Baby News and The 1st Trimester
1st trimester down and I am still in disbelief. Being a mom always felt like a fantasy to me. I knew it was going to happen, but I felt like in another world. I am the youngest and only girl out of five. My parents worked a lot, and I was rarely surrounded by kids younger than me. There were no cousins, nephews, or nieces that I had to babysit. Therefore, being a mom was rarely in my thoughts, until recently.
To be honest, when I was a young adult, I saw kids as an inconvenience. I have specific aspirations and in a way, I naively thought kids would prevent them from happening. In the last couple of years, God began to prepare my heart; I knew babies were coming. My husband and I have been married for four years. We enjoy so much getting to know each other as husband and wife. We traveled, ate out a lot (lol), and seriously grew as a couple and as individuals.
I guess you can say my perspective started to change when I heard Joanna Gaine’s testimony about her kids. When she first opened her shop Magnolia, she received an instruction from God to close the store and focus on kids. She was heartbroken. She felt like her dream was coming to an end. But she received comfort from God and He said to her, “If you trust me with your dream, I will bring Magnolia further than you could ever dream.” And the rest is history.
You can find the link to her testimony here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7iPEDnqwm0
Friends have asked me, “Were you excited when you first found out that you were pregnant?!” To be honest, no. I was more at peace. Jeremy and I were actually going to start trying in January of 2021. It just happened a little earlier than expected. But just like everything big in my life, I knew it was the right time. I was actually more excited to share the amazing news with the people we love most.
Jeremy’s Parents
We decided to wait until Christmas to share the big news. Since Hispanics celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve, Jeremy’s parents found out first. I purchased customized onesies and sweatshirts, but due to COVID, it didn’t come in time. So we bought generic ones and knew it would be enough. I wrapped the items and presented them as Christmas gifts. As my father-in-law was holding the gift, he said to Jeremy in Spanish, “When are you going to give us grandkids?” lol… I honestly wasn’t expecting much of a reaction from my in-laws. They already have grandkids. This was nothing new to them, so I thought. We were having dinner and they begin to open the gift together. My suegra instantly cried and was hyperventilating. In the 10 years, I have been with my husband, I have never seen her cry. I think in shock, I started to choke on my food. So I was choking and crying, while trying to console my in-laws. It was awesome. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.
My Parents
The one thing I looked forward to most when I became pregnant was sharing the news with my parents. They have patiently waited for so long. I had a hard time keeping it from them. The 1st month of the 1st trimester of pregnancy was especially rough. I wanted so bad to call my mom. No matter what age, I feel moms just know how to make things better. And I wanted that comfort from her so bad.
Christmas day came and I was actually nervous. I felt like I was proposing to my parents! lol… The family was at my brother’s house and I was super late because I was feeling nauseous. We sat down at the kitchen table and my dad already had noodles cooked for us. I handed them the gift.
My dad was in front of me standing. My mom was behind him sitting. They begin to open the gift. My dad looks up and started dancing, I have never seen him dance like that before. He begins to cry, filled with so much joy, and shouts,” Are you serious, are you serious?!” And I see my mom, composed. Tears were running down her cheeks as the news sank in. And I hear my dad say, “I feel like I gained 10 years to my life.”
In November, God gave me a simple word for December and it was “gift.” I was like ok, cool. Christmas falls in December and of course gifts are involved, I get it. And I was actually going to write a blog about it. And then I realized in December, I found out a gift was given to us in the form of a baby.
Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Pslam 127:3 NLT
During my first trimester, I knew this would be a word I would have to hold onto. My body was going through so many changes so fast, and I felt it. Anytime I complained or had the urge to, I was reminded of this word. And I’m sure this verse will be something I will hold onto during my entire motherhood.
During this time of rest. I started to reevaluate and remind myself of my dreams. What are my dreams? It is to do the will of my heavenly Father. And this baby will not take away from the dream, but in actuality, is so much a part of it.
-mal
