31 weeks, only 9 weeks to go!

So many thoughts fill my head these last few weeks. Many of them good but some of them a bit anxious or uncertain. I hear that is normal with all pregnant women, so I just try to keep them at bay and truly exercise the scripture from 2 Cor. 10:5 that encourages us to, "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." To me, that means praying instead of worrying and then trusting that God is giving us this child as a GIFT from Him to raise and provide sound wisdom to in this earthly life. I can rest in that knowledge, and I just keep telling myself that she is a GIFT of JOY!

We have been attending child birth classes for four weeks now, and we only have two remaining. I have decided that they are meant to prepare new parents for "worst case scenario" and, in effect, have been contributing to my anxious thoughts! I do not want to walk into child birth being completely unaware and naive, however, so I have decided to take it ALL with a grain of salt. I understand what "could" happen but I am not going to focus on that. I'm going to focus on the natural progression of things to occur in their own timing. Women have been having babies for centuries and way before any medical interventions were created. God designed our bodies for this so I trust in His wisdom and perfect construction of MY body to handle it.

What sends my emotions for a whirl is when I see a newborn meeting his/her parents for the first time and their reaction to it, or when I see the mother put her new baby to breast for the first time. I cry EVERY time without fail. I have never been such a sap before but, then again, I've never been pregnant before either! Yeah, everyone says it's due to the raging pregnancy hormones, which I believe, but I think it's more than that. I think it's God preparing me to become a Mother by giving me that sensitivity toward the little one about to enter our world and change it drastically - forever! Having such a huge change would not be nearly as enjoyable or tolerable if you did not love that baby with every fiber of your being. I think THAT is what is happening, and I think it's wonderful.

I also love being able to share my thoughts via this blog without having to justify anything I say! So maybe THAT is why people become writers!?! They just need a safe outlet to share their many thoughts/opinions/decisions/research/etc. with the world and not have to listen to people's responses. What a great idea! It is rather liberating when you think about it like that. I do, of course, welcome any comments from my posts, so please feel free to leave comments on this site!

One last thing: our house is NOT ready for baby girl's arrival just yet...we still have to lay hardwood in the nursery; assemble the crib, dresser, and changing table; put all the wonderful clothes we've received away (which can't happen until the dresser is in place); lay new carpet in the living room; and buy a new couch, chair, dining room table, and chairs. It seems like a daunting task, and if we don't get to the carpet and new furniture before she arrives, it will be totally okay. These are just the goals we have made for ourselves. Goals are healthy and they propel us into action, right?

So that's the latest update on our lives as of today. Thank you for reading about it and thank you for caring about us and praying for us. We need each of you, and we really love having you in our lives! 9 weeks to go...and counting. :-)