Martha Metzler.com

Someone sent me this article which I read and immediately thought, “This is awesome and I’d kiss someone on the mouth if they did this.”

Now, being that we’ll be far away from family and friends… you can substitute that 15 minutes for 5 days please. Seriously, if you fly out there and then leave after 15 minutes… I’m going to throw dirty diapers at your car. But I thought this article was amazing and stuff I never thought about. I’m definitely going to keep these in mind the next I head over to a friend’s house to see their baby! And to my friends so far, I’m sorry I didn’t chorlox your house and I stayed too long.

http://avital.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-be-best-post-partum-visitor-in.html?spref=fb#axzz1IwryIveZ

There are many things about our first pregnancy and labor that will be different than what I imagined. I went to dinner with some girlfriends on Thursday night and they were making fun of me for being “Polly Positive”. We busted out laughing because at one point my friend A yelled, “Your positivity is really pissing me off! Just complain with me!!”

I won’t lie to you, I can get negative and get into a funk about our situation but it.is.exhausting. My life is pretty damn good. I want to be positive to truly embrace the blessings that I have and be able to truly soak up the goodness that I have going on. Yes, things are different than what I imagined it would be a few years back but different isn’t bad. Different means that I stretch myself in ways that I didn’t know I could. Different means this time has been a sweet time for my marriage as we learn to express our love for each other in creative ways and get a reality check to never take time with him for granted again. Different means that I realize how important supportive friends and family are. Different means my faith has gone to a deeper level. I woke up before the alarm this morning (mainly because Roy was breathing hot dog breath down my neck) and felt overwhelmed with gratitude for this experience so far… and I still have the fun part of the ride coming up! Here is what was going through my brain this morning at 5am:

1. My husband has missed the majority of my pregnancy, only to see me every 2-3 weeks for a weekend. As you all know, you change A LOT every week so every time I see him he has a new belly to get used to. He’s been beyond amazing and makes me feel so beautiful every time I’m with him. But part of me is bummed I miss out on milking the husband’s attention on late night cravings and foot massages. (Dangit Roy for not having thumbs! I’d totally make him do it!)  But there has been a sense of empowerment that has come with this absence, not only has it made my heart yearn for Sam, but it has made me feel so empowered as a woman who is caring for and growing her baby.

2. I wish we had bacon and biscuits with apple butter downstairs. Or just put the applebutter on the bacon… would that be good? OH SNAP! I just remembered I get PF Changs tonight! Lettuce wraps… git in my bellehhhhh! What was I thinking about before?

3. I haven’t been able to “nest” or put together a nursery because I’m squatting at my parent’s house. But this has taught me that material aspects of having a baby pale in comparison to feeling him kick or squirm or get the hiccups. I’m able to provide him a home right now and he seems to like it!

4. Roy stinks. Who can I sucker into giving him a bath so I don’t have to do our own version of Wrestle-Mania getting him into the tub? 

5. While I’ve been studying different labor options and I get to the “practice sections” when the mom and coach practice together, I definitely wish Sam and I would be able to practice BUT it has been beyond instrumental in my faith to trust that my labor will be blessed, I will be able to keep a sense of humor, and there will be someone there (hopefully Sam will make it in time) to coach me through everything. My mantras are, “The opposite of fear is faith.” and “Someone bring me frozen yogurt with sprinkles on top… STAT!”

6. Sunday breaks from Lent are the best ever, I can still taste the sweetness of the Runts and jelly beans I ate yesterday.

Sorry for the novel this morning! Hope you’re surviving this Monday!

OH SNAP! Guess who passed her glucose test with flying  Chewy Spree rainbow colors?!?! THIS GIRL!!!!!!!!!

I got the call today and she said the results were great! She said she usually doesn’t like for them to be over 130 and mine were 70!?!? Say what?!!!!!!

I feel like dancing in the rain of a pinata. I feel like bathing in a sea of Fun Dips and Skittles. Sunday could NOT come soon enough!

I’m thinking of bringing the babes home in this. What do you think?

Hey yall! While walking has been awesome, I commented to my friend Andrea (who doesn’t look at me weirdly when I say weird things) that I am starting to look pregnant in my arms. MY ARMS! My arms aren’t supposed to look like I’m smuggling gremlins inside of them. So I’m needing some variety in my preggo work outs.

Got any good videos or websites or magic beans you can tell me about?

Yesterday I was in a major preggo funk. My alarm went off that morning and I thought I was being ninja kicked by a rhino. But I got up, showered and went to work. By 11am I couldn’t keep my eyes open, I couldn’t focus, and I was incredibly emotional. I had some sick time saved so I decided it was best if I just went home and slept.

So I went home and slept. And cried. And slept some more. I don’t know if I’ve ever done that! I just curled up on the couch, put on some movies and drifted in and out of sleep. I’m not an overly emotional person but yesterday you would have thought I’d been told Willy Wonka doesn’t exist. I cried at the stupid movies I watched, I cried when I looked at pictures of my hubbs  because I missed him, I cried because Roy didn’t want to snuggle, and then I had to tell my brother that I couldn’t come to his wedding in Israel because it was too soon after the baby was born so I cried then too. Emotional basketcase, party of one ready for her table!

I got to talk to Sam last night and was describing my symptoms and I said, “Man, I really hope I’m not getting sick.” And sweet husband who is wise and hilarious said, “Oh my gosh, you don’t think you’re pregnant do you!?!?”

So then I laughed and realized I wasn’t “sick” for needing a day to simply rest and be emotional.

Then I cried because I gave up candy for Lent and it would have been a perfect day to eat candy.

Oh how the growth has begun! I will just say that I love being pregnant. I’ve officially entered the 3rd trimester (crazy!) and the pregnancy symptoms won’t let me ignore them any longer! I have the hilariously swollen feet, I sleep like a rotisserie chicken by continuously flopping to switch sides, bigger boobies (sorry Zeke, you’re the only dude I know that reads my blog) and I can feel him move all the time!

Yesterday was GORGEOUS outside and so I decided to skip my walk (gasp!) and sit outside and just meditate with the babes. It was so great to sit there with my Sound Beginnings on listening to good music with my son and just praising the Lord for the gift of being pregnant, praising Him for a healthy baby and pregnancy so far, and just relinquishing control of my son’s life to the Lord. I know that I’ll have to do that daily when I hear the boy sneaking out or talking to girls on the phone or wearing popped collars (I kid, I kid). I’m only praying against the popped collars, I’ll deal with the girls.

My sweet mama took some pictures outside in the pretty weather when I got home from work yesterday. Shout out to my beautiful friend Sarah Kearns for lending me the dress. Embrace the baby mama belly!

Of course Roy had to join in on the fun! Although he thinks that the only purpose of the belly is that he has a new pillow.... not that he's on the bed or anything Sam. Errr... promise?

Here are some quick stats:

Weight Gain: 11 pounds

Same cravings and aversions!

Fun things: Feeling OH SO blessed and undeserving with the gifts we’ve been given at showers for the boy. And movement like crazy! I love it, it’s like a tummy massage!

Glucose test: Blurg… I just wanna know! I eat a lot of sugar people!

New Inspirations: Sweet Moses, these 2 gorgeous women are my preggo fashion gurus. I realize I could not live up to their mama-liciousness (its a word) but please look at how gorgeous they are! Kristin and Melissa… give the rest of us a break will ya!?

I had my glucose test today! It was lame. I just chilled in the doctor’s office for an hour after drinking what tasted like a Capri-Sun that had been left on the soccer field. Then the lady took SO MUCH BLOOD and I thought I’d get to find out right then and there if my husband and mother’s suspicions about my sugar level were right. But alas, they said I wouldn’t know for a week. LAME. I’d like to prove my hard earned tolerance towards massive sugar consumption immediately!

But the worse part of it was, I didn’t get to enjoy my Sabbath from Lent yesterday! Now, I did sneak a few handfuls of yummy jelly beans and Skittles from my sister-in-law. She and my MIL threw an amazing shower for me on Sunday with some close Goldsboro friends and family and of course, she had candy for me on the table. But I was really excited about partaking in some Chewy Sprees that my friend Diane gave me on Saturday and then I panicked about my glucose test and resisted. Now they are staring at me from my purse… taunting me. mocking me. belittling me.

WHY OH WHY you delicious little devils!?!

Who (besides Jude) is putting money down that I won’t hold out until next Sunday to eat these sweet nectar of goodness?

My dad walked in the living room and busted me for using the baby as a tray for my veggie dip. Oops…

And meanwhile at the Bennett Ranch, Roy has decided to betray me with his affections. Despite staying true to him and coming home for lunch every day to let him out and play, taking him for long walks every day after work, and giving him plenty of snuggles…. he has chosen another. His heart has fluttered to none other than… MY MOTHER. That’s right, he has won her over and they have become fast friends. This is their morning routine:

This was my dream last night:

I went into labor early and was driving to the hospital. I remember telling the nurses that it wasn’t a normal thing because I’m not supposed to have my baby for another 11 weeks.  When I got there they put me in this massive room with a bunch of different patients. Then I was carted around and asked to do all these weird exercises. I remember feeling weird but calm until my doctor came in. Guess who my doctor was?

I had Russell Brand up in my region catching my child.

The End.