Happy Mother's Day

Today is my first mother's day, and it was great.  First of all, all of us went to church together as a family for the very first time.  Kendall did so well.  She was awake the whole time, and just taking it all in.  She was so cute just looking all around.  Afterwards, we ate lunch at Texas Roadhouse.  She slept most of the time.  She woke up just when we were about to leave.  Then we went to Babies'R'Us for just a quick minute.  We had been talking about getting Kenni's ears pierced, so what better day than today.  We took off to the mall and got it done at Claire's.  When the first ear was done, Kenni didn't cry at all.  Now when the second ear was done, she cried bloody murder for about 10 seconds.  All in all, she did so well, and she looks so cute  with her new earrings

Today was a great mother's day. I thank God for today, and I look forward to many more to come!

My adorable baby girl up close and personal

Kendall's little dress....so cute!

Kendall laughing....I just love that toothless smile!

Mother to Mother

These are flowers that were delivered to me from none other than my mommy.  I was so surprised.  The card said "Happy First Mother's Day from Kendall and Nana."  This just made my day.  Just to think that my mom thought of me just really touched my heart.  Being that this is my first mother's day and thinking about the long road to get Kendall here just made these flowers from my mom that much more special.  Thank you mama for just being you!

Playmates

This is a picture taken at the first birthday party that Kendall has attended.  Maddox Turner (not pictured) turned 2.  Here are two of Kendall's future playmates.  From left to right:  Devae and Baby Kassidy, Me and Baby Kendall, and Telischa and Baby Chelsea.  Sorry that the picture is so dark....it was taken with an Iphone.

Push Gift

I have been meaning to post this for some time.  When I was in the hospital on bedrest before Kendall was born, Scott presented me with a push gift the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  I absolutely love it!  The center diamond in the middle represents Kendall.  The inner loop around the center diamond represents me.  The larger loop around everything represents Scott.  I love the meaning!  I thought it was so sweet of Scott to give me this gift at such a trying time in our lives.  I will definitely have to sit down and tell her the story of her arrival once she gets old enough to understand.

Another Hit!

Ingredients



•5 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed


•3/4 cup sour cream


•1/2 cup milk


•3 tablespoons butter


•Salt and pepper to taste


•3 cups (12 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese blend, divided


•1/2 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled


•3 green onions, sliced


Directions


•Place potatoes in a Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain and place in a large bowl. Add the sour cream, milk, butter, salt and pepper. Beat on medium-low speed until light and fluffy. Stir in 2 cups cheese, bacon and onions.


•Transfer to a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Yield: 14 servings.

Note:  I was only making this for Scott and I, so I reduced the recipe quite a bit. 

My Guilty Pleasure

I absolutely loooooooooooooooooove this show!  I anticipate it every Thursday.  I mean, it has so much suspense and drama.  I just love it!  Check it out if you haven't already.

Look Who's 5 Months!

Nicknames:  Pooka Poo and Poo Poo

5 months when?  April 27th

Weight:  10lbs 10.5oz

Milestones:  Smiles all the time, can hold her head up better, can roll over from stomach to back, and coos all the time.  When she coos, it sounds like she is saying "yeah" and the "g" sound.

Diaper size:  size 1

Clothes size:  0-3 months

Milk Amount:  4-5 oz

Likes:  Kendall likes to smile all the time, play on her activity center, lie on mama and daddy, and take baths

Dislikes:  Kendall doesn't like her swing as much as she use to, the dark, or to be alone

Yummy Goodness

I recently made these two new recipes, and they both turned out oh so yummy!  I just had to share.  Please enjoy!!!!!!!

Chipotle Lime Shrimp

Ingredients:

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chipotle powder ( I used the juice from a can of actual chipotle peppers.  I also cut up some of the peppers and added that to the marinade.
1 lime, juice and zest


1. Mix the chipotle powder, cumin, brown sugar, lime zest, lime juice and cilantro in a bowl and and let marinate for 20 minutes.


2. Skewer the shrimp.  I skewed some of the peppers from the marinade along with the shrimp.


3. Oil up the grill and grill the shrimp until cooked (pink and opaque), about 2-3 minutes per side.

Classic Sangria

Ingredients:

1  750ml bottle of red wine (we used caberet sauvignon)

1  orange sliced

1  lemon sliced

1  lime sliced

3 tablespoons of sugar

2 shots of brandy (you can use more shots of brandy dependent on your preference)

1 2 liter of ginger ale

Ice

Mix the first 6 ingredients and let chill for at least 2 hours.  Add the ginger ale and ice when ready to serve.

Happy Easter

I know that this post is a little late, but here is Kendall celebrating her first Easter.  Here ya go!

I just love this picture.  She is just sooooooo cute!

Kendall's Easter basket includes two Seasame Street books, bunny ears, a bunny rabbit, and a princess wand.

Loving Motherhood

Mother:  Christian

 

Daughter:  Kendall Grace

 

Maternity Leave:  Well, I am indefinitely on maternity leave...lol  My job decided not to hold my position since I was off work on hospital bedrest before Kendall was born and then was required to be off after she came home.  I hadn't been in the position a year, so my job wasn't protected by FMLA.  So I am an official SAHM....Stay At Home Mom.  When Kendall was able to finally come home, I knew that God had worked out this whole situation.  I absolutely love being able to stay at home with her. Waking up and seeing those big brown eyes every morning makes me know that all that we have been through has totallly been worth it.  Thank you God for this gift.

Weight Loss/Weight Gain:  When I was admitted to the hospital, I was 128lbs.  Now I am 105lbs.  I've started doing a little workout during the week to tone, but no true dieting or working out to lose weight. 

Adjustment to motherhood:  My biggest adjustment was going with little sleep.  When Kendall first came home, she definitely had be going.  Once I was able to get her on a schedule, I was able to do other things during the day like prepare her bottles and clean around the house.

Any mommy time alone with daddy:  We haven't had a date night, but we aren't actually ready for one yet.  I don't think we want to leave her alone without one of us just yet.  When Kendall is asleep, we do take time to watch a movie together or just talk.  Those times are nice, but usually one of us ends up holding the baby during that time (smile). 

Best part of motherhood:  Seeing those big brown eyes looking up at me and then she smiles back like, "Mama, what's shaking?"  I just love seeing her toothless smile and those big, pretty eyes.

Least liked part of motherhood:  Knowing that one day I will have to take her to daycare and leave her.  I try not to think about that though since it will be awhile before I have to entertain that thought. 

Spring Looks

Being that spring started this past Tuesday, I wanted to start getting some spring/summer looks together.  I just love the following looks below.  I plan on experimenting with some nail polishes this season.  I love wedge sandals and flat, comfy shoes, and I just adore a flip flop.  It's just crazy to me that the weather has been so warm, and it's March.  I'm just loving it.  Any who, check me out below!

Tuesday with Sleeping Beauty

Zodiac Sign:  Sagittarius-characteristics include freedom loving, optimistic, honest, has sense of adventure and love of life, generous, fun-loving, and big-hearted

Milestones:  has slept all the way through the night the past 3 nights and can hold her head up a little longer

New Nicknames:  Pooka Poo

Anything else new:  started watching Sprout tv during the day and seems to like it.  Sprout tv is a channel that has children's shows on it like Sesame Street.



Funday Friday

Here are just some pics of Kenni Girl that I took today.  She's so funny and cute....

"Ok Mama, I'm looking for you, but I can't see you."  "Where are you?"

"Yes, I want my diaper changed!"

"I feel so much better in this new diaper"

"I'm Out!"  "I'll be up in about 45 minutes."

Project "Spring Clean"

It's not officially Spring, but I plan to clean our house from top to bottom in the month of March.  I cleaned up this weekend, but there are some things that have a tendency to get neglected throughout the year.  Below is my schedule of cleaning for the remainder of March:

Week of March 11th:  Clean all baseboards and ceiling fans in the house.  Dust all pictures, figurines, vases, and any other decorative stuff.

Week of March 18th:  Clean out all closets and bathroom and kitchen cabinets.  I am pretty sure we will 
have some donations for the Goodwill after this tasks

Week of March 25th:  Clean out the refrigerator, pantry, and all trashcans.  I will be using the "when in doubt, throw it out" philosophy...ha!

My plan is to keep our house clean despite having a new baby girl that makes it a little more difficult.  I see that it's so easy to let all the baby toys and stuff consume your house, but I plan to keep our house presentable on a daily basis.  It just makes it easier to maintain a clean house rather than having to clean the whole house at one time.  I hope my plan works!  Time will tell.

Terrific Tuesday-All About Kendall

"Hello, What's Shaking?"

"Yep, I'm just chilling!"

Full Name:  Kendall Grace

Nicknames:  Kenni, Kenni Girl, Pretty Girl, Gracie, Sweet Pea, Put, Put Put, Pooka, and the list goes on and on....

Age:  3 months

Weight: 7lbs 2oz

Diapers:  size Newborn

Clothes: Newborn....some newborn clothes are a little big on me, but I am filling them out as each day goes by.

Feedings:  eats every 3 or so hours.

Nap time:  I take a short morning nap after my first morning feeding and then a longer 2-3 hour nap after lunch.  This gives my mommy time to get my bottles together and to handle things done around the house. 

Sleeping through the Night:  Yes, for the most part.  I wake up for one feeding around 2am to 3am, then I'm out.

Pack n Play vs Crib:  I definitely like my crib better, but I sleep in my pack n play at night in my mommy and daddy's room

Likes:  Warm milk, my soothie pacifiers, stretching, taking naps during the day in my crib, being walked around, being held, lying on my stomach, and lying on my mommy and daddy's chest

Dislikes:  Getting changed into clothes, being hungry, waiting on my milk to get warm, lying on my back, and dropping my paci

Milestones:  Can turnover from my stomach to my back and trying to hold the bottle during feedings (so cute when she's really hungry)

Baby Must Haves.....

I originally thought this stuff was just a gimmick, but it does work sometimes.  I mean, I can't say it works every night, but it does relax Kendall at times.  Plus it smells so good!  We will definitely have to keep this in stock.

These bottles really helped Kendall when she was in the hospital and learning how to suck, swallow, and breathe while feeding.  The nipple imitates the breast, so babies take to them well.  Kendall just loves them and drinks all her milk for the most part with these bottles.  We wouldn't use anything else.

This is a soothie pacifier by Playtex.  Kendall started using these in the NICU.  The ones at the hospital smelled like vanilla, but they don't sell the scented ones in the stores.  Any who, Kendall still likes it without the vanilla scent.  This definitely comes in handy.

We recently got this boucer, and let's just say it wasn't Kendall's fave.  She has grown to tolerate it a little bit more.  Those times when I need to put her down to do something, she usually settles down and enjoys the bouncing motion.  A great find!!!!!!!!!!!

Something New

I just love this picture. I think it's just so cute.  This is the first time that I put a handband on Kenni.  As you can see, she doesn't exactly love it, but she got use to it. Oh yeah, baby girl is 3 months old today.  Look at God! 

Baby Shower

Our baby shower was January 7th.  It was hosted by my friends Yolanda, Brandi, Telischa, Tangela, and Devae.  It turned out so nice.  The food was delicious, and the decorations were awesome. I loved the color scheme of pink and grey. Scott and I were so appreciative of all the gifts and to those who came out to support us.  Here are some pictures from the shower:

This is a cake that my friend, Brandi, did.  The theme was "Simply Grace," and this cake went with the decor perfectly.  The cake was lemon with raspberry filling and chocolate with chocolate and raspberry filling.  It was oh so yummy.  If you are interested in a wonderful cake creation, you can see her work and contact her at www.facebook.com/sweetexposurecakes

Diaper cakes/decor for the tables

This is the food table.  The menu included sliced pork, chicken wings, pasta salad, crab salad, spinach dip, fruit, fruit salsa with cinnamon chips, vegetables with dip, rolls, crackers, tea, and punch

Scott, my mama, and me

Shatoria and Christina with Christina's 2 daughters

Jazmin and Teresa

Valencia and Frank

Visa and Damiah

Porsche and Kelvin

Ms. Lou

Robert and Baby Chelsea

Tevia and Cory

Watch Me Grow

One of the gifts that I got at the baby shower was a "Watch Me Grow" set of 12 onesies for the first year for Kendall.  Below are the January (1 month) and February (2 month) pictures.  As you can see, Kenni loves her paci..ha!  Stay tuned for future pics.

2 month pic...Happy Valentine's Day

1 month pic...(Kenni was still in the hospital in this picture)

Introducing Kendall Grace

Kendall has been home with us since February 8th.  I just love dressing her up like a little doll.  This is Kenni after her lunchtime feeding and during her nap.  Just so darn cute!!!!!!!! 

She is 6lbs 6oz now.  She wakes up at the max 2 times during the night, but here lately she wakes up only once.  She enjoys drinking milk, making noises while she sleeps, and stretching.  She doesn't enjoy getting baths, getting her diaper changed, or getting clothes put on her.  It is just a joy to be her mother.  She is just so amazing!

Be prepared to see more of Miss Kendall.  Sorry if you get overwhelmed with Kendall's presence on my blog.  I'm a proud Mommy!

Enjoy!

My Road to Motherhood Part 5-NICU

Kendall was born at 2lbs 10oz 15in.  She has a head full of hair and the sweetest little face. 

The NICU is divided into 3 parts.  The first step is where she went when she was first born.  This is the time when the baby is looked at as being in a more critical condition.  Kendall was in a giraffe bed, which is basically an incubator.  She had to be on a ventilator to assist in  her breathing.  We couldn't hold her all the time, but we did get to do what's called "Kangaroo Care."  This is when we hold Kendall's bare body to our bare chest.  The skin-to-skin contact has been proven to help babies progress better.  I got to hold her for the first time Thursday, December 1st.  It was the most amazing feeling having her lying on my chest.

As time progressed, she transitioned from a ventilator to a nasal cannula (basically the tubes that people wear in hospitals to push oxygen into their nasal passages).  We were able to check her temperature, change her diaper, put lotion on her, and dress her in cute onesies.  We especially looked forward to her bath nights. 

Once she was needing minimal oxygen in her nasal cannula, she was moved to the second step in the NICU.  She was very close to not needing the nasal cannula at all.  She greatly disliked that cannula, so we were glad to see it go.  She got weighed twice a week, and she was packing on the weight.  She wasn't at the second step long at all.

She is now at the 3rd step.  She is in an open crib because she can maintain her own temperature.  The nasal cannula is good.  She is currently trying to master bottle feeding.  For a baby born full-term, they have the natural ability to bottle feed.  With Kendall being born early, she has to learn how to suck, swallow, and breathe while eating.  She gets weighed daily and is currently 5lbs 11oz.  She is a big girl now.  We can hold her whenever we want and just have fun with her.  She is so cute!  She makes the cutest faces from smiling to poking out her little lip. 

She is currently 2 months.  We  hope to have her home really soon.  Get ready for all the pictures that will be consuming my blog......lol

My Road to Motherhood Part 4-The Birth Story

I wake up Sunday, November 27th.  I go to the restroom, brush my teeth, and wash my face.  I notice that I am having some really mild cramping.  I tell Scott, and then call the nurse.  She gets me hooked up to the monitor to check for contractions and to check the baby's heartrate.  Kendall's heartrate was fine, but I was having contractions.  The nurse calls the doctor, and the doctor tells the nurse to give me my medication early to stop contractions.  I take that, and we wait a little while to see if the contractions stop.  They don't.  We give it a little while longer, and the contractions continue.  The contractions don't get more intense or painful, but my body just isn't responding to the medication at all.  There is another medication that I could take, but my heartrate has to be under 120 bpm.  Unfortunately, my heartrate was too close to 120 to be able to take the second medication.

The doctor came in around lunch time to check how far I had dilated.  I was still at 5cm.  Since my contractions hadn't slacked up any, they transitioned us to a labor and delivery room.  The labor and delivery nurse was really nice.  She explained step by step how things would go.  I got situated in the bed, and Scott and I watched football games.  I wasn't in any pain.  I was just talking and laughing.  I eventually dilated to 7cm, and I still wasn't feeling any pain.  I went ahead and got my epidural just in case pain came during labor though. 

I was lying there watching football and talking with family when I felt my water break.  It was just a little trinkle.  The nurse confirmed that it had broke, and she called the doctor to get her in route to the hospital.  A little more time went by, and I finally dilated to 10cm. 

Scott and my mom were in the room with me.  The doctor and nurse told me that when I felt a contraction to push for 10 seconds 3 times in a row.  (FYI:  one push is really 3 pushes for 10 seconds each)  I did just that.  At first I didn't feel like I was doing anything, but the doctor reassured me that she was moving down.  I pushed 4 times and Kendall was here.  It was crazy that she was moving down, and I wasn't even pushing at times.  She was ready to get into this world.  We heard her do a little cry.  It was so cute!   The NICU nurses were in the room with us to immediately get Kendall prepped to go to the NICU.  Before they took her to the NICU, they let me see her.  She was all swaddled up and cute as could be.  Of course, the tears came next.  I remember thinking, I'M A MOM!!!!!  Our daughter was born Sunday, November 27, 2011 at 6:25pm. 

The neonatologist came in the room and talked to us and our family.  He said that Kendall will most likely be in the NICU for about 2 months give or take a couple of weeks, but he felt good that she would be just fine.  She basically couldn't come home until close to her original due date. After 10 days of hospital bedrest and delivering Kendall, we still had 2 or so months left until we could bring her home.  We were progressing down this journey, but we were not done yet. 

Stay tuned for the NICU experience!

My Road to Motherhood Part 3

I have to say that I had a pretty good pregnancy.  I didn't have morning sickness at all.  As long as I had something on my stomach, I didn't feel queasy.  I didn't gain a lot of weight.  I actually only gained 16 lbs.  All was going just peachy.  Until November 17, 2011.....

Scott and I ate dinner at Copeland's.  We came home afterwards, and he started packing up to go deer hunting the next day.  I was about to take a shower, so I went to the restroom first.  I noticed that I was bleeding.  My doctor had told me that if I ever saw bright, red blood to go to the hospital.  I told Scott, and we got ready and went to the hospital.  He took the bag that he had already packed to go deer hunting with us just in case.  On the way to the hospital, we both called and told our moms.  In our minds, we were thinking that all was fine and that it was really nothing.  I was thinking they would tell me to take it easy or something like that.  Boy was I wrong....

We get to the ER, and luckily, it wasn't busy at all.  They wheeled me up to the labor and delivery department.  I lay there in the bed to get examined by the nurse.  I wasn't feeling any pain or contractions, so I thought all was well.  The nurse checks my cervix, she looks at me, and whispers, "You're 5cm!"  It's like I had an outer body experience.  I was like, how in the world could that be.  I'm only 27 weeks, and I don't feel any contractions.  They hook me up to the monitors, and they tell me that I'm having contractions every 4 minutes.  I still can't believe it because I'm not in any pain.  The nurses prepare the room like I'm about to go into labor.  They then tell us that there isn't any medication to reverse dilation, and we would be at the hospital until our baby comes.  My doctor comes up to my room and tells me that she hopes I can make it 48 hours without delivering, so I can get these steroid shots that will help develop the baby's lungs.  She prays with us, which I thought was very nice.  You just don't get too many doctors who actually bring up God in times like these.  After that, they tilt the bed down so that my head is lower than my feet.  I must say that this is very uncomfortable, but it helped keep the baby from moving towards my cervix.  Scott and I hardly slept that night.  I mean, we were both in a state of shock. 

The next morning, a specialist comes in and does an ultrasound.  He tells me that I'm more like 3.5 cm.  That makes Scott and I feel better, but nonetheless, I'm dilated.  I start taking this medicine that helps calm the muscles of the uterus and reduces contractions.  I get moved from labor and delivery to antepartum.  The room isn't as big, but it's cool.  I try and let it settle in that this will be our home until Kendall comes into the world.  God blesses me to be able to get the two steroid shots to help develop Kendall's lungs.  We were so glad of that.

We tell our latest news to our friends and family.  The outpour of love that we got was unbelievable.  I don't think a day went by while I was on bedrest that we didn't have a visitor.  Friends brought us dinner and lunch, games to play, magazines to read, and candy and goodies.  Family brought thanksgiving to us and relieved Scott, so he could go home for a minute.  We just felt so blessed to have such a good support system.  God made us realize just how blessed we are to have such good friends and family in our corner.  I would like to give a shot out to everyone who supported us during this time.  Scott and I truly love you and appreciate you.

I pretty much laid around, sent texts, talked on the phone, watched tv, prayed and read my bible, surfed the net, and visited with vistors.  It wasn't that bad at all.

Twice a day I got monitored to see if I am contracting. Scott and I held our breath when this part of the day comes because of course we both hope I'm not. The medicine was holding off contractions.  That was until the morning of November 27th.  That was the day that our lives changed forever.

Stay tuned!

My Road to Motherhood Part 2

Scott and I told our family and close friends of the pregnancy right away.  The next thing I did was called my doctor and scheduled our first appointment.  We were so happy!  One day when I was about 4 weeks, I noticed that I was spotting.  This can be normal with it being so early in the pregnancy, but I decided to go to the doctor to get it checked out (just to be sure).  It was Monday of that week when I went to the doctor.  Everything looked ok, but the doctor wanted to do blood work to be sure that my hormone levels were increasing like they should. She also did an ultrasound.  It was too early to actually see the baby, but all looked good.  On Wednesday, I went back to get more blood work done.  My first set of blood work looked good, but they just wanted to be sure that all was well.  Friday, I was scheduled for another ultrasound to see if the baby had developed enough to see.  The doctor told me that the baby still wasn't showing up and that she didn't feel good about the pregnancy.  I was crushed.  My doctor wasn't in the office that day, so the doctor I saw said that she would like for my own doctor to confirm the status of the pregnancy.
Scott and I had to go the whole weekend with this on our hearts and minds.  We prayed and just tried to keep busy to keep our minds off of it.  It was the longest weekend ever.  My doctor called me Monday afternoon to schedule an appointment for the following Wednesday.  Ugh!  More waiting.  Well, Wednesday finally came.  My doctor did the ultrasound, and we saw a "flicker."  She tells us to go upstairs to the radiology department to get confirmation on what the flicker is.  So we do just that.  The radiologist squeezes the gel on my stomach, gets to moving the probe around, and VOILA!  To our surprise, we see our baby for the first time.  We are both in shock.  The flicker we were seeing was the baby's heartbeat.  It was beating strong.  We just couldn't believe it.  We were prepared to get bad news, but we got confirmation that our baby was growing and healthy.

We went back downstairs to the doctor's office with big Kool-Aid smiles on.  My doctor gives me a great big hug and congratulates us both.  We schedule our next appt and go home feeling overjoyed and blessed.

My Road to Motherhood Part 1

Well, let me start at the beginning.  Scott and I went to New York to celebrate our first wedding anniversary.  We had decided that when we got back that we would start trying for Baby Dismute.  After a few months of trying, nothing happened.  A few more months went by and still nothing.  We did a little research and found out that nothing could be done until we had been trying for an official year.  Well, a year came.  My doctor ordered some tests for both me and Scott to have done.  We both got good results, and was told that nothing was hindering conception.  At that point, my doctor prescribed a fertility drug for me to take for 3 months.  After 3 months, nothing. 

She then referred us to a fertility clinic.  We met with a fertility specialist, and he wanted to do some blood work to see if my hormone levels were accurate during different points in my cycle.  All of that checked out.  The next step was for me to have a laproscopy done.  This procedure checks to make sure that my fallopian tubes are open, and my uterus is healthy.  During pre-op before this procedure, it was found that I needed to have my umbilical hernia repaired.  I had both the laparoscopy and the umbilical hernia repair done all at the same time.  Nothing was found that would inhibit me from having kids.  The next step was for me to try fertility drugs again.

We decided to wait a few months to start the fertility drugs.  We were inching up on my 30th birthday, so we took a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate.  We had a blast.  Once we were back, it was time for us to start the fertility drugs.  The only thing was that my cycle never came.  After a few days of waiting on it, I took a pregnancy that I had from the dollar store.  After all that we had been through, we saw 2 lines.  We couldn't believe it.  Scott wanted me to be sure by taking a more expensive test, so I rushed down to USA Drug.  That test confirmed that we were definitely pregnant.  We couldn't believe it.  The first thing we did was hugged each other and got on our knees and thanked God.  We were finally PREGNANT!!!!!!

Stay tuned to more of this incredible story......

Just a Thought....

I am an avid pinterest.com addict.  They have some amazing stuff on there.  One of the things that they have on there are sayings like the one above.  I thought I could have a little segment on my blog where I can elaborate on these inspirational thoughts.  Here are my first thoughts:

So many times we look at others and wish we could be like others rather they be real or fictional.  The thing about us all is that we can be whomever we want to be.  There is no reason to look at others and be envious.  We are all different, and God made us the way we are for a reason.  For example, something about myself that I use to not like when I was younger was how easily I would cry.  I was always told that crying was looked at as a weakness.  Now that I am older and understand myself better, I don't believe that it's a weakness.  I like that I'm emotional.  It's good to cry with others or by yourself for that matter, and it feels better to get those tears of joy or tears of sorrow out rather than bottling up those feelings and letting them fester.  Maturity taught me to love myself for who I am because I am the way I am for a reason.  No sense in wanting to be some hard person that I'm not.  

Not too long ago, I gave my hair stylist a compliment.  I told her that I really admired how she raised her daughter to be independent and gave her constant instructions on how to be a lady.  She thanked me of course, then said "you just never know who is watching you."  She never knew that I admired her for doing something that she just saw as natural.  That's the thing, everybody is always watching you and you never know who might just be admiring you for being you.  My advice for everyone is to just Be Yourself and not wish to be like others.  You are probably inspiring someone else to be better, and you don't even know it.

Baby Bump Chronicles-26w 5d

Here's a picture of me after work today.  She's getting bigger and moving all around.  I just love it!!!!!!!!