Describe your relationship with your spouse.
I thought I remembered that this one was going to be easier than the last one and I was so right. Describing my relationship with your father is one of the easiest posts that I will ever make.
To give a little background, your dad and I met when he was living in California and going to college and I was a nanny in Connecticut. It would have been difficult for us to live any further apart and live in the same country. We met online back when it wasn't the norm to meet that way. We started off talking once in a while and it grew into talking every night online and then talking on the phone for hours and hours. I learned so much about your dad during that time because we talked about everything. We could talk about everything from the smallest insignificant thing to important issues, from the past to the future and everything in between.
When we met face to face, it was perfect. Your dad's smile warmed my heart and the way he treated me made me certain that I loved him and that he loved me. We spent almost the whole weekend together and I knew that I wanted to be with him forever.
We were together for six years before he moved to Wichita and we started living together. My parents weren't too happy about that idea until they realized that we weren't planning on stopping there and they realized that your dad was the perfect guy for me and fit perfectly in our family. Living with your dad is so easy. He loves to eat whatever I cook because his mother didn't cook for him much when he lived at home. He is very relaxed and laid back, but will do whatever needs to be done. We can do things or just hang out and do nothing and I still love spending time with him. We like watching the same movies and TV shows. We like doing the same things when we go out. Being together feels so natural and right for both of us.
We aren't very exciting people. We choose to hang out at home together a lot. That doesn't mean we don't ever go out or spend time with friends, but our first inclination is to just hang out together. There is no one else that I love spending time with more than your dad and he feels the same way about me.
Your dad has always been in my corner, no matter what I am doing. He has supported me through everything: the years we were first trying to get pregnant, the time when I decided to make huge changes in my life, the day to day stresses of being a middle school teacher, the years when I was working on my master's degree, and the day to day decisions and choices that I make. He is my comfort when I am sad. He is my joy when I'm silly and happy. He takes care of me when I don't feel good or am hurt. He keeps me from being too serious, but understands why I am serious about some things. He is silly with me when that side of him rarely appears to others. He has broken me of some of my worst OCD habits, but doesn't fight me on too many of the remaining ones. He keeps me from worrying too much about everything and yet worries about me whenever I'm not feeling well or am hurting. We rarely argue about anything of importance because we agree on most things. We have silly arguments about things we don't really care about - like whether we were going to name you Kal-El or not (yes, that was your dad's idea!). We love watching sports together, though your dad is into more obscure sports than I am. I like football, basketball, track, swimming, and gymnastics. Your dad has gotten me to where I don't mind watching baseball, but he doesn't stop there. We are addicted to superhero movies - your dad, as you probably already know, is a Superman fanatic.
We certainly aren't perfect, but we are perfect for each other. After years of not really believing that we were going to find true love, we found each other and through years together have developed a love greater than we ever thought possible.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013
30 Things My Kid Should Know About Me: Number 2
Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears
I think I've been avoiding this one because I knew it would be challenging. Of course, I think I said that about the last one and, while it took me a while, it wasn't that hard. This one is really going to require me to think and put a lot out there. I try not to spend a lot of time thinking about my fears. I'm a compulsive worrier and your father would tell you that I'm paranoid, so thinking about my fears is very counter-productive. But, I need to be able to talk to you about being afraid and how it's okay, so I need to be able to talk about my fears. So here I go.
1. I am afraid of losing those that I love. It doesn't matter what family members, I am afraid of losing them. I think this one came from having gone through so much of my life without losing anyone who was close to me. I knew people who had died, but there wasn't anyone that I was really close to who had passed away. When I was in high school, my mom had a breast cancer scare and it really freaked me out. I had nightmares about losing my mom. That's when I realized how much it scared me to even think about losing someone I love. To this day, it is still the source of my most disturbing nightmares. Fear of losing you has been in my head ever since I first found out I was pregnant with you. I pray everyday for those I love to be safe and more than once I day, I pray for you to be safe and healthy.
2. I have a fear of falling. Not like tripping or falling down the stairs or even slipping on the ice and snow and falling. My fear of falling is probably more accurately a fear of falling off the edge of high places. Your dad always tries to tell me that it's a fear of heights, but I disagree because I can be up really high without any problems. I've been at the top of the Empire State Building and the Twin Towers and was totally fine, even when I stood on a glass ledge and looked down on NYC. Those didn't scare me because there was no way I could fall. I don't want to stand near the edge of anything that I could fall from. I don't know exactly when this fear started, but I think I know why it's a fear. I am a klutz, as I shared with you in my last post, so I think I'm afraid that I will do something klutzy and fall off of something tall. I know it's not very logical, but often that is this case with fears.
3. I've really been struggling with the third one. Not because I don't have more than two fears, but because I want to pick the "right" one. Yeah, I know, it doesn't really make sense to me either. After taking a lot of time to figure it out, I would say that I am afraid of failing. I want so much to be successful and do well at the things that I do. I wouldn't say that my fear stops me from trying things, but it doesn't make me take longer to decide to try something new. I don't know where this fear comes from, but it is definitely a part of my life. Your dad helps me with this a lot. For example, for a long time I was afraid to try running because I didn't think I would be able to do it physically. Then when I tried it, I phased it in slowly so I would be more likely to be successful. In April 2013 (when I was unaware that I was most likely pregnant with you), I decided to run my first 5K and was nervous and scared the morning of the race because I wanted to succeed so much. Your dad calmed me down and made it okay for me to succeed or fail, as long as I did my best and didn't hurt myself. He's really good at that. Whenever I start getting nervous about being a mom and all the things I don't know, he really helps me stay calm.
So those are three of my fears and probably the ones that affect me the most.
I think I've been avoiding this one because I knew it would be challenging. Of course, I think I said that about the last one and, while it took me a while, it wasn't that hard. This one is really going to require me to think and put a lot out there. I try not to spend a lot of time thinking about my fears. I'm a compulsive worrier and your father would tell you that I'm paranoid, so thinking about my fears is very counter-productive. But, I need to be able to talk to you about being afraid and how it's okay, so I need to be able to talk about my fears. So here I go.
1. I am afraid of losing those that I love. It doesn't matter what family members, I am afraid of losing them. I think this one came from having gone through so much of my life without losing anyone who was close to me. I knew people who had died, but there wasn't anyone that I was really close to who had passed away. When I was in high school, my mom had a breast cancer scare and it really freaked me out. I had nightmares about losing my mom. That's when I realized how much it scared me to even think about losing someone I love. To this day, it is still the source of my most disturbing nightmares. Fear of losing you has been in my head ever since I first found out I was pregnant with you. I pray everyday for those I love to be safe and more than once I day, I pray for you to be safe and healthy.
2. I have a fear of falling. Not like tripping or falling down the stairs or even slipping on the ice and snow and falling. My fear of falling is probably more accurately a fear of falling off the edge of high places. Your dad always tries to tell me that it's a fear of heights, but I disagree because I can be up really high without any problems. I've been at the top of the Empire State Building and the Twin Towers and was totally fine, even when I stood on a glass ledge and looked down on NYC. Those didn't scare me because there was no way I could fall. I don't want to stand near the edge of anything that I could fall from. I don't know exactly when this fear started, but I think I know why it's a fear. I am a klutz, as I shared with you in my last post, so I think I'm afraid that I will do something klutzy and fall off of something tall. I know it's not very logical, but often that is this case with fears.
3. I've really been struggling with the third one. Not because I don't have more than two fears, but because I want to pick the "right" one. Yeah, I know, it doesn't really make sense to me either. After taking a lot of time to figure it out, I would say that I am afraid of failing. I want so much to be successful and do well at the things that I do. I wouldn't say that my fear stops me from trying things, but it doesn't make me take longer to decide to try something new. I don't know where this fear comes from, but it is definitely a part of my life. Your dad helps me with this a lot. For example, for a long time I was afraid to try running because I didn't think I would be able to do it physically. Then when I tried it, I phased it in slowly so I would be more likely to be successful. In April 2013 (when I was unaware that I was most likely pregnant with you), I decided to run my first 5K and was nervous and scared the morning of the race because I wanted to succeed so much. Your dad calmed me down and made it okay for me to succeed or fail, as long as I did my best and didn't hurt myself. He's really good at that. Whenever I start getting nervous about being a mom and all the things I don't know, he really helps me stay calm.
So those are three of my fears and probably the ones that affect me the most.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
30 Things My Kid Should Know About Me: Number 1
List 20 random facts about yourself.
I have to be honest. I almost didn't take on this challenge because I knew this one would be really tough for me. I really struggle with saying things about myself. You always hear that if you want someone to start talking, ask them about themselves. However, that isn't true for me. Ask me about myself and I'll usually stammer and stutter and sound like I don't know myself.
But, I'm willing to do just about anything for my baby turtle, so here we go. :)
1. I love to read and have for as long as I can remember. My mom read to me from before I can remember and encouraged that love of reading that I still have today.
2. I really like cooking, even though my skills are pretty basic. I didn't have much interest in cooking for a lot of years, but I enjoy it now and like trying out new recipes or making old favorites.
3. I have lived in Kansas for all but two years of my life. I was convinced a few years after college that I really wanted to live anywhere else, so I tried it, but I am glad that I came back. Now I appreciate Kansas for the things it has to offer and know that I can visit elsewhere if I want to see other things.
4. For about seven years, I held the 2 mile track record at my high school. It wasn't that great of a time, but the record was mine and that made me very proud!
5. I am a pack rat. I save things that I will never ever look at again, because at one point in time they were important to me. Your father hates this trait! :)
6. For as long as I can remember, I have loved spending time in the water. I like to swim, but have just as much fun playing around or standing around talking. I just like being in the water.
7. Animated Disney movies are my weakness. I will stop whatever I am doing to watch most Disney movies and don't care if I just watched it yesterday. Dumbo is the only animated Disney movie that I don't watch.
8. I have never eaten liver, Brussels sprouts, cooked cabbage, or sauerkraut.
9. I have never finished a tube of lip balm, but almost always have two or three in the house.
10. I love office supply stores! I like checking out/buying different pens and mechanical pencils. I have more Post-It notes than any one person should have.
11. I have always been a klutz. I will trip over next to nothing. I've gotten better as I've gotten older, but it was pretty bad when I was younger. I had stitches on my head more than once and twisted my ankle falling off an elevated planter when I was in college.
12. I like dancing, but don't think I'm very good at it.
13. I strongly resisted having a cell phone, but now can't imagine not having one, though I'm still resisting the smart phone.
14. I love listening to 80s music. There are so many different songs that I like from that decade!
15. I almost never listen to the radio when I'm driving in the car by myself. I listen to books on CD.
16. I love to drive. Given the opportunity, I will always choose to be the driver. Thankfully your father doesn't really enjoy driving like I do, so it works perfectly! I'm such a bad passenger!
17. I like the look of wood with stain instead of paint. I think painted wood is much less attractive than wood that has just been stained. I think I got this trait from your Grandpa Don.
18. When I was born, I was allergic to milk, which was kind of a big deal because that's what I was given. It made me have colic and that made me very cranky. Still to this day, I don't really like milk as it upsets my stomach. I have found that almond milk is a good alternative.
19. I write faster in cursive than I do in print. It's not always easy for others to read, but I can always read it.
20. I have dreamed about being your mother for such a long time and can't wait until I get to meet you and find out all about both of us in our roles together for life. :)
So there are 20 random facts about me. By the time you read this, you will probably already know several of these, but there might be some of them that are still a surprise.
I have to be honest. I almost didn't take on this challenge because I knew this one would be really tough for me. I really struggle with saying things about myself. You always hear that if you want someone to start talking, ask them about themselves. However, that isn't true for me. Ask me about myself and I'll usually stammer and stutter and sound like I don't know myself.
But, I'm willing to do just about anything for my baby turtle, so here we go. :)
1. I love to read and have for as long as I can remember. My mom read to me from before I can remember and encouraged that love of reading that I still have today.
2. I really like cooking, even though my skills are pretty basic. I didn't have much interest in cooking for a lot of years, but I enjoy it now and like trying out new recipes or making old favorites.
3. I have lived in Kansas for all but two years of my life. I was convinced a few years after college that I really wanted to live anywhere else, so I tried it, but I am glad that I came back. Now I appreciate Kansas for the things it has to offer and know that I can visit elsewhere if I want to see other things.
4. For about seven years, I held the 2 mile track record at my high school. It wasn't that great of a time, but the record was mine and that made me very proud!
5. I am a pack rat. I save things that I will never ever look at again, because at one point in time they were important to me. Your father hates this trait! :)
6. For as long as I can remember, I have loved spending time in the water. I like to swim, but have just as much fun playing around or standing around talking. I just like being in the water.
7. Animated Disney movies are my weakness. I will stop whatever I am doing to watch most Disney movies and don't care if I just watched it yesterday. Dumbo is the only animated Disney movie that I don't watch.
8. I have never eaten liver, Brussels sprouts, cooked cabbage, or sauerkraut.
9. I have never finished a tube of lip balm, but almost always have two or three in the house.
10. I love office supply stores! I like checking out/buying different pens and mechanical pencils. I have more Post-It notes than any one person should have.
11. I have always been a klutz. I will trip over next to nothing. I've gotten better as I've gotten older, but it was pretty bad when I was younger. I had stitches on my head more than once and twisted my ankle falling off an elevated planter when I was in college.
12. I like dancing, but don't think I'm very good at it.
13. I strongly resisted having a cell phone, but now can't imagine not having one, though I'm still resisting the smart phone.
14. I love listening to 80s music. There are so many different songs that I like from that decade!
15. I almost never listen to the radio when I'm driving in the car by myself. I listen to books on CD.
16. I love to drive. Given the opportunity, I will always choose to be the driver. Thankfully your father doesn't really enjoy driving like I do, so it works perfectly! I'm such a bad passenger!
17. I like the look of wood with stain instead of paint. I think painted wood is much less attractive than wood that has just been stained. I think I got this trait from your Grandpa Don.
18. When I was born, I was allergic to milk, which was kind of a big deal because that's what I was given. It made me have colic and that made me very cranky. Still to this day, I don't really like milk as it upsets my stomach. I have found that almond milk is a good alternative.
19. I write faster in cursive than I do in print. It's not always easy for others to read, but I can always read it.
20. I have dreamed about being your mother for such a long time and can't wait until I get to meet you and find out all about both of us in our roles together for life. :)
So there are 20 random facts about me. By the time you read this, you will probably already know several of these, but there might be some of them that are still a surprise.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
30 Things My Kid Should Know About Me: The Opening Challenge
I seem to get these wild hairs to try new blogging ideas. This one came from Pintrest, where oh so many ideas come from. Once I found out I was pregnant, I started looking at all things kids and drooled over things I couldn't repost without letting anyone know I was pregnant. After everyone knew about the baby, I started posted all sorts of different things having to do with babies, children, being pregnant, childbirth, and on and on and on. I started this blog to document things that I'm thinking during pregnancy and hope to continue it even after I give birth, though I know I will have less free time then. So one of the things that I found that seemed interesting was called 30 Things My Kids Should Know About Me. I decided this would be interesting and give me new things to think about. I think this was designed to be a 30 day challenge, but I discovered that I'm not any good at time lines like that, so my goal is to be finished with this before my baby turtle makes his/her way into the world. That give me several months and should be enough time for me.
Here is the list of the 30 Things:
1. List 20 random facts about yourself.
2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears
3. Describe your relationship with your spouse.
4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.
5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?
6. If you could have three wishes, what would you wish for?
7. What is your dream job, and why?
8. What are 5 passions you have?
9. List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how.
10. Describe your most embarrassing moment.
11. Describe 10 pet peeves you have.
12. Describe a typical day in your current life.
13. What’s the hardest part of growing up?
14. Describe 5 strengths and weaknesses you have.
15. Describe when you knew your spouse was the one or how I fell in love.
16. What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?
17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at?
18. What do you think your spouse loves most about you?
19. How did you feel the moment you became a parent?
20. Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
21. Describe your relationship with your parents.
22. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?
23. What’s your favorite holiday and why?
24. What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about parenthood?
25. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?
26. What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?
27. What is your favorite part of your body and why?
28. What’s your favorite quality in your spouse?
29. What are your hopes and dreams for your prosperity?
30. List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for.
Some of them will be easier than others and some will be very challenging and require me to do a lot of self-reflection. I look forward to this and seeing where it takes me.
Here is the list of the 30 Things:
1. List 20 random facts about yourself.
2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears
3. Describe your relationship with your spouse.
4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.
5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?
6. If you could have three wishes, what would you wish for?
7. What is your dream job, and why?
8. What are 5 passions you have?
9. List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how.
10. Describe your most embarrassing moment.
11. Describe 10 pet peeves you have.
12. Describe a typical day in your current life.
13. What’s the hardest part of growing up?
14. Describe 5 strengths and weaknesses you have.
15. Describe when you knew your spouse was the one or how I fell in love.
16. What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?
17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at?
18. What do you think your spouse loves most about you?
19. How did you feel the moment you became a parent?
20. Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
21. Describe your relationship with your parents.
22. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?
23. What’s your favorite holiday and why?
24. What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about parenthood?
25. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?
26. What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?
27. What is your favorite part of your body and why?
28. What’s your favorite quality in your spouse?
29. What are your hopes and dreams for your prosperity?
30. List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for.
Some of them will be easier than others and some will be very challenging and require me to do a lot of self-reflection. I look forward to this and seeing where it takes me.
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