While we’re in Hawaii this week, I have a number of people close to my heart who will be filling in for me! To start it off, my sister-in-law, Madison, who’s about to become a mom any day now has generously offered to share her honest thoughts as she prepares to welcome her sweet little one. LOVE her thoughts, as I think so many of us can relate to her heart!
{Photos courtesy of Gina Zeidler}
Hello, Mommy’s Me Time readers! My name is Madison and I am Amber’s sister-in-law; I’m married to her brother, Joe, and we live in Minneapolis with our two dogs, Nutmeg and Pippa and are expecting our first baby in just a few short weeks!
Our journey to baby has been a longer, rockier road than I ever expected it to be. Over the past two years we experienced two heartbreaking miscarriages that left us with more questions than answers. After a lot of waiting and praying, the Lord blessed us with this little miracle baby, who has quite a remarkable story. You can read more about our journey here and here.
Now that we’ve reached the final month of pregnancy and could meet our little one at any time, I’ve been thinking a lot more about actually becoming a mom and welcoming our baby into the world. Although I’ve read countless books, attended pregnancy and childbirth classes and toured our birth center, I’ve got to admit that I still feel completely clueless about what’s to come next.
My primary emotion as I get ready for this next stage in life is pure excitement, followed closely by anticipation and fear. Since it took us longer than most to get and stay pregnant, my husband and I have had plenty of time to think about having a baby. It’s developed in our hearts such a deep desire to be parents much greater than if we hadn’t been down this rocky road.
Sometimes I worry our expectations are too high because of our journey and that there is no way this little baby can live up to the huge expectations and hopes we’ve attached to them. I dream about what our little one will look like, how they’ll smell and act. Whether or not our baby will have my husband’s full lips and high cheekbones (fingers crossed!) and what color hair he/she will have.
My excitement is metered ever so slightly by fear, as I’m sure is normal. We’ve had over 12 ultrasounds throughout this pregnancy, giving us plenty of opportunities to peek in and see our little one, yet I still find myself worrying about the health of our baby. I’m also quite nervous about sleep! My husband and I don’t do too well without sleep, so we’ve spent plenty of time around our baby’s crib, praying that this baby likes to sleep as much as his/her parents.
Other thoughts running through my head include: How will labor and delivery go? Will I be able to breastfeed? Will I ever get my post-baby body back? What will my post-baby body look like? Have I read and prepared enough? Do we have everything we need for baby’s arrival? How will our dogs do with the addition of a new family member?
Despite the fears, uncertainties and large number of unknowns I’m just ready to get this show on the road and start life with our newest family member! I’ve been working hard to balance my excitement with realistic expectations of what the first few months will look like, and I’m hoping by doing so that we’ll be able to find our groove as a family with as little difficulty as possible. I think our difficult pregnancy journey has taught me to expect the unexpected, be flexible and don’t get too tied to any one idea of how things are going to go.
Come any time now, sweet little one. We’re so excited to meet you!
XOXO,
Madison
Thank you so much for sharing today, Madison! To follow Madison’s journey into parenthood, be sure to check out her amazing food, lifestyle, and fashion blog, Espresso & Cream! She’s also on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
