PREPARE FOR BATTLE!

So here is a picture of me at 17 weeks! (Doing the Beyonce pose!)  You can see I'm starting to get a little bump.  Nugget is growing and I'm always hungry!  I hope I'm that girl that only looks pregnant from the front, ha...we'll see. There are a lot of wonderful things to say about being pregnant...but I have to say it sure does take a toll on your body.  An article posted on ivillage.com claims, "You'll never look the same in a bathing suit again".  Aaaahhhhh!  What's a girl to do?  Well, I'm not going down without a fight, so today I'm going to share a couple things I've picked along the way to help me win this battle!

First, I've been wearing "mum" shorts!  I actually know the lady who designed these.  She's a fellow mompreneur and good friend of mine.  I started wearing her compression shorts about a month ago, when I started to feel some back pain.  I have to say they are wonderful!  As soon as I put them on I feel like someone is hugging me in all the right places.  I feel supported and my back pain is significantly reduced.
http://www.recoveryshorts.com/

Second, I lather up!  Every morning and night I've been using these creams to help prevent those unwanted stretch marks.  A little expensive, but being a coupon cutter allows me to save on some stuff and splurge on others.  Do they work?  Actually, I don't know, and probably I won't know until after I have the baby.  But I smell good and feel great and that's all that matters right now! http://www.mustelausa.com/

Third, I bought new shoes!  I know these aren't no Jimmy Choos, but at this point, I DON'T CARE!  They are sooo comfortable.  I searched high and low for the perfect preggy shoe.  I wanted something cute with lots of support.  When I put these on I immediately felt like Cinderella.  It's like the soles were perfectly molded for my feet.  I love them! http://www.naot.com


As I sit back and look at all the things I've bought, I realize that what I'm really battling here is FEAR! The fear of what's going to happen to me physically and how my life is going to change.  But I have to remind myself that fear is the enemy...and the best defense is to trust in the Lord.  So I truck on and patiently wait for my little miracle to be born!

Mathew 6:25-27.  DO NOT WORRY “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"

THE MAIN INGREDIENT...A BABY!!

So this is the first picture of our little bugger!  Isn't he/she cute.  Until we find out the gender, let's call he/she "Nugget".  From the looks of that BIG head, Nugget is going to be very smart.  And sorry Dad, but I think Nugget has my nose.  This picture was taken at 12 weeks, which was already 1 month ago.  Today I turn 16 weeks.  Wow, time flies when your pregnant!  I have to say, this is one of the most exciting steps of becoming a mother.  The first glimpse of your little one is priceless.  What's wierd is that you don't feel anything inside.  Of course you have the fun side effects of being extremely tired, ragingly hungry, and over the top emotional, but you don't actually feel any movement inside.  So when I saw the 1st picture, I was full of relief.  Phew!  I'm not crazy, there really is a little baby growing in there!  It's amazing, and yes, a little surreal.  I'll admit, I'm scared out of my mind.  Up to this point, I've been totally independent.  I work hard and come and go as I please.  My "mom" friends already made it very clear to me... A LOT is going to change.  But I feel good and we're excited.  I'm thinking positive.  I recognize that I am blessed to have a great support system near by.  My husband is heaven sent.  Seeing him interact with my niece and nephew, I know he's going to be an amazing father.  His sister is young and spunky.  Reminds me of my younger day,  plus, she doubles as a dog sitter (thanks Mo!).  My mom is the modern day handy woman.  I am proud to say she can fix a toilet, change a faucet, and true story, duct tape a diaper.  My brother is extremely talented.  He consistently sets a good example by being a loving, and supportive father himself.  His wife is one of my very best friends and a mother of 2!  She knows EVERYTHING.  She is always one step ahead of me and seriously, she's better than google.  But most of all, I have the Lord.  I'm taking this time to learn how to trust him.  Being human, naturally I want to control everything.  But what I'm learning is, his plan is ALWAYS better than mine.  His timing is perfect.  When you let go and trust in him, things will eventually work out.  A little patience and faith can go a long way.

Stay tuned next week and I will give you a glimpse of this growing belly!