Goodbye, second semester! You were so good to me. I do remember to say "trimester" more often nowadays, but sometimes semester still slips out. And I think I'm liking semester better. It's like a BIG TEST is coming....also known as labor.....at the end of this semester. But I try not to think about that too much.
I have taken up some sewing projects lately, because being pregnant and homeschooling two kids with a husband in school isn't challenging enough for me, and I've been calling patterns "recipes." I just want to document Pregnant Brain, in case I forget. I think, but I can't be sure, that My Brain on Three Kids will look different than My Brain on Two Kids and One in the Oven. But I'll be sure and let you know.
I was looking for chenille fabric, and I went to Wal-Mart, thinking it might be cheaper there. This should be evidence enough that Pregnant Brain causes me to think irrationally, because under Normal Brain, I hate Wal-Mart. I informed the sales lady that the recipe called for chenille fabric, and she said she had no idea what that was. But she didn't seem to bat an eyelash at me calling it recipe. Moving on to JoAnn's, where they not only know what chenille is but can point me to the 15+ color choices, and she laughed like a crazy woman over recipe. Oh, well. I just blame it on the third semester.
I've been getting some very strange spam-like comments on my blog, so I had to add the goofy verification before making a comment. Sorry about that - I know it's a pain, but the spam was becoming even more pain like, and I didn't really wanna have to move to comment moderation. But that's my next step. You hear me, spammers? I'm sure they don't actually read this, so that really didn't scare them. I don't really know how spam works to be honest. But please, don't try to explain. My Pregnant Brain can't handle it.
Where were we? Oh, yes, THE FINAL STRETCH. Wow, hard to believe. And this little baby will have Ansley to thank when she is older for documenting this pregnancy. Ansley does a great job of helping me out with pictures, and even though three-quarters of the shots are blurry and half of them cut my head off, she tries. And that's all I ask for.
It was supposed to be all of me, but who really needs to see my eyes, right? They are still green - that's one thing pregnancy hasn't changed.
Do I sound like I'm complaining? I really don't mean to, but I want to accurately document it, since this is my only record of this pregnancy. (Shhhh, don't tell her I actually have journals with my other two!) This has been a tough pregnancy. I'm sure it's because I'm older. And more whinier, I think. That has something to do with it. I am, and will remain, very grateful to be pregnant and add this sweet addition to our family and blah blah blah....but dadgum, it's hard! I'm achy, move like an 80-year-old, don't sleep well, get words mixed up, have regular heartburn, leg cramps, and abdominal - like stretching - pain. And sometimes get confused as to which one aluminum can't go in - the microwave or the oven?
Other than that, I'm great! But back to my problems. The sleeping thing is tough - I am sleeping miserably these days, and it's hard to be so exhausted during the day. I feel like my poor children have half a mother. The other half stays in bed asleep all day. And I even have practically another person in bed with me these days - the full body Boppy pillow as well as a wedge for my back and two pillows. I have to position myself just right for a comfy night's sleep, and sometimes that doesn't even work. Oh, and the peeing, my goodness, how many times can one pee in a night??
But, I really can't complain. Well, I do. I complain a lot. But I really shouldn't. We are very excited to meet this baby girl, and the kids are SO sweet with everything. Ansley is constantly offering to get me things, Christian rubs my back or wants to feel the baby kick. It's so sweet, and I am so thankful. She is moving all the time now, and seems to really enjoy when the kids talk to her.
Hey, look, there's most all of me! And the off centeredness is kind of a nice touch, don't you think? It's hard to see my size in this picture, but that's really okay with me. The last time I went to the doctor, he told me I hadn't gained any weight in a month. I'm clinging to that, and I think I'll just keep thinking that for these last 13 weeks. It might help me sleep at night.
Ah, there's the belly. It was bound to show up somewhere; it can't be contained.
So there it is, the Pregnancy Update. I feel like it has gone by pretty fast, and some days when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I panic. What are we doing? How are we going to add a third child?? What will this look like for our family?
But I know that this is His plan for our family. And despite the sleeplessness and aches and trials, there is much grace. And much prayer. And much clinging to Him. And that's enough.
Even when I feel like I could sleep for days.
