R-HONDA

Inspired aspirations - What I hope I've learned from my mother-in-law:

• I want to be a mom who listens without bugging. I don't want to be remembered for asking the standard "mom" questions you never wanted to answer, "What did you learn in school today?" 
• I want to show up with unexpected gifts for my children. Gifts that they love because I have taken the time to observe and see what their tastes are, what they like and use. 
• I want to be available to drop what I am doing to help my children. Not to teach them that they cannot do it on their own - but to show them I love them. It's a fine line. I'd like to figure that balance out.
• I want my children to turn out like my husband and his siblings. I pray that Jon and I can be as good of parents as his.                          

Crib pads, Cankles, and Cardio

A friend (okay Sherrie) mentioned that she would be interested in the thoughts of a pregnant woman. I am a pregnant woman. I have thoughts. So I'll blog on some of the joys of pregnancy I'm experiencing.

The "stuff" can be overwhelming

If you go to target.com and search for crib pads - you'll find 505 matching products.  Before last month - I don't know that I knew crib pads existed.  They are a layer created to place under a crib sheet to prevent the inevitable diaper mishaps from ruining the crib mattress.  This inevitable will be happening multiple times a day and in the middle of the night. It's been suggested that I make the bed with up to 3 layers of crib pad - sheet - crib pad - sheet to save time when I'm changing sheets at 3 a.m.  Sounds simple enough to me - but then I did my Target search. What kind of crib pad do I need? They come in all sizes. Some are fitted, some look like flat blankets, some are reuseable, some are 18" x 18".   America - the land of choices. I guess experience will narrow down the choices for me. 

Bilbo Baggins

I have a friend who gave birth to a beautiful 8 lb 10 oz boy on Sept 15th.  That friend truly did have hobbit feet thru her pregnancy, and she joked about it often.  In the past two weeks, I've noticed a change I hadn't expected in my own feet.  It's not every day - and I truly can't complain. But at the end of a day where I've spent most of it on my feet, I've noticed a new roundness of my foot, and my shoes/ socks leave a nice strain mark on my fattened skin.  

I'm in a wedding this coming weekend. I had a great outfit all picked out - down to the strappy black sandals. I will be packing a back up plan just in case those black strappies threaten to disappear into a swollen abyss.

Cat & Cow

I have been enjoying my workouts thru out pregnancy ("thru out" sounds so odd to me. How long have I been pregnant? It hasn't been THAT long...but on Saturday I officially entered my 3RD TRIMESTER) I have enjoyed my walks tremendously. Swimming is grand. I laugh as I push off from every flip turn and my child does flips with me.  My friend, Ashley, has gotten me back into the lifting kick, and I'm psyched to have a schedule.  The cherry on top of it all has been Tuesday evening Prenatal Yoga.  

Just the thought of it brings me a deep sigh of relaxation. It's a very small class - 2 pregnant women and the instructor - a saint called Lori.  I am the least flexible person within miles of the studio - yet, I don't feel too stupid when Lori does a pose that my body refuses to imitate.  After an hour + of true, deep stretching and deep breathing, and hip strengthening exercises, I leave walking on a cloud.  I would highly recommend that any pregnant woman consider adding yoga to her regimen. 

Namaste. 

Life with Davis in the womb

This is my attempt to take a good picture with my 2 year old nephew, Brogan. I think it was a success. It reveals exactly how he felt at that moment. Tired and seeking comfort from his 2 middle fingers (the exact way I sought comfort until I was about 5).  

I love being around this kid. He is full of life. He smiles at everything he sees, and could care less if dog hair gets in his mouth via his ketchup covered fingers. When he smiles at me and growls in his low voice, "Auntberrrr", I could beam for hours.

I am 6 1/2 months pregnant. 27 weeks, 3 days to be exact. We're having a boy - Davis Jonathan Jenkins. Due to arrive December 13th.  

Watching Brogan smile, laugh, cry brings me visions of a near future in my home.  I watch other parents closely - seeing how they maneuver "control" in their children's behaviors. Thinking about the question marks of parenthood too much brings knots to my 

stomach, but then there is the knowing that I truly cannot provide all my child needs and am not expected to. God is his provider, and it is Jon and my duty to trust in Him and teach Davis the same.  

To steal a prayer from Stormie O'Martian's book - For This Child I Prayed -  "Lord, make (us) the parent(s) you want (us) to be and teach (us) to pray and truly intercede for the life of (our) child. Lord, You said in your Word, "Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive" (Matt 21:22). Thank you, Lord, for the precious gift of this child."

"The joy of the Lord is rich and deep and causes anyone who walks in it to be likewise. That's because joy doesn't have anything to do with happy circumstances; it has to do with looking into the face of God and knowing He's all we'll ever need."