Mother's Day 2016

Yesterday I celebrated my first Mother's Day as a mom. No, our baby hasn't been born yet. But I consider myself a mom already. :-) Here's me and my baby girl.

And, yes, we have decided on a name - Claire. She is due in one month! Hard to believe it's that close. We have a pack-n-play with a bassinet set up in our room, baby clothes size newborn to 3 months washed and put in her closet, and a few freezer meals ready. At my 35 week check-up, Claire was head down and had a good heartbeat. I hope she stays head down.
I'm feeling pretty good. I added beef to my diet because I found out I'm anemic. And I'm eating something with Vitamin C in it, whenever I eat something with iron in it (vitamin C helps you absorb iron). I was going to get a prescription iron supplement, but found out how much it costs and it is way too expensive. So, I'm trying to increase my iron naturally by eating more iron-rich foods.
Also I am prepping my body for an unmedicated labor. Eating dates and drinking Raspberry Leaf tea every day has been known to help make labor easier, so that's what I'm doing. The plan is to have Claire at a birthing center, which is really nice. I'm both excited and nervous about childbirth. It will be quite an adventure!

Ok, back to Mother's Day.
We went to the Daniel Stowe gardens with Quentin's parents. The flowers were pretty, but there were /so/ many people there. (all moms got free admission) We still had fun though. :-)

 

This is me and Andrea, my beautiful mother-in-law. She truly is my second mom. I enjoy spending time with her, she gives great advice, and she never fails to point me to Jesus and the gospel. I'm so thankful for how easily she has accepted me into her family and treats me as her own daughter. And I'm extremely grateful for the values and wisdom that she instilled in Quentin while she raised him. My husband is amazing because his mom did an amazing job of bringing him up in the Way he should go. I love you, Andrea!


(Yes, the following picture is edited. I thought it was a cool effect.)

Me and my gorgeous mom. Apart from Quentin, Mom is my favorite person to spend time with. She gives the best advice, is extremely generous, and always knows how to put a smile on my face. I could make a 100 page list of all the reasons I love Mom and am thankful for her. Here are just a few:

• she homeschooled me from kindergarten to high school graduation. I loved being able to do school at home, since I could wear mostly whatever I wanted and got to spend more time with her and my siblings.  
• she taught me to cook, bake, clean, sew, and all the other little things involved in taking care of a house and a husband. I really appreciate being able to learn from a stay-at-home mom all my life.
• she was there for me, always willing to talk when I was having panic attacks. That was probably my least favorite phase of my life, but it definitely helped me knowing that I could call her whenever I needed her to talk through my anxiety.
• she was and still is my advocate, always for me. She is genuinely excited for me when I share about something I'm excited about, and encourages me to "go for it" when I tell her about something new I want to try.
• she loves me unconditionally, no matter how much I mess up or forget to show her my appreciation for her. I will only fully understand her love for me when my daughter is born. There is no love like a mother's love.

I love you so much, Mom!