When Motherhood Looks Different Than Planned

All my life, I’ve been a planner. When my parents would take my brother and I on a vacation, I would be the one who would pick up the travel brochures and determine where we should go, what we should eat, and how we would get there. Today, I carry a spiral bound planner with me wherever I go. Inside this notebook is my monthly calendar, my to-do list, my grocery list, and my goals for what I want to accomplish for the day, month, and year. Having a plan makes me feel like I am in control. Until I’m not. …

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15 Lessons Learned from Multiple Miscarriages

October 15th was National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. It was also the day I lost my first baby to miscarriage a few years ago. Since then, I have lost three additional babies to miscarriage. I have become, by default (and most definitely not by my choosing), a miscarriage expert. Here are a few of the lessons I have learned. Lessons Learned from Miscarriage – 3 Years Later: 1. Children are a blessing. If I had known when I was pregnant the first time that he would be my only surviving biological child, I would have treasured each kick so much …

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Have You Fallen Into the Planned Parenthood Trap?

I felt helpless laying flat on the table, doctors talking in hushed whispers as they hovered around me. I gripped onto my husband’s quivering hand as he sat and sobbed. As the ultrasound wand circled my swollen belly, I felt like a lab-rat being inspected from the inside out. The pictures on the ultrasound screen spoke two different messages: one to the doctors of deformity, illness, malady, dysfunction; the other to me of a precious silhouette with hiccups, clinched fists, cute crossed legs, sweet nose.  The professionals started urging me to take the “best road,” to terminate the pregnancy and …

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Every heart is Expectant

Expectant devotions for new and expectant moms

How far is the distance between your parenting expectations  and your reality? Becoming a mom has a way of surpassing and squashing our expectations at the same time. It’s a weird and wonderful thing, this journey of growing into a mama. For those just starting out, it helps to have a guide for growing your own life while growing your family. EXPECTANT, 40 devotions for new and expectant moms, is that guide. Whether we join the adventure biologically or through adoption, experience has a way of changing our expectations. Honest moms who can remember will admit to announcing they would …

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Be You, Bravely

This Halloween, I just knew my girls would want to be Anna and Elsa from Frozen. Like most other four year old girls (and their parents, if we are being honest!), they have fallen in love with the story of these two sisters. But, when it came time to get dressed to go trick or treating two weeks ago, my girls refused to wear their new costumes. If I’ve learned anything about being a mother, it’s that I’ve got to pick and choose my battles. So, instead of forcing them to wear their Anna and Elsa costumes, I said, “Okay, …

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Introducing a New Baby Into the Family

“I wish you would turn into a ball and roll away.” Apparently my second oldest wasn’t too excited about my pregnancy with our fourth child. Adding a new person into the family fold causes adjustments for all family members.  Adding a new person into the family fold causes adjustments Click To Tweet Because this was child number four, I wasn’t too worried. (I may have felt alarmed had this been my second baby.) Our home in La Mesa, California was very…shall we say..cozy.  We decided it was best to have our girls (the oldest and the third) share a room …

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5 Ways to Support the Grieving

5 Ways to Support the Grieving

October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Men and women all over the world light candles at 7 PM in memory of the babies they have lost to miscarriage, still birth, or infant death. In light of this special day’s approach next week, I wanted to share with you five ways to encourage someone who is grieving.  Because my husband and I have lost four babies to miscarriage, people often come to me after a friend loses a baby and ask, “How can I help?” They want to do something, but don’t know what would be most helpful.  …

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What to do about your stretch marks

Before we get into today’s post, we want to share with you that Stephanie Shott is sharing her testimony today on The 700 Club! If you know someone who has struggled with abuse, rape, brokenness, are in a difficult marriage or struggle in their quest to know God, PLEASE be sure to have them watch The 700 Club at 9:30 a.m. (ET) on ABC Family Channel. Jesus really does change everything and Stephanie’s desire is that God will use it to speak hope into those who are watching. And here’s a link to the interview if you didn’t catch it …

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Detour – Teenage Motherhood – How to Survive (sneak peek of Better Together Session)

  This wasn’t the part of the plan. You and your daughter were planning for high school graduation, but now you’re trying to get used to the idea that she is going to be a mother. You’re both trying to sync schedules around baby. How exactly will she do this mom thing and how do you help her?   It happened to me. One day I was cheerleading for the football team and the next–I was fighting with my mom, feeling oh-so tired and scared as I held a positive pregnancy test in my hands.  What did my future look …

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Even Moms Need More Sleep

 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. Genesis 2:2 ESV She’s here, she’s there, she’s everywhere. You’re the mom, which means you are always on the go: groceries, diapers, and carlines are a part of your everyday world and somewhere in the chaos of it all we’ve bought into the lie that we’ve got to be some kind of supermom.  You know, faster than a speeding bullet, stronger than…oh, who are we kidding, we’re not super mom, nor should …

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