our babymoon | 101 in 1001

It seems as though I have quite a bit of catching up to do with status updates of my 101 in 1001 list. First up, #37: take a cruise with Tommy. I knew I wanted to take a cruise sometime in my life. When my pregnancy adventure came around I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to cruise. We wanted to go on a last little trip together before we became a family of three. With that, I knew I didn't want to fly anywhere. Nor did I want to go to a foreign country where any emergency care may not be covered by insurance and/or wouldn't have many doctors available who spoke English (although I do think that's difficult to come by these days).  Plus, we had never been on a cruise and I have always wanted to go!

So... we went. To the Bahamas, specifically.

I didn't take very many pictures of our trip (story of my life lately), but I did make Tommy take a belly picture of me with the pretty blue water behind me. :) I knew I was way overdue for a belly picture (truth be told I am not totally loving the pregnant me) and I wanted to capture this time in our lives together. We met some great people on the cruise and one of the couples we shared a dinner table with took a few pictures of us while we were in Nassau together. Here are a few of my favorites: (the first pics of me are taken by Tommy :))

The best part of the trip was, hands down, our short time in Nassau. We aren't much into touristy activities so Tommy asked a few locals for some ideas of what to do.We ended up hopping on the local city bus and taking an unplanned tour through the entire island (we took the bus in the wrong direction - so touristy of us!) and hopped off at the local beach. It was hands down the quietest place on the island and we loved it. We waded in the water and watched as locals played with their pets and completed their daily workouts. The water and scenery was just as I imagined it would be. So heavenly!

We also enjoyed our time on the cruise ship, though we heard a few different times that previous cruisers preferred the Royal Carribean cruise line vs. the Carnival cruise line (which we were on). Note taken! :)

Overall, we had a great time and enjoyed our escape from real life (and all things technology related!)... but now that we have seen the Bahamas I think next time we'll spend our money on another all-inclusive resort. :)

belonging

Ever since I can remember, I have wanted to be a mother. My game of choice as a child was House. I was the mom, and my dolls were my babies. When my sister was pregnant with her third child (and actually living in the same town as me for the first time since high school), I got baby fever so bad that I joined mommy forums. I did. I wasn't even married yet. (Hey, I'm just keeping it real.) For years I have wanted so badly to have my own little baby to hold, to wear, and to love. Still, Tommy and I waited, attempting to make the best decisions we knew for our little family. I waited... to be a part of the group of women also known as mothers.

But, now... here we are. Unexpectedly thrilled. The timing couldn't be better for us. I trust in God's plan and truly feel that our little growing baby is a gift from the Lord. I could not feel more at peace about it. 

And... finally... I feel like I belong in the clique that I could never get into before. The clique of motherhood.

I hesitate to write this because I know there are women who read my blog who have such strong baby fever, who may be struggling to get pregnant and want nothing more than to become mothers themselves, and still they wait. 

But I need to write this down. This amazing thing that happened when I realized we were expecting. Literally, overnight... my mommy nature kicked in. My mindset changed. My priorities changed. My interests changed!

I spend my days taking work breaks to think about birth, diapers and nursery ideas. Tommy and I have constant conversations about baby names, important boundaries we want to teach to our children, and things we want to do when we are a family of three. I have researched midwives and doulas and books to read. I have conversations with moms that I never imagined I would be having this year. I go to websites like The Creative Mama, and ClickinMoms and I feel like I have every right to be there. I'm not just some weirdo who reads mommy stuff before I need to (not anymore, anyway).

I do really finally belong... and it feels so right. 

I am so happy.