pregnant brain, grateful heart
When my husband accidentally put on the pastor's suit jacket and walked all the way to the other side of the church campus to pick up our youngest son from nursery only to return and realize his error, another friend teased that it sounded like "pregnant brain." That hit fairly close to home for Alan because these days he knows just exactly how pathetic that can be.
I'm honestly convinced that pregnant brain as well as several other common pregnancy symptoms are corollaries of sleep deprivation. We need so much extra sleep with a little person growing inside of our womb, but so often we don't get it.
I say all that to say, at thirty four weeks, I haven't written much recently beyond a handful of fb posts. It's not that I haven't had ideas of things I really want to write about, but more that I can't seem to follow those ideas through to a coherent post.
But I thought it would be good to at least share a few grace notes, things that have accented the symphony of this pregnancy with sweetness that I savor, ideas that may be helpful as you seek to give grace to those in your circle that are expecting or young moms.
These are a few of my grace notes.
And as I look forward to holding baby girl in my arms in just a couple more weeks (they're making sure she comes early), I also look back over this pregnancy and am thankful for the beautiful symphony and its various movements and the chord progressions --and I'm waxing metaphoric and need to quit.
And I am thankful.
Continued grace and peace,
with love,
michelle
I'm honestly convinced that pregnant brain as well as several other common pregnancy symptoms are corollaries of sleep deprivation. We need so much extra sleep with a little person growing inside of our womb, but so often we don't get it.
I say all that to say, at thirty four weeks, I haven't written much recently beyond a handful of fb posts. It's not that I haven't had ideas of things I really want to write about, but more that I can't seem to follow those ideas through to a coherent post.
But I thought it would be good to at least share a few grace notes, things that have accented the symphony of this pregnancy with sweetness that I savor, ideas that may be helpful as you seek to give grace to those in your circle that are expecting or young moms.
- Lunch with other ladies at the same life stage. This past week I enjoyed sharing lunch at Atlanta Bread Company with four other ladies in our local church that are expecting in July/August. Three toddlers joined us around our belly-crowded tables, and my two older boys sat in the comfy chairs over by the silent fireplace, gobbling up their soup and sandwich while devouring their recent purchases from Mr. K's Used Books. That was a treat for them--because they're usually not allowed to have books anywhere near food. And it was a grace for us--because we could talk openly about mommy stuff without any worries. It also apparently gave some of the ladies a bit of a glimpse into their own futures as they look beyond the infant and toddler years. Of course, with all five of us being pregnant, no one thought to snap a picture. Guess we'll just have to do that again! We are all seriously looking forward to our time together in the mothers' room at church, caring for our babies and caring for one another's souls.
- How does KFC sound for supper? Honestly, it didn't sound all that great to me, except that I knew the man and three little men would by taken care of without any effort from me, and that sounded great. I just have too many aversions to food during pregnancy (vs. cravings). But looking forward to not cooking supper, I accepted, and was grateful it actually tasted really good to me too. The dear woman who dropped off this meal for us chose the boneless chicken--definitely my favorite of all the KFC I've had--and I've had some--over the years. Except maybe the chicken pot pie. True confession: I love chicken pot pie.
- Could I pick up the boys for dinner and a movie? Are you serious!? Just the older two, right? Well, I was thinking all three, so you could rest. They enjoyed a recent release of Pilgrim's Progress and a special supper. And I put my feet up ... and then enjoyed an impromptu date night at Pita Pit. The falafal pita with all those veggie toppings and an extra cupful of tzatziki was phenomenal. It also inspired some homemade falafal, which I'll share in a subsequent post. Mmm. So maybe I have had a few crazy cravings this pregnancy.
- "Every child deserves to be celebrated," Jenny said over a cup of Starbucks as she convinced me to let her shower baby girl with pink. I've never gone to second showers. But my sweet friend really wanted to show love to our family this way as we welcome a little girl after three boys, so I agreed. "As long as it's small." And I jotted down a list of names from our church of ladies who have shown an express interest in me and my family, and Jenny went to work. We had such a sweet time together, enjoying cupcakes and coffee, white chocolate m&m's, nuts, and a perfect pink sherbet punch. I loved the time around the living room and all the thoughtful items these dear ladies showered us with pink--from wipes to clothes to cute little hairbows. This little girl is all set. And I think I have changed my mind on second showers, "as long as it's small."
- Nesting has set in. The shower was Friday night, and on Saturday, I sorted the clothes into sizes and set to organizing. I am so thankful for my boys' cheerful work on my long nesting day. They were thrilled with the Lego set and TV/computer time points they received as a reward. (Yes, we have our kids earn their TV/computer time through exercise and various chores.)
- And then my sister came over ... Such a sweet blessing to sit and talk and sort and look forward to this baby together. She helped shove furniture items around, getting the kids' rooms situated as boys' room and girl's room.
- ... and when she left, she took laundry with her. The first two stacks of NB and 0-3 along with a baby laundry detergent bottle went home with my sister to wash. What a huge blessing!
- And he said "thank you." Throughout this time, the Lord has helped me to really focus on being a keeper at home. This is my last week of tutoring until after baby--honestly, a bitter-sweet time, as I'm really enjoying my students, though I'm thankful that I'll get to work with most of them again in the fall. One of my clients trades for cleaning. While her daughter and I get excited about conquering math, she conquers my windows or bathroom or dishes. Her help has been such a sweet encouragement to me to stay on top of my housework for the glory of God. And it really has motivated me to get as much of the regular stuff done as possible so she can do the stuff I can't do so easily right now--or (frankly) the stuff I don't so much care to do but would like to get done. And as the juggling gets better and better--even though I still frequently drop a few balls here and there--the family has noticed. My husband has noticed. And his "thank you because while I've been focusing on spending time with the kids and with you and working and working on this dissertation, I haven't been able to help as much, but you've done a great job, and I really appreciate it" means the world to me.
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| Falls Park Study Break. (c) 2013. |
And as I look forward to holding baby girl in my arms in just a couple more weeks (they're making sure she comes early), I also look back over this pregnancy and am thankful for the beautiful symphony and its various movements and the chord progressions --and I'm waxing metaphoric and need to quit.
And I am thankful.
Continued grace and peace,
with love,
michelle
