^ Baby blue for baby boy ^… who is hopefully on his way into the world any minute now!
Just a couple thoughts for you on this Friday…
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a) Baby update: We’re going into the hospital Sunday night to be induced. Weeeeeeeeeeeee! Finally going to meet baby boy! Guys? If you’re the praying type, and if you think of it, I wouldn’t even be mad if you sent up a little prayer on our behalf. The truth is that I’m nervous. I’ve never done this before. I have no idea what to expect. And candidly, it seems like the moment it got out that I was overdue, there was suddenly this unsolicited influx of info about inducements that did nothing but make me feel frightened, unsure and unsettled. I know everyone means well, and a little more lead time with info like that would have made it a welcomed gift – but hearing all the reasons why something could be bad for you when you’re days away from doing that exact thing? Not so comforting. Especially when it goes against all the advice your doctor is giving you. And to make things far MORE confusing, everyone’s experience is so different: some people got induced and said it was complication-free and fantastic. Other people want to tell me about how terrible it was and how it ended in emergency C-sections. Then there are those who had incredible experiences with natural births from home or otherwise. I know others on the other hand, who had really scary experiences with low intervention, at-home births. Ug! Seems like no two experiences are alike and therefore no ONE person’s advice can be taken as doctrine. Point being: you’ve got one lost little lamb over here. Prayers. Prayers are what I need more than anything else – that’s the point of this big, long, obnoxious vent-session of a paragraph. In the end all I really care about is having an alive, healthy baby by the end of this thang. Little to no permanent damage to ME would be preferable as well. Thank you for thinking of us!
b) A little heads-up: Once baby is here, I’ve called in some back-up to help me keep the blog afloat while I tend to this new little angel of mine. I have a RAD lineup of guest posts comin’ your way, so get excited.
c) Forgive how random this one may seem, but becoming a new mommy kind of makes you do a little personal inventory, whether it’s intentional or not. ‘How am I doing?’ and ‘What kind of person am I becoming?’ and ‘What do I need to work on?’ and ‘Where have I slid of course without realizing it?’… that sort of thing. I was able to attend a special conference for the women of my church last weekend (they call it the General Women’s Meeting. Guuuuuud stuff. You can view it HERE if you’re interested.). There was one little message that I loved so much and that has been on my mind a lot since then:
‘We as women can be particularly hard on ourselves. When we compare ourselves to one another, we will always feel inadequate or resentful of others. Patricia T. Holland once said, “The point is, we simply cannot call ourselves Christian and continue to judge one another—or ourselves—so harshly.” She goes on to say that there is nothing that is worth us losing our compassion over.’ (source).
Man – I LOVE that. I don’t know about you, but I find that without even realizing it, I slip into that comparison trap way more easily and frequently than I want to admit… and in just about every facet of life! Why? I have no idea. All it promotes is feelings of self-doubt and devaluing of one’s self. It robs of the ability to be grateful and compassionate – to self or others. Woof! Who wants that? I am personally recommitting myself to refraining from the comparison, ungrateful, hard-on-myself game. No more. I invite you to join me if you feel so inclined. The end.
d) Favorite read right now: ‘As a Man Thinketh’ by James Allen. There’s an abbreviated version that you can read in literally a couple hours or less, and it’s SO GOOD. I’ve been a huge fan of this book for awhile now, but again, with a new babe coming, I’ve wanted to revisit these principles. It basically discusses the power of our thoughts and what an impact they have on our lives. Worth. The. Read.
d) Last thing: This quote that I heard a few weeks ago totally slayed me – in a good way. It made me feel way less nervous about the daunting endeavor of becoming a parent and more ok with how wicked-hard that’s going to be. Here are some extractions from the quote:
“For children are the glory of marriage, the treasure of parents, the wealth of family life. They develop within their parents an entire cluster of virtues, such as parental love and maternal affection, devotion and self-denial, care for the future, involvement in society, the art of nurturing. With their parents, children place restraints on ambition, reconcile contrasts, soften the differences, bring their souls ever closer together, provide them with a common interest that lies outside of them, and opens their eyes and hearts to their surroundings and for their posterity…
The family exerts a reforming power upon the parents. Who would recognize in the sensible, dutiful father the carefree youth of yesterday, and who would ever have imagined that the lighthearted girl would later be changed by her child into a mother who renders the greatest sacrifices with joyful acquiescence? The family transforms ambition into service, the weak into strong, cowards into heroes.”
BRING. IT. ON.
Thank you so much to you ALL for your love, support, thoughts and prayers. Here’s to hoping that everything will go smoothly this weekend and we’ll have a bouncing baby boy to report about next week. Woot Woot!
Have a Freaking Awesome Friday.
Thank you so much for reading. xoxo
So exciting! Congrats in advance 🙂
xoxo
Jasmin
You’re gonna do great! Can’t wait to see your postpartum outfits and your darling baby! Congratulations!
This was an amazing post! A few of my close friends have had babies recently, and you’re right: their experiences are all so different! Just do what feels best for you, the hubs, and the little baby you’re bringing into the world! I also love all of the quotes in here. Praying for a safe delivery of your little babe! 🙂
In addition to the “last supper” before you check into the hospital, one other teeny suggestion is to let your husband manage the barrage of texts/emails/social posts that are likely to ensue asking, “Any Baby YET?!” You’ll want to save all your energy for getting that little one out safe (and yes, you in one piece, too!) – so try to turn off some of the outside world and just focus on the REALLY BIG thing you’re about to do.
Best wishes, prayers, and an early CONGRATS!!!
-Michele
The Salty Hanger
I love that nail color! Sending up prayers for you and baby boy 🙂
I love this post! It is so hard hearing everyone’s stories and than not having any clue what’s going to happen still. Sorry if I’ve just added to the pot at all! You’re going to rock this Shannon! We’ll be praying for you!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Prayers going up for you sweet little Mama! Xx.
Good luck!! Will be keeping your family in my thoughts and prayers!
Megan
budgetfashion101.blogspot.ca
cute post. wish you all the best of luck now
have a great weekend
x
It’s all going to be wonderful! I am totally understanding of the birth experiences and having people say things to freak you out about something you cannot control. We’re hoping our baby girl moves around in the next two weeks because she’s currently frank breech and I really do not want a c-section but the first words I hear when this comes up are always discouraging. Trust that He has a plan for you and your family. For a feel good story, last month Frannie Wilson had a planned induction a week before her due date and she birthed a beautiful baby boy without any complications! You are going to be a wonderful mother, Shan. Now, go have a guilt free extra large milkshake while you still can ; )
I hope & wish everything goes well while you give birth to your sweet baby boy… Good luck!!! My thoughts & prayers are with you & your soon to grow family!!!
Have a great weekend!!!
xoxo Violeta, your Shoegal Out In The World
http://www.shoegaloutintheworld.com
You’ll do terrific Shannon! Look at the amazing woman who gave birth to you… I bet it will be smooth sailing. 😉 I’ll be thinking of you and will keep you in my prayers too. PS, can I have your maternity wardrobe? Ha ha.
Thanks Cathy! Means a lot coming from you! And you’re right – I’ve got a pretty great model to look to… Becky is kind of a superhero/rockstar in her own right. 🙂 xoxoxo
Shannon, woman. Do not stress. You will be fine. Everything will go as it should and soon you will have a awesomely gorgeous baby boy to love and adore. Just breathe and trust in the Lord. He never gives us more than we can handle.
I can’t wait to see this beautiful baby of yours. Good luck and be happy. You are in my prayers.
Hi! I’ve been reading your blog for awhile, but I’ve never commented before. However, I decided that today I should de-lurk to tell you that I am keeping you in my prayers. I also want to share that in my opinion the most crucial element of being a good parent is total, unconditional, selfless love. It is very obvious from everything that you have written how much you love your little man & that you would do anything for him, so you will be a GREAT mom!
Thank you so much Barcy! I really appreciate that. And what great advice. Unconditional, selfless love is certainly all I can hope for as a new mother. Thanks again for reading! xoxo
So I don’t know you but I do know Chase from High School and somehow I came across this blog. You are obviously super awesome if Chase chose to marry you and you guys will both be such great parents. I totally know how you’re feeling, I hated when people did that to me. It’s like they see that you’re pregnant and so in an effort to relate they tell you the most horrendous stories…bad idea! Anyway, think of all the people out there who have gone through it and come out alive and well! You and baby boy will do great and I am sure he will be one gorgeous boy! Good luck with everything! Love your blog! Oh and I also loved that talk last Saturday, don’t we do that all too much? I love the reminder to just love each other!
Thanks Diana! You’re right – definitely better to focus on all the positive stories. And honestly, there seems to be way more of those than the other, so hooray for that! Oh, Chase says hi! 🙂 Thanks so much for reading!
Wow- D is just… wow. Beautifully said. I read recently (sorry, don’t remember where, that what you do and say as a parent isn’t nearly as important as *who you become* as a result of being a parent. It’s a refining process that hopefully we respond well to. You and Chase will be fabulous.
Great shots you have here!
Best,
Olivia Abdelmalek
http://cleopatraskloset.blogspot.com
love these snaps! those lipsticks!
from – The Lion’s Den
You and Chase are going to be fabulous parents. Take everything one second at a time. It is all going to be great! Can’t wait to hold little Baby J!!!!!
Love you,
Mom
Gorgeous photos 🙂
Do you want to follow each other, just let me know on my blog?!
http://danadimitras.blogspot.com
Congratulations! We just got home from delivering our little one on Thursday evening via c-section. My water broke early Wednesday morning and it wasn’t a gush, just leaks and I wasn’t having contractions but we went in just to make sure the baby was okay (I heard that they shouldn’t go without amniotic fluid for too long). Long story short, my blood pressure was high and my doctor recommended induction. I made it to 7 cm and then stopped and began to get a fever. Baby was posterior and wouldn’t turn. All that lead to c-section.
Regardless, we have a healthy baby boy! I am of the praying kind so I will pray for you and for after you deliver, especially should you choose to breast feed. Not everyone’s experience is the same (I totally feel you on that rant you went on!) but my friends and I all had the hardest time. I’m still only on my 3rd day, but you defnitely have my prayers for those long first nights.
I’m so behind on blog reading but now I’m so excited to read the next post & hear the exciting news! 🙂 xx
Love the blue nail polish! I have been debating whether I’m going to paint my nails blue or pink tomorrow and this post just helped me decide to go with blue! Congrats on your baby boy & this special time in your life!