The Caitlin Moss Blog

People can be so weird. Can we all agree on that? Last night Darren and I went on a much needed date night - we went out to dinner, shopping at the mall (my man desperately needed some new jeans), and then ice cream. While getting in line to purchase his new pants, a man (probably near 40 and with his wife and young child) took one glimpse at me and said, "WHOA! Is that thing gonna pop out right now?!?!" Har. Har. Har. "Well, I sure hope so!" I said. I could see his wife out of the corner of my eye scold him under her breath. The biggest reason for the scold? You just don't know. I could be due in two months and you just made me feel like an even bigger whale. Thanks for that. Even though I am due any day, I also don't need a reminder that I am massive. I can feel how large I am from the inside out, thankyouverymuch . Then while waiting in line for ice cream, another man playing with a child on his shoulders turns to us and says, "Just wait....

Well, holy cow. You know that wall that you hit at the end of pregnancy? The one that makes it incredibly difficult to get out of the bed? The one that makes your hips hurt so bad it feels like your legs might fall off? The one that feels like someone hit you in the back with a baseball bat? The one that makes you nauseous and gives you hot flashes? Yeah, that wall. I totally hit it this week. And now I'm so ready to have a baby. 

One of my husband's favorite things to munch on is chips and salsa. Okay, mine too. But there is something so refreshing about cowboy caviar and I always feel way less guilty eating it. Because vegetables. Here's a super easy recipe for your next get together or late night snack: 1 diced red pepper 1 diced green pepper 1 diced red onion 1-2 diced tomatoes 1 can drained sweet corn 1 can drained and rinsed black beans 1 can drained and rinsed white beans (or black eyed peas) 1 bunch cilantro leaves (optional) 2 diced avocados  (optional - it won't keep as long if you add these) Mix together in a bowl. Dressing: 1/4 cup olive oil 1/3 cup white wine vinegar 2 Tbsp. sugar 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional) Whisk together and then add to caviar mixture. Serve with tortillas chips & enjoy!

Our hospital bags are packed. All the baby items are washed and ready. The car seat has been installed. And now, meals have been made. We can have a baby now - you are welcome to come anytime, Emmie. ;) $190 worth of groceries. 26 meals. For this round, I made 26 meals for about $190. (Averaging less than $7.50 per meal.) Each time I complete a round of meals I typically make 24-26 meals and it will last our family about 6-8 weeks. We don't necessarily eat a freezer meal every single night - I can cook other things without my crock pot, believe it or not - so spending between $150-200 on dinners every couple of months is very worth it for us. If you're interested in the process I go through each time I bulk cook, check out this post . Here's how this round went: Menu | Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches Zuppa Tuscana White Chicken Enchiladas Simple Spaghetti & Meatballs Sweet 'n Sour Meatballs Philly Cheese Steaks Zesty Herb Chicken Teriyaki C...

I didn't realize it at the time, but looking back now I can tell I had some definite struggles with post-partum anxiety after I had Isaiah. This anxiety bled into my pregnancy with Maci. I remember worrying about whether I'd love her enough and I also remember being afraid of Darren dying. It was so weird. I feel like this is something not a lot of people talk about. Everyone talks about the joys of pregnancy and then cautions you about post-partum depression and the baby blues. But not many people talk about anxiety. The thing is, post-partum anxiety is also very real and it doesn't look how you'd expect because a lot of the time, it's internalized. It took some soul searching and many meetings with Jesus for me to come out of the cloud of anxiety. First it took me a while to name it and then to replace my worry with trust in God. The more I cultivated my walk with God, the more I understood His sovereignty. This allowed my post-partum recovery to go muc...

During my first pregnancy with Isaiah, I realized rather quickly how much I don't like being pregnant. Along with the not-so-pleasant symptoms of pregnancy, I quickly realized how self-conscious and [let's be honest] ugly I feel during pregnancy. Every single one. Even if I'm in a good mood or have a new outfit on. I don't feel like myself when I'm pregnant. No matter how healthy I am or how much I exercise, I gain weight all over my body. All. Over. Even though I've been able to lose every pound before, watching the scale rise and rise does a number on my self-esteem. (This might sound crazy but it does! And I have a feeling I'm not alone in this.) I might take pictures every week to keep track of my belly's growth but I have never wanted to do a professional photo shoot. I mean, why in the world would I spend money to commemorate my body in this state of bloat? I distinctly remember crying when I looked at pictures of myself pregnant with Isaia...