Motherhood Archives - Page 6 of 6

Six Month Pregnancy Update

November 23, 2015 By Lauren

Holy moly, this pregnancy feels like it’s been flying now that the fall is in full swing (and winter is rapidly approaching). This past weekend marked 24 weeks, or six months, of pregnancy and I can’t believe that we are just about four months away from meeting our little man (assuming he doesn’t decide to make an early appearance). Here’s a few updates on how the pregnancy’s been going so far!

Nursery Updates

Now that Jordan’s done with cross-country, we’ve jumped full force into some nesting! We took everything out of the baby room (including Olive’s kennel – she was VERY confused) and knocked out painting it last weekend. We have a pretty good system down where I cut in around the windows, ceiling, etc, and Jordan does the roller. We painted the walls a beautiful, cool shade of pale gray (like everything else in our house, I know – see our home tour here for evidence).

My backwards cap wearing partner in crime (and his coffee)

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What We’re Naming Our Son (A Letter)

November 5, 2015 By Lauren

Our Dear Son,

We’ve dreamed about what we would name our children for a long time, but as the weeks passed by in this pregnancy, one name kept coming to our minds over and over. When we found out you were a boy at our ultrasound a few weeks back, we knew pretty quickly what name we wanted to give you. All names are rich in meaning, but this one is our favorite. So, my son, with joy and pride I want to share with you the name we’ve chosen to give you, the name we’re giving to your tiny frame that will add to our family and our world in so many ways.

For your first name, the name that your friends and family and the many people that love you will call you, we have chosen Caleb.

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3 Truths That Are Helping Me To Love My Pregnant Body

November 2, 2015 By Lauren

Since I was a lanky and insecure 13 year old standing in front of the mirror and watching my friends compare themselves to each other, I’ve seen ONE issue that it seems like women from every age and stage can struggle with: body image. It seems like no girl is safe from the fear of being too skinny, too fat, too much, or somehow not enough when it comes to their physical appearance.

I’ll be honest…body image has never been one of my biggest struggles. I’ve walked side by side with friends as they wrestled deeply with insecurities about their weight and appearance, but my deepest insecurities have pretty much always been tied to my personality. As a gifted “smart kid” who grew up a bit nerdy, I always feared that I wasn’t fun enough, outgoing enough, or funny enough for my peers to like me. Body image wasn’t really on my radar, even after college and as I gained a few pounds in the years post college.

And then I got pregnant.

Body Shaming And Comparison In Pregnancy

5 weeks pregnant

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A Five Month Pregnancy Update

October 29, 2015 By Lauren

As of this week, I am just a little past the halfway point of this pregnancy. It is crazy to think how the days and weeks have both gone so slowly and flown by. I have a feeling that’s a lot like what being a mama will feel like! It’s been a while since I did a “bumpdate” (like this one at 15 weeks) so today’s post is dedicated just to random ramblings and updates about pregnancy. If you’re super curious about all this like me, then read on and enjoy! If not, then enjoy the rest of your day! 🙂

Anyway, here are a few updates of how these last few weeks and months have been:

How I’m Feeling: Like I shared a few weeks ago, the nausea is officially GONE! It faded at about week 16 and with the exception of a few random yucky tummy days, I’ve been feeling good! This is such a relief and I have such respect for all you mama’s who were sick during your entire pregnancy. I can’t even imagine that! Now I’m just super hungry all the time and experiencing some random, not-so-fun heartburn at night. I’ve also been experiencing some round ligament pains and lots of back pain, but I have a feeling that’s just par for the course. Anyone have any tips they found to help soothe the aches and pains as their bodies stretch to hold and nourish a new little one?

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Overcoming Busyness: Why No Is Our New Favorite Word

October 19, 2015 By Lauren

When we catch up with the people we know and share life with, the question “How are you guys doing?” is often met with one consistent answer: BUSY. The people we love are working their you-know-what’s off at entry level jobs, going to school, and navigating the new waters of grownup relationships, marriages, and even the first few years of parenthood. And in the midst of all that, they are getting oh so tired of asking the same questions over and over: When will we catch up? When will this season end?

This fall, our schedules have seemed a little fuller too and we’ve been feeling the crunch of busy. Jordan is coaching high school cross-country, which means he leaves our house at 5:45 AM for morning practice and doesn’t usually get home until 5:45 PM. Combine that with my pouring time into blogging, teaching, and experiencing all the ups and downs of growing a tiny human, and our days and lives have felt a lot busier these last few months.

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Letting Go Of Control In My Pregnancy

October 13, 2015 By Lauren

When my husband and I found out we were pregnant this past July, we were over the moon excited and absolutely terrified. I scoured Scripture looking for promises that God would answer the many prayers I whispered with my hands on my belly, hoping to find some sort of promise that if I prayed frequently and fervently enough, He would protect the little life growing inside me.

Instead, God pointed me over and over to a series of verses I’ve read a million times: Psalm 139. And my fearful heart that was rapidly expanding to hold this baby inside me read these words over and over:

“For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.
¹⁵My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them”

That little baby inside me, the one whose quickly beating heart and soul I was already growing to love? That baby is deeply loved and safely held in the hands of its Creator. With love and gentleness, He is knitting together the parts of my baby, from its organs and limbs to its heart and personality. And whether that little life lasts eight weeks or 80 years, it is fearfully and wonderfully made by a Father who planned and saw each of those days.

I’m sharing more about what it has looked like for me to let go of control in this season of growing a tiny human over on Faith n’ Friends, a contributor blog I am excited to be a part of this fall. Head over there to check out the rest of this post and read some awesome posts by the other contributors! And make sure to like that blog’s Facebook page to get updates of when there are new posts!

Why It’s Dangerous To Shame Another Woman’s Feelings

October 12, 2015 By Lauren

Since I started blogging last April, I’ve tried to be intentional about what I choose to post about. I never want to write in a way that seeks to incite controversy just for the sake of inciting it. It seems like the internet isn’t a safe place to disagree with people while still loving them so I’ve just avoided more opinionated posts. But when I read 2-3 articles with similar messages over the last few weeks, I got a little upset. So with all the grace in the world and knowing that not everyone will agree with me on this one, I decided to respond.

Here’s a very short summary of one of the articles (and the other two were pretty similar): The author was out at a public place and overheard a pregnant woman talking to a friend. The pregnant woman was sharing about her pregnancy and told her friend that she had cried when she found out they were having another boy.

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When Pregnancy Feels Underwhelming: An Honest Confession

September 28, 2015 By Lauren

Oh man. Are you ready for one of those posts that comes straight from the heart, free of lists of how to improve your life or a five step plan to move forward? I’ve spent a lot of time on this blog and in real life encouraging people to be real, to share their deepest struggles, to continually fight the battle against shame by doing things like seeking counseling and asking God for big, scary things. And I figured it was my turn to do a little sharing about what my last few months have looked like.

Let’s get right to it: this whole being pregnant thing is rocking my world emotionally. Not as much in the I’m hormonal all the time and cry at cheesy commercials kind of way (although that’s kind of true), but more in the way that I’ve been underwhelmed by my emotions these last few months.

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A Pregnancy Update: 15 weeks

September 17, 2015 By Lauren

There are some awesome bloggers who manage to do amazing weekly updates about their pregnancies, complete with adorable baby bump photos and detailed recaps of what that week of pregnancy was like. Y’all, I am not one of those bloggers. Not only do I feel like these first few months of pregnancy have flown by in a whirlwind of nausea, exhaustion, traveling, blogging, and starting the new school year, I’ll also go ahead and say that there are few things more awkward for me than having to pose for a picture by myself. NOT my cup of tea, folks. I feel awkward and I never know what to do with my hands and it’s just a hot mess, you know?

But for all of you dear readers and friends who have asked me how this pregnancy is going…I’m willing to post a bumpdate or two! They won’t be every week, but I’ll try to do maybe one once a month as whole thing progress.

First and foremost, the most important part of any pregnancy update…the bump!

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Wrestling With The Fear Of Miscarriage

August 31, 2015 By Lauren

When Jordan and I found out we were pregnant this summer, it felt completely surreal (You can read more about the journey here!). I took the positive pregnancy test at 4:00 AM before we headed to the airport for a 10 day trip to Mexico and California, so the whole thing felt like a blur. I wanted to be excited about the pregnancy and all the possibilities within it, but more than anything, I just felt fear.

I feared that the THREE positive pregnancy tests I took were somehow a mistake, that I’d somehow made it all up and the doctor would tell us we were wrong. I feared that there was something wrong with the baby and it wouldn’t implant correctly or grow correctly or do just about anything the way it was supposed to. I was scared my body would somehow not be able to grow and carry this way the way it was designed to and the baby wouldn’t make it. Even though I’m young, healthy, and have no previous miscarriages or medical issues that would make my pregnancy particularly high risk, I worried that something would go wrong.

There was joy and excitement and dreaming about our little one, but more than anything, I was so, so afraid.