A large number of my friends are either pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or thinking of becoming pregnant. This made me think of advice that I would give myself if I could go back a few weeks before Cash was born. Here is what I was thinking...
Dear me,
In few weeks your life is going to turn upside down and inside out, so get ready. Actually, don't get ready. You will try to prepare yourself as best you can but you truly can not prepare yourself for how drastically things will change. You may have the nursery done and ready for your baby boy. You may have all the bottles washed and all the clothes washed (probably not though if I know you like I think I know you). You may have the car seat in (trust me, adjust it to the bigger setting before you get to the hospital) and ready to go. But I will tell you what you don't have ready... your heart. It will grow exponentially bigger and make room for this precious soul that has just entered your life.
Your time in the hospital will fly by and creep by at the same time. You will be so ready to go home but so scared to leave the comfort of having a nurse at the push of a button. Trust me, you will be fine. You will venture into the unknown world of parenthood and you will feel blindfolded. But trust me, you will be fine. Your body will be pushed to the edge of what is physically possible, and in time, you will bounce back. You are stronger and braver than you ever thought possible.
Lean on people to help you. At first, you will want to do everything on your own. You will feel like a failure and a bad mom if you can't do everything on your own. Get that idea out of your head. You will be a better mom because you realize that everything you are doing is for your baby boy. You are going to need help. Just get used to it.
Noah will turn out to be the best and biggest help that you can ask for. Make sure and thank him often and let him know that you could not do any of this without him. (Maybe buy him a round of golf to show your appreciation). The love you had for him before your baby boy gets here is dismal compared to the amount of love you have for him as the father of your child.
Listen to advice from people, but trust yourself. You are a good mother. Obviously you are still figuring everything out, but you are a good mother. You are beginning the ground work of raising a young man, which can be an intimidating thing. Keep praying over your sweet angel every night for God to give you the tools you need so that you can equip him to be the man you know he can be.
Hang in there,
Your future self
P.S.
The above picture is just a glimpse of what you have to look forward to.
P.S.S
It's pretty sad that you baby, who has been cooped up in a womb for 9 months, is darker than you. I'm just saying.
These are 2 of my best friends from high school, Kassie on the left and Tori on the right (the one who looks like Sandra Bullock). Tori is about 16 weeks preggo here, but I can hardly tell anything. Looks to me like maybe she just ate lunch or something, but certainly not 16 weeks pregnant!
Even his feet are a little on the chubby side...
and this...
My answer is simply this..
Family pic with Cash, again, partaking in a pregame nap...
Does this kid ever wake up?
3. My sister-in-law and I wanted to get pictures of all of the young boys in the Halloween costumes. Her three boys were dinosaurs and Mr. Cash was a dinosaur egg. Here are some pics from the pumpkin patch of all the boys dressed up.
