In the last 2 weeks...

In the last two weeks I...

• had a beautiful baby girl
• turned 27
• lost nearly 30 pounds (I think the scale might be lying.)
• discussed at length little silly things like house temperature...along with other new parent obsessions
• have muttered prayers of thanksgiving more times than I can count
• have muttered prayers for sleep MANY times
• have cringed while watching our grocery money go towards diapers (thankful for gift cards!!)
• have cried at the drop of a hat time and time again (I'm OK.)
• have adjusted to one schedule, only to see it change the next day. Similarly, I have discovered one way to soothe a crying (temperamental by God's design) baby, only to have it not work three hours later
• could have started a pharmacy in my kitchen
• have wished for more hours of daylight
• have taken multiple naps on a daily basis
• have let my desire for home cleanliness take a back seat
• have struggled to find time for a shower, and have forgotten to eat until supper
  
• have discovered daily pure delight in someone so small

We are truly blessed with the gift of Hope Malowyn; born November 16, 2009; 5:59 PM. Parenting is a journey, a learning experience, a BLESSING, and it's only just begun.

What a day!

What a beautiful fall day!!

It was productive, fun, happy, and splashed all throughout with indigestion. Yep, I'm seeing a lot of that these days.

I'm so thankful to be up and around. Today I got to go to a baby shower, drive by myself--this actually provides for the most occurrences of contractions, and visit with Luke's family at their house while we all sat around a campfire.

The only non-beautiful thing: Iowa lost. Too bad.

Awkward

You ever feel like the master of awkward situations?

I don't mean like you've engineered them to be that way and are now getting a slight giggle out of watching everyone squirm. I mean like, just by your mere participation, you've managed to turn a perfectly good conversation or situation into a disaster that you feel completely embarrassed about.

That was me today. Man, something about being secluded for a month from many social interactions, and then being thrown back into them; add to that an expanding belly that makes one feel absolutely uncomfortable in every sitting/standing position; now that's a recipe for awkward.

I've decided that the reason I felt awkward and embarrassed today stems from insecurity ("I feel huge!" "I don't know what to say anymore about how I'm doing without it sounding like I talk about myself ALL THE TIME!"), and the need to please ("Oh no, that sounded bad. I need to say something else to make that better. Oh no, I just made it worse") When I thought about all this today, I decided that I rarely have awkward moments or feel embarrassed when I'm unconcerned with pleasing people, and when I'm secure.

So, I just wanted to share that. I don't think I'm alone in this. I think there are many people out there who have been where I was today.

I've been doing a study this last week that was talking about spiritual growth. One of the ways you can be sure you're growing spiritually is if you're seeing to the needs of your brothers and sisters in Christ. One of the ways to do that is to listen more than you talk. This season of my life has brought many opportunities for me to speak about myself, and I was concerned that I've gotten out of the practice of LISTENING. Today it was impressed on my heart so strongly to just listen. So, I tried. The problem: I saw many people today who I've not seen in a long time and out of the kindness and love in their hearts, they wanted to know how I was doing and feeling. I think I may need to wait until another day to excel at listening more than speaking.

**ADD ON**
Sunday at church today was so good. It was great to be back worshiping.

Not one awkward moment either! :)


Here's an awkward family photo for you. huh.

On my feet again

Just letting you know...

My appointment this week was successful in removing stitches. I've gotten the green light to go ahead and get up and start walking around, and to do normal things. So, I am. I'm taking it slow, and have felt a little sore while gaining back muscle, but I'm so glad I have these days before the baby is born to build up my strength. So, the first thing we did after the official end of bed rest was to go to Target to buy some things to make sure we're ready, then we came home and prepared the baby room together. I think we're ready. We've got a bag packed and waiting. Technically I have about three weeks left, but I'm kinda thinking it could be anytime. I'm not in a hurry though.

That's the latest. This weekend I'm excited to go to a movie with Luke, and we'll go to church on Sunday. We'll have to do something fun on Saturday since the weather is going to be so nice.

Facebook

Seriously, what is wrong with Facebook? Is anybody else having trouble even getting logged in? I'm completely locked out. Oh well. It only bothers me if I'm the only one.

Update

My appointment today went really well. Turns out the increasing contractions and general discomfort are very normal, which I knew, but was still concerned about. Dr. Schneider is very encouraged with things this week, saying it is much better this week than it has been the last two weeks. God hears our prayers and is helping us all. We scheduled an appointment to remove stitches next Monday, November 2, at 1:30. We'll be packing a hospital bag just in case we need to rush there right after the procedure! The Dr. said it has only happened one time that after this procedure a mother has gone into labor right then and there. We decided we're not going to take any chances on being unprepared. We're on our way to 36 weeks. Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, family and friends for helping us pray for so long!

Bed rest is going well. I generally enjoy being home. Although, I do miss people and fun things to do. I sometimes wonder if I'll ever be able to jump up from sitting on the floor ever again, or if I'll be able to go an hour without needing a bathroom ever again. That's just silly.

Update

Today's appointment was encouraging. I wasn't sure how it would go since things this weekend were more eventful with contractions than I've been used to. There was a lot of activity this weekend with a baby shower in Correctionville, so I think that's why I was having more contractions--but not enough to send me to the hospital. Even today there have been less contractions. Thanks, God! The doctor said things felt about the same as last week which was a lot better than the week before! Her face and body language led me to believe it was a little thinner than last week, but I know she would have said something if she was concerned. So, we're still hanging out, and praying for another week, and thankful for a good appointment.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, everyone!!