The thoughtfullness of Pregnancy

So, my good friend, Shannon, decided to reflect back on her pregnancy and wrote down 20 thoughts she has had over the last 10 months. It was such a great idea, that I made a list and posted it on Facebook. But just for good measure- here are the thoughts I remember thinking! Some serious, some very serious, and some were just my wild imagination!

1. “How did this happen? Oh, yeah, VACATION!”
2. “Pregnancy is the best birth-control. I don’t think I’ll ever want to have sex again!”
3. “Pregnancy is the best aphrodisiac!”
4. “This kid is going to be a hermaphrodite… I just know it!”
5. “Ryan, is my NOSE swollen? It is! Dang it!”
6. “Will I be able to love this baby as much as I love my dogs?”
7. “No, Mom and Dad, coming to visit me the weekend of my due date will NOT make me go into labor. Sorry to keep you waiting!”
8. “There is no way this thing is coming out of THERE!”
9. “My baby is going to be ugly… I just know it!”
10. “I know this is impossible, but what if the baby comes out with dreadlocks!”
11. “I wonder if I can get one of those handles that older people use so they don’t slip in the shower for my toilet, because getting off of it is difficult… since I’m on it every 5 minutes!”
12. “ Will I love this baby is she/he decides to go to UTexas, A&M, or OU… probably NOT!”
13. “If anyone asks me how much weight I’ve gained… I think I’ll sit on them and have them guess!”
14. “Wow, my belly button is gone.”
15. “If this baby is a boy… can I help him become a feminist?”
16. “If this baby is a girl… can I help her become a feminist?”
17. “I wonder if Karen Horney was right… does Ryan have Womb Envy?”
18. “How bad am I going to screw this kid up?”
19. “Will I ever wear regular jeans again?”
20. Week 42… “Will this baby ever be born… or am I going to be this way forever!?”

He's on the move

I realized that I had really updated about Topher's crawling- he now is a moving man. So this morning, I decided to take a moment and video his movement. He is so quick and he loves to 'talk' while crawling. He is so cute.

Our portraits!

Hey there, if you are reading our blog, then you must love us, and if you love us, then you will probably want to check out our family portraits. Below is the link! Just email me (anlabrown@hotmail.com) for the password!

http://amyparishphoto.smugmug.com/Portraits/Porter/12127933_Btt2q#862165003_ZMRoz

THEY ARE AMAZING!

The best Mother's Day

What a blessed Mother's Day weekend! I am still smiling and am still feeling the love. I cannot believe I am part of the club that gets awesome gifts, usually made from glitter and paint created with little hands and big hearts. Mother's Day, right now at least, is my new favorite holiday. I am sure the excitement will lessen over the next 17 years, but for now, I love that I get celebrated for making my little Topher.

My Mother’s Day actually started the week before when I received 3 cards in the mail from other mothers in my life. First to arrive was from my mom. She sent me a beautiful card and a compact mirror that says, “A Mother’s Love is a Gift from God”. It is the perfect size to fit in my purse AKA the diaper bag! It is very special for my mom to celebrate my motherhood. She is the one who taught me what a mama is… and she did an amazing job. Second, I got a card from my good friend, Lindsey. She and I met at school and she is not only a wonderful friend, but also a new mom as well. We have bonded over being counseling students and now as being counseling students with baby boys! I am so blessed by her friendship. And then I got a card from my good friend, Shannon. She was thoughtful enough to send her card all the way from Lubbock. Shannon will soon enter the club of moms, she is expected to give birth to her baby boy any day now! It was so sweet to be acknowledged by these busy women in my life!

As Ryan rolled over to me on Sunday morning, he was surprised that I was already awake, laying there with the huge smile on my face. It was like Christmas morning. I was so excited to get up, get Topher and begin MY day. And MY day it was! It began with Ryan making a spinach and green chili frittatta. It was YUMMY! Topher and I got ready for church while Ryan cooked and then we all ate breakfast together.

At church, it was fun to be with friends and Topher made me a Mother’s Day card in the nursery. Well, honestly, the ladies at church made it… but Topher did let them paint his hand and put it on my card. I think I will cherish it forever! After church, Ryan, Topher and I went to lunch, and I decided I wanted PASTA! So, we went to Macaroni Grill and Ryan and I shared a warm spinach salad and Chicken Scaloppine- it was AWESOME!

After church, Ryan and I rented a movie and watched it while Topher took his afternoon nap. It was a sad movie, but fun to hang out with Ryan. After Topher ate his dinner, we decided with was wonderful weather, so we needed to go to the park. It was Topher’s first time going to the park and he enjoyed it, almost as much as we did. His first time swinging was so cute, and he didn’t really understand the slide. He was a little hesitant about crawling on the grass, but soon got used to it!

At the park, we met a friend who was born 2 days after Topher at the same hospital, so we were probably on our way out when they were on their way in! It was so cute to watch these two little guys smile at each other on the swings. But I truly felt humbled when the mom told us about all the health issues her little boy had been through. He had heart surgery 3 days after birth and was in the hospital the whole first month of life. Thank God, he is healthy now, but what a way to begin! I hugged Topher a little tighter and prayed a little more fervently that night.

I love this picture. Sweet moments spent between Father and son.

Ryan was very disappointed when the gift he ordered for me didn’t make it in time- although I told him a card was more then enough… but I am glad he didn’t listen! Last night, Ryan and Topher gave me the most precious gift. It is a necklace with Topher’s name on it and a single pearl. It is so beautiful and I will cherish it forever.

Last May I was pregnant with Topher and got a card for Mother’s Day and it was so special, but this year was so much more amazing, because I got to hold that precious being that made me a mom. I got to celebrate all over again, the gift that God gave us and I will forever be Topher’s mama!