Have you ever seen a photograph of a place that instantly captured your desire to travel and visit that location? That is how we came to visit Cappadocia, Turkey. You can probably imagine what the photo captured. The iconic landscape of the Cappadocia valleys, during the sunrise, with countless hot air balloons magically floating above.

While that view alone is a good enough reason to visit this ancient natural landscape, here are 10 reasons you absolutely must visit Cappadocia!

Before we get started, here are some basic facts about Turkey. First off, the capital is Ankara, which is a couple hours flight from Istanbul, and lies on the Asian part of Turkey. The language is Turkish, and they have their own currency known as the Turkish Lira. Currently 1 TRY is equivalent to 0.26 USD, though be sure to check the rates before your trip. It is a predominantly Muslim country, though has a great deal of Christian roots.

Now, unto why the region of Cappadocia is a must-have on your bucket list!

1. The Fairy Houses

The secret to the magic of this area is the unique and incredible rock formations to be seen. The well dubbed Fairy Houses are no exception! Not only is their natural shape fascinating, but the fact that humans actually lived inside some of them just makes them feel like homes straight out of a fairy tale! This romantic and beautiful location makes it a popular place for wedding photos.

2.Underground City

This may be the deepest you ever climb down into the earth! If you take a tour to visit some of the ancient and incredible human settlements that used the natural landscape to their advantage, you will be blown away. The deepest one is known as Derinkuyu, which goes as deep at 8 stories! It even connects with another underground city via an underground tunnel!

3. Cave Boutique Hotels

Ever wanted to sleep in a cave filled with luxurious furniture? Here's your chance! If you go to Cappadocia, please, please, please stay at Canyon Cave Hotel ! Most hotels here are small and personally run by the owner. The owner of our boutique hotel is a very sweet and charming man, Murat. He will make it his personal mission to ensure you enjoy yourself not just in his hotel but while in Cappadocia area. He arranged everything for us in terms of the tours and hot air balloon ride, which made our time in Cappadocia all the more relaxing! Also, sleeping in a cave just might change your life!

4. Open Air Museum

This is not a typical museum. It isn't in a building, it doesn't have walls or displays. Instead it's an open area that is a UNESCO world heritage site. You can visit churches that have been carved into the rock, see ancient fresco paintings, and hike around.

5. Pigeon Valley

Talk about a view! Not sure if I need to say much more. The history of why it's called Pigeon Valley is an interesting one, so be sure to ask your tour guide to tell you!

6. Cheap Food

Turkey isn't a very pricey place to travel in, but the price of food is relatively low compared to most of their commodities. So that's always a bonus! While I'm not absolutely crazy about Turkish food (I blame early pregnancy symptoms that wouldn't let me enjoy food), we did enjoy some Turkish dishes at low costs, which always helps a traveller make their travel money go further! One dish I do recommend is roasted eggplant and fresh yogurt. This is an appetizer that is served hot or cold, I tried it cold and it is quite yummy!

7. Incredible Landscapes

There is more to the region than rocky canyons and caves. Be prepared to take numerous panoramas of landscapes that are so gorgeous and unique! There are hills and hidden valleys with streams. It's a nature-lover's dream! My favourite is probably of this mountain range we took a quick pit stop at during our tour. It looks like something out of a Tolkien novel!

8. Rich Ancient History

If you are even only a minor history buff, you will be very impressed with the interweaving layers of history that Cappadocia carries. I was particularly blown away by the early Christian history that took place in the very caves, hills and valleys we explored.

9. Small Town/Country Feel

This whole area is a cluster of small cities and towns scattered throughout the canyons. It is a nice break from metropolitan traffic of cars and people that you normally encounter on holidays. This is a very different and unique nature experience that will stand out in your memories for years to come!

10. Hot Air Balloon Ride

This is the iconic, bucket list-worthy item of Cappadocia. I hope you are not afraid of heights! This is truly a unique experience. Wake up long before the crack of dawn. Hop on a balloon. Rise up along with the sun. Soar above the breath-taking views. Please check the weather expectations during your stay. I recommend staying at least 3 days so as not to miss your chance to catch a low breeze!



Have you been convinced to buy a ticket to Cappadocia, yet? Have you been there before? Is it still on your bucket list? Let me know in the comments below! I hope your wanderlust is inspired!

What Goes in the Stocking

I hope to keep my thoughts organized as I write this. But honestly I'm writing this in the spur of the moment, so bear with me as I plunge down memory lane and reflect on what I learned in my first year in motherhood. The good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful beyond words.

Test Shows Positive

When I first found out I was pregnant, I didn't have a reaction of thrill and bliss. I cried. I screamed. I said "NO, not now!". I had plans, I had a timeline. We were living halfway across the world in Egypt and we had already signed to work another year.

And now all those plans were being altered and thrown out the window. If I'm honest, I'm ashamed of my reaction. Even though it only lasted maybe an hour. After a good cry in our AirBNB in Odessa, Ukraine, I started to think of the life inside of me. My mood started to shift.

By the time my husband came back from the market where he bought a shirt for the Swan Lake ballet we were going to see, I had calmed down. But I was still whirling with emotions and a bit stunned. Wayne's reaction was much better than mine.

As the evening progressed, I grew warmer to the idea of having a baby. After all, it's not like I didn't want children, I always knew I wanted to be a mom. But my schedule went haywire, and I had a hard time coping.

Read More: Letting Go of Control

God allows all kinds of circumstances to happen to teach us one of the greatest lessons He repeatedly drills into us: be humble.

I look back now, and I see someone who was so incredibly selfish and proud. Someone who thought she could control so much more than was in her power, and had kept God out of the loop of what decisions she made.

Accepting This Gift

Once I accepted that this was my new reality, that night at the ballet I started falling in love with this anonymous being who was making us go from couple status to family.

God created marriage, and He created families. And even though there are a lot of broken marriages and families out there, even the secular world still recognizes the amazing beauty in these institutions.

So I suppose the steady progression of love and excitement about my pregnancy came somewhat naturally, since it is part of my female design.

If you follow me on social media, especially if you have been around for a while, you know I really enjoyed my pregnancy. Not all of it, -who can love heartburn or nausea?- but I was constantly filled with amazement and wonder by what my body could do. There were days I was more than happy to give my body up to bring a new life into the world. There were days I cried and cried in pain.

Read More: My First Trimester

That being said, my pregnancy in general was not only relatively normal and healthy, but I grew increasingly more in love with my unborn baby, who I found out was going to be a girl.

We were so overjoyed when we found out we were having a girl, Wayne even cried. I know we would have loved a baby boy as well, but we're human and we have desires. And God chose to grant us this one.

Birth & Labour

I won't go into too much detail since I have a whole post dedicated to my birth and labour experience.

As far as births go, mine went pretty well and I consider myself so incredibly blessed. Baby girl was born healthy, I had a bit of eclampsia during the final stage of labour, but it didn't affect it.

On December 14th at 5:52 pm, we welcomed Laurie Grace to the world, and my heart exploded!

All I remember, after she was out, was looking at her as the doctor held her up and being STUNNED. All I could think was, did this really come out of ME? Something so beautiful, so perfect, came from my body?

She was so ALIVE. She had hair, toenails, the most beautiful nose and quite the set of lungs. Once again, I was so overcome with the miracle of pregnancy and birth. From two tiny cells, a complete unique human being was made, and she was finally in my arms...

Growing as a Mother & a Christian

This will likely sound super cliche, but it doesn't make it untrue. When my parents would say they loved me and how I won't know what that feels like until I have kids of my own, I used to think I probably knew the jist of it. I couldn't have been more wrong.

As I grew in love and motherhood, I learned a great deal of lessons along the way:

It was through Motherhood that I learned how your life completely changes forever.

It was through Motherhood that I understood more how God loves ME.

It was through Motherhood that I learned that happiness really does come from selflessness.

It was through Motherhood that I saw how flawed I am as a human being, in the moments where I lost my patience, wanted to throw in the towel, and generally just failed at being a decent person.

It was through Motherhood that I realized just how amazing and perfect and awesome God is as a Heavenly Father.

It was through Motherhood that I grew a whole new level of appreciation for my mother, and all that my parents sacrificed for me.

It was through Motherhood that I learned that I was wrong to think I knew what my parents were talking about, because the love I have for my baby girl is utterly like nothing I could ever explain or expect.

When in Doubt, Turn to God

Yes, being a mother is hard. Really hard. Like, really, really, really hard. And there isn't much to prepare you for how hard it can be. But I truly started seeing growth in patience and understanding as I spent more time in God's word and I shed more layers of selfishness that always get in the way of a heavenly perspective, and from growing in the gifts of the spirit.

As I look back on my first year as a mother, I see the countless blessings and trials God brought throughout the journey. I grew in so many ways, and I know I still have a long way to go.

My goal and prayer for this next year, and every year to come, is to make sure I never stray away from a Christ-Centered motherhood. So that I may not only grow in patience, kindness and wisdom, but instill Laurie (and any future children) with the life-giving truths of God's Word. So that she may one day become a follower of Christ herself.


This the conclusion of my thoughts of reflection upon this last year that changed the course of my life, my ambitions, my goals and even to some extent, my dreams. It certainly changed my body, whoa boy! But that's a topic for another day...

I hope you enjoyed these ponderings. If you are a new mom, I want to say: welcome to the journey! Now strap in, because you're in for one heck of a wonderful ride! With ups and downs, stress and exhilaration. And it's going to be one of the most beautiful things you will ever witness.

As always, thoughts, comments, musings, are welcome down below.

Oh, my beautiful, dearest Ireland! How I love thee! And you will love Ireland too! It is definitely one of the top most friendly countries I have ever visited, twice, and I desperately want to go back again!

If you have never been to the Emerald island, then here is a bit of an extensive guide to get your planning started. With countless sites, locations, food and places to check out, there is something for everyone whether you are single or a family, shoestring traveller or luxury traveller. Ireland is especially good for nature lovers and hikers, so bring a camera and good shoes. If you are social and like chatting with locals, there is no better place!

Without further ado, here are things to do on your trip to Ireland:

The Basics:

Currency: Ireland is part of the EU and uses the Euro. Prices are neither cheap nor expensive, though Dublin is where you will see the highest prices for accommodation and food.

When to go: Ireland is probably best during the months of March-October, since the winters can be quite chilly, rainy and cloudy. But overall the weather is relatively mild, so if you choose to come in the off season, simply be well dressed with warm socks, good boots, a decent jacket and hat!

What to do in Dublin

This city is full of hustle and bustle, with plenty of things to do, all within walking distance in the city center.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Not only is this a beautiful example of a medieval church, it is the tallest in Ireland! Named after the most famous Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is reason enough to check it out!

Temple Bar

The most famous bar in Dublin, found in the area known as Temple Bar. Yes, slightly confusing, but it's not difficult to find. It is recognizable by it's bright red walls and busy crowd, likely watching a football match with a pint or two.

St. Stephen Park

A beautiful green space and park that has it's original Victorian layout. Great place to take a rest, maybe have a picnic, or people watch.

Trinity College

A beautiful and impressive establishment, I highly recommend visiting not just the college, but the every famous Book of Kells exhibit. If you love books, these old texts will give your inner bookworm a thrill! Gorgeous pages that have preserved the ancient manuscript skills of monks long passed.

Kilmainham Gaol (Prison)

Want to see where Irish revolutionaries stayed while imprisoned? You can! In fact, you can stand in their very cell. This historic building comes with a very good tour of the building, along with haunting stories to make chills go up your spine...

The Brazen Head

The oldest pub in Dublin still stands today! If you are lucky, there may be some live music, but if not it is still a great cozy place for a good Irish meal!

Guinness Storehouse

If you don't like Guinness before you visit the museum, you will fall in love with it by the time you are done! There is absolutely no comparison to Guinness bought abroad to a pint in the very factory where it is made!

Dublin Writers Museum - I'm a word nerd. So I'm adding this to the list in case anyone else is a fan of literature! Or at least a fan of James Joyce.

Day Trips From Dublin

Wicklow Mountains

To the south of the capital is a huge national park in the County Wicklow. You will need a tour bus to get here, or car rental. It is a perfect place to hike and see the biodiversity of Ireland. The mountains are not that high, so the hiking is not that intense, which is good news for anyone who is not much of a climber. Everything is lush, green and peaceful. There are little streams and waterfalls. You can also visit the Glendalough Monastery ruins.

Howth

Nothing says quaint coastal town like Howth! It is an easy ride on the DART from Dublin. A super lovely town to stroll through, explore little shops, eat amazing fish and chips, and have nature walks by the ocean! You may even see a seal in the marina, really close and personal! It isn't a large town, so there is plenty of time to see both Lighthouses, the Castle and the Abbey. Howth is mostly known for its fish and cliff views, so be sure to enjoy both as well!

What to do on the Coast

West Coast- See Galway and Cliffs of Moher:

Probably the top destination in Ireland besides Dublin. The West coast boasts of incredible sites both of nature and historic. Galway is a young and hip town, thanks to all the students living there. Beautiful shops lining cobbled streets and right along the coast, so you can get a big whiff of that beautiful salty ocean air.

The Cliffs of Moher are the main thing to see on the West Coast. Dauntingly beautiful. Be sure to bring a jacket, as it always seems to be windy! If you are taking a tour bus from Galway to the cliffs, you will likely also stop by to see the Poulnabrone ancient tomb site. For me, this was especially cool, since there is likely some distant relatives of mine buried there.

What to do in Northern Ireland

What to Eat

Food

Irish Beef Stew - a staple of Irish cuisine. It is typically accompanied with soda bread on the side, though you may have the option of Guinness bread as well.

Bangers & Mash - Mashed potatoes and sausages! Very simple but very heart and delicious!

Fish N Chips - fish is common in general, since so much of Ireland is coastal. But I'm pretty sure Howth is where I had the best fish n chips!

Lamb - Whether you have it with potatoes, have it as chops, or in a stew, you're not having the full Irish experience without eating some lamb. During a trip with my friend Jeff, we chose to buy our own lamb chops and cook it ourselves. It was delicious!

Drink

Guinness - starting with the best! Even if you've never really liked dark beers, give Guinness a chance! I definitely didn't like my first taste, but by my third, I found I actually really liked it! It is the most fresh at the Guinness museum of course.

Harp - If you're not too keen on stout and dark beers, than maybe this light lager will suit your fancy. It is lighter and smoother in taste, making it similar to other European beers.

Irish Whiskey - Ireland is not only proud of their beer but also of their whiskey! And they should be. We went to a local pub to listen to traditional music, and I had a terrible headache. Our host suggested a shot of whiskey, and wouldn't you know it, my headache was gone within minutes!



This concludes my basic guide to Ireland. I think everyone should visit this beautiful, friendly and amazing country! If you are planning a trip soon, or have visited the Emerald island before, let us know in the comments below!

Today I'm sharing something a little different, in light of the holiday season that is here!

I want to talk to you about my favourite Christmas song of all time. It's not in the top ten most sung songs, and it probably isn't the one you're thinking of right now. Although if you guessed "O Holy Night", it is a close second!

The song is "Mary, Did You Know?", specifically the Pentatonix rendition. If you haven't heard it yet, please take a listen. I promise it's very beautiful, and even if it isn't your cup of tea, you can come back here where I will tell you why I think it's one of the best Christmas songs of all time.

It's not just the voices and the melody that make a song amazing, but the words. What are the messages in this song that impact me every time I hear it? Or better yet, what are the truths sung in this song that brings so much hope, love and adoration?

Here are the 3 main, yet incredibly powerful truths found in "Mary, Did You Know?"

The Truth of the Humanity & Divinity of Christ

The song is sung to Mary, the mother of Jesus. And throughout the entire song, she is asked all these questions that do two things consistently.

1) Recognize the humanity of Christ
2) Recognize the Divinity of Christ

Repeatedly the song refers to Jesus as Mary's "baby boy", her "little baby", and "sleeping child". When you first hold a baby, one is usually struck with how real and alive this little bundle is. This song repeatedly reminds us that Jesus was very real and very human. So human that he experienced the full life of a human being, starting with conception and birth.

With every mention of Mary's "baby boy", we are introduced to the divinity of Christ. The fact that he can "walk on water", and "give sight to a blind man" or "calm the storms with his hand" all point to the divine power of Christ. These miracles performed by Jesus authenticated his claim to be God, and also demonstrates, in part, the Trinity and unity of Christ and his Heavenly Father.

This crucial part of Jesus's identity has been mocked, ridiculed, questioned and doubted since his birth and till this day. He is both a man and God, just as he claimed, and this song makes a point of it with this line of questioning. It even states it quite poignantly: "Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?" This is a beautiful and powerful truth.

"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14

The Truth of the Role of the Saviour

God's plan to save and redeem the lost though Jesus' sacrifice, death and resurrection, was planned even before creation. God knew it was the only thing that could save us from eternal separation from him. This song reminds us why Jesus came. To "save our sons and daughters", to be "Heaven's perfect lamb" of sacrifice who would "delivery you" from the punishment of sin.

Christmas is the most marketed and socially celebrated holiday, even though Christmas is nothing more than the opening scene for Easter. Yes, it was a historical moment when God's son came down in human form, but it is ultimately what happened at the end of his life on earth that changed the world.

I love "Away in a Manger" as much as anyone else, but to have a Christmas song that points to Easter just brings the whole manger scene into perspective. The phrases I quoted above point to the Gospel, the reason Jesus came in the first place. To be the lamb that would take on the sins of the world, to take the punishment we deserve.

But he doesn't just die. He is raised, and he is victorious. "Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?". This points to the second coming. Not just Christ the son of God, not just the sacrificial lamb, but Christ the victorious King who will end the reign of evil and rule the world in everlasting peace.

"...for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11

The Truth of the Sovereignty of God

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.”’ God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The LORD [that is, Yahweh!], the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.”

John Piper, in his sermon series of "Hallowed be Thy Name", speaks of this passage:


"There aren’t any words more important than these. Any words that you think might be are important only because these words are true. The more you ponder them, the more awesome they become."

Way to go mama! You gave birth to a beautiful baby and you're ready to bring them home! Up until now you've had endless nurses and hospital staff give you some pointers about breastfeeding, how to bathe your baby, and loads of other helpful things. This will be greatly appreciated by any first time mother.

But once you've come home, you'll notice within a few days how much more difficult it can be to take care of this new person in your life, along with taking care of yourself.

There really are two sides to what makes that first month with your baby a challenge. Firstly is to meet his or her needs. At first it may seem like all baby does is sleep and eat, but they quickly start developing interests and a personality. One that can be fussy and difficult to read.

The second part that makes it a challenge, mostly at the beginning, is mommy's physical recovery. Nothing is more frustrating than when your baby is crying and you are in so much physical pain and soreness you can't respond to it as quickly as you would like.

Therefore, I need two blog posts to cover everything! Today we start with what you need for baby. Also, here some never shared before shots of Laurie's first day home from the hospital! Enjoy.



Every first time mother goes through this crazy first month. Not only do I strongly believe in a mother's intuition (which you will develop quickly as you bond with your baby) but there are so many sources of help for mothers out there!

Before I get into my own personal tips of what helped me a great deal in my first month as a mother, here are some other sources you should consider tapping into for help and guidance.

* The following contains affiliate links which help support the running of this blog!

1 . Other Moms

Yes, all mothers parent differently and not all babies are the same. But it will be so comforting to hear other moms say, "I know what you're going through" and actually mean it. They may share some wisdom or tricks they learned themselves that could help you out, or simply affirm that your baby's poo colour is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about.

2. Your Registered Nurse

If you live in Canada, you might have hired a midwife or doula. If you didn't, not to worry. You have access to your registered nurse, who will meet with you sometime during your first week after giving birth. Not only is the home visit a great chance to go over some basics again or ask questions you didn't have while you were still at the hospital, your registered nurse is available to talk to during the weekdays. This is great, because you're talking to someone you've met in person, who has seen your baby and has all the medical records of any issues you've encountered.

What You Need to Survive First Month - For Baby

A Pacifier

Laurie was born a REALLY strong sucker. She had no problems latching and loves her paci. Sometimes she cries simply because she wants to comfort suckle. Sometimes it helps her go to sleep. If your baby, however, is struggling to latch, wait at least a couple of weeks before introducing a pacifier. Make sure that you buy pacifiers in a couple of sizes, as some are meant for younger or older babies.

Swaddle Blankets

I don't know why a nurse at the hospital told us that they do not recommend swaddling. Laurie would not be able to sleep as well and as long without one! Her startle reflex is quite strong, so when she's bundled up, she can't wake herself up by accident. Also, it makes babies a lot easier to hold and carry if you're a new and nervous parent! We love the Aden & Anais swaddle blankets! So, so, so soft, they never stain, and are multi-functional.

Gas Drops

Nothing will break your heart faster than your baby crying from gas pain. Especially if it disrupts their sleep. We recommend the brand Ovol (apparently it's Canadian!). Our doctor and many others recommend gas drops over gripe water, but if you find that the gas drops don't help, you can try gripe too. Just be sure you are doing proper burping too!

Proper Bottle

I didn't know there were quite a few things to consider when it comes to getting a bottle that best suits your baby. Because Laurie had bad gas problems, we first used the Munchkin Latch bottle. It was alright, but not great. Then we switched to Dr. Brown's and definitely saw an improvement. I still wonder if we should have gotten the narrow nipple instead (would be compatible with our medela pump!) but the regular/wide base nipple seems to be fine.

Baby Wrap/Carrier

Sometimes your baby just wants to be held. That's fine, since it can really help you bond! But it can be exhausting and maybe even frustrating to feel immobile and unable to do anything. I love using my Moby baby wrap, because Laurie feels so snug and safe against my chest, my arms, shoulders and back feel a million times betters AND I can use two hands to get things done! As she got older, I started using the Ergo carrier. If I had the cash, I would totally buy the 360 Ergo carrier, and I thik I will for future babies!

Electric Pump

If you've seen my stories on Instagram, you know I struggle with my milk supply. I don't know if I would have seen any improvement at all without the Medela electric pump. I likely would have given up a long time ago! Also, with how sore my hands and wrists get from carrying and bouncing Laurie (more so in the second month from all her baby weight gain!) that I can imagine a manual one would drive me crazy! The electric one is easy, convenient and makes just another major aspect of baby rearing that much easier.
Besides the obvious basics (diapers, crib, etc), these are the things I'm super glad we had when Laurie was born, or went quickly to buy them within the first week! They all helped take care of our baby girl and meet her needs. Click on any of the products above to order them on Amazon!

In a follow up post, we will look at the products that mommy needs to deal with the healing and challenges we face in the first month with baby.



What did you find to be super essential in your first month postpartum? Did you use any or all of these items mentioned above? Share in the comments below!

Long before we got married, Wayne and I have talked about how we would like to approach Christmas. Taking what we liked from our families, and trying to avoid what we didn't. It came down to the fact that we wanted to make sure we never lost focus on the real reason for the season.

In essence, we talked, and still talk to this day, about how we want our Christmas to be Christ-Centered.

It has been a very interesting, on-going discussion that takes into consideration the world we live in today, and what we really want to pass down to our children. How do we celebrate this holiday with the reverence it deserves? How do we make it an opportunity to glorify God and grow as a family? How do we avoid the frivolities and marketing schemes that plague the season?

Note, that there is NO commandment in the Bible to celebrate Christmas at all. Practically all of our typical traditions and activities come from old pagan winter festivals. But this shouldn't really excuse us from celebrating the birth of our Lord in our own small way.

So whether you feel like maybe your Christmas is bordering on too worldly, or you are a Grinch-y person, this post is for you. We have come up with some ideas to help guide any family who is wanting to celebrate Christmas with the right heart and focus. There is no ONE way, in fact the beauty is that the Bible actually gives us a great deal of freedom to celebrate Christmas how we want. I believe, as long as we follow these 7 ideas, we will truly experience the profound truth of Christmas.

1 - Make it SIMPLE

In our consumerist society, businesses are doing anything and everything possible to make us believe we need all these decorations, sweaters, lights, CD's, gifts, meals, toys and more to have the "full" Christmas experience.

When we were in Germany for our first Christmas as a couple, Wayne and I stayed with family friends. We were both shocked by the simplicity of their Christmas dinner. I would go as far as to say we were a little disappointed. Plain German sausage, some potatoes, some veggies or salad. That was it.

Our hosts then explained to us that they eat a simple meal on Christmas Eve to remember how poor and simple Mary & Joseph were. It was to remind us that the Lord Jesus Christ came down and was born to simple and relatively poor parents. Much poorer than we are.

This explanation really humbled me.

Does this mean Wayne and I now eat very simple Christmas eve dinners? No. In Germany they than do another meal on Christmas Day that is very similar to the turkey dinners we know.

The point is to find the area of the Christmas celebration where you think you could and should simplify. For you it may the decorations. Or the amount of dinners you go to. I find there is at least one part of Christmas that causes people to stress or obsess over.

For Wayne and I, it's the gifts. We truly are not in favour of having many gifts, or to spend to great a deal on them. Now that we have a child whose birthday is 10 days from Christmas, we are even more motivated to make sure gifts are not a focus in our family.

In fact, last year my parents were tight financially and joined us in a minimalist approach to gifts. A candle, some yummy chocolates and maybe some warm socks make a perfect gift for maybe 30$ at most.

2 - Limit Santa

Funny enough, Wayne and I are on different sides of this debate. He doesn't want to raise Laurie with the belief in Santa Clause. While a part of me completely understands the reasons why, I can't help but remember the 'magic' of childhood belief. And I was fortunate to not suffer in any trauma when I discovered at the age of 7 that Santa wasn't real.

However, I know it isn't the case for all kids, and we must always remember that our children are unsaved sinners until they come to the mature understanding of the Gospel and convert on their own.

Laurie is still much too young to understand - plus she's terrified of beards! - so we still have time to figure out which side of the debate we will land. But it does bring up the question: how do your children view Santa Clause? If he is in the top three things your children think of when they think of Christmas, there may be a problem. There are plenty of reasons to not indulge in this secular belief.

Sarah, a fellow blogger from Christ-Centered Mama, explains it really well in her post "Why Skip Santa" and it's worth a quick read!

Ultimately, the bottom line is that I am very willing to give up Santa in order to have a Christ-focused Christmas.

3 - See & Hear Jesus

I think a visual reminder, whether in the form of a manger or even a verse printed large on the wall, can be a subtle way to remember what Christmas really about. It is so easy to get carried away with the idea of family gatherings, large dinners, and gifts, especially when so many songs and movies focus on these things. Countless "Christmas" movies might not even mention God or Jesus at all. So take the extra effort to play music and movies for your family that praise God and move us to worship Jesus.

4 - Do Charity

This is probably the easiest one, but it can be done as an automatic response or without the right emphasis that makes the experience an afterthought.

Depending on the age and personalities of your children, there are many ways you can have them involved in a charity experience that is very real to them. Maybe a service, like visiting the children's hospital, or donating their nice toys and clothes they no longer use, it gets them much more involved than simply having mom and dad buy some new things to send to Operation Christmas Child (which is still a lovely charity to be involved it).

5 - Love on Your Church

The Church is often a neglected entity, or one we take for granted. But we should actually love the church even more than our own families. And if we are making an effort to spend more time with in-laws, aunts and grandparents, shouldn't we make the same effort with the body of Christ? Go to the events your church is holding (likely they are holding at least one charity event), go to the candle lit service, and support the Christmas production if you can.

Is there a new family from a new country at your church? Is there a senior who has no family coming to visit? We see the early church in the bible going above and beyond to share the love of Christ by caring for those in the body, and what could be more beautiful than to share your warm home, family, and food with others whose spirits could truly be lifted?

6 - Be Still with your Family

We're called to be still and know God. We know God by reading his word and speaking to him. So why not take on a refreshing challenge to pray more purposefully during the season of advent? You can reflect on a verse of the nativity every day for 12 days after dinner. You can pray before you open gifts. Pray on Christmas Eve before your children go to bed. Find a time every day to be still, focused on God's word, and be in communion with Him.

7 - Replace Secular Traditions With Christ

Instead of regular gingerbread houses, make a manger scene. Instead of having typical Christmas dessert, have a cake to celebrate Jesus's birthday. Instead of a typical Advent calendar, maybe do a new bible verse each day about Jesus to read at dinner. Challenge older children to memorize these verses!

If you simply strip away all the traditions that surround a secular or consumerism notion, you are left with basically nothing. Christians didn't really celebrate Christmas for hundreds of years. But, we can take the traditions we like (or don't like!) and have a Christian twist on them to enhance the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.



These are all fairly easy ways to dedicate your celebrations to Christ, but it does take some planning and commitment. Be sure to talk to your spouse before the season is in full gear. And don't feel pressured to do a whole bunch of changes unless you suddenly feel prompted by the spirit that you need some radical change to your Christmas traditions and activities.

Pray and ask God to lead you and your family into this season with hearts set on him. Ask for wisdom and guidance as you make decisions on how to enjoy the holidays and bring glory to Him on high.

And lastly, share what you already do as a family that helps you keep the season Christ-Centered! I'd love to hear your ideas down in the comments below!

Before any girl gets pregnant, we already know some things that come with pregnancy. The cravings, the mood swings, the relentless urge to pee, etc. But there are a great many things that happen during pregnancy that no one really tells you about. True, every pregnancy experience varies from one person to another. But there were some things that happened to me that I found out afterwards (after checking on Google to make sure it was normal) was fairly common.

Before I share my unexpected pregnancy experiences, Viollaz Designs and Pursuing Lovely have teamed up for a giveaway! If you're pregnant (or planning to get pregnant), you may be interested in what we have to offer! More info will be given at the end of the post!

1. Snoring

If you thought having to pee all the time and gaining baby weight were the least glamorous parts of pregnancy, you were wrong. You might already be saying "I'm not a snorer!" Well, if you aren't yet, you might become one! In the last trimester of pregnancy, your body will swell up with even more fluids, which can cause pressure in your nasal cavity. My husband had to get ear plugs in order to get some sleep those last weeks of my pregnancy! Good news is, it's not permanent. It take a couple of weeks, but to my husband's relief, I have gone back to my normal sleeping sounds!

2. Non Hair Growth

It is fairly spread around that pregnancy is supposed to make women's hair grow more lucious and thick. Well, my hair did get thicker, but like a few other moms I've met, my hair actually stopped growing, lengthwise, almost completely! It didn't dawn on me until I saw a picture of myself just a couple months prior to getting pregnant and realized my hair was maybe only an inch or two longer during my whole pregnancy. Hair growth in other areas of the body, however, did occur...

3. The Mom Line

More formally known as "la linea nigra". Not all moms get this. My mom didn't and neither did my sister in laws. I think it's a non-white girl thing, but I was glad to find out I'm not the only one who has this dark line running up my abdomen. There's no clear reason why this happens, but it is due to the same hormones that cause our armpits and nipples to get darker.

4. Pregnancy Brain

I didn't even know the term 'pregnancy brain' until I was at least in my second trimester. I didn't experience it, however, until the third trimester. I'm not sure what causes it, since I'm sleeping more and generally taking it easy. Either way, you may find you have some moments during your pregnancy where your brain stops working. For instance, when I was making rice, after I poured rice into the rice cooker, instead of pouring water into the rice cooker as well, I put it into the rice container. Bye bye rice.

5. The Pregnancy  "Glow" May Take a While

Or you may never really get it at all. Honestly, during my first trimester, most people wouldn't have ever chosen the words "glowing" to describe me. So don't be disappointed if you get pregnant and realize it isn't quite as magical as you thought it would be, or at least not in the way you hoped or imagined.

6. Testing Positive for Strep B

First of all, this is nothing to be scared of. At least 30% of women test positive for Strep B, a bacteria in your lady parts that is completely harmless to you. It can, however, be harmful to baby. Not to worry, your doctor will talk to you about this, but basically when you go into labour and are admitted into the hospital, you will be given antibiotics through an IV that will protect baby from the bacteria as they come out.

7. Crazy Dreams

I had some of the weirdest and most vivid dreams while pregnant. Unfortunately they were always kind of nightmare-ish. I wish I could remember at least one to give an example, but they always took some element in real life and then twisted it by bringing different timelines together and random people.



These are the things that took me by surprise during my pregnancy. Even though I did a lot of reading, used my Ovia app and talked with other moms. Somehow I didn't get a fair warning about these occurrences. You can read about all the other pregnancy symptoms I experienced throughout the first, second and third trimesters!

What did you experience during pregnancy that you didn't expect to happen?

THE GIVEAWAY

If you are pregnant, or planning to be soon, Viollaz Designs has a variety of beautiful milestone cards on her Etsy shop. Together we are giving away a free set of milestone cards! How about these adorable labels? Perfect for parents to take priceless photographs each month of your babies first year to look back on in years to come.

•  1 week old, 2 weeks old, 3 weeks old, 4 weeks old, 2 months old, 3 months old, until 1 year old, and a personalized label “made with love for (name)” (Total 16 pieces).


• Printed on 350gsm (15mm x 17mm). Thick Card.


• Hand finished with rounded corners.

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

The Giveaway is now closed! Thank you to all you mamas who entered!

I was due, on paper, on December 12th of 2017. That's the date my doctor gave me, even though practically every due date predictor I used gave me anywhere from the 13th to the 16th, depending on how long I said my cycle was. Problem was, my cycle was slightly irregular so I didn't have a number, but I knew it was longer than the average 28 days.

I'm letting you know this, because it really took a toll on my anxiety as my due date approached and I was a bit petrified of being long overdue, thanks to one too many horror stories

So by the 13th of December, I was in full blown hormonal mood swings. Anxious to give birth, eager to see my child, and tired of being pregnant. That night, after being in bed for about an hour or so, I felt these pains in my lower abdomen. When I realized they were repeating every few minutes, I knew it was contractions. I don't think I ever had Braxton Hicks, but these pains were very pronounced and somewhat felt like period cramps. Somewhat. They are hard to describe.

Using the Ovia app, I began to time them. This was at 11:30 pm. I had to pee (surprise surprise!) so I moved to the bathroom and continued to time them. I knew the rule was to wait until contractions were 5 minutes apart for an hour before going to the hospital. But as I sat in the bathroom, I was timing contractions between every 5 minutes to every 3 minutes. It wasn't steady, but they were pretty darn close, sometimes under 3 minutes apart. Not to mention, it was a bit painful.

My husband came in, I told him what was going on. I had been timing for half an hour and the contractions were fairly strong. I simply made up my mind that we were going to the hospital now.

Hospital Trip 1

We quickly packed up the last minute things for our hospital bag (check out this blog post to know what to prepare for yours! It was such a load off our minds having it ready to grab and go!). We got into the car, and off we went. The contractions were strong enough now that I couldn't really talk through them much and was wincing a little in pain.

I timed them all the way to the hospital, and they continued to be irregular but still within 3-6 minutes apart. We arrived at Saint Boniface hospital where I was registered and up we went to triage. After getting admitted, they got me in a robe, down on a bed, and hooked up two monitors on me. One was to measure the baby's heart rate, the other to measure my contractions.

Something totally strange happened literally as we got to Triage. My contractions slowed down, significantly. They were now only coming in every 10 minutes or so. Still the same intensity, though.

After half an hour of monitoring they checked to see how dilated I was. Due to how fairly intense the contractions where, I figured I would at least be 3 cm dilated. My heart SANK when the nurse said with a sympathetic frown "You're only a 1-2." This meant that I was being sent home, though I had the choice to stay if I really wanted to. It was 1 in the morning, the hospital bed in triage was not comfortable. I knew I had a long road ahead of me, so we chose to go home, though I was SO disappointed. I couldn't believe how little I was dilated considering how strong the contractions were.

The nurse suggested a hot bath to ease the pain while I laboured, or to sleep. I definitely wanted to go in the bath! As soon as we got back home, that's what I did. It really did feel nice and help to cope with the pain. An hour later, I decided to try to get some proper sleep. It was 2 in the morning. I got in my jammies and crawled back into bed.

Less than 15 minutes after I heard the strangest sound. It was like a cartoon bubble going "POP!". It was loud and clear. I sat up and felt some kind of sensation inside and I knew without a doubt: my water broke.

Hospital Trip 2

When I got off the bed I felt a bit of amniotic fluid spill out so I quickly hobbled to the bathroom. Nothing else came out, so I changed - but oh too soon. A contraction came and suddenly a huge gush came out. I had to change again and this time I pulled out a heavy duty pad!

Off we were to the hospital again!

Back in triage they strapped up the same monitors and this time hooked up the IV to give me the antibiotics I needed since I tested positive for Strep B. Contractions had kicked up a notch in intensity and still not coming in like clockwork. When the nurse came to check my dilation, I was super excited to see how far along I was! She checked. Drum roll...I was STILL only a 1-2. I wanted to cry.

I'm not a math person, but I quickly interpreted the amount of pain I was in to how dilated I was, and I knew that things were going to get REALLY painful. At this point the nurse asked if I wanted some morphine to help take the edge off and get some sleep, since there was little else to do. I said "YES", and I don't regret it one bit.

Yes, I was a bit woozy. Wayne sure had fun with my sense of humor while we did some walking rounds to help labour move along. Then we were both exhausted, and I was able to fall asleep. It was the strangest sensation. I could still clearly feel the contractions, but it was somehow a bit dull. I can't really explain it, but it was great to catch some z's.

Getting My Own Room

When I woke up about 4 hours later, the nurse checked me again. Wouldn't you know it, I had gone all the way to 6 cm dilated! Even the nurse was surprised I was quite that far, we were hoping simply for a 4! Praise Jesus, hallelujah! It was time to start transferring me into a labour room!

We settled into a private room (I was so happy there were many available!), and waited to meet our new nurse, Mallory. She would be there for the rest of my labour and delivery. Hooked up and settled in, it was just time to wait for me to dilate to 10 cm. I couldn't eat anything except jello, so that was my brunch. It was now early afternoon.

After a couple of hours, the contractions kicked up yet another notch. At this point the morphine had worn off, and I was in a lot of pain when the contractions would hit. Mallory checked me and to my great disappointment, I was still at 6. I couldn't believe nothing had changed in the last few hours, yet the pain was increasing. I was starting to feel the pain radiating down my legs.

Even though every nurse I had met up until that point said that I was handling the contractions very well and breathing through them pretty well, I was getting exhausted and drained with every intense contraction. I decided it was time to get some kind of pain killer.

I had done my research and wanted to try with something on the lower end, so I asked for gas and air. They quickly set it up for me and taught me how to use it. I did not like it. It kind of made me dizzy and it didn't feel good in my stomach. After trying it for maybe half an hour, I knew it wasn't for me. Yes, it somewhat took the edge off, but I didn't like the side effects.

Getting an Epidural

I came into labour knowing I would only use drugs if I needed to, and would only resolve to using an epidural if I absolutely felt I needed to. Man oh man, did I feel like I needed it. After I agreed to get the epidural (though, again, my nurse said I was doing very well) the anesthetist came in and gave me the quick run down of all the possible side effects. It was then that I found out that getting an epidural didn't guarantee that I wouldn't be able to walk. This whole time, while I was pregnant and thinking about labour, I thought getting an epidural meant I would be confided to my bed and stuck with a catheter. But there was only a slight chance of that happening, so I gave the go-ahead. My husband, Wayne, was suddenly really nervous about me getting the epidural, but I had made up my mind.

The tricky part is staying perfectly still while they got everything they needed in your back. Not hard overall, except when a contraction hit. With Wayne in front of me, holding each other's arms, I suddenly discovered a new breathing technique that made the contractions that much easier to handle! I started blowing out air like I was blowing into an invisible tire. Not sure why it made such a difference, but I highly recommend trying it.

I thought to myself, should I just use this new technique to push through the last stage of labour? They hadn't gone too far with the epidural so I had a chance to change my mind. No, I thought. It took a lot of concentration and effort to breath through the contractions like that, and when the time came to push, I wanted to have the energy both physically and mentally to do it.

It took make 10-15 minutes and it was all done. Epidural was in, and after several minutes (maybe 20) I could feel the relief. My legs were thankful, in particular.

The Final Stretch

Something counterproductive that happened as a result of the epidural, was that my contractions slowed down a lot. Once again they were coming every 10 minutes or so. This wasn't going to help the labour so now I had to get hooked up to oxytocin, which did help get the contractions back on track.

At this point, I took a nap and slept an hour or two. My mom arrived and we chilled for maybe half an hour. The contractions were still getting stronger, and I felt like I had a poo that I was trying to hold in every time I contracted. Mallory, the nurse, said that that was perfectly normal and expected. She said to let her know if I started feeling like I needed to push it out.

Well, maybe 15 minutes after she told me that, I suddenly felt things change. I no longer wanted to hold it in. I wanted to push it out, badly! It had been about 3 hours since she last checked me, so we didn't know how far dilated I was. Mallory checked. I hit the magic number 10!

This was it! It was finally time to start pushing.

I never thought it would be so confusing and unnatural to push out a baby. The first several pushes I really didn't know what I was doing. It wasn't until it clicked that that "poo" I felt inside was actually my baby! Now that I knew where to focus my energy, I began to push better. At first I was using my leg strength, but the nurses realized that and told me not to use my legs.

That being said, several nurses besides Mallory were coming into the room during the labour and all were commenting on my 'rockstar' pushing skills.

When our baby girl started crowning, the pushing got a LOT harder! The pressure was incredibly strong. The doctor on call came in, and took a look. I pushed two more times, and tears started coming down my face, and I was getting close to screaming with my pushes. I felt exhausted. Next thing I now, I heard something exchanged between the doctor and the nurses, and I knew he was about to give me an episiotomy. No one talked to me about it. In tears I said, "I don't want to get cut." A contraction came and the doctor said to not push. It was so hard. Then suddenly the pressure released and I felt my baby slide out. 50 minutes of pushing, a quick snip, and out she came.

I couldn't believe her when I saw her. Out came the most beautiful, perfect baby I had ever seen. When they laid her on my chest, I was completely stunned and in disbelief that something so beautiful could come out of me. I was exhausted and elated. All those months of waiting and anticipating her arrival suddenly seemed like a blur that led to this moment.



It's been 3 months since that day, and we are falling in love with our Laurie more everyday! We couldn't be more grateful for this incredible gift that has forever changed our lives! Needless to say, we can't wait to have more kids one day!

Anyone have a three month old this month? What was your birth and labour like? Are you expecting soon? Honestly, since I became pregnant, I get super excited whenever I hear of someone getting pregnant! Birth is such a wonderful, commonday miracle!