Concentrating on the Now

The beauty of blogging is that you can set posts to publish well in advance, which is what I've been doing this month. However, as time has caught up with me, I can't say that I'm running out of steam. Rather, I'm focusing more on the impending birth of our little one. So while I applaud my efforts for January and participating in NaBloPoMo, I'm going to take a step back from the computer and concentrate on the real nitty gritty: Getting through these last couple weeks of non-parenthood while doing last minute "prep" for parenthood.


I'm at 37 weeks right now. I'm still working my full-time job and feeling the physical pains (side note: mad props to women who waitress or who do other physical labor for work while pregnant). We have everything set up to bring little one home, and we're all packed to head to the hospital when the time comes. Husband knows to keep his phone on at all times in case things happen when he's not home. We are spending as much time as we can as a couple before becoming a family of three. It's exciting and terrifying all at once to know that our lives are going to significantly change forever in just a matter of weeks.


I could sit here for the remainder of my afternoon and finish posts for the rest of this week, or I could go lie on the couch and breathe through the Braxton Hicks contractions I've been experiencing all afternoon. I'm choosing the latter. And who knows, the inspiration to write might strike me later this week.

NaBloPoMo: Eight?

I'm not a big fan of the eighth prompt for NaBloPoMo. It's about acupressure.

I've never tried it. That's my contribution.

Instead, I'd like to take a moment to mention how proud I am of myself for getting through this work week. I'm about to finish week 34 of my pregnancy, and each week I'm able to make it through work is a huge victory. I have cankles the size of an elephant's. My body aches. I constantly want to see the backs of my eyelids. But the best part of all is that I have a healthy and active baby girl who is growing beautifully and should be making her arrival in one month.

We got to take home a 4D ultrasound of our girl yesterday, and of course, she's gorgeous! She has chubby cheeks and currently looks exactly like her daddy. I remain in awe that my body is growing another life, and while it is so difficult, I thank God every day that I have this miraculous opportunity to do this.

The only complaint I have right now? This mild head cold that needs to go far, far away.

Pregnancy Non-Essentials

I discussed my absolute must-haves for pregnancy, which got me thinking about the things I really didn’t like or was disappointed in. This is just one mama-to-be’s opinion, but I hope my opinion might save someone a little bit of money. Slap “maternity” or “pregnancy” on just about any product and you’re looking at a nice little price increase. As I like to err on the side of frugality, my non-essentials list revolves around how I've tried to save money during pregnancy.

1. Motherhood Maternity. I can’t completely knock this company because it’s been the only place that I have successfully found pants for work that fit me. I applaud them for providing plus-size maternity options (the few that they do have in stores). My complaint is that after a few wears and washings, the clothing begins to look and feel worn out. I didn’t want to make a big investment in maternity clothes because it’s a temporary wardrobe, so I purchased simple pieces (black dress pants, khaki pants, basic colored tops) with the hope that they’d last me throughout the pregnancy and some of the post-pregnancy time. Some items might, but I’m afraid some will get retired fast. The prices are reasonable but the clothing quality is awful (you get what you pay for). I had little luck finding options at thrift stores, so I wore pieces that were in larger sizes than my pre-pregnancy size to supplement my wardrobe.

2. Maternity underwear. I never purchased any because of the price – I can’t justify it. My sister-in-law gifted me with a package that she purchased (and never used), and I was so happy I didn’t spend the money after trying them out. My solution? I purchased undies two sizes larger than what I normally wear… and I got the granny-panty version. Comfortable AND affordable! For price comparisons, a 3-pack of maternity underwear costs about $15 at Motherhood Maternity. A 5-pack of the granny-panty version of larger underwear is around $12.

3. Preggie Pop Drops. Maybe they work for some women, but I was far better off with Jolly Ranchers and Life Savers to help with nausea. The Preggie Pop Drops are also really expensive for how little you purchase.

4. Pregnancy books. I’m not saying don’t read the pregnancy books, but I am encouraging you to get them from your public library rather than purchasing them. If you really want to purchase a few, check out your local thrift store first. I snagged a fairly recent edition of What to Expect When You’re Expecting for myself for $1.75 at Goodwill. The rest of my reading material came from my library.

Every pregnancy is different. There are things I have not experienced (thank God!), while there are other things that I have experienced (and lived to tell about). My overall advice is to not buy into all the stuff that’s marketed towards you - your emotions are everywhere, and if you’re a first-time mom like myself, it’s easy to get sucked in to all the stuff. And remember: What I find non-essential might be an absolute blessing to someone else. Please take my opinions with a few grains of salt.

If you’ve been pregnant, what items have/did you found to be non-essential during your pregnancy?

Pregnancy Must-Haves

I’m entering month 7 of my pregnancy, and I’m doing a lot of reflecting on everything. I’m not the type to sugarcoat things - I like to be honest and blunt (when appropriate, of course). I’ve been reflecting back on my pregnancy so far, and aside from a few bumps in the road, things have gone smoothly. As a first-time pregnant lady, there are SO many resources out there that you can get yourself lost in. Everyone gives me advice from their own experiences or the experiences of others. Opinions are thrown at me left and right… and it gets to be incredibly overwhelming.

I can tell you this: Pregnancy is not easy.

I have no roses-and-unicorns stories about pregnancy… except that I can’t wait to meet our daughter. Every ache, pain, stretch mark, mood swing, craving will be worth it once our girl makes her entrance into the world. The good Lord has blessed us with an almost-completely healthy pregnancy, and for this, I am incredibly thankful.

The other night, as I was waddling to bed, I was thinking about the things that have truly made some of the hardships of pregnancy that much easier. In case another first-time preggo stumbles on this blog, I wanted to share what I have found to be necessities to survive pregnancy.

1. An amazing support system. I couldn’t do this by myself (for obvious reasons, of course). My husband has been here to bring me crackers when I’m sick, run out to the store at 9 p.m. to get me Sprite that I just had to have, calmed my fears when I feel like I can’t do the whole motherhood thing, and tells me I’m beautiful even after I’ve had no sleep and want to strangle him. Our families and friends have been just as wonderful.

2. Water… and lots of it. I’m on doctor’s orders to drink at least 100 ounces of water a day, but even if you’re not on doctor’s orders, drink as much water as you can. Sure, you’ll be running to the restroom every 30 minutes, but it’s so important. Drink up, moms to be!

The Snoogle: Preggo and cat approved!

3. A Snoogle. I went back and forth on purchasing one of these, but I found a great deal on Amazon during my first trimester and took the plunge. OMG. Best. Investment. Ever. I don’t sleep all that great anymore (which is biology’s way of prepping one for parenthood, of course), but my Snoogle is my BFF. Our cats also approve of the Snoogle, as evident by the above photo.

4. Full-panel maternity pants. This is personal preference since I entered pregnancy as a plus-sized gal, but full-panel maternity pants are fabulous! I purchased a pair of demi-panel jeans in my first trimester, and they were OK. My issue? They were constantly sagging and falling down. The full-panel options stay put and they are so darn comfortable.

5. A sense of humor. You’re going to have to laugh at yourself and some of the things you will experience. I had a woman point out my swollen feet one day, and while that initially wasn’t pleasant, I can’t help but giggle about it! I have to crawl into bed on my husband’s side because of my fort of pillows that prevents me from getting into bed on MY side, and we both find this hilarious. You have to laugh because your mood swings will have you crying enough.

If you’re a mom or have ever been pregnant, what do you consider must-haves to get you through?

Big News!

Remember when I alluded to something pretty big back in July?

The cat's been out of the bag now for a few weeks (and by out of the bag, I mean we made sure everyone and their mother knew): We are expecting!

As I write this, I am 24 weeks pregnant with our daughter-to-be. Our little lady is scheduled to arrive in February. I'm excited, terrified, stressed, overwhelmed, and all-of-the-above in the emotions department.

This year (meaning 2013) has been a year for my husband and I to really let go and let God. As we have grown in our faith, we have really started to let our controlling natures go and put our trust in the Lord. It scares both of us because at our hearts, we are both planners and control freaks (although I take it to more extremes).

We purchased another vehicle earlier in the year (April), well before knowing that we would become parents in the immediate future. We celebrated six years of marriage (May). We found out we were expecting (June). We moved to accommodate our growing family (July). Of course, our focus now is preparing to go from a family of two to a family of three. We are feeling so incredibly blessed by these big life changes, and while the changes can be scary, we're embracing these new paths with the knowledge that God is right there at every step of the way.

Credit: superelahstic on tumblr

So that's the big news. I'm feeling energized to get things going around here; if nothing else, for a way to get lots of pregnancy thoughts out into the blogosphere. Pregnancy has made me crazy, and I know I can't be the only mama-to-be who feels like she's losing her mind.

Here's to life changes, big and small. My prayer is that we can handle it all.

(Like my sweet rhyme? Admit it, you do.)