Bennett Clay- Our Little Miracle

Bennett Clay Zollinger joined us on Friday, May 12th at 4:23 p.m. A whole 7 lb 1 oz of pure sweetness. It did not take him long to steal our hearts.

I am still getting my act together, and may be for quite some time. Each new day brings me a little more confidence and leaves me a bit more refreshed. 

I eventually hope to share some details of how Bennett made his entrance into this world, but let me rewind a bit first.

Our Bluffton shower was on a Friday night in April. It was a very nice evening. The committee went above and beyond to make it special and the food delicious.

Nate and I had a contest on who could diaper and dress the baby dolls in the least amount of time. Let me just note that the a baby doll is much easier to dress than a squirming human baby.

Here are some of the other girls due around the same time as myself. Three of us have either had/are having boys and two are having girls. Bennett will have lots of friends when he goes to visit Bluffton.

My cousin Brooke is also expecting a baby boy in June.

Here I am at 38 weeks, looking prime and ready to pop.

Bennett was born at 39 weeks and 2 days. Some have asked how we came about choosing his name. Nothing super significant, but it seems that I have been drawn to boy names that begin with the letter "B" for the last couple of years.

The "B" name that I initially liked came about from a little boy who goes to our church, but I was hesitant to use it. Nate had a "B" name that he was in favor of, but I was not convinced.

When I asked Nate about the name Bennett, he seemed pretty neutral and fine with it. The last two months of my pregnancy, we were fairly certain that the name would be Bennett. Any other name that would come about, I would compare to the name Bennett, and I never liked any other name as much.

The name Bennett means "blessed" and his middle name of Clay means "in stiff ground." We pray that Bennett will be firmly planted and blessed in the solid foundation of God and that we may raise him to know and understand the truth of God's Word.

Bennett has gradually been meeting some of his cousins as our siblings find the time to come out, along with others who have stopped by.

Don't be fooled by the picture above. I am holding Brenda's, much larger baby, and she is holding Bennett. A few months in age can make quite the weight difference,

We are enjoying our little guy, while trying to navigate ourselves to a whole new state of normalcy. We feel under qualified to be parents, but privileged at the same time. Our hearts are filled with thankfulness that God would grant us the gift of a child. It is bound to be an adventure when raising our little Benny Boy.

Thank you for the love, well wishes, and prayers that we have received from so many of you. I find it hard to believe that we are already past our second week into parenthood. We will cherish each moment as we know time passes quickly.

Thank you for reading!

My Better Half

I find that I do not brag about my husband often enough. He deserves daily praise and admiration, maybe even hourly. What better day to give him a shout out than on today, our third anniversary.

When I first met Nate, not quite four years ago, I instantly developed a respect for him. I can be a little bit judgmental of others, so I am thankful that God allowed me to see his true character so quickly. God knew what was around the corner. I was clueless that he would be my future spouse. The way Nate handled himself and treated others in such a kind way, really spoke to me. I could tell that Nate had one of those easy-going and likable personalities. 

When I was praying about marriage and the proposal that was looming in front of me, I knew that I could get really excited if Nate was the guy that was asking to marry me. I was amazed that God could put such excitement and peace in my heart, especially after only meeting this guy a total of three times.

I have told Nate that if I could do parts of our engagement over, I most definitely would. I do not think that I was a very good fiance, but he was a saint, always sending me flowers at the most appropriate times and praying for me, a little extra, on my rough days. What a trooper!

Each year of marriage has kept getting sweeter and sweeter (I think he would agree), and to think that we are only to year three! We have dealt with our differences and they no longer seem like such a big deal now, compared to the first year of marriage, when I thought everything was a major ordeal. 

We have no parents or siblings living closer than an hour to us, which has made us depend and rely solely upon each other. While there are days when we long for family to be closer to us, we know that it has been good on our relationship to be our own little island of sorts. We are truly best friends and love each others company.

I admire Nate's compassion and sensitivity to others, his desire to grow continually with the Lord, his willingness to provide for me on a daily basis, and the list goes on. Another attribute of his, that I wish I possessed more of, is that he does not care what others think about him (in a good way, of course). He is constantly himself, and he never finds the need to put on a show or act fake in any way.

I realize that this may be more of a woman issue, caring about what others think of ones self, but it is so inspiring to see Nate be genuine all the time. It makes me want to be more like that.

I love Nate's contagious smile and will not be offended if our little baby looks completely like his father. I am so excited to see my husband become a daddy. I have been told that you see a different side of your spouse when they become a parent. I am already seeing the love that Nate has for our little miracle. Life will become more chaotic as we become a family of three, but I know that God will provide and will open our hearts with more room to love. I am excited to figure out this new adventure, together with my man.

I am thankful to Nate for being my #1 supporter throughout this pregnancy. I am thankful for his creative do-it-yourself mentality that has saved us money on different projects. I am thankful that he will eat any type of food that is set in front of him. I am thankful that he puts God first, before all else. I am thankful for the way in which he loves me. I am thankful for him.

Happy Anniversary my love!! I feel beyond blessed to be your wife. May God continue to bind our hearts together with each passing day. I love you.