Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Showered with Love

I am SO thankful for the community of family and friends who have showered us with encouraging words, priceless advice and an abundance of gifts!

Over the past few months, I have received so many cute things for our little girl! She definitely has more outfits than her daddy. Granted, her outfits are tiny so they don’t take as much room, but we are definitely certain we will not be buying Sariah clothes for a while.

Yesterday I took some time to look through everything we have in order to decide what we still need to get and I was overwhelmed by the abundance of cute clothes, hair clips, pacifiers, blankets, shoes, bedding, shampoo and lotion, diapers, toys, swaddles…etc.

Friends and family, THANK YOU for blessing us and showering us with love!

32 Weeks

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Where did July Go?

It has been a while…and I can hardly believe August is almost here. What have we been up to this month? Well, here are a few things:

·         We have been learning a lot about birth, postpartum and newborns at the Birth Class we have been attending.

·         We traveled to the beach to celebrate our 4th anniversary and had a great and relaxing time. The highlights were the yummy crab cake dinners, beach hike and watching our wedding video!

·         We joined our family at a great reunion filled with activities, catching up, delicious meals and wonderful conversations.

·         We had our first baby shower – and John’s favorite gift was a California Baby Bug Repellent. He can’t wait to go hiking with Sariah!

·         We have been on the road a lot and I have visited lots of bathrooms.

I still feel like we are entering summer, but autumn will be here before I know it. To tell you the truth, thinking about the end of summer makes me really sad because I will miss the daylight, warm nights, a sun kissed tan, fresh fruit and veggies, taking walks, wearing skirts, etc.

I don’t want summer to end – but I am SO excited to meet Sariah in about 8 weeks! John and I find ourselves daydreaming about her, wondering what her birth will be like, imaging a bald little head and dreamy brown eyes. I can hardly wait to hold her little hand and warm her tiny toes.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Anniversary #4

My Beloved,
I continue to fall more and more in love with you!
Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
    its ardor unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
    like a mighty flame.

Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
    all the wealth of one’s house for love,
    it would be utterly scorned.
Song of Songs 8:6-7

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

One Step at a Time

I went on a real hike for the first time 6 summers ago while in Alaska. I didn’t know what to expect and was not prepared physically or mentally for what was ahead. At the time, I thought we (a group of friends) were going on an easy 30 minute stroll…so I thought I would definitely be able to make it.

Well, 30 minutes turned into an hour and then two hours and then I decided I couldn’t handle it anymore since I couldn’t even see the top of this mountain.

I sat down on a rock and announced to the group of friends that I was just going to sit there and enjoy the view from where I was. My plan was to wait for the group to come back down and hike down together. In my mind that was a perfect plan…but the group didn’t feel the same way. To tell you the truth, I don’t remember much more other than the fact that one of the guys present told me to get on his back (as if I was his backpack) and he carried me to the top of Mount Ripinsky. To this day – more than six years later – I still cannot believe that happened. Someone carried me up a mountain.

The good news is that in the past six years, I have become a bit more used to hiking! My legs know what to expect when I put on my wool socks and hiking boots. My lungs no longer struggle the way they used to only 20 minutes after leaving the trailhead. My brain is more prepared to push through when my legs are tired. I can now focus on the goal without panicking that I may not be able to take another upward step.

This past weekend, John and I went on a hike that gave me the opportunity to really focus in order to make it. The hike was not very hard, but it had some pretty steep parts with lots of tree roots and rocks. It was a warm day and I am 7 months pregnant. Before starting the hike I told John that I was afraid of not being able to do it. I was afraid of being tired 20 minutes into it. I was afraid of sitting on the side of the trail ready to give up like I have done before.

John was very encouraging and told me we could go slow, focusing on one step at a time. That is just how I did this whole hike: focusing on one step at a time, allowing myself to become aware of my surroundings - the sounds, the landscape, my breathing and posture.

John led the way at a pace I could follow (he leads because I am terrified of snakes…so he gets the snakes out of the way before I arrive) and up I went; one step at a time.

I was definitely tired by the time we got to the top and I also REALLY needed to pee! We rested for a little bit, ate a snack and headed back down. By the time we got back to our car, I felt like my legs were going to detach from my body, but I felt like I had accomplished a milestone. I didn’t panic and I was never really tempted to sit on the side of the trail (especially knowing there were snakes around). I was able to focus on one step at a time and follow John’s lead. I did something I didn’t think I could do and I was so happy to experience this accomplishment with John!

During the hike, we talked about how hiking seems to be somewhat similar to the process of giving birth. As we prepare ourselves to the day when we get to welcome our little girl, we are exploring ways to work as a team when it is time to focus on one step at a time. While I have no idea what Sariah’s birth will be like, I am looking forward to working as a team with John and feeling like we accomplished a great milestone together!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Getting Things Done in Slow Motion

I have been feeling tired and slow lately. Simple tasks appear to become more complicated every day and sometimes I feel like I am not getting anything done. I was somewhat very unproductive yesterday (but I was still making a baby) and decided I had to get things done whether I felt like it or not.

So, I started by getting dressed in real clothes - not my pajamas. I headed to the grocery store and came home with lots of veggies! I cooked dinner, cleaned the kitchen, made THIS laundry detergent, cleaned the bathroom, folded the laundry and waited for John to come home. His first words upon entering our home were: "Are you ok? You look beat!"

I not only looked beat, but I felt beat.

I ended the day by taking a nice bath that definitely helped me relax! I felt light and fell asleep a few minutes after I kissed John goodnight. Sometime in the middle of the night, I turned over and heard this really loud POP. I am not sure what happened but my hips were hurting so bad I had to breathe deeply and force myself up when I had to go to the bathroom (again).

Today, I took a long (and painful) walk and now I feel like my hips might somehow fall apart. I was SO tempted to go back to bed...but I fought the temptation by making the bed, dusting the furniture and vacuuming the house. I still need to edit some photos, iron some clothes and go through a pile of papers from my high school/college years. It is time to throw away and/or recycle the million assignments I have been saving in boxes for the last few years!

Although it doesn't feel like I am being very productive it is exciting to write down the things I am slowly accomplishing everyday!
Related Posts with Thumbnails