26 weeks down...14 weeks to go...

Hello family & friends!

Oh the joys of pregnancy! Not only have we passed into the realm of more frequent doctor visits, but also into the realm of rapid changes!  Some of these include:

• My already sizable baby bump just seems to morph into something even more sizable overnight.  It's a trip! 
• My swelling in my feet is harder to control, and I have noticed a little swelling in my hands and face already.  At 26 weeks!  Oh my, these next couple of months should be VERY interesting!
• I'm convinced the need for round-the-clock sleep in the first trimester is preparation for the final trimester, where sleep becomes a challenge.  I love to sleep on my stomach...and that's not happening.  I hate sleeping on my back, but would welcome that option right now, if it were an option.  Which leaves sleeping on my sides, which I am convinced is the culprit behind pregnancy induced sciatica, and definitely causes numbing in the hands, arms and shoulders.  We are shopping for a king size bed this weekend - for our sanity AND comfort! :)
• My already undersized bladder just isn't equipped for this!  And that is all I am going to say!
• Yup...my cute "in between" clothes are a thing of the past.  And although a lot of places offer some very cute maternity clothes, it just doesn't make sense to me to spend $50 on a pair of pants I know I am only going to wear for 14 more weeks.  Same for shirts, sweaters, and all of the other stuff...
• Socks are becoming a luxury - and not because I don't need them...but because it sometime takes a concerted (and coordinated - between all my moving parts) effort to get them on!
• I'm learning all kids of creative ways to loofah my feet, get lotion on all my body parts, and bend down to pick up things I have dropped.  I can still accomplish shaving, but know it's only a matter of time before I am begging JP to help me with this area of grooming. 
• There is more, but I am realizing I am complaining...a lot...so...

These are the things that are uncomfortable and funny all at the same time....which naturally makes me want to focus on the blessing of the pregnancy.  Some of these include:

• Well, the pregnancy itself! The growth of life from life is indeed a beautiful and miraculous gift from God!
• I love it when JP puts his hand on my belly, just waiting for her to kick and him feel it.  She's coy with her Daddy and always stops when he tries to feel her, but the warmth of his hand on my stomach provides a comfort I can't explain.
• I love it when Dacie lays against my stomach.  Her body provides a warmth, too, and for some reason she kicks like crazy when Dacie snuggles with me.  Dacie was very protective of me in the first trimester, but since the hormones have leveled out some, she is back to being clueless!
• Baby Cole is a very active little girl!  I can feel her moving about at all hours of the day and night.  It fills me with wonder to sit and just feel her.  And I am starting to be able to tell how she is positioned by where I can feel her.  And feeling her in different places brings about different sensations.
• Being pregnant just seems to bring joy to the people I come into contact with, and everyone, whether you know them or not, seems to want to share in your joy.  It brings about an almost childlike reaction from people, which serves to really keep you positive most of the time.
• Speaking of children, trying to talk with children about pregnancy is fun & interesting.  Their innocent perspective on things and their wonder with is all is infectious.  The other day, a client had her daughter in the office and she said to her, "She has a baby in her belly."  The little girl asked me how the baby got there, and I told her God gave her to me.  She just looked at me with this excited and wondrous look on her face, like "Wow!!!"  I just wanted to say, "I know!" because in that moment I felt the same way she did...awestruck.
• Did I mention that I eat chocolate sometimes without feeling guilty?? :)
• And the final thought is how pregnancy makes me feel closer to my friends and family.  There is a sense of ownership the people in your life have when you are pregnant - everyone wants to love you, nurture you and protect you.  It fosters caring in the people I love and care about for this miraculous little baby that we all have yet to meet, which in turn brings them closer to JP & I.  And although it's nice to get a lot of attention, this interaction I speak of has so much more depth to it.  It's a connection of having the people I love and care about share in our joy & excitement.  It is so much more than words could ever do justice.
• And each and everything I have listed - uncomfortable to joyous - is a gift from God, which makes it all amazingly peaceful - it just fits and feels right.

This weekend I have been so overcome with gratitude.  When I look at my life today - nothing is as I would have planned it - and everything is exactly what I ever wanted and needed.  If you have been there then you know what I mean.  This peace starts with communion with my Creator, which then enables me to accept the wonderful gifts of my life today.  There was a time I didn't believe I deserved happiness, peace, contentment - or a loving partner, a stinky dog that adores me, or a baby entrusted to me.  Today, as a child of God, I celebrate these gifts!  And today I am grateful - for all of this, for all of you, for the miraculousness of my life and the life created in love that grows within me.

Thank you...

Thank you...

Thank you...

Words will never be enough, but my heart will continue to cry out in Thanksgiving!

Love,

Julie