1. Baby Shower : This past weekend we had a whirlwind trip to Ben's hometown and had our second Baby Shower. Despite only being there for about two days we grabbed some wonderful time with family and were overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity from both friends and family. Poor Kiddo is going to grow up under the illusion that we are loaded - how else could we have so much awesome stuff for him?! Speaking of being spoiled...
2. Pregnancy : Until quite recently my height had been a real boon in pregnancy. Between that and my many cardigans and scarves I had grown accustomed to people either not knowing that I was pregnant or thinking I was not nearly as far along as I was. Well, my friends, not height, scarves, or cardigans can help me now! I will begin my 36th week of pregnancy this Sunday and I look every day of it! Indeed I have even had people ask me if I am further along than that! On the one hand, this is good for my ego. On the other hand, it is quite an adjustment and not one that my splendid emotions/moods were ready for. Speaking of moods and emotions....
3. Panic : More and more often these days I get hit by moments of panic. Don't get me wrong, I don't forget that I am pregnant. It's just that sometimes I forget that the time is quickly approaching when I will NOT be pregnant! It is exciting, thrilling, anxiety-producing, and bittersweet all at once. I cannot wait to hold our little boy in my arms and be able to trace the outline of his cheek and kiss his forehead and sing to him and read to him and just be a MOM! At the same time, no amount of nieces or nephews or babysitting really prepares you for the reality of having your own child. I mean, he is going to wake up in the middle of the night and I might not know why! Is he wet? Is he hungry? Is he in pain? Is he angry about Obama's executive orders?! Well, I don't know. And I have no doubt that I will get it wrong. Crap. And, lest we forget, the time is quickly approaching when life will go from being "Ben and me" to "Ben, Leo, and me." This is the bittersweet part. Do I regret being open to life? Not for a millisecond! But I would be lying if I said that I don't feel some sadness at the idea of losing life as it is now, the life that my husband and I have built together over the past several months. Speaking of my husband.....
4. My husband : He is kind of amazing. I mention him from time to time but never give him enough credit. This is a man who offers foot and back massages every night without complaint, who willingly takes out the trash and does the dishes, who loves to cook (and cooks betters than me, darn it!), who indulges my ludicrous sense of humor and bizarre taste in movies/TV shows, and I could go on and on. I cannot wait to see him be a father and I know that he will be an absolute hero to our children. He is also the type of man who needs at least a few daughters to wrap him around their tiny fingers so even while we eagerly await the arrival of our little guy I cannot help but smile when I think of us having a little girl someday. Hopefully God will comply but then again, the world could definitely use the type of men that my husband would raise :) One of the things that I love about Ben is his patience. It basically flows through his veins and thank God, because that is the only way that we could be married in the first place! A month or so ago Ben's parents gave us a beautiful rocker for the baby. We were told by Babies R Us that the thing would come practically assembled. They lied. So it was that for several hours poor Ben had to build the thing from the ground up, dealing with mislabeled parts and bits that didn't even fit together properly. Did he give up? No. Below is the proof of his awesomeness -->
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| BEFORE |
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| AFTER |
Speaking of Before and After (sick of that transition yet? Me too!)......
5. Reading : Ben and I have now finished reading six books aloud to each other. We aren't quite sure what to read next but for the sake of our evenings I hope we figure it out soon. I have grown far too accustomed to the pastime!
6. Meal Planning : I know you must feel awfully lost without the "Speaking of..." transition but try and hang on. Since transitioning from full-time to part-time I have been able to do something that I merely dreamed of before (OK, more in a nightmare-like fashion but still.....). I now sit down and write out the next 5 - 7 days of meals. This enables me to - WAIT FOR IT - make up a REASONABLE grocery list that does NOT necessitate approximately eighty additional trips over the course of a given week! While I do not so much enjoy the sitting and planning, I do love waking up in the morning and knowing what to thaw and what I will be preparing on that given day. I imagine that this will go straight out the window the second that I go into labor, but in the meantime it is just great!
7. Baking/Cooking : Meal planning has also allowed me to sink back into the habit of cooking and on two occasions this week I actually went a step further and baked! When I was in high school cooking and baking was something I had passion for and indulged in almost every day. Now I am not saying that I am back to that point and to be honest I don't think it's reasonable for me to expect that I will get there in the near future, if ever. But there is something deeply satisfying and pleasant to sit down for dinner and know that the wonderful foods and aromas that are floating through the apartment are a result of my handiwork and not a "Ready to Bake" loaf of bread and frozen meal from Meijer.
~ Happy Friday ~
Just so you know my secret: I usually write my Quick Takes over a period of 2-3 days which is why they (occasionally) are fabulous and polished and one of the first ones posted. :)
ReplyDeleteAs for #3, you'll have a new normal... and it will be OK. I will admit mourning for my pre-pregnant wife where I could do things on my own and not have to think about transporting my son with me. Parenthood has been so worth it though.
I am very glad that you wrote your 21st-Century-Mom blog when you did. Even just as a pregnant wife it was helpful and with Leo being due within the next four weeks it will be something that I will carry in my heart.
DeleteOK, betwix 3 and 4 I was almost crying. You think pregnancy hormones are bad, wait for postpartum ones, they've almost driven me to smoking... Anyways, I just cannot wait to meet my little godson.
ReplyDeleteI'd be lying if I said I had not shed a few tears over it. I could feel guilty about that but I think it is better to accept the bittersweet-ness of it than to try and deny it.
DeleteI keep saying I want to start meal planning but I just haven't been motivated enough to do it. I don't make any extra trips to the grocery store though, we just have very simple meals once my creativity/special ingredients run out.
ReplyDeleteGoodness! I came on over from Ana's blog and must say that yours is adorable as well. I just recently had my second little boy (out of four kids - three with me, one in heaven) and we named him Leo as well! I remember vividly all the emotions that come with becoming a family of three rather than a married couple. While the transition was a bit tough for me, I realize now that both my husband and I have become better for it. I am sure the same will happen for you! Congrats!
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