PhotoJulia

Childbirth Class

I finally made the call. I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to take a class through our healthcare provider and I figured that most of the topics of discussion would be covered in my reading, but after much thought I realized that going to an actual class with my husband would be a good way for us to actively participate in learning about what to expect in the laboring process. I also figured I can use what information I find to be of use and anything I don’t necessarily agree with, I can consider it void, but at least I was given the information. We start October 8th and finish November 12th.

The Gospel

I attend Kaleo Church of San Diego and I love how they don’t hide behind walls, but instead they come right out and say it. The way they describe the gospel is the same. Read below and you will see what I mean.

The Gospel’s core meaning.

The Gospel is not that we demonstrate our own righteousness before God and then He owes us something, but that He demonstrates His righteousness through Jesus Christ and then freely imputes His righteousness to us (2 Cor. 5:21). The Gospel is not that “it doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you’ve been good,” but that “it doesn’t matter if you’ve been good, as long as you believe in Christ as your Savior.” The Gospel is not that we go from being irreligious to being religious; it’s that we realize that our motives for both religiosity and irreligiousness were essentially the same and essentially wrong—that we were seeking to be our own saviors and thereby keep control of our own lives.

To the degree that we rely on something other than Jesus to save us (such as moral performance, career, romance, family), we experience anger, fear, guilt, and despair.
To the degree that we rely on something other than Jesus to save us (such as moral performance, career, romance, family), we experience anger, fear, guilt, and despair. But when we trust in Christ as our Savior, we no longer trust in our own self-determination or self-denial for salvation; neither do we trust in moralism or hedonism for our security and comfort.

Kaleo assumes that most people have not heard of or thought through the implications of the Gospel. We exist to bring things “in line with the gospel” (Gal. 2:14), which renews us spiritually, psychologically, corporately, socially. The Gospel avoids the errors of legalism and liberalism, moralism and relativism, yet it does not produce something in between, but rather something different from them all. The Gospel critiques both religion and irreligion (Matt. 21:31). It shows us a God far more holy than the legalist can bear (Jesus had to die because we could not satisfy God’s holy demands) and yet far more merciful than the liberal can conceive (Jesus had to die because God loves us). The Gospel affects everything we do at Kaleo.

Kudos to Grandma

My grandma is so adorable. She’s excited about a new baby and even though she lives in Arizona, she’s using her gift of sewing to show her support and love for us.

This last weekend my mom visited my grandma and while she was there she gave her a ton of baby stuff to bring back to me. She made 4 blankets, 5 crib sheets with matching pillowcases, a boppy with 2 slipcovers, 4 or 5 towel sets that have adorable appliques attached to each one as well as an extra pillow for the pillowcases. I was surprised when my mom showed me the pile of stuff she had made. My grandma is truly amazing.

My grandma called me this past week and I told her what a busy bee she had been and she told me that she did it all in 2 weeks. Wow! I have three months left and I’m wondering how much more she’s going to create within that time frame. Go Grandma Go!

So excited

I check my baby registry periodically and I saw that someone bought us our first baby item, the Graco pack-n-play. What a blessing! The pack n play was one item that we definitely wanted because of its versatility. It’s a play pen, a portable bed, a bassinet and a changing table all in one. Our thought was to set it up in our bedroom for the first few months of our sons arrival so that he would be close by as well as for the convenience of getting him up for the many late night feedings and diaper changes. These are the little things that excite and remind me that soon my son will be born and what a joy he will bring to our family.

Jojoba Oil

After my first stretch mark appeared I shared my disappointment of how my belly butter wasn’t working to my mom. She mentioned I try jojoba oil.

After doing a little research I found out all the great benefits of using jojoba. Actually, jojoba oil is not really an oil but rather a wax ester. You can find it in your local health food stores and in the naturals sections of grocery stores. Refined jojoba oil is a colorless and odorless oil and doesn’t leave an oily residue like other oils do. It’s ideal because it’s inexpensive, easy to find, and has many practicle uses. Jojoba oil can be used as a body oil, moisturizer, hair treatment to prevent dandruff, make-up remover, lip balm and much more. Who knew!?! I wish I had heard about jojoba long ago.

I easily found it at my local health food store and it was even on sale for $5.99 for a 4FL bottle. I am excited to see if this natural topical will help moisturize my growing belly and help reduce the chance of future stretch marks.

You can read more by clicking on- jojoba oil