The Gift of a Nap

I had glorious plans to fold the laundry, clear out some things in the living room, finish washing the dishes from last night, and I had this smokin' hot baby back ribs recipe I wanted to try again with all those FREE hours in my day to let it cook to sweet, fall-off-the-bone perfection. My achiever strength was going to be so tickled and fulfilled. And then... I indulged in a 2 hour nap while John went to help a friend finish roofing his house. And it was amazing. SO much better than all those things I could have done. It is hard for me to be OK with resting but this pregnancy has taught me to listen to my body and let it take the lead. Naps are truly a gift and I think God smiles when he sees his children being as he created them: at perfect peace and without worry.

WHY was I so tired you might ask? Well yesterday was a bit full yet amazing. The CrossFit WOD was tough, and afterward John and I took it easy at home shoving our faces with leftovers and taking care of some things at home.

John was waiting in eager anticipation or his Reebok Crossfit Nano 3.0 shoes. These things were literally flying off the shelves and since I married a GIANT he had to wait every day for them to restock the gray/black size 14 at Reebok.com. John gets a 40% discount on all their products so it was a steal for the guy who has had the same pair of shoes for 2 years! I think the 6 hours or research he did on the shoes and all the neat tricks he told me about them made him even more excited than the typical average consumer who buys stuff. I started tuning out when he told me about how the sides of the shoes are reinforced because the biggest complains about the 2.0 version was that rope climbs tore up the sides of the shoes too easily. Of course the shoes came an hour after we left for Advocare business training.

Training was AWESOME. Best quote of the day came from Kyle McComb,

"Life is obligated to test your vision as soon as it is announced."

I love this because it is so true! How many times have you had a clear path, a clear direction, a clear vision of what you are called to do and to live out. And then the same day you share that special vision with a spouse, a friend, a mentor, or post it on facebook life throws you something to try to say, "Nope, that's foolish! You don't have time, energy, the schedule, the skills, the passion, or the perseverance to do THAT." Persistence is key in times when your vision is tested in life, and support from those who love and care about you goes a long way.


After training we went to have a little date night. We picked up Thai food and took it to the Fashion Valley theaters to buy our tickets then eat out in the courtyard. Last weekend we tried to watch Captain Phillips but it was sold out so we tried to plan ahead this time! This movie was great. It's based on a true story about the hijacking of an American Cargo ship by Somali pirates. I highly recommend it! The movie made me really think what it must be like to live in another country and to have such different daily worries and needs than we have in America. The movie depicts the pirates as unique characters who have a fierce determination to bring back money for their village so that the war lords overseeing them will leave them alone after they "pay up".

We went to bed past midnight and this morning went to the 11am Flood Church service. I love hearing Andy Kelly bring it!

I am really excited about out Birthing From Within class tonight. It is class 5 out of 6 and we are going to be talking about interventions and how to advocate for yourself. Our home work was to look up the benefits, risks, and alternatives to cesarean birth, external fetal monitors (belts), IV fluids, induction with Cervidil, Cytotec, and Pitocin, using Pitocin during labor, Epidural, breaking water during labor, breaking water to start labor, stripping the membranes, internal fetal monitors on the baby's scalp, episiotomy, forceps, and vacuum. Even though three of the couples in our group of 6 are going to be delivering our babies at home it was such a great exercise to be able to look up the information for myself and see what those who elect to have a hospital birth are faced with. And in the even that our Midwife transfers us to UCSD medical during labor I will already know the different interventions that will be offered to me.

Our instructor shared an amazing poem that makes me well up with tears every time I read it. I will share it for you all and let you know how our class goes in tomorrow's post!

Invitation to Birthing From Within Mothers
 
It doesn't interest me how many prenatal books you've read,
I want to know if you hear your child whisper to you
when you lie awake at night.

It doesn't interest me who you are
or where you came from,
I want to know if your authentic mother warrior will awaken
when you birth your baby with all that you have.

It doesn't interest me if you have a birth plan
or where you plan to give birth.
I want to know that you will meet your birth
with an open mind and open heart.
I want to know if you can fully embrace the path
you must journey
to birth yourself as a mother.

It doesn’t interest me if you birth in silence
or as a lioness roars.
I want to know if you are willing to do
whatever it takes to birth your baby,
regardless of how you look,
how you sound,
or what others may think.
I want to know if you are willing to journey
to your depths and through the unknown.

It doesn't interest me how many stitches you get,
I want to know how you are moving in your body.
I want to know if you can take each movement
of your achy dripping body
and know that it has done a marvelous, miraculous thing.

It doesn't matter to me how you feed your baby.
I want to know if you are willing
to nurture your baby
from the depths of your soul and with
unconditional love.

I want to know if in the dark of night,
you can raise your tired bones and weary spirit
and do what needs to be done to care for your children

I want to know if you are willing to give up
your judges and ideals of a perfect parent
and surrender to your heart
and belly
to love your baby until you ache.

(This work was compiled and edited by Juji Woodring with contributions from Alejandrina in AZ, Lia from South Africa, Alisa from Texas, Charlene, and Tamara D.)