I'm Not Ashamed of My Pregnancy

Hello, I'm Aubrey. I'm 19 years old and pregnant. I'm not married yet, and I only just completed my freshman year in college. I have a small part-time job and I currently live at home with my parents. They pay for a lot of my stuff, but sometimes I buy my own clothes and food and stuff.

Hearing that, you could say I'm a statistic. On paper, it may look that way. But I'm here to tell you that I am not ashamed of my pregnancy. Don't get me wrong, I understand the seriousness of my actions and choices and I plan to live humbly. But I am not ashamed, and I never will be.

A child is a miracle. I think anyone can agree with this. And, in my opinion, miracles come from the Lord. And the Lord doesn't make mistakes. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and there's always something to learn. In this case, Luke and I have been given an opportunity to spread our love for children onto our own child. There is no love like the love of a mother or father and their child. We have been given the chance to get our lives together and improve ourselves in order to give another human being a chance at a successful life.

I refuse to apologize for getting pregnant young. Our choices were our own, but the timing is all in God's hands. No, it's not going to be easy. Have you ever heard anyone say that raising a baby is a breeze? Even the most "prepared" family knows it's hectic.

Our situation does not in any way reduce the amount of love that this child will receive. My darling Abigail, mommy will love you. Daddy will love you. Your grandparents will love you. Your aunts and uncles and cousins will love you. You will have friends and family and everything you could possibly need. This baby will be loved, and she will never have to doubt that for a moment.

So if you still think I should be ashamed of this pregnancy, you're wrong. And, with all due respect, if you choose to judge us on our decisions and situation, I really don't care to hear about it. Through a time like this, we need nothing but support and love. If you choose to bring hatred and negativity around us, don't expect much respect in return.

To those of y'all who have been nothing but loving and supportive, we appreciate every bit of it. We are so grateful for all the good vibes and prayers that have been sent our way, and we just want to thank you for everything. We truly couldn't do this without y'all. Thanks so so much.

xoxo, a.

A Rather Large Announcement....

If ya haven't already heard, I have a pretty big announcement for you guys, as it will most likely be affecting my blog rather dramatically.

As y'all know, I'm 19 and I'm a freshman at the University of Montevallo. What y'all may not know is that I am dating a wonderful man named Luke Bryant. He is an education major like me, but he graduated from the University of Alabama in 2012. This post isn't meant to be a bio, though.

Let me just tell y'all that the Lord works in mysterious ways. Though we tend to rely on our own understanding, we must realize that His plans and timing are perfect. There are a lot of things we aren't going to understand, but He knows what he's doing.

Our little family is about to grow!

That being said, let me get to my announcement..... This coming November 2015, Luke and I will be bringing a baby into this world. We will be judged, and we do know that our choices are going to change our lives forever. Nevertheless, we will love this child to the ends of the earth and do our best to raise him/her to be a hardworking, God-loving human being. I cannot thank everyone who's helped me for all of their support so far, and I hope that my readers will at least respect, if not support, Luke and I, as we will be needing all the help we can get.

8 weeks and 3 days!

Thanks for reading, and I promise I'll do my best to keep up with the blog. Yes, it will most likely turn into a baby blog, but it's not like I have a real theme anyways.

I'll keep y'all updated!

xoxo, a.

How To: Be a Military Girlfriend (During His Deployment)

How freaking good does he look in that
uniform????? 

There's probably a million posts and books and forums about this very subject (there is, I checked). You can read millions of accounts of this situation. But nothing will prepare you for the real feeling of your best friend being thousands of miles away in a foreign place where s/he may or may not be in serious danger. I got lucky, Zachary is in the National Guard, so he's safe and gets pretty decent deployments. He's also fortunate enough to be able to communicate regularly through text and FaceTime.
Okay, so here's my thoughts on the matter so far, and my ideas on how to stay sane (from only about 20% into his first deployment). I may be a newbie in this lifestyle, but you gotta start somewhere. I'll admit, some of these are really lame, but at this point ya stop really caring.

• Make a Pinterest board dedicated to your military man. You think I'm kidding? Nope. It makes you feel cute and it definitely distracts you. Plus, homecoming pictures are so precious.
• Go all-out. If you feel that you're both in it for the long run (chances are, you definitely are. Why else would you go through this together?), do it all. Wear your RED on Friday (Remember Everyone Deployed). Put a yellow ribbon on your car. Buy a cute personalized decal (this is the one I bought) to honor your man. It's fun, and it shows him how proud you are!

R.E.D. shirt (that he bought for
both of us, twinning!), yellow
deployment ribbon, and
red/white/blue/yellow bracelet
that I made and wear all the time. 

• Take every chance you can to talk to him. You're going to miss him. A lot. All the time. Especially for the first few weeks, when you're still trying to figure out how to go about your day without him anywhere near. Time differences suck. But they're workable. Learn his schedule and figure out when you will have the best chance to talk to him. You may have to stay up late some nights, but hearing his voice and/or seeing his face is so worth it.
• Take care of yourself. You will feel crazy, depressed, lonely, upset, scared, discouraged, and a whole medley of other things. But, no matter what, don't let yourself go. He needs you to stay strong. Keep on with your life, and keep him updated. Don't just give up.
• Learn the term "milso" and use it regularly. You definitely aren't the only one, and tagging this term on social media will help you connect to others in your same situation! P.S. "milso" stands for MILitary Significant Other.
• Encourage him. He will probably hate it there. He will probably be really cranky sometimes. His constant "I hate it here. I wanna come home. How many more days?" will probably drive you crazy, but who can blame him? Keep track of the days if you want to. Remind him every day that you love him. Send him silly pictures and let him know you're thinking of him. Let him know that yes, it's a long time, but no, he will not go crazy. Just let him know that you are by his side no matter what.
• Listen to music that reminds you of him. Maybe it's his favorite song, the song y'all listened to in the car all the time, or just a song that reminds you of why you love him. I personally think "Wait For Me" by Theory of a Deadman is perfect, but everyone has their different tastes. 

Some great songs for military girlfriends/spouses!

• Write letters. He may not writing a lot (yes Zachary I'm calling you out), but he will appreciate something he can physically hold in his hand to remind him that you're actually real, not just a voice or a text or a picture on a screen.
• Give him a separate ringtone. There are some calls and texts you really want to miss. Not his. You need to know when you better be bustin' your butt to reach that "answer" button.

I can't tell you how hard it is to deal with this situation, nor can I tell you how much I love my airman, and how worth it he is.

Keep calm, he's worth the wait.

If you're going through this, you're not alone. Please feel free to share your experiences and personal advice below. :)

xoxo, a.