Morning and happy first day of December! I can hardly fathom that. December? If things keep at this rate, baby B really will arrive before I know it. I had a moment of “holy cow!!!” yesterday where it suddenly hit me that I will have two! Two! In a very short amount of time. Of course, I have always known that and I am very excited for it, yet sometimes it still feels a bit like “whoa”. Does that make sense?

I have enjoyed having a mini “theme” to share here over the past couple of months. September was the official 30 Days of Self Love. October I featured other bloggers. November was all about the Q + A. I don’t know how long this little monthly process will continue, but its fun for now. Plus I have the perfect personal challenge for December which reflects the season.

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December’s focus/theme/challenge will be all about others. Each day in December I hope to do something to show kindness to another. It can come in a variety of ways. I can complete a random act of kindness for a stranger or reach out in love and support to a friend/family member. I don’t want to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays and lose sight of what truly matters – loving others. After all, that’s the sole reason Jesus came to be a little baby in a manger. 😉

I also want to mention that even though November has ended, I still have some questions to get to from the Q + A requests. Don’t worry! I haven’t forgotten about those questions if you sent one in. Also, I will still continue to keep up my Formspring account to take reader’s requests or be open to any future questions you may have. Call me crazy, but I actually enjoy being available to answer things you may wonder about. Like the following I received:

What was your favorite first experience with M? – Brooke @ B and the Boy
Oh goodness that is a tough one! Does the first time I breastfed her count. There is something so magical about that moment. Otherwise, I enjoy moments this past year most. Many aren’t firsts, but now that she is old enough to understand and get more excited I enjoy them so much more as well. Like this past year at the beach or her excitement right now over Christmas trees (Christmas tree! Look, mommy! Happy Birthday Jesus!). I also cannot cannot cannot wait to bring her to Disney World in the next couple of years after seeing the fun she had at the fair!

How much about your disordered eating history do you plan to share with Makenzie (and Braedon)? If you plan to share, what has lead you to that decision? Is your husband on board with it? When will you share information? Under what circumstances?
I’ve decided I don’t plan to hide my history with disordered eating from my children, but won’t discuss it just for the sake of sharing either. I more plan to live by example for them on having balance with food and not giving it control. I plan to uplift my children for the wonderful people they are and work to build confidence in themselves, as well as a love for others. I pray that by guiding them to care for themselves, with healthy and balanced eating being a part of that, they don’t find themselves struggling negatively with food. As they get older, if I ever do notice signs of a negative relationship with food or their own perceptions of food heading down an unhealthy mental path, then I will likely share on an appropriate level. I guess I will just have to trust my motherly instinct on that one.

• What’s something you like to try to do to focus on giving meaning to holiday season? Care to join me on mine?
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Hello, hello! Are you all having a good day? Today has gone much better for me. M is no longer sick. Peter was home to help out. I have a more carefree time ahead of me for the next few days, which I plan on enjoying. All good stuff.

I also had my 30 weeks doctor visit earlier today. I can hardly believe I’m in the final 10 week stretch. 75% of the way through!

The visit went really well once again. I am measuring properly. My blood pressure looks good. Baby B’s heart rate is strong. Everything checks out. 😀 Expect to hear a lot more of these updates from here on out. I now go in every two weeks instead of every four. Something about that switch makes the time pass by so quickly. I’m not complaining! Maybe this pregnancy is going faster than I thought?

When prepping Q + A questions from you all, I noticed that there were quite a few relating to baby stuff. I will share some of those now. 🙂

How did you decide on your daughters name?? How will you decide what your little boys name will be??

I always loved the name Makenzie. It goes as far back as when I played with dolls and Barbies. When I mentioned it to Peter as an option, he loved it as well and we were set!

Choosing Braedon’s name was a bit different. We had no clue on boy names! We actually picked it out from a kid on Peter’s (much) younger brother’s baseball team. He suggested it. I like it. We had another winner.

Will you be having more children after Baby B is born?

Not that we plan on! You never know how things may change…or if God has a different plan. But, as of now, the answer is no.

What kind of car do you drive?? Do you think you will get a van now that you have two children??

I won’t disclose more than the fact I drive a compact four door. A van is my dream car. I never thought a day would come that I would say that. But c’mon! The room? The automatic sliding doors? Car seats not on top of one another? Yes, please!

How long did you breastfeed M for? Do you plan to do the same with Baby B?

I breastfed M for about 7.5 months. At that point, my body would not keep up no matter how much pumping, fenugreeking, and suckling I went through. She got frustrated and lost interest as well.

I plan to breastfeed B for as long as possible. Actually, one of my biggest worries is he won’t breastfeed well. I love it! I know I will do all I can to make it successful and that’s all I can expect. I will feed him ideally for a year, hopefully for at least 6 months, and realistically for as long as it works well for both of us.

Do you think it is okay to work out while you are pregnant?

Always, always speak to your doctor and go with his/her personal recommendation for you, but in general – yes, I do. Completely! Working out during pregnancy can alleviate some of the body’s pains, fatigue, etc. It can help prepare the body for the workout of labor – believe me, it’s a workout! It can also help with returning to fitness and exercise after the baby. The key is to not try anything new and adapt to your body’s current level of fitness. I never exert myself too much and continue workouts I have been doing for years. I trust my body and it hasn’t failed me.

• If you want kids, what are some of your favorite names? If you already have kids, how did you choose their names?
• What would be your dream car?
• ASK ME ANYTHING to keep the Q + A series going. I have quite a few more good ones I am excited to share.