Believe you can overcome your odds

Sometimes we get so caught up in our emotions

That we forget to listen to our rational thoughts.

Pessimists calculate the odds

Optimists believe they can overcome them.

Wearing the same shirt doesn’t make a team.

Failure can really be SUCCESS!

You know you are old when you have lost all your marvels.

Failure is success if we learn from it.

It’s not what we can do that makes the difference

It’s what we will do

Banging temptation

Live so that your friends can defend you but never have to.

Refusal to hope is nothing more than a decision to die.

Opportunity may knock once

But temptation bangs on your front door forever!

Change your life

When something negative hits you like a ton of bricks, just smile and move on.

The only thing making a mountain out of a mole hill, is you.

The best way to predict the future is to create it!

You cannot change your life by changing your life.

You can only change your life if you change your thinking.

Insirationals

You can still make today

The day you change yourself

True victory is not about finishing first

It’s about finishing regardless of how many times you fail

If your ship has not yet come in, build a lighthouse

But, be sure you are not supposed to be at the train station

Reduce, reuse and recycle!

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New forum! Please Join!

Hey everyone, (who stops by but does not subscribe) I have a new forum up and I would like you to join and start discussing your experience being a mommy. Please please please (begging? yes!) lol thanks Gals!

9 Months Pregnant

Wow what an accomplishment this is. Today I am 37 weeks pregnant with my first child and he is a wonderful little boy, I can just imagine. I am so proud and joyful, blessed and thankful at this very moment!

It seemed like yesterday I took a pregnancy test and it came out positive. (OK well maybe longer than a yesterday moment but it does not seem like 9 months ago).

In my first trimester I experienced alot of vomiting and tiredness and tasty yucky metal taste in my mouth, but that quickly went away. My second trimester came at ease, no pain, no achiness, energy, great skin, it was awesome I actually thought I could stay pregnant forever lol!
But this last trimester, Boy my skin has darkened tremedrously, and it hurts to walk and sleep. I am always sleepy but I cant get a good nights rest, from achiness and insomnia!

I dream about my baby boy ever second I can get and I want to hold and kiss him badly! I don't want to return to work and he is not even here yet. I still have things to do though.

So far I have accomplished:
nursery theme decor (lion king)
crib
dresser
bassinet
swing
walker
pack and play
bath tub
clothes (0-18month)
"everything washed"
diapers galore
wipes
washing stuff
baby bag
breast pump
closet/dresser organized
car seat

things needed:
changing table \
glider and ottoman
another baby bag
pediatric doctor
pre register at hospital
pay hospital balance
homemade baby DVD
maternity pictures
list of family helpers


things are coming along nicely... check out my pregnancy videos on YouTube under "naturalbeautyguru"

How big is a big baby?

For me I want my baby 7 lbs or less, I was 6 lbs and my hubby was 7 almost 8 but this girl I know was 7 days over her due date and her baby was not 8, not 9 (and 9 is huge) but 11 lbs. 9.6 ounces!!! holy cow!!! no way!!! and she had him vaginally!!!

New Born Checklist

So what do I need to bring to the hospital for the baby and myself?

So far I have for baby:
6 diapers
4 onesies
1 come home outfit
4 socks
1 pajamas
1 blanket
wipes
2 ready made enfamil bottles
travel size wash kit
pacifiers
rattlers


I know I do not need all this but I was too excited, but the hospital should provide more stuff, and I have not gotten to my bag as of yet!


What will/did you pack?

Whats going on with me at 9 months pregnant

Hey guys!

I am 9 months pregnant today and I feel great! I am so excited and nervous all at once. I have been on a baby high since this weekend when I went to one of my church memebers baby shower. She is having a girl and the baby shower was so much fun! I also have a baby shower this friday from my co workers at work. My baby is blessed all around!

I am making a documentary of the baby's upcoming arrival but over that past week I broke my laptop and now my pics and videos maybe lost (sad sad moment).

Guess what? My feel are alittle swollen from time to time. I actually thought that since I have been feeling so good, that the swelling would pass me by! But God gets the glory, everything is going just marvelous!!!! Thank you lord!!!

I have been having braxton hicks contractions and they are getting stronger and lasting longer now but still not steady!!! wow it is almost time. 28 days to go!

What are Kegel Exercises?

If you give birth vaginally, your vagina will probably remain a little larger than it was before. Right after delivery, the vagina will be stretched open and may be swollen and bruised. Over the next few days, any swelling you might have starts to go down, and your vagina begins to regain muscle tone. In the next few weeks, it will gradually get smaller. Doing Kegel exercises regularly helps restore muscle tone.

Start with an empty bladder. Imagine that you're trying to stop yourself from passing gas and trying to stop the flow of urine midstream at the same time. The feeling is one of "squeeze and lift" – a closing and drawing up of the front and back passages.


Make sure that you're squeezing and lifting without pulling in your tummy, squeezing your legs together, tightening your buttocks, or holding your breath. In other words, only your pelvic floor muscles should be working.


Though you may have trouble isolating these muscles at first, it gets easier with practice. It might help to place a hand on your belly while you're doing your Kegels to make sure that it stays relaxed.

If you haven't been doing Kegels, start by holding each contraction for a few seconds before releasing, and relax for a few seconds after each one. As your muscles get stronger, you'll want to work up to holding each Kegel for ten seconds, then relaxing for ten seconds after each one. If you're suffering from urinary incontinence, try to hold a Kegel while you sneeze, cough, or lift something. You may find that it helps keep you from leaking.

How much weight will I lose right after giving birth?

How much weight will I lose right after giving birth?

You probably won't return to your pre-pregnancy weight for some time, but you will lose weight immediately after delivery.

Subtracting one 7- to 8-pound baby, about a pound or so of placenta, and another few pounds of blood and amniotic fluid leaves most new moms about 12 pounds lighter. Yaay!! good for you! Is that still not enough???

Well the weight keeps coming off.  All the extra water your cells retained during pregnancy, along with fluid from the extra blood you had in your pregnant body, will be looking for a way out.


So you'll produce more urine than usual in the days after birth – an astounding 3 quarts a day. You may perspire a lot, too. By the end of the first week, you'll likely lose about 4 to 6 pounds of water weight. (The amount varies depending on how much water you retained during pregnancy.)

Uterus Contractions---How fast will your uterus shrink?

How long will it take for my uterus to shrink?

By the time you go into labor, your uterus is about 15 times heavier  and its capacity is at least 500 times greater than before you conceived.

 Within minutes after your baby is born, contractions cause your uterus to shrink, clenching itself like a fist, its crisscrossed fibers tightening just like they did during labor

 

For the first couple of days after giving birth, you can feel the top of your uterus at or a few finger widths below the level of your belly button. In a week, your uterus weighs a little over a pound –

half of what it weighed just after you gave birth. After two weeks, it's down to a mere 11 ounces and located entirely within your pelvis.

By about four weeks, it should be close to its pre-pregnancy weight of 3.5 ounces or less. This process is called involution of the uterus.

Even after your uterus shrinks back into your pelvis, you may continue to look somewhat pregnant for several weeks or longer. That's because your abdominal muscles get stretched out during pregnancy, and it will take time – and regular exercise – to get your belly back in shape.

Helping your son embrace being a big brother

Lots of kids aren't happy when they hear there's going to be a new baby in the family.

Point out to your son all the advantages and responsibilities that come along with being the big brother. Remind him that unlike really little kids who can't help at all, kids his age can really be involved in helping Mom and Dad get ready for the new baby, and can do lots of things that babies can't.


Try to get your son to discuss his concerns so you can help him deal with them. See what questions he has. And give him healthy ways to get his feelings out — like drawing a picture or throwing a ball outside.


If you sense that he's worried he might not get as much attention from you once the baby comes, talk to him about his fears. Then offer some suggestions that will make him feel better — such as setting aside some special time every day when he gets you all to himself.

Even 10 minutes of time as the main focus of your attention can make a big difference for your older child.