have you ever noticed how purposeful we can be with our time when we know that there is only a little bit of it left? i would venture to guess that we military families understand this better than most people. when you know that a loved one will be deploying soon, you make the most of every moment. things like facebook or shopping or watching pointless shows on tv just don't have the same appeal as say, doing laundry with your loved one and packing their bags with them, or cooking dinner together or going for a walk as a family.
moms, we also understand the value of time pretty well. the minute you get that little one down for a nap, you know your clock is ticking. every second counts, and if you haven't prioritized in advance it is so easy to get off track and distracted (at least it's easy for me to do it). it is so disappointing to hear my son* waking up from his nap and realize that i've wasted an entire naptime reading nonsense on the internet and have accomplished nothing.
i'm trying to make a concerted effort to be more purposeful with my time now. it certainly isn't easy, because i will be the first to admit that i am the queen of distraction, but i have memorized these verses to help me stay on track: "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is." Ephesians 5:15-17. making the most of every opportunity... i love that phrase. here's my challenge to you: be purposeful this week and see if you notice a difference in your life somehow, whether in your relationships with family, or in your performance at work, etc. and then let me know about it.
*i don't exactly like calling my son "lucky baby." it just doesn't fit him... we have a nickname for him that starts with the letter Z, so i think he's just going to be Z on my blog from now on. and no, his real name does not start with the letter Z.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
baby story time
i realize it has been over a year since i posted anything here, but i have a reason! our son. he has to be the busiest boy ever born, and he doesn't need much sleep. thankfully, i don't need much sleep either, but that leaves me with precious little time to take care of necessities while he is sleeping, and blogging obviously hasn't fallen under the necessary category.
however, i have a little extra time on my hands due to LH's current assignment and so i think i'll try to write a little more if for no reason than to keep myself amused. first and foremost, it's time for me to finally tell the story of lucky baby's birth.
i don't think i've ever met a woman who hasn't enjoyed sharing her labor and delivery story. let me start mine by saying that i truly hope God allows me to repeat pregnancy and the whole birthing experience one day, because i cannot wait to do it again. to me, there always seemed to be a sort of dread among women when it came to the all so important point between pregnancy and motherhood: childbirth. i too, felt that way, but deep down inside, i believed that God wouldn't want us to dread something that he created, something that leads to such joy afterwards. a friend loaned a book to me called supernatural childbirth, in which the author laid out God's promises concerning pregnancy and delivery. i immediately began praying for my delivery, and also for our developing baby. even though satan wants to steal our joy, our God is so much bigger and more powerful than he is.
for weeks leading up to lucky baby's birth, i had been having the usual braxton hicks contractions. on this particular sunday, however, i woke up at 4:30am and thought that this would be a perfect day to have our baby, even though it was a week before my due date. i began praying and talking to God before i got out of bed, and then i remember sneezing. after the sneeze, something was definitely different about my contractions. around 5:30 or so, i rolled my enormous body out of bed and realized that i was leaving footprints... definitely a good sign! rather than wake up lucky hubby from his deep sleep, i began cleaning the kitchen, getting bozeman's stuff ready to go to a friend's house, and anything else that i felt needed to be done around the house. at one point, LH woke up and asked if we needed to go to the hospital, but i declined.
finally, around 9:30, we called labor and delivery and since there had been no "gush" of water, they wanted me to wait another hour to see if my water really had broken. LH and i took bozeman for a mile walk and then ended up at the hospital around 11'ish. i'm a little fuzzy on the actual times, but LH could tell you exactly. anyhow, by then my contractions were 5 minutes apart, but the doc on call said that i was only dilated 1 and 1/2 cm. he wanted me to go on pitocin since my water had in fact broken (or begun leaking), but i believed that God was going to give me a fast and easy delivery and didn't want the pitocin. try telling that to a doctor who isn't your normal doc. the nurses were great and held off on the pitocin until the doc pretty much made them start the drug and just like i had prayed, everything went super fast after that.
i played solitaire, texted friends, and ate the ice chips and popsicles LH kept bringing to me and before i knew it, i was telling him to get the nurses because i was actually trying not to push. it still amazes me how God designed our bodies to do this wonderful thing so naturally... i mean, no one has to tell you to push or what to do if you don't have fear to hold you back. anyhow, LH was the most amazing birth coach and i totally didn't listen to the doctor or nurses on how long to push because, like i said, i could feel exactly how my body was working and how hard i needed to push and when.
i have to interject here and say that i kind of had a one-up on other first time mom's because years ago, i had the wonderful privilege of being by a friend's side when she gave birth. i truly believe every mom should witness a birth firsthand before going through it herself.
okay, so, the pitocin was started around 1:30 or so and the doc turned up the dosage once, and then lucky baby was born at 4:03pm. i have to give big thanks to God for answering so many prayers i offered up about this birth. i was able to deliver without any pain meds, no episiotomy and NO tearing! even 17 months later, i'm still in awe of God's design for the whole thing. yes, it was painful at times, but it certainly was bearable and immediately after lucky baby was born, and we discovered that he was a boy, i knew that i couldn't wait to do it all over again. what a privilege!
however, i have a little extra time on my hands due to LH's current assignment and so i think i'll try to write a little more if for no reason than to keep myself amused. first and foremost, it's time for me to finally tell the story of lucky baby's birth.
i don't think i've ever met a woman who hasn't enjoyed sharing her labor and delivery story. let me start mine by saying that i truly hope God allows me to repeat pregnancy and the whole birthing experience one day, because i cannot wait to do it again. to me, there always seemed to be a sort of dread among women when it came to the all so important point between pregnancy and motherhood: childbirth. i too, felt that way, but deep down inside, i believed that God wouldn't want us to dread something that he created, something that leads to such joy afterwards. a friend loaned a book to me called supernatural childbirth, in which the author laid out God's promises concerning pregnancy and delivery. i immediately began praying for my delivery, and also for our developing baby. even though satan wants to steal our joy, our God is so much bigger and more powerful than he is.
for weeks leading up to lucky baby's birth, i had been having the usual braxton hicks contractions. on this particular sunday, however, i woke up at 4:30am and thought that this would be a perfect day to have our baby, even though it was a week before my due date. i began praying and talking to God before i got out of bed, and then i remember sneezing. after the sneeze, something was definitely different about my contractions. around 5:30 or so, i rolled my enormous body out of bed and realized that i was leaving footprints... definitely a good sign! rather than wake up lucky hubby from his deep sleep, i began cleaning the kitchen, getting bozeman's stuff ready to go to a friend's house, and anything else that i felt needed to be done around the house. at one point, LH woke up and asked if we needed to go to the hospital, but i declined.
finally, around 9:30, we called labor and delivery and since there had been no "gush" of water, they wanted me to wait another hour to see if my water really had broken. LH and i took bozeman for a mile walk and then ended up at the hospital around 11'ish. i'm a little fuzzy on the actual times, but LH could tell you exactly. anyhow, by then my contractions were 5 minutes apart, but the doc on call said that i was only dilated 1 and 1/2 cm. he wanted me to go on pitocin since my water had in fact broken (or begun leaking), but i believed that God was going to give me a fast and easy delivery and didn't want the pitocin. try telling that to a doctor who isn't your normal doc. the nurses were great and held off on the pitocin until the doc pretty much made them start the drug and just like i had prayed, everything went super fast after that.
i played solitaire, texted friends, and ate the ice chips and popsicles LH kept bringing to me and before i knew it, i was telling him to get the nurses because i was actually trying not to push. it still amazes me how God designed our bodies to do this wonderful thing so naturally... i mean, no one has to tell you to push or what to do if you don't have fear to hold you back. anyhow, LH was the most amazing birth coach and i totally didn't listen to the doctor or nurses on how long to push because, like i said, i could feel exactly how my body was working and how hard i needed to push and when.
i have to interject here and say that i kind of had a one-up on other first time mom's because years ago, i had the wonderful privilege of being by a friend's side when she gave birth. i truly believe every mom should witness a birth firsthand before going through it herself.
okay, so, the pitocin was started around 1:30 or so and the doc turned up the dosage once, and then lucky baby was born at 4:03pm. i have to give big thanks to God for answering so many prayers i offered up about this birth. i was able to deliver without any pain meds, no episiotomy and NO tearing! even 17 months later, i'm still in awe of God's design for the whole thing. yes, it was painful at times, but it certainly was bearable and immediately after lucky baby was born, and we discovered that he was a boy, i knew that i couldn't wait to do it all over again. what a privilege!
Monday, March 16, 2009
it's a boy!
just thought i'd let you all know that our little one arrived safe and sound last sunday. my water broke at 5:30 in the morning and after cleaning the kitchen floor, the dog's dishes, taking a long shower and going for a walk with LH and bozeman, we headed to the hospital where lucky baby was born that afternoon. i'll post more later about our great labor and delivery experience as well as how much fun it is being a mom and watching LH be the amazing dad that he is.
Friday, December 5, 2008
just when you think you've got it all figured out...
for months, i visualized exactly how our thanksgiving was going to go this year, from the sparkling clean kitchen floor to the ironed guest sheets to the perfect dinner conversations centered around my perfectly arranged table. a week before everyone was supposed to arrive, i made their welcome goody bags and the place cards for the thanksgiving dinner table, made sure all of the guest towels were fluffy, i swept, swiffered and cleaned all of our hardwood floors, reworked my menu and cooking plans for the gazillionth time and went running a few times. that week, i also made another trip to the grocery store, made dinner for a family at LH's office who had a new baby, and hosted some friends for dinner.
i guess i did a little too much, because i started spotting that weekend. this being the third time that i had experienced bleeding during this pregnancy, i honestly wasn't too worried. every other time, i've gone in and they've completely checked me out with plenty of ultrasounds and everything else you can think of, and the only thing they ever told me was that the baby was perfectly healthy, the placenta was just where it needed to be, and my cervix looked just like they wanted it to look. they really never had an explanation for the bleeding. however, since this spotting lasted a couple of days and our guests were due to arrive the next day, LH and i decided to call my doctor and let her check me out once again. same story this time with everything where it should be and the baby looking exactly like he/she should (although it's getting really hard not to find out the baby's gender with all of these opportunities to do just that), only this time, my doctor told me that she really wanted me to take it easy and be careful not to overdo it. this was definitely not something i wanted to hear right before i was about to entertain 7 extra people in my house over the next 5 days. LH assured me that he would help out and everything would go just great.
well, there were dirty dishes in the sink and dog hair on the floor when everyone arrived, but i learned that i had to live with it. LH delivered on his promise and was unbelievable all week long. rather than let me stand on my feet in the kitchen and cook for everyone, LH made me sit on a bar stool and direct everyone who was working in the kitchen. as difficult as it was for me to just sit there, i had a blast watching everyone work together. my mom, my MIL, LH, my brother, my brother-in-law and his girlfriend all helped in the kitchen at least once during the week. on tuesday night, i had planned to make a southern cornbread salad and fish tacos. LH, my MIL and my brother did all of the chopping, slicing and dicing for everything in that dinner and it was absolutely delish. my brother even did some research on the internet and taught us all the proper way to slice a mango for the mango salsa that tops the fish tacos (a recipe i think i need to share with everyone here). our thanksgiving dinner was prepared the exact same way, with everyone pitching in. my mom made her famous stuffing, my MIL made her famous homemade dinner rolls, my brother in law made the salad, and the list goes on and on. i could not have planned it any better if i had actually wanted all that help. i think everyone appreciated the meal so much more because they helped, too. it also helped me get used to accepting help for when the baby gets here. usually, i'm the kind of person that likes to do it all myself and let everyone else enjoy it, but after last week, i have learned that it's okay to ask for help and you don't have to feel guilty about accepting it. of course, i'm making sure i send out plenty of heartfelt thank you cards to everyone involved so they don't shy away from coming to visit again =)
i guess i did a little too much, because i started spotting that weekend. this being the third time that i had experienced bleeding during this pregnancy, i honestly wasn't too worried. every other time, i've gone in and they've completely checked me out with plenty of ultrasounds and everything else you can think of, and the only thing they ever told me was that the baby was perfectly healthy, the placenta was just where it needed to be, and my cervix looked just like they wanted it to look. they really never had an explanation for the bleeding. however, since this spotting lasted a couple of days and our guests were due to arrive the next day, LH and i decided to call my doctor and let her check me out once again. same story this time with everything where it should be and the baby looking exactly like he/she should (although it's getting really hard not to find out the baby's gender with all of these opportunities to do just that), only this time, my doctor told me that she really wanted me to take it easy and be careful not to overdo it. this was definitely not something i wanted to hear right before i was about to entertain 7 extra people in my house over the next 5 days. LH assured me that he would help out and everything would go just great.
well, there were dirty dishes in the sink and dog hair on the floor when everyone arrived, but i learned that i had to live with it. LH delivered on his promise and was unbelievable all week long. rather than let me stand on my feet in the kitchen and cook for everyone, LH made me sit on a bar stool and direct everyone who was working in the kitchen. as difficult as it was for me to just sit there, i had a blast watching everyone work together. my mom, my MIL, LH, my brother, my brother-in-law and his girlfriend all helped in the kitchen at least once during the week. on tuesday night, i had planned to make a southern cornbread salad and fish tacos. LH, my MIL and my brother did all of the chopping, slicing and dicing for everything in that dinner and it was absolutely delish. my brother even did some research on the internet and taught us all the proper way to slice a mango for the mango salsa that tops the fish tacos (a recipe i think i need to share with everyone here). our thanksgiving dinner was prepared the exact same way, with everyone pitching in. my mom made her famous stuffing, my MIL made her famous homemade dinner rolls, my brother in law made the salad, and the list goes on and on. i could not have planned it any better if i had actually wanted all that help. i think everyone appreciated the meal so much more because they helped, too. it also helped me get used to accepting help for when the baby gets here. usually, i'm the kind of person that likes to do it all myself and let everyone else enjoy it, but after last week, i have learned that it's okay to ask for help and you don't have to feel guilty about accepting it. of course, i'm making sure i send out plenty of heartfelt thank you cards to everyone involved so they don't shy away from coming to visit again =)
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
my babies
bozeman has most definitely been my baby since we got him over two years ago. i don't think he's going to mind one bit sharing the attention with the new baby, though, because he absolutely loves having extra people in the house. i'll tell all about our exciting thanksgiving week later, but for now i thought i would just post a picture of me with my babies - bozeman and my baby bump =)
Friday, November 21, 2008
pregnant running
i'm still running while pregnant, albeit much slower and for much shorter distances. occasionally, a group of high school boys will drive by on their way to school and honk at me. it always makes me laugh because they usually honk while still coming up behind me and then i get to watch them look twice when they realize that 1) i'm at least 10 years older than they are and 2) i'm pregnant.
for the most part, i'm still able to wear all of my regular running shorts and pants. shirts, however, are a different story. you'll notice in this picture that i'm wearing two shirts. the bottom shirt is an extra large t-shirt that i bought on clearance at old navy. because it is an extra large, the neck and shoulders are way too big, but the length is perfect, so i just top it off with another shirt that actually fits on top, but not on bottom. with the two combined, i have the perfect running shirt =) i suppose i could just buy some maternity running clothes, but as much as i love this running skirt, i'm too cheap to shell out the money for it. besides, it's kind of fun to have the challenge of creating new outfits out of the old pre-pregnancy clothes.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
there's a twenty pound bird in my freezer
i don't think i've mentioned yet that we are doing thanksgiving at our house this year. LH's family and my family are all coming into town, minus my sister-in-law and her gang who just have to far to go and too many kids to tote all the way out to us. some people might get freaked out by having so much family in their house at once, but i'm stoked. i've been planning the menus and table decorations and every little bit for months now.
yesterday, i went to the commissary to get everything but the produce for our thanksgiving week. i was officially THAT lady walking around with the shopping cart stuffed as full as it could possibly get. after every aisle, i would pull my cart over to the side and try to rearrange everything so it would fit in there better. i'm sure everyone was looking at me and thinking, "oh that poor girl. her husband must be at home watching her ten children while she does the grocery shopping." my pregnant belly and high heel shoes probably didn't help the situation at all, especially when i practically had to get a running start to get the cart moving.
as silly as it sounds, i had a lot of fun putting all of the groceries away. i love organizing things... any excuse to rearrange the refrigerator or pantry makes me happy. i even had to use the top shelf in pantry that i usually reserve just for extra foil, baggies and paper plates. if i have time and think about it later, i'll take a picture and post it on here. has anyone else done their thanksgiving shopping yet? are any of you entertaining this year?
yesterday, i went to the commissary to get everything but the produce for our thanksgiving week. i was officially THAT lady walking around with the shopping cart stuffed as full as it could possibly get. after every aisle, i would pull my cart over to the side and try to rearrange everything so it would fit in there better. i'm sure everyone was looking at me and thinking, "oh that poor girl. her husband must be at home watching her ten children while she does the grocery shopping." my pregnant belly and high heel shoes probably didn't help the situation at all, especially when i practically had to get a running start to get the cart moving.
as silly as it sounds, i had a lot of fun putting all of the groceries away. i love organizing things... any excuse to rearrange the refrigerator or pantry makes me happy. i even had to use the top shelf in pantry that i usually reserve just for extra foil, baggies and paper plates. if i have time and think about it later, i'll take a picture and post it on here. has anyone else done their thanksgiving shopping yet? are any of you entertaining this year?
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