Self Respect: Love Yourself

Okay, so I totally stole this from one of the girls I follow on my fitness Instagram account. Which I hardly use because I am not doing so well on the whole fitness thing at the moment...that is a story for another day.

Anyways... isn't the above paragraph so true? As women we are sooo hard on ourselves. I could sit down and ramble off a whole list of things I DO NOT like about myself without even thinking about it. How sad. What we need to focus on, what I need to focus on, is loving myself and who I am in God's eyes. He created me perfect in His image! Why can't I see that all the time? It is so easy to focus on the things we want to fix or change. What about all the good we have in our lives? What about having life, having health,  jobs, cars, a roof over our heads etc.

After the babies came my body has changed a lot of course. My tummy doesn't look the same, I have bags under my eyes, I feel exhausted like every moment of every day, among other things. But..I am loved, I am living, I am happy!

I started this blog and that instagram account (I hardly use) to jumpstart my fitness journey. It helped, I am definitely conscious of health decisions I make but I struggle a lot with it at the same time, which I have expressed in some of my other posts. When I have these struggles it is so easy to get down on myself and think of the things I am not doing instead of the great things I am doing. I see these beautiful girls on instagram that I use as my motivation and I want to be like them...but I have to remind myself, a lot of those women are fitness models..their job is to be fit and in shape ALL THE TIME. That's not my job. I am first and foremost a mom and a wife, and I love that. I love me in that role.

Don't get me wrong it is great to be healthy and fit and that is what I strive for, but in the meantime it is so important to love where you are in life. Love your journey. Love what God has given you, because in His eyes you are BEAUTIFUL all the time. What a great feeling that is!

Until next time, my 5 followers...haha! Love you and Happy Halloween!

I'm so stoked to have my very own Batman and Robin this year ;)

~Nic

Prayers

So as I sit here thinking of a zillion things to blog about, but don't have time to write...my heart is aching for a fellow blogger. I only started following her blog a couple days ago when my friend sent me her link. I'm really weird about blogging...I love to put stuff out there, but not too personal. That's just me. So I naturally do not feel write blogging all about this momma seeing as I don't know her personally. However, her blog is public and I know she has a lot of followers. All I ask is that you pray for her and her husband. You can read their story here.

I wish these days would last

 My first hours, even days, of mommyhood were not your typical "I'm so in love with my new baby" experience. Instead I was scared, confused and sick. I didn't get to hold my son CJ until four days after his birth when I finally saw him in the NICU. I knew that I loved these babies, but I was so worried about their survival that was almost my first feeling towards them...worry. Of course it didn't take long for that love and connection that new parents talk about to kick in. It just wasn't my first reaction to parenthood. I know that sounds just awful but I think you parents of NICU babies can relate.  Leaving the hospital you walked fully pregnant into without your baby isn't really the scenario most people picture when they think of the first days of parenthood.

I remember visiting the boys and just praying to hear their cries at home. I know that crying in the middle of the night is exhausting...but I couldn't wait to have my heart back together in one piece under one roof..and if that meant hearing crying all night, so be it. Luckily my boys were awesome when we got them home. I thank the NICU nurses for getting them on a 3 hours schedule! Life saver, I tell ya! Anyways...when I got the boys home I promised myself I would savor every single moment that I got with them.

When the boys were itty bitty I really did what I could to soak up and memorize every moment, every smile, every stare. It is so easy to get swept away with the chaos and stress that a new baby brings into your life. I have to do a mental check when things do get stressful and remind myself that it won't be like this forever, I WILL miss these days with the boys. I'll miss their cries for me, the rushing around, and this baby stage. Time goes by so fast! That time of PURE EXHAUSTION??? It won't last forever. Babies are only that little for a short amount of time. Enjoy it. Yes it is hard and it is tiring, but you are the world to that sweet little life that you created. Embrace the cries, the messy diapers and the days when you can't shower, because they don't last forever, and you are blessed to have a sweet baby to love on.

I felt like writing this post because I feel like there are a lot of new parents that get so stressed they can't see the joy in having a new little baby. It is okay to feel stressed, most of my days I am! Haha! I just really do my best to see the good in the time I have with my little ones.

Until next time friends!

God Bless!