How often do we really stop to BE STILL? Not very. This whole pregnancy thing has forced encouraged me to stop and rest. I only have two months left in my life until I don’t have another human being relying on me. At least for many many years. That’s a pretty crazy thought. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in work, life, and anything we can find to occupy our time. As a woman, wife and soon-to-be mom I struggle to just “rest”. When I’m at home, I feel worthless if I’m not cleaning, doing laundry or working on something around the house.
I’m thankful for the exhaustion that pregnancy has brought and how it has forced me to the couch on many occasions. I have one month left at work and then I will be home for 4-ish weeks until our sweet girl arrives. I’m praying that I can REST and be STILL in the Lord and allow Him to prepare me for the major change that is coming. Babies R Us and Target can’t prepare me in the way that HE can!!
What are some ways you find time to be still in Him?
From the eyes of my hubby….I figured it was a much more entertaining perspective than mine! ENJOY!
I really wasn’t sure what to expect from Childbirth class. Being that this is my first child, I have never been before. So when Kara-Kae told me that we had to go and it would cost us $80 I wasn’t thrilled. I am a product of the digital and internet age so I assume that almost anything we need to learn we can find on the internet. But after some threatening convincing, I decided that it would be ok. I guess we should be as prepared as possible for our first born. Little did I know all the things that I would learn from this class.
For those of you that have never been before, be prepared to learn! If you have been before, maybe this will just bring back some fond memories of lamaze or other child birthing class. So, without further ado, here are the top 10 main things (+ two bonus) I learned from our child birthing class in the order in which I learned them. The best part is that I did not make up ANY of this.
Everything was recorded exactly as it was said.
Pregnancy is normal. – I’m extremely glad we covered this. I was a little worried that we were the only people that had sex to bring about a baby. The rest must have been from the stork.
When in pain, vocalizing (moaning and groaning) may help. – Would you like some Tylenol Extra Strength or Advil Moan & Groan?
During early labor, you (mother) may get excited about having the baby. – I guess that’s a good thing. If you aren’t excited you probably should have been a little more careful when having sex in the first place. Plus, the pregnancy is almost over!
The baby may be stressed during labor for some reason. – Really? For some reason? I would think my skull squeezing through the birth canal or getting tangled in a random chord while trying to get out might stress me out a bit. Oh, and the kid is about to take his/her first breath. Possibly stressful?
Mom, don’t pay attention to the monitors. Let your husband do that. He needs a job. You are there to relax or whatever. – Relax or whatever? Yeah, you know. Just sit back and relax or whatever. After all, it’s just a day at the spa.
Husbands, during active labor she may not like you. – Here is where you insert phrases like “I hate you”, “this is all your fault”, “beep, beep, beeeeeeep” or “did I say you could leave your corner?”. This will be interesting. For the one dude asking all the ridiculous questions like whether or not it is appropriate to be spontaneously humorous in the middle of labor.
Don’t watch the epidural process. – If you have a weak stomach at all or don’t like needles, this especially applies to you. Apparently some dude around Orange County recently died because he was watching and fainted and hit is head just right. Hmmm…
Being tired is not a good medical reason to induce labor. – I guess this rule keeps us from having babies months too early. Every female in the room will disagree with this assessment.
According to our instructor, when it comes to delivery units, Kaiser Permanente is the best place in Orange County. – I am not really sure how to take that considering we are NOT at Kaiser Permanente and she works for our hospital.
Since it is birthing class, they will show you videos of actual birth. You will see more than you wanted to. – Hi! Would you like to put your entire birthing process on video so that we can show it to the world? Oh, no. You won’t be covered up.
Birthing class costs money and meets in the basement of the hospital. If you haven’t paid yet, they are not going to be able to break a $100. Sorry. – Who brings a $100 and asks for change? The instructor is not a cashier. There is no cash register. Could you not follow the rules and pay before you show up?
At the end of the class, if the instructor asks you what they forgot, it is OK to not have an answer. – Really it’s ok. Don’t worry. That is why you are paying to take the class in the first place.
All in all it was a pretty good class. I had my doubts, but we did learn a lot of the things we need to know. Now we will just see if we can remember in all in the heat of the moment. Are the “he he he who” breaths during active labor or transition? Can’t forget the deep cleansing breaths. Most of all though, ask her before doing anything. Keep the chapstick to yourself unless she wants it. When she feels like the gown is choking her, it might be a good time to listen and move it. So now we are ready for the birth of our baby.
Baby Girl is about 3 1/2 pounds and around 16 inches long. She’s been moving a lot and making mommy VERY uncomfortable! All worth it right? We’ll talk about that in 9 weeks
The hubby & I are embarking on a new adventure together. It’s been a while since we dusted off the bibles and got those out. But we’re still not going to. I mean come on…who actually reads their BIBLE these days??
We are beginning one of the new Reading Plans offered by You Version. (Tricked ya!) We are going to start off with reading through the Gospels before Baby Girl arrives. We figure her entrance into our lives will throw off all routine for a while, so it was best to do a shorter plan now & then after we’re a little settled in with her, we’ll dive into a longer more intense plan. (Hopefully reading through the entire bible!)
After our trip to Israel last summer, I have a totally new perspective of the New Testament and especially the Gospels. I’ve been there, seen it and walked where Jesus did. I can’t help but look at these books in a whole new light & I’m excited to dig into them again and hopefully learn new things I never knew about the life of our Savior!
I’m super excited to do this with hubby, and for us to grow together. There’s just not much better than that.
We’ve already got a carrier, but I think Brook will use it more than me & I want something like this to be a little more handsfree. I’ve narrowed it to these two… which is best? Pros & Cons of each?
This weekend the girls at the church threw me a baby shower. I feel so blessed and am so thankful that people want to pour into us and our little baby girl! I guess my friends felt sorry for me after this post a couple weeks ago, because they bought me my dream diaper bag! I’m sure hubby is very grateful as well because now he doesn’t have to listen to me whine about how much I want it (and doesn’t have to buy it for me!).
Just a glimpse of the joy… yup there were tears shed over a bag.
A huge thank you to the girls who hosted a shower for me!! You guys rock!
30 Weeks!!!!!!!! I really can’t believe we are this far along! Today we took maternity pictures at Laguna. My mother-in-law took them & she did an incredible job. They turned out great! And despite the fact that I don’t like to look at myself much anymore, here are some of my favorite shots.
Thanks for stopping by! This blog is a mixture of writings from a pastor's wife & a brand new mommy. I hope that you can come here to laugh, be inspired, be encouraged and find an avenue to be YOU! So kick back, enjoy and stay a while!
