But Mom, It's Tradition...

When I was a new mom, I didn't think intentionally about the idea of creating special family traditions, mostly because I didn't realize the importance of them in the lives of my children.  It wasn't until my 17 year old daughter expressed, "But Mom, It's a Family Tradition!" that I realized the importance of simple family traditions.

From the time my daughter was born, she had participated in our family's annual "Christmas Cookie Party," with her siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. In 2010, not only was she, her older siblings, and many of her cousins reaching adulthood, but it was an especially busy & stressful Christmas season. My sister and I reasoned, "the kids are getting too old for this tradition anyway and it would make our lives a whole lot easier if we just skipped the Christmas Cookie Party this year." I know, you can probably see the writing on the wall and you are right, our announcement did not go over too well, to say the least! Not only did my daughter sigh the words I mentioned earlier, but her older sister and a few of the cousins, were not pleased either! It didn't take long for my sister and I to change our attitude and muster up the energy to begin the cookie party preparations! Next week, I will share about some of our Thanksgiving family traditions.  And after Thanksgiving, I will blog about the details of our family Cookie Party Tradition! But for now, I just wanted to share how I believe that creating simple & fun family traditions become a very special part of the legacy we create as moms in building happy family memories! I hope I have sparked some interest in you to start being intentional about the idea of creating special family traditions! You won't regret it and either will your children!

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The "Greatly Expectant" Stage of Pregnancy

What do I mean by "Greatly Expectant?" Well, it is a term that I came up with to explain the stage of pregnancy when a woman finds herself pregnant, for perhaps days or weeks, beyond her due date. Some would term this stage "Past-Due," but when I was pregnant with my first child, and three weeks past my due date, I came up with a new term called, "Greatly Expectant." It was a time that I felt like I was literally about to pop! My tummy had grown beyond what I or my husband had ever thought or imagined was possible! I had swollen feet and could no longer fit into any of my shoes! I was only  able to fit into one dress, which I called my "tent dress." My clothing options were minimal, I could either wear my "tent dress" or my husband's clothes! Besides coming to a state of complete clothing despair, it was during this "Greatly Expectant" time that I almost came to a state of complete despair from curious, yet well-meaning, strangers not hesitating to ask me some "Greatly Expectant" questions or sharing their personal opinions! These questions went something like this:  "Sooo.......When are you due?" or "How many babies do you have inside there???" or "Are you having twins?" To be honest, I did not handle these questions too well. I found myself breaking into tears, right in the middle of the mall, and waddle-running to the closest bathroom to have a meltdown! At the time, I was not able to realize that they had no clue that I was three weeks past my due date and very sensitive! By the way, I do not think that most doctors allow pregnant mommies to get too far into the "Greatly Expectant" Stage these days! Anyway, I did learn a few things during this time that I would like to share. I learned that it is okay to move up to the next size of maternity clothes and that many pregnant women, especially during the final stages of pregnancy, can feel overly sensitive due to changes in their hormones. This was comforting news! I also learned that I needed to have an attitude adjustment! I began to think about how amazing it is for a "Greatly Expectant" mom to put a complete stranger at ease, making them feel comfortable to ask her such personal questions or share from their experience of being pregnant. I also came to realize that most people are truly excited for pregnant moms and their new little one who is on his or her way! Pregnancy is an exciting time and I now realize that even complete strangers share in the excitement & expectancy of new life! (ModMomMaternity offers a cute "Due Date" necklace, click here to view)

When I think about the the joy that the expectancy of life brings to the pregnant mom, dad, family, and complete strangers, it reminds me of how important new life is to God, our Creator!

 Psalm 139: 13-14 says,
“For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.”    Psalm 139:13-14