Christina Stanley

Christina Stanley -M O T H E R- to soon to be 7
300K find me on TikTok .stanley
Thanks for being here ♡
📦P.O. Box #204 Newton, IA 50208

Seeing pictures of overflowing Christmas trees doesn’t leave me feeling bitter.Not everyone posting abundance is “showin...
12/26/2025

Seeing pictures of overflowing Christmas trees doesn’t leave me feeling bitter.
Not everyone posting abundance is “showing off.” Sometimes those piles of gifts come from parents who grew up with nothing and vowed their kids never would. Sometimes it’s years of struggle finally turning into a season of “we made it.” Sometimes it’s grandparents, blended families, big families, or just people who love big.

And if your tree didn’t overflow this year, that doesn’t make your Christmas any less meaningful.
Sometimes the quiet homes, the smaller piles, the few carefully chosen gifts… belong to parents who gave everything they could in ways that don’t always fit in a box and bow.

There’s no competition here.
No jealousy.
Just different families, different seasons, and the same love being wrapped in different ways.

Here’s to every parent who showed up, whether your tree was packed to the brim or had just a few precious gifts underneath. You still made Christmas magic. 🎄

Next Christmas, I’m throwing a sheet over all the gifts and revealing them like a magician.
12/25/2025

Next Christmas, I’m throwing a sheet over all the gifts and revealing them like a magician.

To the mom whose Christmas felt chaotic… take a deep breath… you did it.You made the memories. You wrapped the gifts. Yo...
12/25/2025

To the mom whose Christmas felt chaotic… take a deep breath… you did it.
You made the memories. You wrapped the gifts. You cooked the meals. You played referee, magician, peacekeeper and comforter all in the same day. Maybe the house was loud, maybe the plans didn’t go perfectly, maybe you ended the night exhausted… but your kids will remember the laughter, the excitement, the love, and the feeling of home… not the mess, not the stress, not the “imperfect” moments.

So tonight, give yourself grace. You showed up. You gave your heart. And that was more than enough.

“With all the losses you’ve had, why do you keep trying?”Because love doesn’t disappear just because it hurts.Because th...
12/24/2025

“With all the losses you’ve had, why do you keep trying?”

Because love doesn’t disappear just because it hurts.
Because the ache I carry is proof that those babies mattered.
Because my heart didn’t close after loss, it cracked open wider.

I keep trying because hope is louder than fear, even on the days fear screams.
Because every positive test, no matter how brief, reminded me that my body is capable of love, even when the outcome wasn’t what I prayed for.
Because grief didn’t take away my desire to be a mother… it deepened it.

I keep trying because quitting would mean letting loss define the rest of my story, and I refuse to let pain have the final word.
Because somewhere between heartbreak and healing, I learned that courage isn’t the absence of fear… it’s choosing to love again knowing how much it can cost.

I keep trying for the babies I never got to hold.
For the dreams that still wake me up in the middle of the night.
For the quiet hope that one day, the tears I’ve cried will make room for joy.

And most of all…
I keep trying because even after everything, my heart still believes.

This may be the last era of what your child asks for at Christmas.This could be the last Christmas they ask for Barbie d...
12/24/2025

This may be the last era of what your child asks for at Christmas.

This could be the last Christmas they ask for Barbie dolls.
The last time Hot Wheels are circled in the catalog.
The last year their list is written in messy handwriting, filled with magic and belief instead of trends and price tags.

One day the dolls will be replaced with gift cards.
The toy cars with clothes, phones, or “I don’t really need anything.”

And you won’t know it’s the last time…
until you’re packing those toys away and realizing the magic quietly slipped through your fingers.

So buy the doll.
Buy the cars.
Wrap the toys.
Listen to the excitement.
Let the paper cover the floor.

Because childhood doesn’t slowly fade,
it leaves in quiet moments we don’t recognize until they’re already gone.

This Christmas might feel ordinary…
but one day, it will be the one you’d give anything to relive.

We stress so much about pregnancy weight gain…but no one explains WHY it matters.That number on the scale isn’t just “we...
12/24/2025

We stress so much about pregnancy weight gain…
but no one explains WHY it matters.

That number on the scale isn’t just “weight.”
It’s your body doing exactly what it’s designed to do.

Here’s where it actually goes 👇

🤍 Baby: ~7–8 lbs
🤍 Placenta: ~1–2 lbs
🤍 Amniotic fluid: ~2 lbs
🤍 Increased blood volume: ~3–4 lbs
🤍 Uterus growth: ~3-4 lbs
🤍 Breast tissue: ~1–2 lbs
🤍 Extra body fluids: ~4 lbs
🤍 Energy (fat) stores: ~6–8 lbs

This weight:
✨ protects your baby
✨ supports a growing placenta
✨ prepares your body for labor
✨ fuels healing + breastfeeding

It isn’t failure.
It isn’t “letting yourself go.”
It’s FUNCTION.

Your body isn’t gaining weight…
it’s growing life.

Having a breech baby will have you doing the most UNHINGED things One minute you’re calmly pregnant…The next you’re upsi...
12/23/2025

Having a breech baby will have you doing the most UNHINGED things

One minute you’re calmly pregnant…
The next you’re upside down on your couch, hips in the air, frozen peas on your belly, blasting music at the bottom of your stomach like it’s a dance floor.

You’re googling:
“How to flip a breech baby”
“How late is TOO late for a breech baby”
“Can babies do cartwheels internally”

You’re bribing them.
Talking to them.
Begging them.
Telling them they can do whatever they want in life… just please turn your head down.

You’re doing stretches you’ve never done before.
Watching YouTube videos from women who look way too calm about it.
Walking, bouncing, swimming, praying, negotiating with the universe.

And somehow… this tiny human still chooses chaos.

Breech pregnancy is anxiety, comedy, and desperation all wrapped into one.
If you know, you KNOW.

Signed,
A mom who would absolutely stand on her head if it meant this baby might flip

I will always protect his peace.Men have feelings too, they just carry them quietly.They feel pressure, stress, fear, an...
12/23/2025

I will always protect his peace.

Men have feelings too, they just carry them quietly.
They feel pressure, stress, fear, and responsibility in ways they don’t always say out loud.

They need reassurance.
They sometimes need to be the ones who hear, “Everything will be okay.”
“We’ll figure this out together.”

Men need affection.
They need to feel safe, supported, and chosen.

And I will always show up for him and care for him,
because that’s exactly what he does for me.

That doesn’t make him weak.
It makes him human.

As women, we sacrifice our bodies to grow our children.But why?Because we love our children more than we love ourselves....
12/23/2025

As women, we sacrifice our bodies to grow our children.
But why?

Because we love our children more than we love ourselves.

Through the aches, the pains, the nausea, the exhaustion… we keep showing up.
Even when our bodies feel like they’ve reached their breaking point.
When it hurts just to move.
When rest never feels like enough.

Why do we do it?

Because the love for the tiny life growing inside us is stronger than our instinct for self preservation.

Even when we snap.
Even when we complain.
Even when we’re touched out and overwhelmed.

We still choose them.

Motherhood is instinctual.
We can’t help but love, nourish, protect, and sacrifice.
It’s in our nature to put ourselves last.

And even when no one notices,
Even when there’s no praise, no recognition, no validation,

We still put everyone else first.
Because that’s what mothers do.

©Christina Stanley

My heartburn this pregnancy is so bad, I’m pretty sure I’m about to give birth to Rapunzel herself.
12/23/2025

My heartburn this pregnancy is so bad, I’m pretty sure I’m about to give birth to Rapunzel herself.

Ultrasounds at every stage of pregnancy have you fearing differently.In the beginning, you’re not even thinking about cr...
12/23/2025

Ultrasounds at every stage of pregnancy have you fearing differently.

In the beginning, you’re not even thinking about cribs or names yet.
You’re just praying to hear a heartbeat. Holding your breath in that quiet room, watching the screen, begging for proof that life is really there.

Then you make it a little further and the fear changes.
Now you’re praying for normal screenings. Normal measurements. Normal words from the tech and the doctor. You analyze every pause, every click, every look at the screen, wondering what they see that you can’t.

And then, later in pregnancy, when people think you should finally feel “safe,” the prayers shift again.
You pray for a head down baby.
You pray for a healthy placenta.
You pray that everything keeps working the way it’s supposed to until the very end.

The fear never really goes away. It just evolves.
Because motherhood doesn’t start when you hold your baby… it starts the moment you love someone you can’t even see yet.

Every ultrasound is relief…
and anxiety…
and gratitude…
and another silent prayer all wrapped into one.

And somehow, through all that fear, the love only grows stronger.

Wrapping paper will soon cover the floor, the smell of breakfast will fill the air, begging for toys to be opened will b...
12/22/2025

Wrapping paper will soon cover the floor, the smell of breakfast will fill the air, begging for toys to be opened will begin,
little feet bouncing with excitement, coffee gone cold on the counter, laughter louder than the music playing softly in the background.

It’s the chaos we wait all year for.
The mess we won’t rush to clean.
The memories that slip by too fast if we don’t slow down long enough to feel them.

One day the floor will be clean, the house quiet, the mornings calm.
But today?
Today is magic in the middle of the madness.

Address

Des Moines, IA

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Christina Stanley posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category