Blogiversary Giveaway!

I really cannot believe I've been blogging for a year. I rarely stick to anything longer than a few weeks, so this is a huge accomplishment for me. I have at least five journals with 3/4 of the pages empty-a commitment I just can't keep.

That's what this blog has become to me. An online journal that is read by tons of other people. I've struggled over the last year knowing I don't know everyone who is reading this. But I've grown to not care. These are my thoughts, passions, feelings, emotions-no matter what anyone's opinion of them may be.

Reading back over the posts of the last year has been such confirmation that this blog was a good decision. I read the posts I wrote while in the midst of infertility and am reminded of the struggle in a way that wouldn't be possible without this blog. I read the posts I wrote in my early pregnancy and realize how much I've already forgotten and how far away it seems. And I seriously cannot wait to write this little baby's birth story, knowing that s/he'll get to read it someday and learn how s/he came into this world.

When I go back and read my earliest entries, I have lots of comments from real life friends and family. I miss those. Shameless request-could ya'll go back to commenting, please? It's good to know who is reading and I value your thoughts. Pretty please?

And to those friends who I don't know in real life-thank you! Without the commenting and support and encouragement from all of you-I wouldn't have stood a chance at keeping up with this blog for an entire year. Don't ever leave me :)

And to those lurkers out there-as a blogiversary gift to me would you click "follow" and join in on the comments! Please and thank you!

I realize that this blog is about to take a significant turn in a few days or weeks (or moments... come on baby! January 31st is a great day to be born!). I'll go from someone who is waiting for a baby to someone who is actually raising a baby. I don't want this blog to become entirely about this little miracle or even solely about motherhood. I want to it to stay the same-my quest to be more like Mary. My journey through my own life and trying to keep God as the center. The ways I go about doing that will change and most certainly revolve around learning to be a godly mother, but I still want to keep my focus.

With that said, I'm going to celebrate my blogiversary with something completely unrelated to babies, Mary, God, or blogging!

My sister-in-law Kate is incredibly talented. She could give Martha Stewart a run for her money and probably will someday. From scrapbooking to floral arrangements to sewing-she is creative and extremely good at what she does. She's started her own small business and sells clutches, purses, and diaper bags on Etsy and at local craft fairs. Lucky for my readers, she's offered to give away one of her beautiful clutches to one of the commenters on this post!

Here's a small sample of what she can do:

So how do you enter this contest you ask? There are two things required of you:

1-Go to K8 Made's Facebook page and Etsy store. Browse her collection of purses, clutches, and diaper bags. Come back and leave a comment telling me which one is your favorite. Yep-you must follow the links to enter. No cheating and mentioning any of the above clutches.


2-Along with your favorite item, in your comment you must leave a prayer request for me to pray for. The prayers of my friends, family, and fellow bloggers have been such a source of peace and grace throughout the past year. I want to thank you by praying for your intentions specifically. I also plan to print out the list and offer up the pain of labor for your intentions. (If you'd like to make your prayer request privately, email me at morelikemary at gmail dot com)

Male readers-please leave a comment too! You can always give the winning purse to your wife/girlfriend/mother. And if you really don't want the purse, please leave a comment with your prayer intention and mention that you don't want to be in the contest.

So there you have it, tell me your favorite K8 Made item and what you would like me to pray for. I'm not putting an end date to the contest just yet as I'm hoping to be on a blogging hiatus and happily consumed with birthing and nursing my sweet baby soon. So just leave a comment as soon as you can and be on the lookout for a future post with the deadline. The winner will be selected randomly and will get to choose any CLUTCH from the K8 Made Etsy site.

Happy Blogiversary!

Thoughts for Thursday (3)

What am I cooking? Nothing tonight! Just leftovers. I made white chicken chili and a catfish soup earlier in the week and we're still eating them.

What are my weekend plans? Have a baby.

What? I don't get to plan that??

Well then the answer is: Nothing!! Glorious nothing.

What are my prayer intentions for the day? I don't think I've prayed once today. Except before my meals. And we always pray for the souls in purgatory before our meals, so I guess that's the only intention I've prayed for so far. Wow-I need to pray more.....

What have I done for my marriage this week? We've been going for walks every evening (granted, it's more to bring on labor than to strengthen our marriage...) and the conversations we've been having as we walk have brought us even closer together.

What am I reading? I just finished Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers.  It was amazing! I haven't allowed myself to enjoy a good novel in a long time. I was way overdue to experiencing the joy of getting lost in a good love story.

What’s challenging me lately? Finding a balance between putting in a hard day's work and working too hard.

Something that made me think? Jen's post on the Walk for Life and the counter protestors. I'm just filled with pity for these people. Anger and pity.

A Baby's Best Start

Thank God my baby will have the ultimate best start. Isn't the same deserved for every other little miracle?

A Baby's Best Start

Quick Takes (18)

-1-

I'll warn ya right now that these will probably be all baby related. It's just so dang hard to think about anything else at the moment!

-2-

We've discovered that Ted can hear the baby's heartbeat! He laid his head on my belly the other night and distinctly heard that precious "womp, womp, womp". So of course we counted it and it was about the same as at our last appointment. SO COOL! I'm insanely jealous. I obviously cannot contort even my non-pregnant body to rest my head on my stomach. I'll just have to settle with him tapping out the beat for me before we go to bed at night.

-3-

I feel great. Like really, really great. I'm not sure why-considering I felt awful at 33-34 weeks. I was so worried about making it through the rest of the pregnancy feeling that way-but those aches and pains are gone. I know this could change at any moment-but I'm sleeping comfortably and can now bend over the sink to wash my face. Two major blessings!

-4-

Baby is head down!! Praise the Lord!

-5-

We have our final meeting with our doula tonight. I'm excited. She's awesome.

-6-

Ted and I have never put much emphasis on our due date. We generally tell people "February" and only give them the date if they press for more information. This baby will come when she wants and I don't want February 2nd to come and go with tears and frustration and impatience when there's not a baby in my arms.

Amazingly, this mindset seems to be working. I'm finding myself sad over the fact that I still have three-four weeks to go, rather than being excited about having less than two! I told my doctor this and he thought it was wonderful. He encouraged me to keep thinking that way so I can handle the impatience that comes with a "late" baby.

Birth dates not due dates. Birth dates not due dates. Birth dates not due dates. Repeat it with  me! Birth dates not due dates!

-7-

Ted I have been walking almost every evening, but it's pretty cold today. We need to get light bulbs from Lowe's so we're going to turn the trip into our exercise for the evening! Thanks for the great idea Alisha!

We'll probably end up combining exercise with pretending to build a house and pick out paint samples, kitchen counters, and refrigerators while we're at it...

What are YOUR weekend plans??

Why I Love My Husband (4)

He hasn't missed a single doctor's visit throughout this pregnancy. He looks forward to them as much as I do.

He reminds me (almost) every day to do my prenatal exercises and takes his role as "relaxation coach" very seriously.

He works really, really hard. He puts in a full day's work every single day at his office only to come home and work on his thesis again after dinner. He even gives up his weekends and keeps plugging away. Yes, it's hard to see him working so much-but I know that he is trying to get as much done as possible before the baby gets here. He's working harder now so he can spend more time with the baby later. And although I miss him-I appreciate it so much.

He went to the grocery store tonight. He knows how much I hate mid-week trips to Walmart (or ANY trip to Walmart for that matter!) He made me stay home and relax while he did the shopping for dinner.

Those Comments

I hate those comments. The ones that are said in passing. As an after thought. As if they're part of a natural, normal conversation.



But the truth behind those comments is disheartening-to say the least.



At our 37 week appointment last Wednesday we met with a different doctor than our usual OB. Our doctor was at the hospital delivering a baby-so we just saw the next available doc. Nice enough. Gave us time to ask questions. Told us to come to the hospital when contractions were eight minutes apart (ha! like that's gonna happen!).



Nothing particularly noteworthy about the visit. Except those dang comments.


The first:
"So, Ted, have you pretty much been a 'yes man' throughout the pregnancy?"


What?? I guess understand his reasons for uttering such a stupid comment. He's bonding with the guy over the rigorous job of having a pregnant wife. He's impressing the woman by making it clear that her husband needs to do her bidding and be at her beck and call. He's making light, casual conversation with two people he's never met before.


But it's more than that. That comment speaks volumes about his view of marriage. The pregnant woman is bossy, demanding, and controlling. It's the husband's job to satisfy her every desire or else face the wrath of her raging hormones. The husband is not the head of the household, but rather a 'yes man' to the whims of his wife.


Sad. Maybe he's in a marriage with a wife that actually treats him that way. Maybe he's seen so many couples in his office that actually act like that that he thinks it's normal. Either way-it's unfortunate.


The second:
At the end of the appointment he holds up my chart and says, "Your chart looks great. You're in great shape. It must be nice to have such a normal, healthy pregnancy."


"Oh yes," I replied. "We're very grateful. It took a lot for us to get pregnant and part of me was worried that since my body didn't know how to get pregnant that it wouldn't know how to be pregnant. We're so fortunate things have been going so well."


And then.... "Now you'll just be hoping your body can figure out how NOT to get pregnant!"


Really?? You think someone that tried as hard as we did to conceive is WORRIED about it happening a second time??  Again, I get the reasoning behind this comment. How many pregnant women he must see in a day that are already asking about birth control before their baby is even born! It's casual, natural conversation for an OB and his patient.


But if you look past the comment-it reveals his thoughts on the gift of a child. Gift-of course children are a gift..... when they're perfectly planned and timed accordingly and come when we want them to. Other than that-we'll just hope your body figures out how not to get pregnant. You wouldn't want all that time and money spent on surgery, testing, and drugs to results in TWO babies!


There are three ways I can think of to handle this type of situation. The first is to nod in agreement and smile politely. I'm definitely guilty of this. Sometimes the words just don't come. Sometimes I don't even realize what I'm nodding along to until it's too late. It leaves the commenter with the impression that I agree with him and his stupid comment. The second is to be defensive and overly corrective-making the commenter keenly aware of his error and his offensive nature. This approach contains a lot of truth, with very little love.


And we are most definitely called to both. Speak the truth-but always, always do so with love. That's the third approach. And it's hard.


Someone reading this may think I'm making a big deal out of nothing. Maybe people think that it is, after all, "just a comment" and that I'm reading too much into it. But my heart and my gut tell me that it's not. It's an attack on marriage. It's an attack on the gift of life. And these kinds of comments are attacking the Christian family on a daily basis.


Everything we do and say, whether directly or indirectly, builds the family up or tears the family down. I want to build.


A month or so ago I used the Saint Generator at Conversation Diary to pick me a Saint for 2011. I got St. John of Kanty. I had never heard of him and, although his story is remarkable, it didn't leave me with a strong connection or an understanding as to why he would have been "chosen" for me. Until the end of the article when I read this quote:


"Fight all error, but do it with good humor, patience, kindness, and love. Harshness will damage your own soul and spoil the best cause."


Oh he's talking straight to me! How many times I try to correct people, to tell them the Truth and spread the message of Christ. And so many times I do so without one ounce of good humor, patience, kindness, or love. So that's my task for this year. Speak the truth and do so with love. It's gonna take a lot of prayer to the Holy Spirit, but so far He's come through alright.


Our response to those comments?
Doctor: So, Ted, have you pretty much been a 'yes man' throughout the pregnancy?
Ted: She's been great. I'm really lucky to have her.
Me: It's been a team effort.


Doctor: Now you'll just be hoping your body can figure out how NOT to get pregnant!
Me: Oh no, we hope so much to be able to have more children. We're so grateful for this baby.


Both were said with a smile on my face and sincere love in my heart. Thanks Holy Spirit.

For Pete's Sake

My friend Bonnie has started something beautiful on her blog. She miscarried her first child, Peter Mark, several years ago. Since then, she has felt God calling her to specifically pray for women with fertility issues. I assure you her prayers are powerful. The miracle of her son is proof of it!

It was actually this post of hers that finally pushed me over the edge to start my own blog. I wrote a similar post about supporting those with infertility shortly after I read Bonnie's.

Go HERE to submit a prayer request for yourself or someone you know. Or to just check out the requests of others and pray for those who are struggling with infertility or the loss of a child.

Thanks Bonnie!

Kids Say...

Preschoolers are a pretty funny bunch of kids in general. Throw in a big pregnant belly and things really get interesting!

Here are just a few of my favorite comments from my preschoolers during my pregnancy:

Kid 1: Are you gonna have a baby??
Me: Yes! How did you know?
Kid 1: Ummmm (turning bright red and too embarrassed to answer)
Kid 2: Cause your belly so big!

Kid: How did the baby get in there?
Me: All babies start growing in their mamas tummies. (ok, so I didn't actually answer his question....)

Kid: How is the baby gonna come out?
Me: Um, well...
Kid: Oh I know-you go to the doctor.
Me: Yes-that is exactly right. (Whew!)

Kid: Can the baby hear me?
Me: She sure can!
Kid: Arf Arf! She just heard me bark!

Me: My baby is in my tummy just like you were in your mommy's tummy.
Kid: No-I grew up in my daddy's tummy.
Me: Hmm, I don't know about that.
Kid: I did! He told me!

While playing a matching game, one kid got a picture of a watermelon. He looked at the watermelon....and looked at my belly....looked at the watermelon....and looked at my belly. Ha!

Kid: What's your baby's name?
Me: We don't know yet. What do you think we should name it?
Kid: Carter David Miller! (Which was, of course, his name! Obviously not his real name though-no HIPPA violation for me!)

Kid: I can hear your baby. He's crying. I think he wants to come out.

Every Kid: Is it a boy or a girl?
Me: I don't know yet! What do you think it is?
Every single boy: A boy!
Every single girl: A girl!

Kid: When you have your baby will you bring him to school and show me?
Me: No, I can't bring the baby, but I'll bring you a picture!
Kid: Can I keep the picture for myself!? (So sweet!)

Just a day in the life of a pregnant speech pathologist!

Your Kicks

If I love you this much when all I can do is feel you...

imagine how much I'm going to love you when I can

see, 

smell, 

touch, 

hold,

kiss, 

cuddle,

hear,

rock,

feed,

AND feel you!

I love you Little Wiggle. Thanks for all the sweet kicks today.

Why I Love My Husband (3)

He's not a talker, but somehow we never run out of things to talk about.

To my amazement, he hasn't grown tired of me talking about the baby. I know he loves this baby and is excited about the pregnancy-but I talk about it A LOT. I think most men would have heard enough by now. Not him :)

He squats down so I don't have to strain my neck to kiss him. When his knees go out at 55 it will be completely my fault and he won't be upset with me in the least.

The pre-programed radio stations in his truck are in numerical order. So cute.

He didn't get mad at me when I backed into a car in the parking lot the other day. He was sweet and kind and comforting. He didn't make me feel like an idiot.


*Click on the logo on my sidebar for an explanation of "Why I Love My Husband" and to join in!

Quick Takes (17)

-1-

We have new neighbors two doors down. I came home today to cigarette butts on our welcome matt. If this keeps up, they will be getting a friendly visit from a very tired pregnant lady.

-2-

First week back to work after the Christmas break! It went smoothly, but I'm definitely moving pretty slow. It's good to come back to a job you really like.

-3-

We will have a doctor's appointment every Wednesday from now until the baby is born. And I'll be "full term" (37 weeks) in just five days. And both of those just blow my mind.

-4-

Here's a picture of the "bump". 

-5-

With the exception of a spare house key, we are completely packed for the birth! Thanks to the anal obsessive compulsive smart preparations of Thankful-we have an Excel spreadsheet of everything we need divided into nice categories. With little stars by things we need to grab on our way out the door. Overboard perhaps? My mom shared a good quote with me today: "Over-prepare then go with the flow." I obviously don't think being over-prepared is a bad thing! Just praying I can "go with the flow". I'm not really the "flow" type.

And while I'm on the subject-what was one (or two or three...) things that you were glad you brought to the hospital? Or wish you had?  I've got quite a list, but I'm sure it's not exhaustive.

-6-

I need to do an entire post on the hilarious things my preschoolers are saying about my belly. For now, I'll just share my favorite one from this week:

Four year old girl (staring at my belly): You got a baby in there?

Me: I sure do. And he's gonna come out pretty soon!

Girl: You better get some Pampers-he gonna pee all over himself!

-7-

Ted and I got the best baby gift of them all tonight! His dad made us a handmade baby cradle and it's absolutely perfect. Unfortunately, his dad wasn't able to make it down for Christmas to bring it to us. I was worried we wouldn't have a way to get it down from Missouri before the baby came. Some amazing logistics proved otherwise. Ted's dad drove it to my sister in St. Louis, who took it down to my parents, who kept it for a week until Ted's major professor happened to be driving through from Iowa. Ted drove out to his house and picked it up tonight and it is now sitting right next to our bed!

It's so beautiful. I've been giddy all night just thinking about my baby getting to sleep in it.

Have a great weekend!

I Know Famous People!

You gotta check THIS out!

Christmas 2010 by the Numbers (and Prayer Buddy Reveal)

I know I'm a little late on the Christmas post, but at least I'm getting it up during the Christmas season right? It isn't over until the Wise Men sing!

Here's our Christmas 2010 by the numbers:

38.5... hours that Ted and I didn't leave the house. From getting home from Christmas Eve Mass at 6:00 pm on the 24th to leaving for Sunday morning Mass at 8:30 am on the 26th. We enjoyed our Christmas in the comfort of our own place this year.

3... tears that fell down my cheeks during Christmas Eve Mass because my baby was still in my tummy and not in my arms. I know, I know-ridiculous. I just want to meet him so badly!

16... hours of a round trip that we DIDN'T travel this year! I missed seeing friends and family, but boy was it nice to not be in the car that long!

4... hours that it was actually snowing on Christmas morning! Ted and I woke up around 9:00 to a beautiful, white Christmas right here in Mississippi! Apparently, it started at 8:00 and by noon it had completely stopped and melted away. No sign was left indicating it had ever snowed! 4 hours was plenty of time for us to get some pictures though. We knew we'd need proof for our friends who left town for the holidays!

6... issues of Pond Boss that will be arriving at our front door this year for Ted's enjoyment.

14... karats in my new white gold necklace. I lost the chain Ted gave me for our first Christmas together in 2005 and haven't been able to wear my Miraculous Medal or any other necklace since I lost it. I'm so happy to be able to wear them again-even if I'll have to take it off permanently when I start nursing...

5... delicious meals prepared by me and Ted for the holidays. Beef stew, breakfast casserole, baked potato soup, pork chops, and a turkey breast. We're still eating leftovers! Yum!

6... hours that my family traveled to see us on the day after Christmas. It just wouldn't have been the same without them.

6... little Wii characters created to look exactly like us. Ted's was as tall and skinny as we could make him, mine was as short and fat as it gets. Jackie's looked remarkably like her with her blue eyes and freckles and my dad's side part and brown hair was perfect!

178... my record setting score in Wii bowling! That was only game my back could handle.

50+... presents around the tree for the annual family gift exchange. My mom outdoes herself every year.

16... gigabytes of internal memory in our new video camera!! I can't wait to capture every amazing thing our little miracle is sure to do!

4... people that got webcams for Christmas so we can Skype with the new grand-baby. All four sisters/aunts already had one and now all the grandparents (and us!) have one too!

16... hours of old home movies that my mom organized and burned to DVDs. By far, the best Christmas present I've ever received.

2... inches of gap between my two front teeth when I was in 6th grade. Yikes!

1,457... times Jackie and I sang "Who Put the Bop" and performed a stellar dance routine for the camera.

25... years it took me to realize that the song is actually called "Who Put the BOMP"! I just googled it-seriously!?

35... sugar cookies decorated.

3... the dimension in which we enjoyed the latest Narnia movie. Voyage of the Dawn Treader was great, but I could have done without the 3D.

15,396... calories in each one of our Mugshots burgers. And oh so worth every single one!

2... attempts at getting a great family pictures using the camera timer. Not too bad!

6... Christmases spent with the love of my life. The last one as "just the two of us".

******************************************************************************
3... weeks that it took Ted to realize the person we'd been praying for every night was the same person in the cute Christmas card photo!

It was an honor to pray for Lauren at Magnify the Lord With Me during the Advent season. Lauren-you are an inspiration to me. Your trust in the Lord and faith in our Church are so admirable. The love you have for your daughter and your desire to be the best parent possible to her is something I hope to emulate soon. I hope you liked the rosary I sent you-I bought the same one for myself as a reminder to pray for you when I use it.

Merry Christmas!