Christmas is Coming

 

Today is the first Sunday of advent.  I had posted a few days ago that being pregnant is making me think and evaluate everything.  We had a great sermon today at church and it really convicted me and Christmas has already been on my mind.

 

In his sermon, Ron talked about the things that we have allowed to steal our joy this Christmas.  The first thing being overcrowded calendars and the second stuff.  I was really convicted by the stuff part.  I have slowly but surely let stuff wiggle in and steal my joy in Christmas. 

 

One of Adam and mine's favorite things to do at Christmastime is buy gifts for our family members.  We like to plan and find the perfect gift for each person.  This year we are really watching our money and we will not be able to buy Christmas gifts this year.  I have found myself really saddened by this.  I love showing people I love them by giving them gifts.  And I have found myself wondering: how do I celebrate Christmas this year without being able to give gifts?

 

But that's not the point!! I have been having my Christmas joy in stuff and I  hate that and I don't know how it happened.  So that had led to some good conversations between Adam and I about celebrating Christmas and also how we will celebrate Christmas with our child.

 

One thing that really stood out to me from the sermon was this quote from Ron: "Christmas has become the time of the year when we tell our children that it is ok to covet."

 

Woah.  That gave me a lot to think about.  I definitely don't have the answers, but now my eyes have been opened to the questions I should be asking.

 

What have you done during the holidays to direct the joy to Jesus and not to gifts?

The Quest for Comfortable

Daily I am on a mission to achieve "comfortable".  When I am sitting, standing, sleeping, really doing anything it is so much better for me if I am comfortable, but I am finding that right now that is easier said than done.  There are several things that hinder my ability to become comfortable.

1-Back pain
2-I don't bend as well as I used to
3-I'm hot...no cold...no hot
4-Leg cramps
5-Carpal tunnel in my hands
6-Not enough pillows
7-Too many pillows
8-The baby is laying funny

Now you can see my problem.  On top of that, once I achieve a few seconds of a comfortable position I undoubtedly need to:


1-Go to the bathroom
2-Get something to eat
3-Get something to drink
4-The baby moves and pinches something

And then I start the whole shifting and situating fun all over again. 

If I find a few minutes of total comfort every day than I am a happy camper, however long it takes me to get there.

Giving Thanks

When Thanksgiving rolls around and I'm  thinking about what I'm thankful for, I'm usually thinking: I should have been doing this all year long.  And it's true.  Of the 365 days in a year I'm not sure that one is enough for everything I'm thankful for.  My goal for the next 364 days is to daily remind myself of all that I am thankful for, because I am greatly blessed!

Today I am thankful for:
An awesome church family where God is active and moving.
My amazing husband.
This baby growing in my belly.
Family
New friends and old friends who are sources of great love and encouragement.
A warm place to call home.
A fridge full of food.
A car that can get us place to place.

Those are just a few of the many blessings on my mind today.  I hope you all enjoy your Thanksgiving and time with family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Different Kind of Pregnancy Brain

It's kind of amazing how an impending baby can make you think about everything.  It makes me look at my days and think about how they will change.  It makes me think about money in a different way.  It makes you think about holidays and traditions (or lack of).  Having a baby is going to change our lives. Radically. And not even in a bad way, but in very good, exciting ways, but it is exciting and even scary to think about.  It makes you question everything, at all hours. 

The last post I wrote was all about how I've been questioning my time.  The next few posts I write will focus on a few other things in my life that having a baby is causing me to reflect on.

What were the biggest things that changed when you had your first child?

Time is Valuable

I've been thinking a lot about my time: where it goes, how I spend it, and what that means.  I've read several books about being work, household, and leisure balance.  Right now I am busy but now every hour of every day and I realized that I have a lot of leisure time right now.  I put housework on the back burner and I just spend my days the way I want to.  But does that make me happy?  Am I productive?

I have been pondering a lot of things in this inner dialogue with myself.  I spend a majority of my time focused on screens.  I work on a screen, but most of my leisure is also taken up by a screen.  Am I happy about that?  What does that say about my priorities?  And this is the new question on my mind:  Is that how I want to train my child to be also?

No.  And that is really not even what I want for myself.  You know what has happened to me?  I've gotten lazy.  When I think about my priorities and what I want to show is important to me, I do not want screens to be a priority.  I want God, my family, and time with other people to be my priorities, along with work.  Is my time showing these things?  Absolutely not.  And that has really been haunting me.

I don't want my child to associate time with me with a screen.  I need to disconnect.  This is something I need to continue to think and pray about, but let's just say for now that I am very convicted by the fact that I watched the whole series of Gilmore Girls this last month.  I've read over 200 books this year and watched over 200 movies.  But what does that matter?  How much have I read my Bible?  How comfortable has my home been?  Have I created any new relationships?  Have I grown myself in any way?  I'm not sure.

My time has been showing that I am selfish.  Is that how I want my child to view me?  Children learn by seeing.  What will my children see when they look at me?

An honest look

I've heard a lot of critiques of blogs and social media for the reason that people can show their best, most put together self, on their posts.  Pictures are usually the best, edited photos when you're having a good hair day and look your best.  If you show your house, it's usually right after you clean it.  The articles I've read say that this just leads to a skewed view of yourself and other people.  Well, I want you to know that you don't get that here.  I am a flawed person, and today I'm going to give you an honest glimpse into my unclean house. 

 

One thing that I am very sensitive about is how my house looks.  Except you would not know that because I hate housework.  The only time I seriously clean the house and get it to look "perfect" is when people are coming over.  I have always hated housework.  And now, being pregnant and losing my energy, I am extra not motivated to keep the house clean, and Adam hates it.  I don't usually care to be in a messy house.  It doesn't bother me.  I can still think and function fine, as long as I'm not expecting anyone to see it this way.  So today I'm going to clue you in and let you see the status of my home.  We haven't had people over for weeks and I have had no energy, so this is usually as bad as it gets. 

 

 

 

So there you have it, an honest look at my un-perfect home.

 

But what about my honest self?
I recently had someone at church tell me that I look like I'm having the best time with pregnancy.  I'm always smiling, I'm always happy.  And to tell you the truth it really has been great and I have been really enjoying it, until this trimester.  I am now plagued with aches and pains and uncomfortable sleeping and getting colds that I can't take medicine for.  So when he told me that last night I said, well to be honest, this is actually how I feel.  I am a grin and bear it person, generally, but I will be honest about what is bothering me.  Here is an honest look at me today:

 

Yeah, some days it's just not pretty, and I am very ready to admit that.  But it is still an adventure that I am happy and grateful to be on.  I'm not perfect, and I hope you know that reading this blog.  If you didn't before then hopefully you know now.

Energy? What energy?

I had heard that once you're in the third trimester your energy goes back down, but I never expected it to go so fast.  Maybe it's combined with the fact that I have been fighting off a cold, but my energy has been zapped.

I had no energy in the first trimester.  All I did was sleep, eat, and get sick. Then in the second trimester I had a huge surge of energy.  It was great.  Now, in the third trimester I am just plain worn out.  My body hurts, I'm tired, I don't sleep well, but all I want to do is sleep.

So far this trimester I lay around trying to sleep but I'm so uncomfortable that I can't and so I just get more and more tired and nothing gets done.  And I've heard that this won't go away until the baby's born, so it will be a long 11 weeks.

I’m Officially Ready to Give Birth (yeah right)!

On Saturday Adam and I attended a Childbirth class at the hospital that we are going through.  It was a pretty long day, but it was very informative and we learned a lot.

 

We learned all about the stages of labor, we got to watch several videos of births (much to Adam’s enjoyment), learned breathing techniques, and comfort measures.  We even got a certification for going.  So that means that we’re all set for the labor pains, right?

Probably not.  Everything we heard this weekend was all about how we cannot really be prepared for labor and we shouldn’t have a plan.  Well if you know me, you know I’m a planner, so not planning how my labor will go is hard, but really I’ll know nothing until it happens, so we’ll just have to see.

Let me just say that I’ve decided that I don’t want to use any pain medications, the goal will be to go totally natural.  And while I was watching the video of the births I just kept thinking that I hope I’m not as wimpy and whiny as the women in the video.  I know that sounds awful, but it is true!

We’ll just see how it goes.  It should be interesting.  Good thing I have a couple months before I have to experience that!

Aches and Pains and Cramps, Oh my!

This trio has been the story so far this trimester.  My days, and nights, are now filled with back pain, shoulder pain, leg aches, and calf cramps.  At the end of every day I feel like I have run a marathon, my legs are so sore!  I guess it’s because I weigh more than I ever had in my entire life, my center of gravity is different, and it is very hard to get comfortable.

I have a daily challenge of trying to make myself comfortable so that I don’t feel the aches and pains.  I get relief by using a combination of ice, heat, pillows, and a tennis ball.  Adam and I learned that one of the best things to use to massage back pain is a tennis ball, and it really works.

I’m guessing that there will be many more aches, pains, and cramps in my future.  I just have to grin and bear it.  Do you have any tips for leg cramps, because those are the worst!

10 Things I Learned During the 2nd Trimester

Today I enter the third, and final, trimester of my pregnancy.  Woah.  Here are ten things that I learned during my second trimester.  (And if you need a refresher, here is the link to the 10 things I learned in the first trimester).

1. Stock up on Snacks

During the second trimester I was hungry all the time.  My appetite was and still is huge.  What do I do about this?  Eat every time I’m hungry of course.  So, I kept snacks around like apples, pretzels, brownies, and I also didn’t plan the weekly menu to contain a lot of leftovers because I also started eating at least two servings at dinner.

2. Buy an Awesome Pregnancy Pillow

I wasn’t able to sleep this trimester.  I was looking for anything that I could get to sleep better, which for me was this awesome pillow.  To read more about my favorite one, click here.

3. Use energy when you have it

I had a lot more energy this trimester, so I made use of it when I could.  I tried to keep the house clean, Adam and I worked on the nursery, and I got several projects done.  Use the energy now because I have heard that it won’t last very long into the third trimester.

4. Use your free time to read

I found it very valuable to read during this trimester.  I read a few books about babies and I found this was a good trimester to do that because I can start learning now when it won’t be too overwhelming.

5. Drink more water

This is something that I always have to remind myself about.  Much like the first trimester, if you think you are drinking enough, you’re probably not.

6. Always know where the bathroom is

Unlike the first trimester when I needed to know where the bathroom was for a fit of nausea that could strike at any time, during the second trimester I needed to know where the bathroom was at all times because my bladder is smaller and keeps getting kicked.

7. Strangers will start to notice and ask questions, so try to be patient

People started to notice my belly this trimester, and they ask a lot of questions.  Whenever I go into the grocery store I have to stock up on patience to answer the same question the whole time I’m walking around the store.  Just take a deep breath and try to enjoy it.

8. Get some clothes that fit

None of my pre-pregnancy clothes fit anymore.  Which is exciting, and yet stressful.  I bought things that were on sale and never spent very much on any individual item.

9. Cherish the days and the time

I learned to spend all my extra time with Adam if he was home.  I decided to stock up on quality time now when I have it, because who knows how much time we will have in a couple months.  Another thing I learned is how valuable time by myself was.  Just to sit and feel the baby moving is an amazing feeling.

10. Don’t worry about the scale

I put on quite a bit of weight during the second trimester.  I just had to remind myself that it’s good weight, for the baby, and it won’t be around forever.  I did not stress about how much or how little my weight was changing.  I just trusted the doctor to tell me if something changed.

I learned a lot during the second trimester and I’m glad it’s now the third.  I am on the last leg of this pregnancy.  We’ll see what I learn in these months before my child arrives!

Waiting

In the words of Inigo Montoya: "I hate waiting."
Waiting has never been a strength of mine, let's go even further to say that I'm not patient--at all-- I never have been.

Nine months is a long time to wait for something.  Besides a baby, is there anything else you've ever successfully waited nine months for.  The only example that I can think of is this:  you're a child and your birthday is in March.  You've just had your birthday and you love all your new toys, but then you see this one toy that you forgot about but you have to have it, and you're out of birthday money.  Your parents says this to you: "put it on your Christmas list."  Ugh! But that's nine months away!  And most likely you will forget about the toy because who wants to wait nine months for something?

The only other thing I had to wait a long time for was for my wedding day.  I had to wait a year from engaged to married.  I can't tell you how many times I said, "I just wish we could be married already!"

So, "I wish this baby were here already!"  I've made it through six months.  Only three months left.  My patience will be tested.  I wish I could speed up the process, but it is probably not the same.

I know that I'll need lots of patience when I have a child, so I should look at this as practice, right?

Phew, I'm sure that these nine months will be more than worth it, but I just hate waiting!!

A Suggestion for what to do this Weekend

It’s the weekend!  You know what my favorite thing to do on the weekends is?  Watch movies.  Actually this is my favorite thing to do every day, but especially the weekends.  And even more on cold weekends when I can curly up on the couch with a blanket and hot chocolate, and my hubby if he’s willing.  In honor of the movie night I hope to have this weekend, here’s my list of recommendations of movies to watch while you’re pregnant.  Let me know what you think of the list!  Hopefully you will find something that interests you for a movie night of your own.

10 Movies to Watch when Pregnant (in no particular order)

Father of the Bride 2

George Banks finds himself with his daughter pregnant and his wife!  How the whole family deals with these challenges and excitement is hilarious and will make you, and your spouse, laugh, and maybe even your baby too!

What to Expect when you’re Expecting

Such a fun movie about pregnancy.  It has ups and downs, but it’s all about families and new life.

The Backup Plan

Zoe is ready to have a baby, but she doesn’t have a man.  So she decides to have a baby on her own.  Once she becomes pregnant, she meets the man.  This is a funny movie where nothing goes as planned. 

Babies (documentary)

An adorable look at babies from all over the world!  When I watched it I could not get the smile off of my face.

Raising Helen

This movie is not about pregnancy or babies, and the beginning is a little sad, but it’s all about parenting: the good and bad of it.

Baby’s Day Out

Just a cute baby wandering around New York City, what’s not to love?

Knocked Up

This is the only rated R movie on my list, but it’s on here because, if you can find it on TV it is hilarious.  Boy meets girl, girl gets pregnant, and they try to figure out how to become parents.

Baby Mama

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, need I say more?  This movie is about a woman who does not have a man but wants a baby, so she gets a surrogate to carry her baby.  They live together, and find out that they have different ideas on how this pregnancy will be carried out.

Juno

Teenager gets pregnant and has difficult decisions to make.

The Princess Bride

Nothing about pregnancy, parenting, or anything.  This is just a good movie and I will use any excuse to watch it.

 

As I made this list I also thought of some movies that you should definitely not watch when pregnant.

Kill Bill

Pregnant bride loses her baby, and then she seeks revenge.

The Changeling

A mother is sure that her kid was kidnapped, but no one will believe her.

John Q

Child needs a heart transplant the family can’t afford.

Rosemary’s Baby

Just don’t.

Taken

Daughter is kidnapped.

I hope you found a movie that interested you.  What movie do you think should have been on this list?

Maternity Clothes

 This morning I put on something that I have worn many times.  A simple tank top and pullover.  And this is what I noticed:

It's a little drafty (haha).  This is becoming the reality for all of my pre-pregnancy clothes.  All of my t-shirts have become belly shirts.  Wearing my previous pants?  You've got to be kidding.  I wore a pair last week to work in and I can't even get by with the hair-tie trick anymore.  It's official.  I'm all maternity all the time. 

I found this awesome website for maternity clothes.  It is called Pink Blush Maternity.  Check it out here.  Their stuff is super cute and very reasonably priced, especially the stuff on sale.  You also get free exchanges and returns, which makes online shopping so much easier.  I recently bought a couple shirts from them that I just love.

 I love the color of this shirt.  Also, on the sleeves and the back there are these cute little polka dots.

 This purple shirt is so cozy, warm and comfortable, and not to mention cute!

 

I really like this long tunic.  It is so cute with jeans and boots!  I got all of these shirts on sale and I am totally happy with my purchase.

After purchasing these three shirts, I now have 10 maternity shirts and 2 pairs of pants.  I'm not sure that's going to cut it now that I can't wear any of my pre-pregnancy clothes anymore (at least not in public).  So I'm going to be checking out consignment shops, Burlington, and other cheap places to stock up for the winter.

Here is a dress I ordered from Pink Blush.  I really love it, but I haven't worn it yet because Adam doesn't think it looks good because it's so close to my skin color.  So, fashionista friends, what accessories can I add to this dress to make it look better and separate it more from my skin?

 

I'd appreciate any advice you can give me because I really want to wear this dress!!

Peaceful Saturday Mornings

I love Saturday mornings.  Everything seems so peaceful and calm.  There's no screeching alarm clock, no pressing things on my mind.  Saturday mornings are my time to read blogs, books, my Bible and feel every precious movement that the baby makes.  That's probably my favorite.  I just lay in bed with my hands on my belly and enjoy.  This morning as I was enjoying what seemed to be tap dancing in my belly, I realized what a change our Saturday mornings will soon experience.  And while I could lament the loss of my lazy, peaceful Saturdays, I am looking forward to hearing those early morning cries, seeing those feet kick, and spending time with the baby in my arms.  I will cherish these peaceful Saturdays and look forward with excitement to the unpeaceful Saturdays in my future.
Happy Saturday!