Friday, January 11, 2013

A Thank You to My Hubby

During pregnancy, so much focus is on mom and baby, that dad's often get a little overlooked in the whole process, even though they play just as important of a role and can have an extremely power influence on what pregnancy is like for the mom and therefore, the baby.  I thought it would be nice to talk about how wonderful my Hubby has been since I have been pregnant, because he is truly amazing.

Scott has always been the one to shoulder most of the burden of cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, taking care of the animals, etc etc.  While I have tried to get better at these things, during significant periods of my pregnancy I couldn't do anything.  Scott has balanced classes, homework, working full-time, doing all the house work, cooking all of our meals, doing all the grocery shopping, doing MY laundry, taking care of the animals, all while reassuring me that it's ok that I couldn't do these things, particularly in my first trimester.  I was so weak, sick, and missed a lot of work, which also put a strain on our budget, which Scott manages pretty much all on his own.  Despite all of this, when I was sobbing on the bathroom floor, convinced I was dying and couldn't handle being pregnant any longer, he squeezed into the pukey smelling bathroom with me, sat on the floor, and cuddled me while I cried.  Then he would say something silly to make me laugh, help me get laid back in bed, and bring me whatever I needed to be comfortable.  We chose not to tell anyone that we were pregnant until after the first trimester was over, so he was literally my only support.  I don't know if that overwhelmed him at all but he did such an amazing job and it was all that I needed to get through one of the most physically and emotionally challenging periods of my entire life.  

One thing pregnancy has not done for me is boosted my self-esteem.  When you feel gross and bloated everyday, on top of gaining weight, I have not always felt that great about myself.  Sometimes I am just down right disgusted.  It is terrifying to see your body going through changes that you have no control over, wondering if it is even possible for things to go back the way they were before.  Though I struggle with this on a daily basis, Scott has always made me feel like I am beautiful and that my body is doing exactly what it needs to to grow this human being inside of me.  I don't always feel pretty, but he always makes me feel like he thinks I am pretty, and that means a lot to an insecure and self-conscious woman.

Scott reminds me all the time about how strong I have been through my pregnancy.  He even rewarded me with a new Coach purse and matching wallet!!  But the truth is that every single time I ever felt overwhlemed, scared, confused, sad, mad, etc, the fact that he was always there supporting me gave me the only reassurance that I needed that everything would be fine.   There is no way this pregnancy would have been as smooth for me if it wasn't for him.  I have never once felt alone or unsupported.  And even though I know he can't understand perfectly everything I am going though, the fact that he tries his absolute best and always makes me and baby the priority has given me a sense of calm and peace.  He is such a strong man, inside and out.  He is a wonderful husband and is going to be an amazing father.  

I know that having a child will be amazing and yet terrifying and overwhelming at the same time.  But I really feel like Scott and I together can conquer anything in the world.  We aren't perfect, and we don't always know the right answers, but I know that I can depend on him every single time I need him.  We are truly a team.  I couldn't do any of this without him, and I could not imagine going through life with anyone but him.  There is no way that I can adequately express how wonderful Scott has been, but I can say that he has made all the difference for me during not just during pregnancy but even before that.  He is the center of my world and no matter what is going on in my life I know that I have my best friend to come home to and cuddle with, talk to about anything, and share all of life's ups and downs with.  Being pregnant has only given me a stronger appreciation for the man he has been all along.  There is no one else like him and I am so thankful and blessed everyday that he is mine.  I heart you my Scottypoo!!      

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Things That Are Impossible When You Are 9 Months Pregnant

Things that are impossible:

1. Shaving my legs
2. Clipping toe nails
3. Drying my feet after a shower
4. Bending over in general
5. Rolling over in bed
6. Going more the 90 minutes without having to pee
7. Sleeping longer than 2 hours before waking up to pee
8. Getting off the couch without grunting
9. Sitting down without grunting
10. Walking without a waddle
11. Breathing through my stuffy nose
12. Eating anything without getting heartburn
13. Not having back and hip pain
14. Not walking around like a crippled old lady who needs a walker
15. Walking up 2 stairs (not flights of stairs, just 2 stairs) without getting winded.
16. Opening a door and not banging it into your stomach
17. Cooking without banging your stomach into the counter
18. Not feeling like the Goodyear blimp with your swollen face, feet, ankles, and hands.
19. Working, or doing anything productive for an extended period of time due to exhaustion and serious pregnancy brain.
20. Being graceful.  

21. Not smiling every time baby kicks his little feet or sticks his little butt out so far in makes my stomach look lopsided.
22. Giggling to myself every time Baby head butts me in the bladder and sends me running to the bathroom.
23. Not rubbing my belly.
24. Not thinking about Baby 24/7
25. Not being a little proud of yourself for surviving the ups and downs of pregnancy so far, and for actually becoming stronger because of it.
26. Not counting down the days/hours/minutes/seconds until your due date
27. Not working yourself into a manic state due to being so overwhelmingly excited to meet your little man.
28. Loving your husband any more than when you think about what a good father he is going to be.
29. Not obsessing over the sudden need to shampoo the hell out of your carpets.
30. Not worrying about whether you will be good at breast feeding.
31. Not being a little bit scared by a breast pump.
32. Not wondering how you will handle your baby's first blow out.
33. Not laughing when thinking about how you are going to react to your baby's first blow out.
34. Not thinking about how scary the world is now that you are going to be raising a child in it.
35. Understanding how you can love something so much you haven't even met yet.
36. Understanding how you ever lived before this little person was in your life.
37. Not getting a little misty every time you think about all the things that you have to look forward to in the future.
38. To be any happier or to feel any more blessed.
39. To not be willing to take on the world if it meant protecting your baby.
40. Not to give your whole heart to the little person you created despite how scary it is that no matter how hard your try, so much is out of your control.

I wouldn't trade any of it for anything else in the world.  It hasn't been easy, but it's been perfect <3
                           

Monday, December 17, 2012

Buzz Word(s) of the Day: Gun Control

Question:  Why is the term "gun control" such a black and white issue for so many people?  Why is it that the minute you mention anything about it people get all crazy and defensive?  Why as adults, are we so incapable of looking at the bigger picture and finding a middle ground that actually makes sense?

I feel that people should have the right to own guns, have them in their home, and use them (legally of course).  I also feel like there is nothing wrong with having a gun in your home to use in case you or your family are in danger and need to shoot the shit out of someone who is trying to do the same thing to you or a loved one.  You can bet your ass if someone came into my home with a gun and pointed it at my husband, or my child, I would not hesitate to shoot that person before they could harm my family.  I think that is my right. I do not think "gun control" as it refers to limiting or taking away everyone's freedom to own weapons is right or logical.

But here is the major problem with gun access in this country.  Everyone, has very easy access to these weapons.  It takes very little to obtain a gun. Don't get me wrong, I plan to obtain a gun to have in my home. I have grown up around guns my whole life, and feel having one in my home for security purposes, or target shooting for fun, is great.  BUT, I very much intend to use it responsibly.  It will be locked up, not loaded, I will take classes to learn how to use them, how to be safe with them, etc.  And in addition, I am pretty sure that I am mentally stable and healthy and will not allow anyone who may be unstable or mentally unfit to have access to my guns at all.  If everyone in the world was like me, or like my family members who know how to use guns responsibly I would say everyone should have the right to have a gun.  But, thinking in the bigger picture, many people are not like me.  And it usually takes something tragic for us to be reminded of that.

I think everyone should have the right to the OPPORTUNITY to have a gun.  What I mean is that, you can have a gun, as long as you pass some very important evaluations and requirements before doing so, such as demonstrating safety skills, knowing the legal side of using it, and proper maintenance and storage, and most importantly A MENTAL EVALUATION!  For many people, these measures seem silly and inconvenient.  But, there are also many many many people who are able to obtain guns, just as easily as me, you are not mentally fit to have one, or do not have enough knowledge on how to safely and properly use it.

Let's say I get a gun.  All I had to do was apply for the license, registration, and maybe a take a course.  Boom, I buy a gun.  Is this OK?  Sure, because I am responsible and will only use my gun for appropriate reasons.  And I have fairly good judgement skills, so if I was in a life or death situation and felt the need to use my gun for protection, I would more than likely make a reasonable choice about whether or not I should indeed use that gun.  I didn't need a psychological test in order to be safe with my gun.

Now a person with no criminal background, but suffers from severe mental instability and is not being treated  for this mental illness, goes into the same gun store, gets his license, registration, maybe takes a gun course, and buys a gun.  Same process.  Except he has delusions that his parents, coworker, friend, etc are plotting to kill him, so he needs to take care of that.  He got a gun just as easily as I did.

Again I do not think people should have their right to own guns taken away, but I do think that as responsible adults we need to look at the bigger picture and realize that their need to be stricter guidelines on how guns are obtained.  If it makes it more complicated for someone like me to get a gun, that is FINE as long as that means that it makes it just as hard for someone like the Adam Lanza's of the world to get them too.  And, if you are inclined to disagree with that statement, let me put it this way :"If you had a child in first grade, and someone came into their classroom and shot a killed your child and their schoolmates, would that fact that you were easily able to obtain your own gun put your mind at ease about the fact that crazy people running around in the world can at this moment get a gun just as easily as you can because that is their right?"

I should note that in this particular case, Adam Lanza got his guns from his mother who was a collector.  They were legally obtained and my guess is that she never used them for any purposes other than what she was legally able to use them for.  However, she was not responsible with those weapons, and obviously did not take precautions to keep them out of the hands of her son, who clearly was suffering from severe mental illness.  In this case, I do not think she should have had the right to have those guns, because she could not handle them responsibly.  Same with a knife, I am not going to leave a knife on the floor around a toddler because that would not be safe.  If something happened to that toddler, I would be responsible because I failed to keep my knife out of the hands of someone who could not use it safely.  If you can't handle your guns, you shouldn't have guns.  And keeping them out of the hands of people who could be dangerous with them is a major part at being able to handle your guns.

I also should note that I also think that no matter how far gun control goes, there will always be gun violence...ALWAYS.  Criminals are going to obtain guns illegally, and even if they can't get a gun, will find another method to get the job done.  HOWEVER, there are many people out there, not necessarily "criminals" but extremely unstable, psychotic, mentally ill people (the Adam Lanza's of the world) who so often obtain guns legally, and then do tragic and unspeakable things that could have potentially been prevented with more screening, more responsibility, and more mental health services.

So I don't think people should have their guns taken away, but I also think that people who are so against gun control that they aren't willing to consider any middle ground are being completely ignorant to what is happening in the world right now.  As a mental health professional I can assure you, there is a lot of CRAZY in this world, and not enough mental health services in the world to address it all, and people slip through the cracks, and tragic things happen.  Can we not be adults and look beyond ourselves and our own lives and realize that their needs to be changes made.  And, related topic, more focus on mental health services.  Why are guns so accessible, yet mental health services are so hard for people to obtain?

I truly believe guns are not the problem.  The people behind the guns are the problem.  And the way that people obtain guns is the biggest problem of all.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Belly Button! Where did you go!?!?!

I am officially 8 months pregnant this week.  I feel great!!  Except for the normal side effects of stuffy noses, sore joints, lack of breath, squished internal organs, waddling, etc.  I can definitely tell that Baby Corey has had a growth spurt just within the last week.  I am bigger, my belly button is flatter, and he has been giving me the most amazingly strong punches and kicks that stop me dead in my tracks and force me to catch my breath.  I swear one of these times he is going to bust through and go all Alien movie on me.  I am so thankful for all of these symptoms that reassure me that everything is going well.  While I never had this little control over my body and have pretty much decided that nothing about my body works the way it used to anymore, I also feel so much stronger than I ever have, even though it takes me 10 times longer to get my butt up and off the couch with quite a few huffs and puffs.

I am also now officially in nesting mode.  We have been working hard on getting Corey's nursery in order, putting away toys, organizing clothes, etc.  This boy is SPOILED!  I can't believe all the things he has already.  I knew it takes work to keep a kids room clean, but little did I know that this is a challenge even BEFORE the kid is even born!  I think I already have about 8 loads of clothes to wash, and have also realized that my opinion that we probably wouldn't need a toy box for a baby was 100% wrong.  But the room is coming together nicely, with Daddy's help of course, and I think Corey will feel right at home once he is ready to move in.

Considering I am a rather anxious person by nature, it is suprising to me how not nervous I am for Corey to arrive.  I have always just felt my entire life that my purpose on Earth was to be a mom, and I am so ready for the challenge.  I am nervous about breast feeding, especially once I go back to work.  And I am nervous that I will feel like I am not spending enough time with him once I go back to work.  I feel like the daycare workers will see him more than I will!  I am already having MAJOR separation anxiety about taking him to daycare once I am done with maternity leave.  I am so thankful that someday I will be able to be a stay at home mom and probably won't have to go through this with furture children, but having to accept that your first baby will be in the care of non-family members makes me jealous.  Why should they get to spend so much time with him!?!?!  I cried dropping my dog off at the kennel for Thanksgiving, how in the world can anyone expect me to drop off my child and leave him everyday!?!?  That is just not natural.  I think Daddy is going to have to do the dropping off and I will do the picking up.  Daddies are much stronger and rational than mommies when it comes to this I think.

So now I am just counting down the days until Corey is due to arrive.  57 days!  Hopefully he decides to grace us with his presence a little earlier than that though as I am getting very impatient to meet him =D  

Monday, November 19, 2012

If you want to hear some GREAT music, these are my recommendations!

These are the tunes that I am currently obsessed with...some are oldies but goodies, and some are current.  

Such Great Heights ~ Iron & Wine
Last of Days ~ A Fine Frenzy
Panic Room 302 ~ Riverside
Insurgents ~ Steven Wilson
In My Time of Need ~ Opeth
Skyfall ~ Adele 
Fade Into You ~ Mazzy Star
Terrible Love ~ Birdy
Shelter ~ Birdy
A Team ~ Ed Shearan
My Blood ~ Ellie Goulding
Anything Can Happen ~ Ellie Goulding
Flightless Bird, American Mouth ~ Iron & Wine
Breathe Me ~ Sia
Mad World ~ Gary Jules
Overcome ~ Live
Love Will Find a Way ~ Blessed Union of Souls
Cut ~ Plumb
In My Arms ~ Plumb (tear jerker for pregnant ladies, or maybe mommies in general)  
Colorblind ~ Counting Crows
Blue Jeans ~ Lana Del Ray
The Funeral ~ Band of Horses

I am probably forgetting so many right now, but these are the ones that make me squeal with joy when I hear them on Pandora (since many of them aren't played on the stupid radio).

   

     

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Apologies from an Imperfect Mother Part One


I am sorry that I swear so often.  You will soon learn I do it much more when I am in a good mood than when I am in a bad one

I am sorry that I have to drink some coffee with caffeine in the mornings in order to function.  I broke the habit during the first trimester, but after many sleepless nights, I just couldn't take it anymore.  

I am sorry that I make you listen to music you might not like and sing at the top of my lungs.  No, I am not a professional singer and I am sure that eventually this behavior will be very embarrassing for you.  I will try to break this habit before you start school.

I am sorry that once in a while, my hormones get the best of me and I go on a greasy food or candy/carbohydrate binge. 

I am sorry that sometimes when I am not paying attention while sitting on the couch, the cats sometimes jump on my stomach, and maybe your face.

I am sorry that I don't eat as many vegetables as I should.

I am sorry that I sometimes push and poke you just to try to get you to move, probably when you are trying to sleep...but you make mommy nervous when you aren't beating the crap out of my uterus!

I am sorry that I don't do prenatal yoga religiously like I said I would.

I am sorry the dog barks so much.  And I am sorry that most likely this is never going to stop.  Please learn to sleep through it, PLEASE!

I am sorry that I sometimes eat deli meat, which has NOT been microwaved first.

I am sorry that I often sleep on my back, despite trying many techniques to keep me on my left side.  I hope you are still getting an adequate amount of blood flow during those moments.

I am sorry that I laugh so loud and sometimes startle you.  You seem to be getting much more used to that though.     


To be continued.... =D