And Baby Makes Three...

Yep, you heard me right.

We are having a baby!

It's okay. I'm still in shock, too.

No, this pregnancy was not planned. No, I was not super excited at first. Yes, I did have my moments of mourning for my life being completely altered before I was prepared for it. And yes, it's still hard to accept the fact that I am growing a human being inside of me and I want to throw up then pass out on the couch 90% of the time.

But now that it has happened and there's no turning back, I am truly excited about having a little bundle of joy in our lives that we get to call our child.

 

Yep, that's a positive!

Here's the crazy thing, though: we can't figure out exactly how we got pregnant.

I mean, we know how we got pregnant. The birds and the bees speech is not needed, and a little too late if we did. What we can't figure out is exactly when it happened, according to my due date.

I knew that we had a possibility of getting pregnant, so I started really keeping up with everything. Once I found out we were expecting, I immediately tried to look back and see how far along I was, and it looked like I was a little over 6 weeks, which would mean I would be 9 weeks by the time we had our sonogram.

After seeing the baby, the sonographer determined I was 5 weeks 6 days, not 9 weeks.

Once I was over the shock of being 3 weeks earlier than originally thought, I looked over my little handy-dandy app that keeps track of everything for me, and it just didn't make sense. Of course, I could've forgotten about recording in the app a time or two, but I really don't think I did.

After further research, I have come to the conclusion that God said we were going to have a child around October 18th. It is the only explanation that makes sense, and it's the only explanation that gives me comfort.

 

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So, where does my life (and my blog) go from here?

Obviously, my life is no longer about being a wife, a nanny, and a dance teacher anymore. I now have to add the role of being a mom.

Nope, still not used to the idea of me being a mom.

I have decided to put this blog on hold, and to start up a new one that will be dedicated to this next chapter of my life. I am going to call it:

My New, Crazy, Pregnant Life

 

It'll be similar to this one, but I'll be giving week-by-week updates and pictures on this little person that is taking over our life. I will still include recipes, stories, and my usual randomness as I have always given.

 

Pregnancy won't change that :)

 

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So, here we go! Diving head-first into this new world that has me excited, nervous, terrified, and nauseous. I have a feeling the next 34 weeks will be like no other, and there will probably be many tears shed and sleepless nights, but I know that there will also be many laughs and awe-inspiring moments that will fill our lives and our hearts. I have no idea what this pregnancy will entail, but I am so thankful that I have wonderful friends and family that surround us and a husband that I get to walk beside through this new journey we get to embark on together.

 

Ready or not, here Baby comes!

Discovering Myself: Part Two

Can you believe it is, like, 65 degrees outside?!

This time last week, we were preparing for a winter storm that brought enough snow to completely cover the grounds of the CSRA.

And now I'm wearing gym shorts and shirt, without a jacket.

Got to love some Georgia weather!

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As I stated in my previous entry, I found a list on Pinterest that had 30 writing prompts to answer about one's self. I decided that this would be a lot of fun, and that I'm going to take the next few entries to complete the list and give myself (as well as those who read this) some more insight on who I really am.

Today, I am answering the following:

2.) Something You Feel Strongly About

 

Hmm. This is much tougher than the previous one.

 

I, in general, am a passionate person and have strong opinions on a lot of things. So to narrow it down to one thing is pretty difficult.

 

But I shall do my best!

 

Something I have always felt strongly about, but the strength has increased recently, is raising up the future generation in the society we live in now.

 

Yeah, you probably guessed I would do something with children, but you may not have guessed I would take this route.

 

Since Chris and I were married this past August, starting our own little family has come up in conversation quite often. Not that we are planning to have a child soon! But the thought has definitely crossed our minds.

 

As I've stated so many times before, raising a child is a scary thing. Not only does a woman's body create this little baby for 9-10 months, but then she has to work with a man to raise this baby into a functioning citizen of this country. They are responsible for teaching the basics of understanding words, colors and numbers; they must make sure they keep the child safe from harm; they are given the task of showing a child the difference between right and wrong. 

They are to guide this child into a path that will mold and shape the person they become.

 

The job of being a parent is daunting, and it's the biggest blessing the Lord gives two people to share together.

 

Since I have been/worked with kids for well over half of my life, I have seen so many different parenting styles and witnessed the products of them all. 

I have seen the children who are spoiled rotten; they can do no wrong in the eyes of their parents, and society has to deal with the consequences of it. I have seen the children who are pressured and put on a pedestal of perfection; their parents can't imagine their child making a mistake, and their child walks on eggshells, scared to death they will do something wrong. 

 

I have seen it all. 

It's hard to see so many ways of raising children without forming an opinion for yourself.

Something that probably bothers me more than anything when it comes to raising kids is bringing up a child that doesn't show appreciation for anything. I feel so strongly about making sure a child never feels that they 'deserve' anything in this life without having to work and make sacrifices.

Growing up, my parents were very relaxed about chores. For the most part, my parents took care of everything. We occasionally would try the 'chore chart' and start doing more to help out, but it usually faded and we would just go back to putting our clothes away, making out bed, and putting our dishes in the sink. 

But one thing my parents didn't do was spoil us. 

Going to McDonald's was a treat; going to Chic-Fil-A was a super treat! Sit-down restaurants were only for special occasions or when we went somewhere for a friend's birthday. My mom cooked probably 90% of our meals, and my dad about 8%. That's not a huge percentage left for eating out. 

My sisters and I danced, and that's what my parents poured a lot of time and money into. We all competed, so we travelled 4-6 times a year with that. It didn't leave much time and money for other things, such as vacations and extra spending, but they knew it was something we enjoyed, so they made it happen. 

Even though my parents weren't very strict on chores and things like that, they made sure we appreciated everything, and we were to be respectful of everything we were given and everything we were able to do. They also made sure we didn't become lazy. 

So many kids now-a-days expect their parents to give them what they want, and they have little appreciation and respect for what they are given. 

It's not their fault! They only react the way their parents allow them to. 

I want our children, along with any other child I come in contact with, to know that nothing is given and everything is to be appreciated. 

This is one of those instances where my strong feelings for this subject have become a great tool in learning to hold my tongue. 

I want our children to be children; I want them to be little as long as possible, so that they will enjoy being a child as long as I can let them. I also want our children to understand that life isn't fair; they won't win every game they play, they won't make every team or performance they try out for, people won't always be nice, and there is no quitting once you've committed. I want our children to know what it's like to help around the house; that there are things you must always do (make your bed, clean your room, put your dishes in the sink, etc), but that, if you decide to take some extra time to do different chores, you may be rewarded (extra TV time, ability to stay up a little past bedtime, etc). I want our children to see that you can get by in this world with the bare minimum, but the extra work can pay off in the future and will be worth it.

I want our children to play outside until the street lights come on. I want them to swing in a tire swing, to slide down a slide, to ride a bike or a scooter around the block, and to enjoy getting sweaty while playing in the dirt.

I want our children to never remember a day where they didn't know what God, Jesus, and the Bible were. I want them to know that Mommy and Daddy aren't perfect, but God still uses that imperfection for His will. I want them to be able to resite Bible verses from memory, to be able to pray whenever they are worried or scared, and to know they are never alone. 

But this isn't just the desires I have for our kids, but for every kid I come in contact with. 

I have always felt strongly about raising a child in this society, but it is starting to really sink in how much thought and care I really want and need to put into it. 

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So, there you go. My answer to the second writing-prompt. It may not make a ton of sense, but that's okay! This is supposed to be about whatever I would like for it to be, just like it is for whatever you want it to be, too. 

As always, your comments are always appreciated! Same thoughts I have? Disagree with me entirely? Let me know, I would love to hear it :)

Hopefully tomorrow's questions isn't this hard. I guess we shall see!