The American Dream

Hello dear loved ones! ( I wrote this a week ago but just now am getting internet access to post it!)

I am here at Joe’s work with him (on Monday night), and thanks to the generosity of Joe’s gym manager have a computer at my disposal. A perfect time to update you all a little more while my handsome love brings home the bacon (quite literally these days due to my constant bacon desire!)…

We are 38 weeks pregnant today, and I get the sense this little person is quite comfortable in her warm womb. She still seems to have plenty of room to move and manoeuvre, which makes ME feel like she might never want to come out!  It’s ok, I trust she will be born at the perfect time, whenever she is ready! I certainly feel very pregnant, slow and lumbering and just plain ungraceful these days...not to mention I may or may not cry at the drop of a pin!

We celebrated our first Anniversary this weekend (which I will reflect on in another blog), but needless to say it was a perfect weekend! Joe and I got our hair cut on Saturday AND we went to confession, so now our insides and outsides are all ready for baby to arrive J

We sort of celebrated one year of marital bliss all weekend, which involved delicious noodle-box takeout on Saturday, a movie-night in on Saturday night, a big brunch on Sunday morning, and scrumptious Italian dinner on Sunday night. Oh, I forgot to mention that on Saturday night we re-created our honeymoon feasting with a Mediterranean picnic on our living room floor – complete with olive loaf, cheese, fruits and meats of all sorts, and of course dark chocolate. It was a weekend of true BLISS!

One of our many meals on our honeymoon. I miss Italy!!!! (And drinking wine) :)

 Joe played his final home game on Saturday, which was truly bittersweet for both of us. It has been such a challenging year for his basketball team. It is never fun to be part of a team on a losing streak, nor to have to navigate coaching changes/ losing players/ feelings of not playing to one’s full potential on the court. However, he played so strongly on Saturday, scoring 18 points, playing 37 minutes, and of course also supporting his team by being a super strong defensive player, rebounder, and setting up plays. I burst with pride when I watch my husband play basketball, and I will always be grateful for this opportunity to have witnessed him playing the sport he loves at a professional level.

Soo, the American Dream? Yes, he has been called that here. He amassed quite a fan base over the season, and at one particular home game one of his friends went into the announcer’s box and asked them to announce him as Joe Packard, “the American Dream”, the next time he was subbed on. Well, needless to say it stuck! Soooo hilarious. Joe doesn’t particularly love it, but I don’t mind if people think he is dreamy ;)

Anyhow, that is the little update for now! I am truly amazed, when I look at how we live our day to day to life here, at how far we’ve come in terms of operating here. I remember how frightened I used to be to venture out of the house. I was scared of driving, scared of ordering food at restaurants, scared of crossing the road because I always looked the wrong way, scared of having conversations with people because I never “got” their sense of humour. And now, here we are! I have learned so much about my ability to adapt, and about OUR ability to learn and grow together, conquering any challenge as long as we are side by side.

I have been reminiscing about summers of old due to the Stampede happening at the moment in Calgary. I can’t wait to bring our little girl to the Stampede and dress her up in her cowgirl duds! Needless to say, we miss you all terribly, but we are doing well and of course HAPPY!

Lots of love from Down Under!

xoxo

BEFORE YOU WERE CONCEIVED, I WANTED YOU.

BEFORE YOU WERE BORN, I LOVED YOU.

BEFORE YOU WERE HERE AN HOUR, I WOULD DIE FOR YOU.

THIS IS THE MIRACLE OF LOVE.

(Maureen Hawkins)

***tear*** this makes me teary to just write it. Can't wait to meet and hold our little miracle of love herself!

If I Could Only Tell Her...

Dearest Ones, how we miss you! We are well here though, so very peaceful and so deeply happy. Thank you for praying for us!

Well, I'm not sure about those of you who have been pregnant before, but for me this pregnancy has been a time of deep thought about my relationship with my mom. Mostly, I have moments of heart break thinking about how much I know she has loved me, and how often I've failed to receive her love or to return it like I should. If I could only tell my little daughter these things...

"When your Mama wants to have a nap and hold you close in cuddles, don't wriggle away and complain...one day you will be too big to fit in the crook of her arm! (The same goes for sitting on her lap or putting your head on her shoulder!) You will one day be a grown lady and wish for the comfort and security of mother's arms again."

"Don't think you are "too big" to hold her hand when you are still really little. Her heart will break a little bit on the day you are too cool, and yet she'll put on a smiley face and let you go anyhow. Don't rush it!"

"When she feeds you healthy food, and sends healthy snacks to school for you, try to remember that she is creating a healthy lifestyle for you, and she would probably find it alot easier to give you the dunkaroos you keep begging for!"

"Understand that when you have woes at school and with friends, she spends nights awake worrying. Try to be easy on her!"

"When you are a little older (like 14) you might feel very grown up but you are still your mama's little girl! Please be understanding when she has a hard time accepting that you might want to go away  for school, or chase dreams. Also, be easy on her when she asks you to wait, chances are she knows what is best for you!"

"When you are still older (but still her baby), and find yourself ugly when you look in the mirror...think about the anguish you might cause your mama who thinks you are the most beautiful oldest daughter she could ever ask for. Let her love you, cry in her arms, and let her take care of you. You don't have to be grown up before your time, and you certainly don't have to be tough all the time!"

"Don't ever tell her you hate her, because you never really do. It might seem like the most hurtful thing you could say in the moment, and it just might be, but why would you ever say something like that when you don't mean it?"

"When she is worried about someone you are dating, or a group of friends you might have, listen to her concerns...chances are her instincts are spot on."

"Call her, pray for her, hug her, love her, tell her you are sorry, tell her she is the most beautiful lady you've ever seen, tell her that she is your heroine and role-model, never let her forget that she is still the one person in the whole wide world that knows your heart in her special, perfect way."

Mama-Mia and all of her daughters....what a beautiful Mom we have!

I love my Mom so much and my heart is full to bursting with gratitude for just how she has loved me over the years. The little list above only scratches the surface of how well I have been loved. Now, on the verge of meeting my own daughter (unless of course "she" is actually a "he"!!), I feel a strange mixture of confidence and child-like fear. In one way I am ready for the adventure of motherhood, and on the other hand I only want the security of my own mother's arms. Perhaps this will never change!

Thank you Mama, for loving us with such self-donation!

Lots of Love from OZ. I can't wait to hug so many of you!

xoxo

Pregnancy Tool Kit

Hello again our dear ones near and far away! I hope this July day finds you all well and very happy. I am currently layered up with leggings, a skirt, and two sweaters. Brrrr, it’s chilly! However, I also just finished eating an orange popsicle, I couldn’t resist! A pregnant girl has got to do what shes got to do J

Yes, I eat popsicles all day long lately!!! My favorite are orange and sprite flavored, Joe has taken quickly to fudgsicles. We have a collection in our freezer :) 

Today, for something completely different I wanted to share (with those of you who might be interested) some of the tools that have helped me have such a fabulous, healthy pregnancy. I started off this pregnancy reeling from the emotions of the experience and all of my fears (superficial and deep) regarding this journey. It motivated me to pursue a healthy, vital pregnancy. In the process, I’ve learned that unfortunately most women are fed with the message that pregnancy is a condition that must be managed instead of a natural and beautiful process. I think in the end, constantly hearing that message can lead to a lot of undue fear and painful experiences. 

Of course, I recognize that every woman is different, every baby is different, and every pregnancy is different. Thus, there isn't just one "right way" to be pregnant or manage pregnancy. Some need more intervention and management, and that is OK too! But, here are some of the things that have helped me!

WARNING: this blog is LONG, if pregnancy doesn't interest you, you may want to skip to the last paragraph :)

The first has been my beautiful Hypnobabies Childbirth Preparation Course. Now, this is a course that teaches hypnosis for childbirth, and at first hypnosis sounded really out there and wonky to me. However, Hypnobabies is really about learning to deeply relax and also to reprogram your psyche to view pregnancy as normal, natural, healthy, and safe. The hour or so that I’ve spent each day since about 25 weeks learning about my body and bonding with our little girl has been so utterly invaluable. Moreover, it is a complete childbirth course, so there is tons of information about nutrition (including encouragement to gain SUFFICIENT weight during pregnancy, yay!), and exercise. Husbands are involved also, and I can’t wait to try my tools out on Liliana’s birthday. However, even if her birth should take any unexpected turns, I will use Hypnobabies for affirmation and reassurance in every subsequent pregnancy.

http://www.hypnobabies.com/

The second is positive birth stories and birth videos! I have spent much time reading positive birth stories and watching videos of beautiful, peaceful births on youtube. I think that it really helps to feel united to other women, to see their strength, and to have first hand witnesses of how beautiful and strengthening birth can be, despite its intensity and oftentimes the pain. When I feel worries, especially when bombarded with other women’s horror stories or the oh-so-popular phrase “you’ll give in and get the drugs,” I just watch a video or read a birth story, or look at the GORGEOUS photos by birth photorapher Lynsey Stone J

http://www.blogger.com/goog_1586284803

http://www.blogger.com/goog_1586284803

http://www.youtube.com/user/EnjoyBirth

http://www.dfwbirthphotographer.com



Third and more recently is information about optimal fetal positioning. It has been revealed to me that there is a perfect position for babies to be born in! Statistically, this position allows for quicker labors, perfect head positioning, and therefore calmer mamas! Specifically this is anterior (facing mom’s back), chin tucked, and with the fetal spine to maternal left. It is shocking to me that women aren’t told about this more, because we can actually encourage our babies into this position in the last 4-6 weeks of pregnancy. It involves almost no time reclining, and lots of time on all fours or leaning forward, but I feel like that is a worthwhile little sacrifice. Check out these websites:

http://www.spinningbabies.com/

http://fruitfulvines.blogspot.com/search/label/Baby%20Positions

All of the different positions our wee ones can assume in utero!

Fourth is Exercise!!! Now, I have been fortunate enough to feel well enough to exercise throughout pregnancy. However, while I started out doing what I normally would in the gym, I obviously had to revise. Now, I get into the weight room maybe twice a week and do arms and lots of squats (and at the same time frighten to death all the macho men in there with my ginormous belly!). The other two or so times I work out, I use my amazing MommyShape Prenatal DVD, which I bought from www.amazon.com. Taught by a woman who is 35 weeks pregnant, the dvd was too easy for me in second trimester but has been perfect in the third. It is a mix of yoga, dancing, and light weights (I use soup cans). Liliana loves the dancing portion and always gets her little self going before dropping off to sleep. What a sweetie!

http://www.mommyshape.net

This is what the cover of the DVD looks like :)



Fifth, but  most important is Spiritual Preparation. Joe and I have just devoured “Parenting with Grace” by Gregory and Lisa Popcak. (http://www.amazon.com/Parenting-Grace-Gregory-K-Popcak/dp/1592766854/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1310370958&sr=8-2We)We only read up to and including the chapter on parenting infants, but it truly helped us understand better our vocation to parenthood and the responsibility of teaching this little one about the Father’s love from her first moments. Moreover, it has reminded us of the importance of a strong and passionate marital love as we parent. I would highly recommend the book to anyone who is interested. We read it outloud together, little by little, and I know we will return to it many times in the future.

Well, this has certainly been a novel! BUT, I hope that it provides some help to whoever may be early in their pregnancy and looking for little ways to have a joyful, beauty-filled baby growing. Tomorrow I will write about the “American Dream” himself, my husband. And yes, he has been called that here.

We love you! Prayers from OZ,



Baby-moons and Computer Woes

Our Dear Ones, how I've missed writing to you all!  I looked back on my blogs and it has been one month and 6 days since I last wrote. So much has happened, but in the interest of avoiding a novel, I will only write about two of them.

Computer woes! Yes, we can blame the death of my poor old faithful Toshiba for my inability to write. Ever since arriving in Australia our appliances and electronics have, one by one, died. I think that they have a hard time handling the wattage difference, even with a converter. It started with my big curling iron, which wilted like a wet noodle one day when I went to pick it up and curl my hair. BAD sign!!! It melted. It was followed by my straightener and blow dryer, until, finally one day the computer had had enough also. Unfortunately, it has a bit of an attitude, so if I even try to coax it into starting it sparks and smokes. No, there is no salvaging old faithful. Alas! Thanks for your patience in waiting for updates.

Now for the exciting topic! My dear and romantic husband planned us a little baby-moon! We had the most glorious night away in a beautiful 5 star hotel in downtown Melbourne. Can you imagine, the hotel room was bigger than our house! It had a beautiful kitchen area and a BATH WITH JACUZZI!!! I've been yearning for a bath my entire pregnancy, and so, get ready...I had two baths in one night :) There is something glorious about feeling weightless in the water. I think I'll probably remember how good those baths felt for a long time!

We got all dressed up and had drinks in the lounge. Oh, how glamorous and fancy we felt. It was so fun! It was nice to "escape" for a while. It is not as though our life is difficult or needs escaping, but I think that maybe I was able to enjoy this one night away more than I would have been able to in the past because I've focused so much on appreciating every small gift in our daily existence that this just seemed extravagant and over the top. It was almost too much to take in! After our fancy drinks we finished our night with dinner at a nearby Irish pub that had a live music, and then lay in bed eating peanut mnms and reveling in the luxury. It was perfect! As our train sped away from downtown and towards "real life" Joe and I talked about the fact that we may not have even been able to take one more night away, we felt so spoiled by the one we had been given. Heaven!!

By the way, we booked our hotel room at www.lastminute.com.au. I am not sure if an equivalent exists in North America, but I'd be shocked if it didn't. It is a perfect solution for budget conscious couples, and enabled us to afford a hotel we normally wouldn't have been able. I highly recommend it!

As I write, our little person is snuggled nicely into my ribs. Albeit uncomfortable, I feel like I'm going to miss feeling her move and grow inside of me, I could never have anticipated how much I would love carrying this little one. What a miracle of love! I can't believe we are 3.5 weeks away from our "guess date." I will write a bambino update in our next blog :)

We love you and we miss you! All is well here in Australia, although we certainly wouldn't complain if you were to send some Northern Hemisphere summer our way...it is cold and grey! We think about you every day and pray for you every morning. Thank you for praying for us...

XOXO