Extra! Extra!

Wow! This is the first time I have heard a OB/GYN say this.  Click here for what she said.  I'm impressed!  And just goes to show that even the experts don't do everything most say to do.

Why I love Mayim Bialik

Mayim Bialik is an actress who has made some not-normal-to-society choices in her and her family's life.  She has really inspired me to try new things and not just buy something, because Target said it was the number one toy for infants.  There is a link to her blog on The Today Show here if you want to learn more about her:  here.  I don't agree with all of her opinions.  But her opinions aren't why I love her.  I love her, because she isn't afraid to be different.  And she has taken such a leading role in helping others get information that wasn't out there a year or two ago.

People always think that Noah and I are weird, because of the choices we have made in our lives including our choices with our baby.  We are OK with this.  I've never expected people to agree with us or understand completely.  And I shouldn't.

We plan on having a home birth with a midwife without any medical intervention, whatsoever.  We are going to home school our kids.  I am going to breastfeed our babies.  We are going to use cloth diapers (I can feel some of your cringing at this one).  We choose not to have health insurance (unless the Lord changes our mind, which is OK).  We plan to not take prescription medicine.  We treat most ailments holistically.  We eat as raw and organic as we can.  We plan to not vaccinate our children.    We make a conscious effort to not base our life or decisions off of other people or fear, but on God's convictions and guidance on our life.  I think most of you would agree with us on the last one.

I'm not saying that what we are doing is the best thing or that you are wrong. This is just what we believe is the best way for us to live.  It's as simple as that!  I'm not going to push my beliefs on other people when it comes to our life choices.  I truly believe most people really do what they think is best for their children and themselves.  And while I don't want them judging me, I need to respect their decisions and be supportive as well.

We don't do these things just to be "different" or because its becoming "popular", like some have labeled our actions.  We research everything for ourselves, pray thoroughly, and do what we think is right for us.  And we are always open to God changing our minds.  We try to be teachable in this way.

But, I do thoroughly believe that our American society has degraded in it's beliefs.  I, personally, think we depend too much on doctors and drugs to fix us.  God has opened my eyes in the past few years to ways of keeping us healthy with what He gave us on this Earth.  Don't get me wrong though, if I have a migraine or a really bad headache, I'm going take some Midol.  We aren't completely against medicine. 

I just think everything should be done with an educated decision and in moderation, not because someone else told me to.  Sometimes when I make decisions, if I'm really honest with myself and search my heart I'm making a decision based on someone else's feelings or expectations of me.  And I don't want to live my life that way, because then I'm not really living my life.  I'm just letting lions chase me.

Called to be a Lion Chaser

Taking Brenda's advice I have prayed and found a scripture that really speaks to me for this labor:

"There was also Benaniah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two of Moab's mightiest warriors. Another time he chases a lion down into a pit. Then, despite the snow and slippery ground, he caught the lion and killed it. Another time, armed only with a club, he killed a great Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaniah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with it." 2 Samuel 23:20-21

 I discovered it while reading a book called "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day" by Mark Batterson.  My friend, Kristy, asked me to read this a long time ago.  So, I finally picked it up about a week ago and it said exactly what I needed to hear.

The back of the book read "What if the life you really want, and the future God wants for you, is hiding right now in your biggest problem, your worst failure....your greatest fear?"

Mark explains that Benaniah didn't run away from the lion, but chased it down.  Not only that, but it was snowing outside.  Not only that, but he chased the lion into a pit, jumped into the pit, and killed it with his bare hangs!  That lion is everything we fear.  And until we decide to chase it down and conquer it, it will be chasing us for the rest of our lives. 

The lion definintly had better odds than Benaniah.  The conditions were in the lions favor, but lion was the one who ran away.  God turned what could have been a big problem into a great resume for Benaniah to be later strategically positioned into the administration of David.

"..God is in the business of strategically positioning us in the right place at the right time...Most people would have seen the lion as a five-hundred pound problem, but not Benaniah...lion chasers are wired differently."  (Mark Batterson)

When I read this scripture, I had a five-hundred pound problem: Labor.  I had a lot of fear that was surrounding it.  After reading this, I realized that I do not need to fear it.  Not only that, but I realized that God was replacing my fear with trust and peace in Him.  This book really encouraged me to grab this opportunity that God was giving me to not only survive, but THRIVE!  Now I KNOW that I can do this and am 110% ready. 

"[God] is always using past experiences to prepare us for future opportunities.  But those God-given opportunities often come disquised as man-eating lions.  And how we react when we encounter those lion will determine our destiny.  We can cower in fear and run away from our challenges.  Or we can chase our God-ordained destiny by seizing the God-ordained opportunities....the greatest opportunities are the scariest lions." (Matt Batterson)

Choosing to see this labor as an opportunity to grow and show God's glory is not even an option for me now.  I know it's the only path to take.  I'm excited about the whole process and pray that God will be able to use me as a vessel to inspire others to be Lion Chasers of their destinies.  And one thing that we can all take comfort in knowing is that our God LOVES impossible odds!  So no matter what, all bets should be on us.



I heart Birthing Classes!

Yesterday was the last session of our birthing classes and I am so sad!  I really wanted them to last forever.  I really enjoyed the classes and especially the people, a lot more than I anticipated I would.  I learned so much in those classes.  Our instructor was Brenda Minica.  She is a birthing class instructor/educator and a doula.  You can find her website here, along with all her information.  She lives near Floresville off of Hwy 181.  I HIGHLY recommend everyone to take her birthing classes.  Especially if you are a first time parent-to-be. 

Brenda is a Christian for one.  So, all of our study and discussions were Christ-centered.  This is something that Noah and I were looking for and God has definitely blessed her with this as a ministry.  I know we felt ministered to as well as educated on pregnancy, labor, and baby care. 

We went through why we fear labor.  The fact that there is no need to fear anything, just trust in God.  We discussed where these fears could have come from, in order to tackle the real problem.  We talked about how Satan is the father of lies and fear, so we know any fear is a lie and is not of God.  As a christian we all know these Truths, but it is important to REALLY KNOW these Truths.  Do you understand what I'm saying?  We need to repeat the Truths of God to ourselves, write them on our hearts, live like we believe them!  This is something that I definitely needed to hear in order to truly give my fears to God.  I needed to let go!

It is not just fear we talked about.  But we learned so much information on the labor process and what to expect.  She even talked about the physiological side of it.  Which of course I love being a Biology major.  I always understand better and feel more confident when I know what is physiologically going on in my body.  It really helps me to relax more and let my body do what it needs to do to in order to get the job done.  Just her explaining the three different layers of the uterus and what they each do in labor helped me so much, I can't even explain.  I know that sounds weird for those of you who aren't science nerds like me.  But this helped me A LOT!

Our confidence going into labor has sky-rocketed and our fears have decreased significantly.  I know I wrote a blog about all the things I was fearful of, so y'all know what I was struggling with.  And through discussions, prayer, and scripture reading I feel that my fears have all but erased.  I feel God's peace about it all.  I have always had God's peace with having our baby at home, but now I have God's peace for the actually labor.  Which were to different things for me.  And there is no peace like God's peace!  Those of you who have experienced God's "perfect peace" (Isaiah 26:3) know what I mean when I say that.

I can't even tell you how much we learned through this whole process.  To me knowledge is power.  And I have gained so much knowledge about labor, my body, baby, and so on.  I definitely feel equipped to have this baby!  We feel like God has given us a huge toolbox of tools to use.  Like, so many tools we actually have options of tools to use.  I am so thankful for Him for bringing us to Brenda and for her obedience to God to do these classes.  This is a wonderful ministry that is sure to bless whoever attend.

One of the things Brenda said is that with everyone of her pregnancies/labor God has given her a scripture that has given her peace and trust in Him.  I had not found my scripture for this labor until last night.  When I read it, I just knew that God was speaking directly to me about this labor.  Here is the verse:

"There was also Benaniah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel.  He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two of Moab's mightiest warriors.  Another time he chases a lion down into a pit.  Then, despite the snow and slippery ground, he caught the lion and killed it.  Another time, armed only with a club, he killed a great Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear.  Benaniah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with it."  2 Samuel 23:20-21

Some, of you may be really confused how this is suppose to help me.  But I will explain all of that in the next blog!!  Stay tuned!

Baby Shower and Registry

A lot of people have been asking me about the baby shower so here is the info so far.  I am only going to have one baby shower.  It is going to be May 1st in Stockdale, TX.  It is going to be at Stockdale First Assembly of God Church in the Fellowship Hall.  Time TBA. 

Direction to Church:  If you are coming from Hwy 87 you will make a left turn onto Main St.  If you are coming from Hwy 123 you will make a right turn onto Main St.  The church is at the corner of 2nd St. and Main St.  It is made of brown bricks and there is a sign at that corner.

We are sending out invitations, but we haven't got that far yet.  If you want to be invited, send me a message on this blog or on facebook.  It's not that I don't want you there, but sometimes I just forget people.  We have a lot of family and friends and sometimes people get overlooked.  Sorry if that was you!!!

Also, I do have baby registries.  Some peeps have been saying that they don't know what to buy, because we are keeping the babies sex a mystery.  Well, we have 4 registries, so no one should have a problem. But I don't want to sound ungreatfull.  We are very appreciative of everyone's gifts, help, and especially prayers.  Being first time parents, we REALLY need some prayer!

Here are the baby registires all under Allison Tillman-Young:  (click on the name to go to the online registry)

1.  Target.com

2.  Giggle.com

3.  Babyearth.com

4.  Amazon.com  (there is a wish list and a baby registry under my name here, but the baby registry is the one you are looking for.)

If you are having any problems viewing the baby registries, please contact me and let me know.  Thank you!