Bartender!! A round of pregnancy tests for the ladies!!

     I thought I had seen it all. And to be honest I'm not quite sure how to take this. I came across this article about an organization that is endeavoring to have pregnancy test vending machines put in bars around Minneapolis, Minnesota.

     While I encourage efforts of spreading awareness of early testing and proper prenatal care, I am almost embarrassed for the first person to excuse themselves from their table, only to stop at that machine on their way to the bathroom. Please tell me it is at least in an inconspicuous place. In my opinion, a bar is no place to be taking that kind of test. If you are worried about being pregnant, why would you wait to get to the bar to take a test anyway?! Take it at home for crying out loud!

    And it is very possible for a woman to not know she is pregnant. There is a show about it, and everything! I know I'm not the only one that watches TLC.

     But in closing, I raise my virgin strawberry daiquiri to those that are championing a very worthy cause despite the unusual method!

Pinterest may end up raising my child...

     ...because I have an addiction to pinning.

     Wow! It does feel better to get it out!! Only 11 more steps until I'm cured. I have found some awesome ideas I want to try once the little one gets here. I seriously feel bad for this kid. This is a board that I started on my Pinterest dedicated to my son. I am curious to see if and how some of these tips and tricks work.

     I have an endless list of crafts and DIY I want to do, and absolutely zero motivation to do any of it. I feel like once it is pinned to my board it is finished. His nursery would probably rock if I ever got around to doing it.

     I am hoping to at least curb this addiction so I am not chasing my son around with thumb tacks and post it notes, screaming "But I saw this on Pinterest!!"
 
     I can see it now. One day, he will be cruising the internet on some contraption that his out of touch mother will not understand, and he is going to come across his childhood. All neatly arranged on a virtual cork board. That's right, sweetheart. Your mom is a big, fat cheater.

    

    

   

A bit of solicited advice...

     I am a first time mom (31 weeks and then some along). I like being well informed. What I lack in maternal instinct and common sense, I make up for with reading, asking my doctor questions, and asking for advice from people that have been where I currently am. Which by the way, I refer to the current stage in my life as the "stuffed sausage phase". I feel as if my body could not stretch any further. And bite your tongue if you are sitting there saying "Oh, you just wait!". I know. And if I want to cry because I think I look like a giant blueberry in a Detroit Lions shirt, you best believe I will sob like the best of them :)

     Keep in mind, I love getting advice. Solicited advice that is. I knew how it was going to be with people wanting to tell me how to do things, what to do, where to do it, etc. And I appreciate that people feel the need to help. But I have received some unsolicited advice that made me wonder how some people grew up to be so awesome. While understanding how others didn't.

      So if you are like me, and enjoy helpful tips, reassurances, and the feeling of knowing you are not alone, read on for some advice that I got from some women in my life that know a little more than I do at this point. And if you are passed the "stuffed sausage phase" and well into child raising, enjoy what other moms have contributed, and feel free to add your own!

     "Cherish the moments because time flies." ~everyone I talked to.

     "Never be too busy that you don't take the time to listen to your kids. What they have to say is important to them!" ~Mary E. (my mom) <3
   
      "Don't believe every thing you read. Your child will hold his head up, roll over, sleep all night, crawl, walk and all those wonderful firsts when they are good and ready! Don't freak out or be overly concerned if it's not on that amazing time line some man put together 30 yrs ago." ~Andrea S.

      "Always do what's right for you and your family and don't bother comparing. It will consume you." ~Amber J.

      "Sleep when the baby sleeps when you first come home! You just had a baby and you are going to be tired! The house work can wait until you wake up from naps." ~Michelle V.

      "Be yourself. Don't try to live up to what anyone else expects or says you should be. Motherly instincts are an incredible and real thing and even though you'll never be perfect, you'll be perfect for your child." ~Shelly R.

      "At a young age, if you raise them the right way, in their eyes you could be their Hero. Never take that for granted." ~Nichole M.

      "Communication with your significant other is vital. Don't assume he knows you would like help or need a break. If you want it or need it, ASK! Don't build up resentment because you think you are doing more. Men need to be told. They are horrible mind readers!" ~Megan M.
 
     "I would say don't let the negative things people say about your parenting get to you. Some woman swear by this or that or think you should never do some things. I say, I went through the 9 months and delivery. Let me raise my own children! However....don't hesitate to ask for help/opinions when you need it." ~Jennifer H.

      "Don't over analyze everything. With every situation I would read 2-3 books about it and I wasted so much time and energy. Once you become a mom it all comes naturally. Every day is a different day and you have to figure out how to make it work." ~Jessica H.


     "Anything that takes you 15 minutes now, like getting ready and walking out the door, will take you 45 minutes when you have a baby." ~Trisha S.

     "Sometimes you do have to get away from mommyhood and find yourself again. You will come back rejuvenated." ~Maggie B. 

    

I thought playing outside was free...

     So I was perusing the internet about mommy stuff, which by the way has taken up my life, and I came across this little gem of an article. Now I am not one to judge, but who would pay a woman to sit a block away drinking coffee while your child played unsupervised in Central Park?

     Yes. You read me right. I completely agree that children playing outside for hours at a time is a lost art. Growing up, my mom would kick us out of the house during the summer. We could come in to eat, pee, and nap. That was it. We had shade, a garden hose, unrelenting energy, and an awesome imagination. And somehow an endless supply of slip and slides! We were forced to get creative to have fun and learn how to interact with other kids. We didn't run around causing trouble. Well, most of us didn't. And, hallelujah, we survived adolescence!!! How can that be?!

      But you better believe my mother and every mother on that block knew where we were at all times. There is absolutely no way my mother would let us loose in Central Park unsupervised. Probably for the sake of other people, but that isn't the point.

     While I agree with this woman, and encourage independence, my son will have all the chances in the world to get his energy out on a playground, while I sit back and keep at least one eye on his whereabouts. Look at that! I just saved myself $350 big ones! I think I will treat myself to some new shoes!!

Just the beginning...

     I found out we were pregnant when I was 7 weeks along. Nick was in Chicago. I was home trying to figure out either the best place to hide or when I was going to tell him. Even though we had known each other for years (he is my brother's best friend) we had not been dating very long. You would think one would be an emotional wreck, terrified at the prospect of having a child with no immediate plans of one whatsoever. Not me. Call me a freak but the hours I sat home alone that night were probably the most at peace hours I have ever experienced in my life. It was just me and my baby. Something in me shifted and settled and I felt whole.

     Then reality hit. Holy crap!!! I'm gonna have a baby!!! A BABY!!!! Who in their right mind would let me have one of those?! Fast forward to a few minutes later ...hmmm. This could be fun. This world could use a mini me...*insert Dr. Evil laugh. And that has been my outlook ever since.

 *19 week ultrasound. It's a boy! And he's puttin' up a peace sign :)

     I am now 30 weeks along and we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our son, Kendrick John. He has already changed me and he isn't even here yet. I am still one of the most funny, completely inappropriate people I know ;) but I now have a sense of calm I thought I would never achieve. Zen if you will. Until I start craving a cinnamon sugar donut. Then all hell breaks loose. Not really. But I do get primal when it comes to dessert.

     I thought it would be interesting to share my experience. So far it hasn't been all sunshine and roses, but it has had some great moments. I will be forever teased about the time I transformed into a raging carnivore and wanted to do nothing but tear apart chunks of meat because I was so hungry and we had driven by a Buffalo Wild Wings.

*Me and Kendrick at 25 weeks :)

     So come along on my journey with me if you would like. I'm sure there will be something in these blog posts you can relate to :)