Looking Ahead...

It has been awhile since I have actually sat down and wrote a post about life and everything going on with Jon and I. Let me just start by saying that last year was awesome - definitely one for the books! Jon and I grew so much closer together as we went on a few trips, found out that we are expecting our first child, and as we finished school at the same time. I am so lucky to be married to such a wonderful guy - he constantly makes me want to be better and more selfless. Jon is going to be one heck of a dad, I cannot wait to see him with our little guy - it gets me emotional just thinking about it! Below is a picture recapping how our year went....Jazz games, silly moments, hot dates, Seattle, Missouri, announcing our pregnancy, and preparing for our little guy! Of course family and friends made our year so much happier and we have been so blessed by all of their love and support!  

If you haven't been able to tell from all of my posts and such....I am pretty stinking excited for our little guy to join us! I am super anxious and it is all I can think about lately. 

Even before I was pregnant I knew that I wanted to have all of our babies naturally. Now at 9 + months pregnant, I still feel the same way. My plan is to have our little guy naturally but I am also open to an epidural or anything else that will help get our little guy here safely.  

With my mind and thoughts set on having this baby naturally, I have read many things and have looked into a lot of techniques and such that will help me accomplish this desire. Again...keep in mind if it comes down to it and I am just dying in pain and am exhausted I might just resort to an epidural but the plan is to go natural. I think it is important to be open to whatever may come! As I have been preparing and studying, my all time favorite read has been this book...... The Gift of Giving Life

No matter what your birth plan is....natural, epidural, c-section....READ THIS BOOK! I always feel such peace and comfort after I read this. This book focuses on empowering women and connecting birth and motherhood with the gospel. Here are just a few thoughts from this book that I have loved and read over and over again.....

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13

"The power of love can provide the ability for a mother to endure as she gives life to another."

"Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind. It places her who honors its holy calling and service next to angels." - President David O. McKay

"Cast they burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee." Psalms 55:22

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out all fear." 1 John 4:18  

"My mother always viewed birth as a rite of passage, a spiritual transition, an initiation into a new realm. She firmly believes that a woman must put her blood, sweat, and tears on the line for the child she is birthing; it is an opportunity to demonstrate that she has the strength to be a mother. It is not a time to avoid pain, because motherhood is painful at times. It is not a time to seek comfort, because motherhood is not comfortable. It is not a time to shrink back, because motherhood requires that a woman reach deep inside her soul and show what she really stands for. It is in birth, my mother taught me, that a woman must show her trust in herself, her trust in God, and be consciously involved in a deliberate act of creation by giving her heart, might, mind, and strength to what is before her." pg. 253

There are so many other thoughts and stories that this book provides that I just love...please do yourself a favor and read it! 

I know that I cannot give birth to this baby naturally alone. That is why I am so thankful for the knowledge that I have of my Heavenly Father. He is going to be there right by my side through it all and he knows exactly what I can and cannot handle. I am also just so thankful for my sweet husband and his love and support and also the support from our family and friends. I know I am not alone in this!

Alrighty I will get off of the giving birth naturally kick now and fill you in on other details! 

Jon and I have two names that we love for our little guy. We plan to just wait until we see him to decide which one we will use! It will either be baby boy P or baby boy H :) For some reason it has been so hard for us to come up with a boy name that we are 100% sure about. But we do love both of these names - so we will just have to wait and see which name suits him better!

In other news...Jon and I are both DONE with school!!! Jon will more than likely return to school in a few years to get his Administrators Certificate but we are seriously done for awhile and don't see ourselves returning to school anytime soon! Since we are done, this means that Jon is starting to send out applications!! We love where we are right now and ideally we would like to stay in our sweet little town but who knows what will come our way. 

Big and wonderful things are coming our way this year and we are so excited!