God's Love

it is amazing how God works through each and every one of us and in truly mysterious ways.

recently I joined a facebook group for catholic mamas and it has been such a blessing. not being from this town and not having had any real opportunity to make friends, it has been hard for me this past year. having found this group of strong faith filled women, in whom I find so much in common, has helped me tremendously. having found sisters in Christ that I can talk to and ask for advice or simply vent my stresses to, has become the greatest gift. 

though they are scattered all over, this group of women has already helped me in such a great way. 

through prayer. 

prayer is such a great tool. one that will help you get through whatever difficulties and challenges your life throws at you. 

no it is not a magic wand, and often times your prayers are not answered, yet the peace you receive from the praying act can often times be enough to help. 

currently I have felt that peace to be ever so present. I have been praying for quite some time for a special intention. EM has been very stressed and through prayer, though the situation is not fully remedied, I have seen a positive change. God is good and never wants to see His children stumble. even if you have to learn to crawl before you can run. 

life truly is a roller coaster. whether a scary one with a lot of loops or a gradual one with many ups and downs, it is a ride to enjoy. the loops and downs are not always the greatest but they make us who we are. and though we are currently in a loop I'm loving the good times from within. 

.....

on a side note: we are still camping out in the living room. the workers should be coming back today, and hopefully EM will be able to be here when they arrive. a bunch of strange men walking around (though they seemed nice), while I try to take care of S makes me a bit anxious. 

like our set up? I think S was looking at angels. he always starts to smile when he looks up at the skylights. :) mama's sweet sweet boy.

XOMB

Fit Mama

so in this midst of folding laundry, something im sure all you moms enjoy, i cant help but get super excited/distracted thinking about the event that is happening friday.
wait for it....
we are FINALLY joining a gym! having been a gym addict for years, it is quite exciting! ive always said that when i became pregnant i would never give up working out or staying fit, but thats easier said than done!
of course i know the benefits of being active during pregnancy but as any of you moms already know...its not always possible. whatever your barrier may be, things happen in life but the benefits of staying fit during pregnancy are huge!
better now than never!
since i am dedicated to having a natural birth this is more of a necessity than simple want. birth is like a marathon, or so i have heard, and what better way to succeed and push through the pain of a marathon than to train. a good friend of mine is pregnant as well, due just a week before i am and she recommended looking into the bradley method of birth. i cannot wait to buy the book and get started!
this method has the highest success rate of natural births. from what i have researched so far, eating high levels of protein, doing an insane amount of kegels (yes ladies there are multiple benefits to this one!), as well as some other exercises are key components to finishing this marathon.
kegels, though every woman has heard about them for their other benefits, having a kick butt birth is one most people fail to mention.
doing kegels is a great workout! (though you dont break a sweat) but what do you use to push that baby out? MUSCLES! all muscles need to be strengthened, the stronger they are the easier the inevitable will be!

now for overall fitness the fitter you are while pregnant the easier it will be to bounce back, for lack of a better term, after you have that bundle of joy. everyone has heard the wonders of breast feeding in helping you shed that pregnancy weight but what so many women forget is that the more muscle you already have the easier it is to burn the fat.

so here is the plan, not only do i want to increase my cardio (which as of now has been lacking) and get back to lifting weights (always done in a safe method, you are pregnant dont forget) but i want to start yoga. natural birth is all about how you cope with pain and how you can train your body to relax and find your zen, what better to assist in that search than a yoga class?

i truly believe that staying healthy is not merely something you deserve but something your baby deserves as well! your baby deserves a healthy mom that can keep up with everything he or she throws your way.

i will definitely report any physical changes i can see along the way.

XOMB

Busy

ive read other blogs and articles about how much there is to get done before baby arrives and how much you need to prepare, but did i believe it.

NO.

i grew up with four brothers, all younger, so i experienced my mom pregnant each time. i never noticed how much she did, but what kid notices those types of things. my mom was truly superwoman though! she never once looked weak in front of us kids. i hope to one day be as strong as her, be the true rock for our family. God has blessed me with so many blessings! this year has been the greatest of my life thus far! i married my best friend, went on the most amazing honeymoon and now am expecting the most amazing little boy!

being pregnant is the most amazing time ever! feeling him move is so wonderful! i love his little kicks, true love taps!

we just went for his third ultrasound on tuesday and he is getting so big!
u.s are so amazing now, we could even see his little face. he has the cutest lips and nose!
we cant wait to meet him!
luckily we get to see him one last time before he is born. december 13th, EM and i have to go for S's second echo-cardiogram. thankfully he is perfectly healthy, but for precautionary purposes we have to get him checked out; this allows us to spend a whole hour watching him while they make sure hes A O.K. a truly wonderful hour!

i think my next project is going to be to crochet him a baby blanket. have any of you done that before? any suggestions for patterns or good materials? id love to hear your feedback!

also, check out my little ones page and fun times for a new posts!

XOMB