Thankful Thursday - Maternity Shopping

While I may not have my close family and friends here to accompany me whenever I need (or simply want to) go maternity clothes shopping, I manage to have fun all by myself. Motherhood has this silly little pillow that you wrap around your belly and every time I shop there, I wear it and giggle. I love to imagine how big my belly will get as peanut grows and it's fun to see if the clothes I'm buying will stretch along with my bump!

Baby Bump Pillow!! :)

I'm thankful for days like today where the weather was nice enough for me to walk 15 minutes over to the store. I'm thankful that I found a pretty dress for my 1st Mother's Day and especially thankful that I'll be sharing that day with my mom and grandma. I'm thankful that the dress I wound up liking the most was on sale (every dollar counts!) and I'm thankful I found underwear that now fits my rounder body. :D

Most of all I am thankful to be having a happy and healthy pregnancy. I look at myself in the mirror and still can't believe it! Then I start crying of happiness because, well, I'm hormonal and just can't help it. Which then makes me thankful for my Twitter mamas for their love and support. It's great knowing I'm not alone with how I feel! ^_^

What are you thankful for?

No More Baby Shower Sadness

A few days ago I had a couple of tweets stating that I was stressing out trying to have a baby shower the week leading up to Mother's Day. A lot of my awesome mommy-to-be friends on twitter were telling me it was too soon and that I am not supposed to plan my own shower! (Follow me on twitter @VeganBabyBump)

I realize that I am only 10 weeks pregnant and that tradition calls for your shower to be a) thrown and paid for by someone else and b) thrown 6-8 weeks before your due date. However, I have a few things that I feel are getting in the way of what tradition calls for.

For starters, I live in New York City and all my family and closest friends live in Miami, Florida. My mom and grandmother are coming to visit me for Mother's Day and it occurred to me that maybe I could just have an early shower so that they could be a part of it. I can't afford to go home for the sake of just a shower to having it there. Although it would be great, it just isn't practical.

I went back and forth through a lot of "planning" which included a lot of tradition breaking, such as asking guests to chip in for costs. (I know that's a big no-no but I was getting desperate). I was getting frustrated, sad, anxious, I would cry, I even screamed into a pillow. I have always dreamt about how my baby shower would be and not having my mom there just doesn't fit in with what I want.

At the end of the day, Hubby held me and said the most comforting thing. I can't remember word for word, but the message was that I should just enjoy the week that my mom and grandma will be here and let the rest just fall into place. Not everyone knows yet that I'm pregnant so there is still a possibility that someone will throw me a shower.

But honestly, realizing now that the most important thing for me is to share my pregnancy with my mom & grandma, if I end up having a baby shower-great, if not-then that's ok too.

It took me longer than it should have to realize that what's important is already coming to me and I am so grateful that I have my boyfriend and my family that love and support me through this amazing journey.

In lieu of having this rushed, extremely early baby shower, I've opted to plan a nice family brunch at V-Note which is this amazing vegan restaurant that I'm sure my mom & grandma will enjoy.

Can't wait to celebrate Mother's Day with three generations, soon to be four!

Listening To My Inner Mom Voice

My mom and I have a wonderful relationship. We talk every single day, sometimes for hours if time permits. I share pretty much everything with her and she is the first one to know about 98% of what goes on in my life. We don't always agree on everything, but we are able to listen to each other's opinions and agree to disagree if in the end that is what it comes to.

That is not to say that our relationship is perfect. We do have heated conversations, especially now that I am pregnant. She doesn't fully understand why I do certain things, like why I'm still vegan now in my pregnancy, and I always do my best to explain it to her, but since it's not the "norm" she continues to not be 100% on board.

Right now there are a few things that I am really trying to get her to agree with me or at least leave me alone about:

1. I won't stop being vegan in my pregnancy or after I give birth (or ever).
2. Our baby will be raised a vegan until he/she is old enough to form his/her own opinion.
3. I will breast feed exclusively for as long as I can.
4. I will co-sleep with our baby and not use a traditional crib. (disregard "dream crib post!)
5. Our baby will use cloth diapers. No ifs, ands or butts. ;)
6. I will have a natural birth with as little medical intervention as possible. 
7. We will use a sling with our baby.

I can probably think of more things but these seem to be the ones we touch on the most. Since my mom and I are so close, I do seek her approval a lot and I really need to stick to my guns now more than ever. I can't start compromising how I want Mike & I to raise our baby just because my mom has a different point of view. The most I can do is allow her to voice her opinion and then share mine and let her know I won't be changing my mind.

After talking for hours about the crib (which she even hated our "dream crib" because it was oval shaped), I finally got her to stop pushing the idea of a traditional crib on me. When I showed her a picture of the Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper that I like, she actually offered to be the one to buy it for me.

That's the great thing about my mom. At the end of the day, I know that everything she says, she says out of love. She means no harm because she really just doesn't know any better. I really can't wait to see her when she comes visit me with my Grams for Mother's Day. I haven't seem them in almost a year. My mom's love for me is unconditional and I know she will always support me no matter what I do. I just need to have a little more patience with her and more confidence in my decisions and we'll continue to be just fine!

Thankful Thursday 3/10

Before the day ends, since I don't have anything to specific in mind to write about, I'd like to list the top 10 things I am grateful for this very moment.

• #10 - I'm thankful for frozen vegan foods. I try my best to not have processed food, especially now that I am preggers, but I really did not feel like cooking today and Morning Star Farms BBQ Riblets saved my life. 
•  #9 - I'm thankful for my cell phone functioning properly again. For whatever reason I wasn't able to charge it and was losing my mind a little bit having lost communication from the world. All is ok now. 
•  #8 - I'm thankful for my adorable cat who cuddles with me and my baby bump while Hubby is at work. 
• #7 - I'm thankful for living in this wonderful city where everything is within walking distance, a short bus ride, a train stop or two or even a cheap cab ride away. 
• #6 - I'm thankful for having such a great support system that includes Hubby, my entire family back home in Florida, great friends and other mommies-to-be that I meet online.
•  #5 - I'm thankful for having different outlets for the different feelings that are running through me lately. Writing, singing, reading, even tweeting helps!
•  #4 - I'm thankful for all of my pregnancy symptoms because it makes me feel more like a mom every time I experience a new one.
• #3 - I'm thankful that my mom & grandma were able to buy their tickets to come visit me for Mother's Day. 
• #2 - I'm thankful that I always have a phone call, email, text message, or instant message to answer from someone who cares about me. 
• #1 - I'm thankful that I get to share every minute of my day with the love of my life and with our creation growing inside me.

I hope that this inspires at least one person to take a second and think about what they are grateful for in their life. It is very easy to wallow in the bad but we should always remember the good. The good in life, the good in others, the good in ourselves.

Thank you to all who read this. :)

To Daddy, from Baby 2/7/11

Dear Peanut,
  
     In a few hours, daddy-to-be will be holding my hand & watching you grow inside me. I know you're excited to meet him so I've dedicated this poem from you to him to share tomorrow.

                                                                                                           Love, Mommy

Dear Daddy,

I do not have a face to see
Or put inside a frame.
I do not have soft cheeks to kiss.
I don't yet have a name.

Not yet can you hold my tiny hands
Nor whisper in my ear.
It's still too soon to sing a song
Or cuddle me so near.

But all that'll change come September
When they say I'm due.
I am your first born child
And I can't wait to meet you!

All I ask between now and then
Is your love for me to grow.
I promise I'll be worth the wait
Because of all the love we'll know!

So as you're waiting patiently
Please dream sweet dreams of me.
I cannot wait to be a part
Of this great family!

                                                                                                  I love you daddy,
                                                                                                     Baby                      




*When I chose this poem I was under the impression that my first prenatal visit would include a sonogram, but that actually won't happen until February 23rd. I also had the month blanked out until I was told our due date and filled it in as soon as I was told. Baby's name is also blanked out until we know if it's a boy peanut or girl peanut and decide on a name!