Mental Strength

Gabriel and Rebecca on our walk yesterday.

Happy Sunday! We have had beautiful weather here all week and the kids have been able to play outside which has been so nice. This week went by fast for me, and it’s made me realize how quick the rest of this year is going to be. The days may seem long right now, but soon some of the restrictions will be lifted, and I’m sure we will all become so busy going out and seeing each other and spending time outdoors during the summer that the rest of the year is going to fly by fast. My family has some important dates coming up that we’ve been anticipating. Theresa has minor surgery (assuming it will still happen) at the beginning of May. Then it will be Mother’s Day, our wedding anniversary, my husband will have monthly drills (as long as everything is back open). Then it will be summer and we will hopefully make it to my parents’ house to visit. In August Gabriel will be starting preschool! (Did I mention we have to potty train this summer?!). We’ll also have some big doctor appointments for the baby this summer. Theresa will be turning 1 at the end of October, and this baby will be born anytime around her birthday. Then we’ll be busy with the holidays. It’s crazy to think how much we have going on the rest of the year (assuming things get better) when some of the days right now seem pretty long.

It can be hard to keep up with the days of the week when nothing is really on the schedule, and combined with being pregnant and having little kids to distract me, I’ve found myself becoming pretty forgetful. I actually had places to go this week and I forgot! I got a call from the pediatrician’s office on Tuesday asking if Gabriel and Rebecca were still going to make it to their appointment that was scheduled 10 minutes earlier 🤦🏼‍♀️. Luckily they were understanding and rescheduled their appointments for Friday of this past week but I couldn’t believe I forgot. I’ve also been known to forget to put things back in the fridge, forget my coffee in the microwave, or to put lids back on a container. I’m almost in the second trimester, and I’m hoping that I’ll get more energy and become less forgetful.

   Being pregnant right now has also been a challenge for me physically and mentally. I have never had an easy first trimester. This time around is the first time that I have not gotten physically sick every day. I’ve just had some nausea. Unfortunately, this time around I’ve had frequent headaches that affect me the rest of the day. My pregnancy with Theresa was the first one where I was able to workout from the beginning until the day before I gave birth, and my recovery afterwards was so much better.  I was able to go back to the gym 2 weeks after giving birth with the doctor’s permission. What helped me that pregnancy was still going to the gym and being surrounded by others for motivation to still workout even if I didn’t feel up to it at first. I usually found that after moving around I’d feel so much better. Our coaches have helped us all so much by constantly challenging us with workouts physically, but continuously making it a mental challenge as well. They help us attain mental strength and that helps me outside the gym as well!

Miss Theresa💗

    Being stuck at home and unable to go to the gym right now has been a mental test for me, because if I’m not feeling good, I’m already at home and may not be as motivated to get a good workout in. Most days I’ve been able to workout, but I’ve still had days where I need a break or just feel too sick to do something. I’m nervous that when I am able to go back to the gym, I won’t be able to keep up like I was during my last pregnancy. But I know that a lot of it is just going in with the right mindset, and listening to my body too. My goal right now is to stay healthy for the baby.

    This quarantine has definitely been difficult; I miss going out to the gym, going to mass, seeing my friends, and hate that we can’t visit family. But I love that my husband has been able to work from home. It’s so nice to go downstairs and say hi to him during the day. With him at home, I’m also able to go out for a run while the kids nap if the weather is nice. We’ve been able to work out together from home (we usually have to rotate when we go to the gym). All this extra time we get to spend together has been a blessing. It’s also made me realize what a blessing it is to be able to go to Mass and receive the sacraments.

I know this upcoming week with Theresa’s surgery coming up will be a mental challenge for me, and my anxiety might rise, but if I continue to pray and keep a positive attitude everything will be alright. This quarantine has been a challenge on everyone mentally, and hopefully everyone will come out of it mentally stronger than before.

    I hope everyone is doing well and able to enjoy some nice weather and get outside. If you’re able to say a quick prayer for Theresa we would really appreciate it, and know that all of you are in my prayers too.

~Michelle