The quadripolarity that is pregnancy :)

As I approach the end of this pregnancy and the culmination of a new chapter with a precious baby boy there is such a mix of emotions and very different things happening in me both literally and figuratively.

On the one hand there is the clumsy, uncomfortable, forgetful me that is sometimes overly emotional and cries over things like a shirt that doesn't cover my belly anymore... :) Thankfully I have a kind husband who overlooks my "moment" and knows it will be short-lived.

Then there's the me that readily blames my almost daily mistakes on pregnancy brain. Last week we were out to dinner with friends and I had driven - I usually drive when I'm pregnant becuase I tend to get carsick very easily. When we went to leave the restaurant I couldn't find my keys. "Is that our van running?" E said. "Ummm..." I wanted to hide and desperately hoped to see another maroon Sienna minivan with Colorado plates somewhere nearby but sure enough - that was our van - running...warm...for 2 1/2 hours. Lights on and ready to go. Thankfully nobody took our warm and cozy car and thankfully it didn't experience any engine issues after idling for that long!!

And now...there is the me that loves being pregnant. I marvel at the miracle God created in the way babies grow and are born. I hold tightly to the preciousness of carrying this little one who needs nothing at all but what he gets from my body...I cherish the closeness we share and know that we will never be this close again for this long. I am fascinated as I try to figure out whether an arm, a leg or a heiney is poking me and what he is doing. What a precious gift....alive and well...with no job to do except to grow. To rush this time seems harsh and unwelcome as I will most certainly want it back at some point. I always do.

Lastly there is the me that is heavily pregnant and expectant. I want to see and talk to my son...hold him....nuzzle his sweet little face and smell his precious newborn head. To inspect and appreciate every square inch of his little body so perfectly created as God intended from fingernails to knee wrinkles.

Thankfully I don't have to decide when my pregnancy is over and for today I am doing my best to look beyond my clumsiness and forgetfulness and take joy in the blessing that is pregnancy and the joy that is to come.

....can't help myself

2 posts in 1 day!! Yep...just wanted to share these candids from the past few weeks:

Enjoy...they are just as precious as they look :)

A few more pics and updates

I'm slow to blog lately but wanted to at least post a few photos and a few updates!

• 38 weeks pregnant this week and just waiting! I've been having lots of contractions but mostly braxton hicks and not likely anything productive but we'll see at my appointment on Thursday :) I was 1 cm dilated at 36 weeks so maybe some progress...that'd be nice.

• Olivia had her sleep study to determine whether she has sleep apnea and a true need to have her very large adenoids removed. The ENT recommended removal after looking at an x-ray where they seem to block her airway completely but we wanted to know for certain before sending her in for a procedure requiring general anesthesia. She did graet in the study all hooked up to things to read her every breath!

• Evelyn's latest trend is clothing and diaper removal...she wants to use the potty like a big girl although she usually just sits on it and then hops off and says "yay"! She is a teeny tiny little thing and just as smiley as you can imagine almost all of the time

• The girls transitioned into a room together and it's been a pretty seamless and smooth transition!

• The semester doesn't end for me until Dec 13th but I'm nearly done with all of my exams, papers, etc. as I've been working to complete them ahead of time - this entire semester is online which gives me more flexibility and has been so helpful

• LEAVES EVERYWHERE!!! East coast fall is beautiful and a lot of work! We keep watching the leaves fall and discuss a few times a week whether to rake or just wait and save ourselves the trouble of doing it several times...hmm...could be a good labor-inducing activity if I get desperate :)

T

Counting down!!

This pregnancy has gone by really fast in some ways and slowly in others...I felt pretty pregnant early on whereas in the past I've been nauseated but still in stretchy pants for a good while before donning the maternity wear. We've been quite busy as well...we have relocated, spent 6 weeks apart during this process, I've been in school through the spring, summer, and now fall semesters...We've had a first birthday, a third birthday and have enjoyed a summer on the beach!! Eric has started a new job after his old company downsized and the Lord has blessed his work there....plus daily life with a 1 and 3 year old!! Maybe that's why it has gone by so fast!

We are 35 weeks working on 36 and will be meeting our precious boy soon. I don't know when he will be here but Olivia arrived at 38 weeks weighing 7 lbs 11 oz and Evelyn arrived at 39 weeks weighing 9 lbs 6 oz so I'm praying for an arrival before 40 weeks for obvious reasons :). Either way we will be meeting him in the next 2-5 weeks...nothing like a window of opportunity!
I have yet to pack a hospital bag, set up the bassinette in our room or finish sewing his blanket for the crib and I have a half semester's worth of tests and papers to write but I figure that's nothing right?? :)

We had family photos taken a couple weeks ago and here are a couple I hadn't shared yet.

Mom will be here in a couple weeks and that, to me, feels like sweet relief. We're all excited for her to be here with us. Hope to be posting baby pics soon!!

T

Lisa Leonard Designs Jewelry GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Lisa Leonard Designs Jewelry GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Check this out - I guess I'm in "win" mode today...these are just so cute!

Bloom where you're planted

So...this blog post is really for me :) but I hope it serves as an encouragement to you, too. This is a portion of what I've been processing and pondering that has left my blog a little desolate save a few photos here and there!

'Bloom where you're planted' isn't a new phrase. For me, and for many of my friends, it's a new experience. I've bloomed where I've been watered, repotted, showcased and lovingly protected at times. To be honest I kind of prefer that :) - which probably speaks to a level of immaturity in me but as for today that is the truth of my emotion. Yet in my heart I know that to grow where I am, bring life where I am, be a blessing wherever I find myself, is the ultimate thing of beauty.

Anything can grow in the right temperature, with the right soil, a little miracle grow and constant tending but finding a thing of beauty in an unlikely place...now that is something to behold.

There is solace in knowing that I am digging roots in a place that never changes and will never go away either this side of eternity or the other.

And now...back to homework :) Thanks for taking a moment with me to pause and reflect!! More to come!!

Welcome Autumn!

I am a non-blogger lately...this usually happens when I'm pensive and unable to "bloggingly share" my thoughts. :)

So, I'm sharing some simple pleasures that come with the current season...I looove fall and the older I get the more I welcome its coming. The season so full or orange - pumpkins, pumpkin spice lattes, orange candles that smell like "home", hearths covered in leaves and berries and wreaths on front doors... there's something about warm lighting that fills houses during the season when it gets dark early and the snow limits sunlight that makes it feel warmer and more inviting...in a different way from the fun and carefree outdoors enjoyment of summer.


Welcome fall!! It's so nice to greet you! :)