It's All About Ali

So I've officially reached 31 weeks. A lot has happened in these past few weeks so I haven't had much time to keep everyone update. Joel is wrapping up our last house project which is the baby's closet. He's put in new laminate flooring in our entire house, tiled our kitchen, remodeled our bathroom, and will finish the closet this weekend with his dad. Once the closet is done I can start putting the finishing touches on the nursery (I'll be sure to post pictures).
We've also decided on our pediatrician and had a meet and greet with her last week. She literally works two minutes from our house, she has a great disposition, appears to be very interested in up to date information and research, and works with two other experienced pediatricians who will cover for her when she is not available. I'm happy with our choice.
We also finally decided on a car seat. We decided to go with the Chicco Cortina Travel System. The car seat seemed like the most durable out of all the ones we saw and it also has a front adjustable strap. It's a bit heavier than the other ones but I'm pretty sure I can handle it. We went with the Travel System because it was the most affordable for us right now. Eventually I would like to get a jogger, but for now a regular stroller will do.
In news about the pregnancy...all is well. She moves a lot, so much so that I had to ask a few people if there was such a thing as an "increased fetal movement" :). She moves so much that I have trouble sleeping at night/day. I can tell she is growing because her movement literally jolt me and take my breathe away. She also got the hiccups for the first time today, I was pretty excited because I had heard people talk about what that felt like and today was the first time I felt it. I've definitely had my share of braxton hicks contractions, especially lately. I've been trying to do too much stuff lately and know I need a little break. Which I won't be getting until next weekend :)...I'll be working four in row in a day, should be interesting. My Dr. says that he think she'll will be around 8-9 lbs., which is an improvement from 10 lbs..
Here are a few more items I bought for her. My new favorite hobby is shopping for her :).

Congrats Joel!

Well, Joel has just completed his MBA. I don't know how he does it, but he managed to finish in two years, while working full time, and doing countless projects around the house. Oh, and lets not forget about fitting in golf almost everyday of the year. He is one of those people who can take on so much and not get overwhelmed by it all. He just loves staying busy. On top of all this he has been the most supportive and loving husband. While he may be one of the worst massage givers of all time, how much can I really complain when this morning he says "you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen", while he thinks I'm sleeping. I tried hard to pretend that I was still sleeping but couldn't hold back a smile. He is going to make a phenomenal dad!

So congrats to Joel!!! He works so hard and I feel so blessed to call him my husband!

Check out the new kicks...

First pair of Nikes from my dad :)

Learning from the Heart

I just finished reading a really great book called, "Learning from the Heart". The author, Daniel Gottlieb is a psychologist and quadriplegic who writes about what he's experienced and what he thinks it means to be human. I read it in about 4 days, so it's also a nice and quick read. Here are few excerpts from the book that spoke to me the most.



*What I've learned about love (the first and my favorite chapter)

"It seems as if the more we let go, the more we experience love. Love is beyond everything else--anxiety, desire, hope, resentment. Love is openhearted, demands nothing, and needs nothing. It is more likely to visit when our desires are quiet, when we don't need or want much, and when we accept that everything we love is not permanent but is with us at this very moment."

"I'm sure there are as many descriptions of love as there are humans begins who have tried to describe it. Dr. Stephens Post describes altruistic love as a love for all humanity without exception, with abiding kindness and service. This love is a selfless act of generosity of spirit. And sometimes it's really a state of being. There are times when I have experienced love that doesn't feel like action at all. I'm not feeling love for someone--or for something I do. Instead, there are moments when I feel that my being is love."



*So Who Do We Think We Are, Anyway?

"I have been watching dogs and have learned this: They love life fully. We seem to cherish life, but most of aren't fully aware of this day by day. Dogs seem to know that life is good. Dogs also know about altruistic love. Because they don't have egos, they seem to love loving. When we humans love, most of us are timid about opening our hearts all the way. The ego wonders: "Will I be hurt? Will I be loved back? Will my needs get met or will I be abandoned? Dogs don't have these questions. They just love"

"People introduce me as a psychologist and a therapist and an author and a parent and a quadriplegic and on and on. But really who I am is a being who breathes, who feels fear and longing and love and lust and hatred and revulsion and shame. That's all part of the water passing through my fingers. I feel my irrelevance and then I find fear, and then sadness, and then peace. "



*But I Keep Holding On

"We keep holding on to our theories because it's all we have. To let go of something we've always believed in requires a leap of faith--trust in something that is unknowable. And I think the task for all of us is to have faith in our own resilience. When that happens, we are exposed to many more possibilities."



*Listening--The Great Healer (another one of my favorite chapters)

"My most powerful lesson about listening came during the early days after my accident. I noticed that the more I simply listened, the more people spoke to me. And the more people opened their hearts, the more deeply I cared. I listened with an open heart, and people spoke with an open heart. How did this happen? Well in addition to losing many functions in my body, I "lost" all of my personal pronouns. It was always about them--that is, other people--and their humanity. I had no responsibility to change anyone, only listen and learn. And in the process, I discovered how to care deeply."

* For a Change, Do Nothing
"Most humans, I've noticed, are trying to figure out what's wrong and then change it. Whether our goal is to fix what we think needs fixing, to effectively hide our defect, or to finally find security or unconditional love, most of us work very hard to bring about change. And most of us, when we're not successful with that effort, do what I did: work even harder."
"What I've discovered is that the voice in the brain is not the voice of some wise observer. Rather, it's the voice of our own anxiety and insecurity telling us that if we become different, then we will no longer be insecure. I see that critical voice as a scared child saying, Do this and do that...and maybe then we will be okay." Instead of taking that critical voice seriously, try listening to it as an anxious part of your personality that needs comfort and reassurance rather than obedience. The truth is, if we become comfortable with who we are rather than who we think we should be, then we will be less insecure."

*What Our Children See
"I ask parents how they feel about their lives. Like their children, most complain. Some say they don't get enough sleep. Others say they have too much pressure to achieve and too much stress. But, like their children, the parents believe that if they continue on this path, it will lead to a better life "tomorrow". And then we talk about what our children see when they look at us. We become their vision of tomorrow. And of course that's not what most of us want. We have other dreams for our children--that they will find comfort, peace, happiness, and serenity. But where are their role models? "
" You must fix your life. It is an act of love to your children to find meaning, joy, and contentment in your own life."
"So what can we do to help our children look forward to a future filled with hope, true happiness, and gratitude? We need to take care of ourselves."

*The Give-and-Take of Caring for Others
A woman addresses her mother who has been her caregiver for years. The poem begins with a quote of her mothers often repeated advice.

"Mother knows best"

Don't talk
about your troubles.
No one love a sad face.

Oh, mom.

The truth is
cheer isolates,
humor defends,
competence intimidates,
control separates,
and sadness....

sadness opens us to each other.


"So what does is mean to be human? You must decide on your own, but here is what I recommend: When you see a fellow human, first notice the indentation on the others person's top lip (God's fingerprint, same as yours). Then look in the other person's eyes. You will find a human who is tender and vulnerable, one who pursues security, happiness, and love. You will find someone who is capable of great, selfless compassion and one who has been hurt and who, in turn, has hurt others. You will see a hypocrite, a child, an orphan, a warrior, and a hero. You will see someone who wants more love. And if you look deeply into another person's eyes, you will see that person's soul. And then you will discover what you have always know about your own humanity."