Baby for Giuliana & Bill

During my maternity leave I got to watch Giuliana and Bill's reality show and immediately I liked them. Their relationship reminded me of ours and it was so much fun seeing a couple in love, going through struggles together and coming out even stronger.

 I haven't been following up on their show but yesterday they announced that they're expecting a baby with a help of a gestational carrier. That's so cool and crazy for me at the same time! Knowing how much she went through with their baby struggle and also breast cancer, they deserve this beautiful gift of life. For more on the story here visit the People magazine http://www.usmagazine.com/uploads/assets/articles/51698-giuliana-and-bill-rancic-having-a-baby/1334949413_bill-giuliana-rancic-467.jpg

I know many people don't like talking about celebrities but they are just people like us and I admire them for sticking through no matter what may come!

It saddens me that couples like them have trouble having a baby and then we have teenagers, or other women who get pregnant and have abortions.

How do you feel about this as a woman?
If you weren't able to have a baby, what would you consider and do?

Mommy, Daddy & Baby Gym

We did it! Hubby and I signed up at the Gym and took Emma with us for the first time yesterday. I was a bit nervous having to drop her off at the Day care but she loved it so much that when we went to get her after,  she cried and wanted to play stay longer! What a relief. 

It was a bit of a challenge to start working out. It took me about a year to have things quite down and settle a bit before I could get myself to commit to the gym. 

It's been a struggle losing all the weight I gained during pregnancy. I have lost a lot of it but the last few pounds I know will have to drop only by exercising. Hope you enjoy the journey to slimming down and getting fit once again. Maybe I might just motivate you to join in with our healthy living habits!

Wait for it Patiently

Don’t ask God for patience;  you might get pregnant. I’m joking. However, I never quite understood why so many pastors used pregnancy as an analogy for waiting on God and patience until I got pregnant myself. The first three months into it, I was already ready to quit and give up. I realized that there was not much I could do other than wait out the nine months for the baby’s delivery which gave me hope and strength for the different stages of pregnancy. I knew the promise would come and the vision of the promise is what helped me endure it all. I had to purposely watch my mouth and stop myself from complaining and instead start thanking God for such an awesome blessing. Even now, almost seven months pregnant, I want it to be already nine months. But I know if the baby came now she would be premature and so the nine months of waiting is needed and essential for a healthy baby. Likewise, in our lives there are seasons of “pregnancy” in which all we can do is wait it out patiently with a good attitude and keep our eyes on Jesus knowing that the promise will come. He is faithful to His word.

Reference below is adapted from the book Streams in the Desert, pgs 83, 84.
“Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. (Psalm 37:7)

Have you prayed and prayed, and waited and waited, and still you see no evidence of an answer?

Are you tired of seeing no movement?

Are you at the point of giving up?

Then perhaps you have not waited in the right way, which removes you from the right place- the place where the Lord can meet you.

“Wait for it patiently” Rom 8:25.

Patience eliminates worry.

Patience eliminates weeping. Why feel so sad and discouraged? He knows your needs better than you do, and His purpose in waiting is to receive more glory through it.

Patience eliminates self-works.

Patience eliminates all want.

Patience eliminates all weakness. Instead of thinking of waiting as being wasted time, realize that God is preparing His resources and strengthening you as well.

Patience yields worship.

Pregnancy: Loved It or Hated It?

Hmmm I hated the first three months. I was getting irritated by well meaning people telling me to enjoy my pregnancy when I felt like crap. But I know, what else do you say to a pregnant woman when she's nagging and complaining about everything? You just smile and say "I know it must be hard," and only share your similar experiences because we don't want to think what the heck is wrong with us that we're not all excited and upbeat about it. I was killing myself to enjoy it in the midst of mood swings, crankiness, nausea, crying spells and feeling blue. Hate feeling tired and not being able to move as speedily and easily as before. Second trimester was much better. Now in the third trimester, I am lacking energy but it's still so much better than the first one. However, it is getting every difficult to put on clothes, shoes, socks and bending over to pick up stuff. They say by the last month I will be so ready to get the baby out but you know what, I feel that way already close to 7th month. Yes, it's all worth it. Whoever sails through pregnancy should count themselves very fortunate but the rest of us who aren't really having a ball; please..it sucks...especially if you're used to looking hot and working out like crazy and all of a sudden everything is getting big and you have no control over anything and you can't go on the ab roller! One adivse I took is "whenever you don't feel like yourself and you feel like you can't do this anymore just blame it on hormones & remind yourself 'it's because I'm pregnant and it's only going to last for 9 months.'" Another one was to purposely do things that you normaly did before for enjoyment: Nails, hair, and yes you can have one cup of coffee a day & surround yourself with loved ones even when everything and everyone is getting on your nerves. Do it on purpose!  I wish all my girlfriends a happy pregnancy but if you get stuck and feel like ripping someone's head off; cheer up, it's totally normal with hormones all gone wild! You are not alone=)

The 6th Month

I’m disappointed. My energy level last month was at its peak but this month it just started going down the hill. Am I not getting enough sleep? Most likely.  If I’m persistent in saying no to things and people, I can go to bed by 11pm and wake up by 6am for work and then I don’t get home until 6pm.  It’s really difficult working 8 hours a day, maintaining the household, social life and attending events but I don’t want to miss a thing. However, I am advised to take 3-5 naps during the day and sleep at least 10 hours. I am beginning to want to listen to them.  Due to work the naps aren’t possible but I need to deliberately go to bed so that I am getting 10 hours of sleep.

It's Getting Uncomfortable Here

The best part about pregnancy are the kicks, the food and if you were ever pregnant, you already know the third one. You don’t really have to eat for two people because all you really need is additional 200-300 calories but somehow pregnancy has given me the insurance to eat what I want. Maybe because I can’t do and have so many other things that if I didn’t eat what I wanted, I’d go even more nuts.

My 5th month was the best energy wise. I’m half way through my 6th month and I can feel my energy level going down. My legs are getting tired carrying the extra weight, I can’t sleep well because I can only sleep on my sides and I’m not comfortable with either side. I can’t sit like a lady, I prefer sitting with my legs open like a guy- that’s so much better. I can still put on socks and shoes but yesterday I couldn’t put on one of my boots. I have to lean on something while putting on jeans or else I’d fall flat on my face. This morning I almost tripped over a pencil and realized it’s because I can’t see anything past my bump. At work it’s really hard sitting in my chair because the keyboard and the bump …well they bump heads. I have to lean real back and try to pull the keyboard right under my bump so I’m not 10inches away from it. It’s becoming that way with hugs and cuddling too. The doc said the baby is going to double in growth the next two months which means I will get bigger and that is a scary fact. I am so looking forward to labor but yes I’m trying to enjoy my last few months of pregnancy and uncomfortableness.

Second Trimester: The Honeymoon stage of Pregnancy

Some women sail through their pregnancies but I wasn't one of them. Counting down to my last day of first trimester took the longesttttt.  I couldn't wait to get into my second trimester because every book I read it said that for most women it was the honeymoon stage of pregnancy.Thank the Lord that was true for me. My hormone outbursts subsided and I began to enjoy being pregnant little by little.

It was hard for me in the beginning because I didn't have the happy feelings as everyone expected me to have but  when I found out it was normal to feel this way, I started feeling better and doing things that made me feel like myself and normal. I also kept reminding myself it's HORMONES to blame. It will pass.

I gave up on reading those pregnancy books that always discuss the worse case scenarios which freaked me out and gave me nightmares! Instead, I read  Skinny Bitch "Bun in the Oven" which was really encouraging and repeated "I am feeling this way because I'm pregnant " every time I started feeling PMSy. Reading the Bible, prayer, attending church, talking to a counselor, pastor, friends, family and husband. Support system is a must! Some days I isolated myself but I soon realized that made me even more depressed and worse so i forced myself to go out with friends and be around people who  loved and cared about me even when I didn't feel like it. The more I did it the more I noticed the good changes in me.

I didn't color my hair or do my nails in the first trimester or even blow dry my hair. Gradually, I started taking care of myself and doing things I normally did and slowly I entered the honeymoon stage. My energy came back and I was able to plan and do things whereas before, even thinking about doing something later in the evening gave me panic attack.

It's been nice these past few months. Emotionally I am much better these days. Physically, I started having heartburn in the beginning of my 5th month and it is expected to get worst the last three. As long as I'm laughing, I can deal with anything.

I am looking forward to meeting our baby and I hope my Third Trimester makes up even more for my first one.

My First Trimester: Hell and Back.

Breathe. It's been awhile since I've blogged; maybe because I was too busy being pregnant. Yes, it's true and it's finally really showing! I am going into my 6th month this February and our baby girl Emma Olivia Cholakian is due May 18, 2011.

The most popular question: Were you planning?
Answer: Yes and No. It was Spontaneous.
We took Osh's aunt Hasmik morkur's advise which was: If you want to have a baby try to conceive in July or August that way you'll skip having a winter baby which would decrease changes of the baby catching a cold and you'd have your baby right before the start of school year. Made perfect sense so we gave it a shot or else we would have waited another year for July or August.

I had heard about morning sickness in the first trimester but no one had told me the emotional ups and downs that I might experience. I never threw up but it was hell. The only way to describe the first trimester is PMS symptoms times a gazillion other than fatigue to the max, it included: Major mood swings, anxiety and a mixture of depression, mixed feelings, uncertaintity and extremely touchy. I cried about everything and nothing. First it was every day, then it became every other day, once a week, every other week and so on. I thought I was losing my mind and all I wanted was Prozac because I have been told that it can cheer you up. Unfortunely when you're pregnant the only thing you can take is a bubble bath.

Looking back,  I don't know how I did it because I didn't think I could live one more day feeling the way I did. I am so fortuante for having a supportive, loving husband, family and friends who helped me through with encourgaing words and lots of prayers. I am even more grateful to God for carrying me when I couldn't walk. I prayed myself through every day. This time, I learned that when I couldn't take or do anything to better my situation, I had  God to depend on and cry out for help for everything. He has been faithful.