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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Life brings many changes. I sit here tonight with only 10 weeks left until my official due date. Something about reaching that 10 week countdown makes it feel so much closer. I can see the light at the end of this physically painful and emotionally draining tunnel.

As excited as I feel, I also have some reservations. Will baby B be as laid back as little M was? Will breastfeeding go relatively smoothly? Will he sleep for longer stretches sooner rather than later? Will this labor and delivery be harder than the less than 6 hours I experienced with Makenzie? I’m thinking likely yes on that one.

Funnily enough, I didn’t have many concerns about those types of things before Makenzie. I wondered more about the big picture. How would my life change? Was I ready to be a MOM?!?

I learned that life didn’t have to drastically change. It took some time, but I realized that I could still be my own person and live my own life. Yes, I could still have a life while being a mother…an even better one.

I had heard the clichéd “you don’t know what truly unconditional love is until you have a child” statement before. I am now a cliché. I never knew I could love so much. I never thought I could physically ache over another person’s wellness. Not just sympathy, but deep-down-to-the-guts-and-bones empathy. I’ve already shared numerous times how having Makenzie motivated me to become the best version of myself possible and brought much personal growth. It all came from that love.

I gained new perspective on what truly mattered and spent more time in those things. I laughed more than I ever had. I still laugh numerous times a day from her antics. I get to do things like a kid again. Holidays, traditions, trips to the grocery store, visits to the park, etc, etc, etc all hold such opportunity and simple joy. To put it plainly, life became more fun.

I won’t deny that some changes came. Financially things changed, as I decided to stay home from work and, let’s face it, kids cost moolah. We didn’t have as much disposable income for things like home projects we hoped to accomplish or traveling. We had to set budgets and more closely watch our spending. We may no longer have the freedom to purchase things we desire without much thought, but I don’t view it as a sacrifice. With love, you make things work. So, we do and are  happier for it.

I guess that is all I need to remember now, as well. With love, you make things work. I will do just that as I adjust to two, even if it creates more of a challenge than I had the first time around. A special thanks to Chelsey for prompting this discussion with her question for the Q + A series!

• What is the biggest change you have encountered in your life so far?
• What changes concern you the most about becoming a mother? Or, if you are already a mom, what changes were the hardest for you?