Mother Love

motherhood + home + family

WEEKEND + FIVE THINGS

The only way to describe the past weekend is with this…”it was the worst of times, it was the best of times.“

Best and worst…in the same weekend. I started out as an emotional, overwhelmed wreck and ended as a refreshed, renewed woman! Flowers, chocolate, sleep, and quality time with my husband will do that to me…

Honestly, Friday and Saturday were some of the hardest days I’ve had in a long time…and it was just like a culmination of the weeks of anticipation and excitement and readiness, but all of which have only ended with disappointment at the end of each day. My hormones were all over the place, and I literally went from laughing to crying in a matter of seconds. I was just exhausted emotionally. I just felt done. So tired of feeling excited…so tired of being disappointed when I went another day or another night without my baby in my arms.

Ben and I are both big all-in’ers in whatever we do…goal-oriented-get things done-put-your-heart-and-soul-into-what-is-in-front-of-you type of people. And honestly, that tendency has worked against us in this season of life, because we are just all-in for this child of ours. We live it, breath it, focus on it…it’s not a bad characteristic, but in this case, it has not been our friend. We’ve spent the past month literally thinking we would go into birth mode at any moment, which was our first mistake. #rookieparents For our next pregnancy, we’ve learned to not create expectations, no matter how progressed or labor positive things appear to be. You just gotta keep living and let things happen when they happen…don’t expect it to happen when you want!

My kind midwife ended up coming over on Saturday to check on things and to help ease my anxiety and fears. The baby is doing well and good, with good heartbeat and movements. Things are progressing towards being ready for labor…just taking it’s good sweet time! It definitely helped ease my mind and heart to know everything is still ok and looking positive. She recommended that we get away somewhere for a day or so, if we at all can…just to destress and relax. “Stressed mamas never go into labor!” My dear, sweet husband ended up finding us a last-minute Priceline hotel deal and whisked me away to Rochester for two glorious days! I woke up on Sunday morning and it felt like the entire world had been lifted from my shoulders…like I could breathe again. Just being in a different place and focusing on something else was such a relief.

We had a brunch date and went for walks and hung out at the pool and ate burgers and read books and relaxed to our heart’s content. It was amazing! It was just what I needed. I came home on Monday afternoon ready to face the week ahead, no matter what that looks like. I felt renewed with a grace to walk through each day that comes. The Lord has given us so many great and wonderful promises…so many great and wonderful things! Our child is part of those promises, and my heart feels an incredible sense of belief in His good plans for us. He knows the best time for this little one to come into the world.

So onward we wait!

PS. Ben and I have both been blown away with all the kindness + encouragement from so many people! Your prayers + love during these weeks have been amazing, and we are so grateful to be surrounded with such a caring community. xoxo

Here are five things I love:

– this wise article
– this is too cute
– this looks yum
– and this
– this is so pretty

What about you: how was your weekend?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

THINGS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT PREGNANCY

Pregnancy has been one of the most exciting, magical, and sacred things I’ve been a part of.

I have truly enjoyed the past nine months of carrying and growing this child in me, and while I AM SO READY TO HAVE THIS BABY OUT IN MY ARMS, I still marvel at the miracle of having this little one inside of me. It is truly one of the most sacred things to experience in this life. A little person…half me, half my husband…knit together inside of my body…growing, kicking, squirming. I think that feeling that little child moving inside of me is one of the most magical feelings in the entire world (although while trying to go to sleep at ten o’clock every night it may feel less magical, hehe).

It’s funny to me to think back to my life and perception of pregnancy prior to being pregnant…because just like any other experience in life, you will never know what it is like until you actually experience it. I’ve heard the stories and the quirks and challenges of pregnancy from my friends and aunts and all…but they were just stories. Until nine months ago, those stories felt so far away from my life…and then suddenly, they became real. I’ve had an easy pregnancy according to what some ladies experience, and honestly I can’t imagine the grace and strength it requires for those pregnancies that are full of nausea and food aversions and such for the entire nine months…all I can say it, bless you dear woman.

Here are some things that I’ve learned about pregnancy based on my experience:

– You will pee more than you thought possible. Somedays you go every five minutes…and as you near the end of pregnancy, your baby will push down on your bladder and make time between bathroom visits even shorter. Just go with it (hehe).

– Some days you will feel like you can eat your entire kitchen and your stomach feels empty no matter how much you put in it. But eat, because it’s your body telling you that it needs food for your growing little one. Also, if you crave burgers every day for a week, just do it.

– Sometimes you will cry about the strangest things, like a touching television commercial.

– You will start saying words like “precious” and “sweet”  and “awwww” way more than you did before.

– Shopping for baby things become more exciting than shopping for things for yourself.

– Some days you will feel like a gigantic whale, but some days you will actually feel more beautiful and stunning than you’ve ever felt before.

– You will feel such an intense and overwhelming love for a little person you’ve never even met.

– There is a natural mothering instinct inside of you that comes to life that you never knew was there and you will do anything you need to do to protect and nurture the life inside of you.

– Some nights you just.can’t.sleep, for no apparent reason. The best thing to do is get up and do something else for an hour or two until you are good and sleepy. Hormones.

– There will be moments when you question if you have what it takes to be a mom…but remember that God gave you this child and He believes in your ability to love and care for him. You can do it.

– Some days you will have boundless energy and some days you will have absolutely no energy. Work when you can and rest when you need.

– No pregnancy is the same and the only thing you can totally count on to happen to you during your own is that birth will happen sometime (although at this point i’m beginning to question, winkey). Other than that, there is no standard of normal. But it is still such fun to talk and connect with other moms that have children or are currently pregnant too and learn from their experiences.

– You will notice other pregnant moms every where and will feel an urge to run up and belly bump them.

– If you stay pregnant past your due date, each day will feel like a year and you are almost absolutely convinced that you will be the one to finally break the trusty truth that “no one stays pregnant forever.” If you need to break down and cry for a little while because of your frustrated and anxious heart, just do so. It helps. And just keep reminding yourself that truly, no one stays pregnant forever!

What about you: what are some things you learned about pregnancy from your experiences?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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