Pondering

The closer it gets to Gracie's arrival, the more I remember the first hours and days after Isaac was born.  Even if you've had children before, I wonder if there's ever a point where an expectant mother isn't nervous about giving birth.  I had a natural childbirth with Isaac and lately I've been remembering how incredibly strenuous it is on the body.  And while my time in the hospital was beyond joyous, the first days at home were an emotional roller coaster as hormones began to level out and I felt the overwhelming realization that we were now responsible for another human life.  Where there was previously no one else besides my husband and I, there was now a little person living in our house that relied on us for everything, and we were responsible to know what those needs were and to meet them.  There was no longer any baby nurses lurking down the hall to help in a moments notice.  And while I felt such an overwhelming, instant love for my son, I also experienced every spectrum of emotion, from joy to anger, that my life was so drastically changed.  In addition, I was learning to breastfeed and I remember thinking how something so natural shouldn't be such a mystery, and at times, difficult.

But then hormones and emotions started to level out and things started to take their proper perspective.  Even with breastfeeding, there would come a time when I would be able to go on a date with my husband again.  There would come a time when this little person could tell me what was wrong as opposed to crying for anything and everything.  And, sadly, there would come a time when this little guy wouldn't need me as he did then.  And very quickly, breastfeeding difficulties weren't so difficult.  And sleep deprivation was understood to be a temporary thing.

I look at my little man now and see a little boy...not a baby anymore.  This same little boy that once cried when he was hungry now says "Cracker, please" about 10 times a day and tells me he wants "Eegurt" (yogurt) for breakfast.  This same little boy that once cried when he wanted to be held now says "Mommy, hold you" when he wants to be held.  The face that I've kissed a million times now gives kisses in return and likes to give his little sister kisses and hugs through mommy's tummy.  And this morning he gave little sister his pacifier by holding it up to my tummy.

John quotes in his gospel that "whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world" (John 16:21, NASB).  This was true for me after I gave birth to Isaac.  The pain experienced through childbirth was forgotten once I met my son for the first time.  So I suppose I shouldn't be so nervous about the birth of Gracie.  And with this being my second child,  I know this time that you can breastfeed and life will still eventually get back to some sort of normalcy, where you can go to the grocery store on your own and know that your child won't starve until your return.

I'm sure that hormones and emotions will still be a very present part of my postpartum experience.  But it's been good for me to remember those precious experiences with my first child.  I'm still a little nervous about the labor and birth!  But this time I know firsthand what a joy children bring to your life.  There's nobody else on earth for whom you would make such willing sacrifices.  There's no one else on earth that you love so deeply in an instant upon meeting them.

Children give us a glimpse of God's love for His own children.  God's Word says there is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents and is "born again."  Likewise, we're eagerly anticipating the birth of Gracie and can't wait to rejoice over the new life God has given to us.  What an honor it is to be parents!  We can't wait for her arrival!

Transition

Last night was Isaac's first night in his "big boy bed!"  I'll admit that I had some minor anxieties concerning his transition from the crib to a twin bed....  "Would he get up a gazillion times?  Would he cry and want back in his crib?  Would he fight going to sleep?"

But once again, this little guy never ceases to amaze me.  We went through his normal bedtime routine, I tucked him into his new bed, and he dozed off to sleep with no problems.  And when he woke up this morning he was as cheerful and happy as could be, talking about his new bed.

SUCCESS!!!

This is one relieved mama that the transition was so easy!  I think it was easier for him than for me.  My baby is a big boy now!  I remember the first time he slept in his crib from the bassinet...Matt and I couldn't believe how tiny he looked in such a big bed.  :)  And now, he looks so tiny in such a big twin size bed.  But he's a happy camper so that makes for happy parents!

One of the last nights in his crib.

First night in his "big boy bed!"

Showers of Blessing!

(Sunday, August 8, 2010)

Our church threw us a baby shower today!

 We were so blessed by our church family and friends!  It is such a humbling thing when you're on the receiving end of such generosity from others.  Having a boy first, we were definitely in need of some girl clothes and other necessities.  Otherwise, she would be in blue onesies and laying on blue blankets for the first year of her life.  :)  But thanks to our wonderful friends, Gracie will be the cutest, best-dressed baby around!  Here are some pics taken at the shower...

  She even received her first tutu and she can wear it in 3-6 months.  :)

Some of our wonderful hostesses...

Our shower hostesses were so great to include Isaac in all the hooplah!  He had his own cake, complete with a toy airplane...

...and he received a couple of gifts to celebrate becoming a big brother!

But the real fun for Isaac was playing with the balloons during the shower.

Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this day such a special day of blessing for our family!  We love and appreciate you!

Any Day Now...

I'm almost officially 38 weeks pregnant with Gracie!  At my OB checkup this week my doctor said that I'm progressing pretty quickly and she could potentially arrive any day now.

The anticipation of going into labor is incredibly mind consuming.  I went through the "nesting" phase with Isaac, but my nesting instincts have been in overdrive this time around.  At this point in my first pregnancy, I had almost everything ready.  I had the paper goods bought so we didn't have to deal with dishes, I had all the baby clothes washed and folded, I had my hospital bag packed and ready, my house stayed clean....

But this time around it's been quite a different story.  I suppose it doesn't help that I have a 2 yr. old to chase around, but I still can't seem to find enough time to get everything done.  Rather than take care of the necessities (i.e. pack my hospital bag), I've decided in the last month to take on all the projects that have been left undone for about the last 6-8 months.  I need to organize this...I need to paint that...  and I reckon that it's because I know how much time, or lack thereof, I will actually have to do household projects after our sweet baby arrives.  But thankfully, as of tonight, my hospital bag is (mostly) packed!  :)

But in my crazy efforts to get organized, this morning we loaded up and made our weekly -- or these days bi-weekly -- trip to the "big town" to do some "storage tub shopping."  By the middle of the afternoon the temperature gauge on the car said 112 degrees!  I realize that they aren't always exactly accurate, but it reached over 100 to say the least.

Yowza!!

What did pregnant women do before air conditioning!?!  For quite some time now I've been hearing a "glad I'm not you" sigh from people due to the fact that I'm pregnant during the hottest part of the summer.  But overall, it hasn't been that bad.  However, we got a little taste of life without air conditioning last week.  We live in a two-story house and the upstairs air conditioning unit went out.  So we camped out downstairs and avoided upstairs as much as humanly possible.  It definitely made me aware of how thankful I am for air conditioning and that God gave such valuable knowledge to the creator of such a wonderful invention.

So bring on the bought air!!!  It makes all these nesting projects so much more pleasant!