I love being pregnant <3

You know, a few weeks ago, I had a lot of apprehension about this pregnancy because all I could think about was am I gaining too much weight, am I going to get pre-eclampsia again, are my feet going to get huge, am I going to look like a whale...

These are pretty valid and normal concerns, but lately, something has kinda flipped a switch in my brain.

I feel more confident...even (dare I say) beautiful. My belly is growing and honestly, feeling my little baby boy's kicks gives me this burst of joy and love and in those moments... well, I realize that while my concerns are valid, my focus is not.
My focus should be on creating the best environment for my baby and giving him the best start to his new life in this world. I should be helping him build up his precious little body with the best nutrients and nourishment that I possibly can because how he is formed now affects him for the rest of his life.

I know not every mother can or chooses to breastfeed, but did you know that breastfeeding has benefits for people when they are in their 80s? I mean, c'mon! That is a pretty long run for any "product" to keep working. It has kind of put things in perspective for me.

I don't look at my pregnancy with fear and apprehension anymore. I look at it with wonder and excitement. I realize that a lot of things are in my control. I can get out there and exercise and I DO control what I put in my mouth--Yes, pregnant women get cravings, but ladies... remember... you ARE still in control. You do NOT need to stop by McDonalds AND Taco Bell in the same day AND eat down that tub of ice cream and then say "the baby made you do it". No. You made you do it. That baby is not in a better place now by your decisions and neither are you. And while that may seem harsh...well, it was that reality that made me really wake up.

As I read this morning, "NEVER TRADE WHAT YOU WANT THE MOST FOR WHAT YOU WANT AT THE MOMENT". This is one of the hardest things about pregnancy. We have raging hormones. Our brains are just screaming for us to eat certain things (most often bad for us) ... the trouble comes in where we don't either choose those things in moderation or make a healthier choice altogether.

So, yea. When I started taking control instead of feeling helpless--when I started owning up to my actions and realizing I wasn't as weak as I was acting--when I thought about why I was on MFP in the first place (to lose weight, get healthy, and look like a sexy hot mama)--when I considered how much I wanted to look smokin' hot instead of like flubber... well, I started to embrace my pregnancy with all of it's ups and downs and that really helped me to love it.

There are a couple sayings in the Bible that really speak to me:
1) Perfect love casts out fear
2) God does not give us the spirit of fear but of Love and of Power and of a Sound Mind.

I want to have LOVE.
I want to have POWER.
and I definitely want to have a
SOUND MIND.

If I am living my life in "fear of how this pregnancy is going to change me", I am going to miss out on the opportunity to embrace this moment, love this child purely and without reservation as he grows to become a sweet bundle of joy I can treasure forever, unleash the power within my own spirit and soul and really make good, healthy, wise decisions realizing my mind is strong and sound and I can do anything!!!!

We all have the strength to stand strong and we have been given the tools to do so---We have each other and we have MFP and that means we have no excuses.

So yea... I do. I really love being pregnant. It is starting to help me see the kind of woman I REALLY need to be.