Ashley touched on this in one of her posts last week – and I have to agree – the past couple of weeks on social media have been extremely draining and discouraging. As a mother, it really makes you think about the kind of world you’re bringing your children up in.
Everything I’ve seen on Facebook lately has been so disheartening, so negative, and so divisive. It seems that people just post things now to start fights and to offend – honestly, I’ve thought about erasing my account more times than I can say. I miss the days of engagement announcements, adorable puppies, and sweet family photos. <<< Who is with me?
For those of you who know me, you know that I am politically conservative. If you didn’t… welp… the cat’s out of the bag. I don’t talk about it much anymore – there once were days when I went door to door for the Republican party – and even though those days are long gone, my political views are very much the same. That being said, every time I have wanted to voice my opinion these past few months, I have stayed quiet for fear that I’d be labeled… as anti-women, anti-feminist, a racist, a sexist, a bigot, or perhaps the worst thing in this day and age – that “my privilege would be showing.” <<< I’ve seen women of the right labeled as all the aforementioned, choice, adjectives lately… and really… it’s unfortunate.
Last week, something dawned on me. Just as no person living in this country should have to apologize for who they are or how they feel, I shouldn’t have to either. I’m none of those horrible things… and anyone who knows me, knows that. I realized that just as millions of other women wanted to have a voice in the past couple weeks… that I did too. So I decided to write the beginning to this blog post…
I saw this quote a while back. A very wise woman – Barbara Bush – once said, “Your success as a family, our success as a society, depends not on what happens at the White House, but what happens inside YOUR house.” I couldn’t agree more.
That being said… I’ve decided to start at home.
I will teach my children – above all else – to be kind. I will teach them to work hard, to respect all people, to help those who have less than they do, and to love their neighbors as themselves. My sons will know that women and men are equal – and not because of the paychecks that their father and I bring home – but by the example of how we treat one another. They will be raised to love people of all ethnicities, genders, religions, and sexual orientations. They will be taught that life is life – and that life is precious – whether in utero, refugee, or the person living next-door. They will learn to apologize when they are wrong, and to try to see the good in others… even when they disagree. They will learn that everyone has the right to their own opinions and beliefs, and that right is what makes our country so great. <<< See??? We’re not all SO different!!!
I’ll be the first to admit it – it’s not always easy. I’ve said unkind things, thought negative thoughts, and gotten discouraged by the current situation more times than I’d like to admit. But for my children, and for this world, I want to be better.
I hope we ALL want to be better.
It starts with kindness, it starts with positivity… and more than anything… for us… it starts at home.
Pregnancy Update: 37-38 Weeks
How many weeks: 37-38 weeks
Our baby is the size of: Swiss Chard/Pumpkin <<<?!??!! WHATT?!?!
Gender: Another beautiful little boy!!! I just got him this onesie — I am so excited for him to wear it for the first time! Yayyy!!!
Names: We’ve decided to name him David James. David was my grandfather’s name – and he is a man I looked up to immensely. We will probably call him DJ for short – which is hilarious considering I hated (and still do hate) all the nicknames for William.
Pounds Gained: 33 on my scale at home. At the doctor’s office – with all my clothes on – it’s more like 36.
What I’m Wearing: Leggings, long tee shirts, cardigan sweaters, and shoes that I don’t have to bend over to put on. My life is reaalllll glamorous nowadays let me tell you. My staples are:
- Also – I just pulled out my post-partum corset from storage. <<< I swore by this after I had William. I got so many questions about it on snapchat… so HERE is the link!
Things I forgot:
- I forgot just how stressful preparing to give birth can be. I met with my doula a couple weeks back and as we discussed all my options, I could feel my body start to tense up. The same thing happened when I last met with my doctor. I think I am just very nervous given the length of my labor last time – which I am sure is normal. Anyhow, my doula recommended that I try to meditate. I’m horrible at it, but I’m going to keep trying.
- I forgot how you never really know when the baby is coming – and no one can tell you – but EVERYONE is asks you. It is insanity.
- I forgot how you never really feel ready. Every day that passes, I find myself saying, “OK I just need one more day to get organized.” I’ve come to realize, we’re never going to be fully ready. It will happen when it’s going to happen and we’re just going to have to go with it. If our house isn’t IN PERFECT condition – so be it.
- I forgot that even though you spend 9-10 months getting to know and trust your doctor – they probably wont actually be the one to deliver your baby. More often than not – it’s whoever is on call. At my last appointment my doctor and I discussed when she would be on call – and I found myself freaking out that she probably wouldn’t be there. But I knew this going in… it’s just how OBs work. So I have to calm the eff down – that’s why we hired our doula!
- I forgot about the lightning bolt pains that happen in the last couple of weeks. I’ve been having them constantly at work this past week, and it is incredibly painful.
Cravings: Really, I’ve been craving sweets this whole pregnancy – but right now it’s on another level. I am obsessed with sugar cookies lately.
Sleeping: One night it will be fine. The next it will be horrible. Most nights, I feel like I have a bowling ball sitting on my you-know-what and I cannot get comfortable for the life of me. It’s been incredibly painful the past couple of nights, but every time I want to cry… I just keep thinking about the baby that is still healthy, he’s still growing, he’s still safe – and that keeps me calm.
Rings: Still on!
Feelings:
- I’ve been feeling very anxious. I’m super Type A, so not knowing when this baby will come or when I need to be ready by is very hard for me. Add on the stress of our delayed home renovation – and I’m all kinds of a mess. I know it’ll all be fine – I just have to keep reminding myself to breathe.
- I forgot how stressful preparing for maternity leave is. I’ve touched on this before, but it makes me anxious to know that I’m burdening my co-workers with the work I can’t be doing.
- Nervousness. Joe and I were filling out all the hospital forms the other night and we got to the form where I had to essentially sign my life away… and to allow Joe to make all the decisions for me in the event that I was unable to make them — IE I’m in a coma – or my heart fails – or any other number of crazy situations that could occur. I don’t care who you are – major surgery of any kind is unnerving… and yes, it made me very nervous.
- Excitement. Obviously I cannot wait to meet this little man – I cannot wait to be a mother… again. It is the best and most overwhelming feeling in the whole wide world.
Stories:
- William keeps telling everyone that the only person he is going to share with the baby is “momma”. Everyone else is “his”. It’s really quite funny.
- We were recently given a great piece of advice… to have a gift for William… “from the baby”. So – we ordered him a couple of things to help with the transition.
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- A stool: We got him a step stool so he can help Joe and I with lots of aspects of taking care of the baby, and so far he loves it! The idea was that the stool would be mostly for changing time and bath time.
- Scrubs: My mom got him this adorable pair of scrubs that say “Big Brother” on them. They will not only get him ready for his new role, but it is our hope that they also make the hospital a lot less scary.
- A couple of books: William has done very well with learning from books. He learned to give up his bottles, and to use the potty – all from different books that my mom brought him. Therefore, we decided that a couple of books on being a big brother would be good for him too.
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