um because everyone talks about the terrible twos. And I'm like, no, we're not worried about that with the claim the terrible twos. We are such a sweetie. He's such a sweetie, and I just I pray that he stays that way and um that he stays the happiest, most wonderful little boy that he is. So
Birthday Reflections And Goodbye
SPEAKER_03happy birthday to our first little baby. Yep. I can't believe it. I'm definitely gonna cry today. It's like I'm so happy, but also like it's just gone by so fast. Oh wow.
SPEAKER_01Crazy.
SPEAKER_03I'm proud of us. We made it one year of parenting. Great job.
SPEAKER_01You're an amazing mother.
SPEAKER_03You're an amazing dad. He's gonna say dada. That's gonna be his first day, first birthday gift to you, is saying dada. Finally. Oh man. Okay, well, thanks for joining us, indulging us, if you will, on Owen's first birthday. Um, we will see you next week with a brand new episode. Thanks for watching.
