the gift in the everyday

My weekend was filled with kleenex.  Sneezes.  Coughs upon coughs.  101.3 fevers.   A dose or two of Tylenol.   One boy who slept really well and another who did not.  Red, watery, sick eyes.  And lots and lots and lots and lots of extra snuggles.

I hate having sick babies, but there is a sweetness in being forced home in your pajamas with nothing on the agenda but being held close.

And at the same time, I could not shake the happenings on Friday.  Twenty babies who are now with Jesus.  But twenty Mamas who ache for their arms to hold them close even one last time.

I don't mean to sound morbid, but after reading One Thousand Gifts, everything kind of changes.  My lens now views life in terms of gifts.  Because in all reality, I know I don't deserve anything.  I don't have a right to anything.  I am not even guaranteed another breath.

And as I care for my sicklings this weekend, in light of the tragedy, I am thanking Him for the gift of being able to care for my little ones who are sick.

And I hope that I continue to have this perspective.  Weeks from now.  Months from now.  Years from now.  When I'm tempted by entitlement or my own rightness or ingratitude.  I pray that I'll instead turn to gratitude and realize that life is a gift and every piece of it.

Praying you are able to find the gift in the everyday.


*linking up with Carissa for Miscellany Monday


...

Recovering... and on the move!

We've been sick over here.

And tired.

My poor sweet boy caught a horrible cold about a week ago.  Complete with a snot crusted face, coughing attacks in the middle of the night, and horrible horrible sleep.  Oh, did I mention, we hardly slept?  I have never been so tired.  Even as a newborn, Jude slept better than when he was sick. 

Little sicky... hanging out in our PJ's.

And then Jordan and I caught it.  But now we are all recovering and trying to get back to life as usual. 

While this sickness left me feeling like I was hit by a bus, it sure didn't slow Jude down.  This boy is bound and determined to crawl.

How did I get out here?

 Diaper changes have become more challenging, as this boy does NOT want to be on his back, but rather on his belly moving moving moving!  Right now he ends up going backwards frequently and often resorts to rolling toward his destination. 

I give him until Thanksgiving to perfect it.  Which means it is time to babyproof!

35 weeks.

What an odd week.  I feel like I just slept away a week of my life... wait, I did.  Haha.  I have 14 days left of work... 35 days of life until my due date... and holy moly, time isn't slowing down.  Despite being horribly sick last week, I was still able to enjoy the weekend and spend time with my mom and dad and sister. {and sorry if I got any of you sick...}

Today's date: February 20, 2011

How far along: 35 weeks

Total weight gain: 26-ish lbs. (but I haven't weighed myself in a few days)

Size and growth of the baby: Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon).

Sex: BOY BOY BOY!!

Maternity clothes: Sweatpants.

Sleep: I have a good system going.  I figured out how to finally get somewhat comfortable and have had some great nights of sleep.  Although, the Tylenol PM I took a few of those nights to manage the fever may have played a role in that.  Still... I'm grateful for sleep.  And I'm sorry to my husband for taking up 7/8ths of the bed.

 
Best moment(s) of the week:  Seeing my mom and dad and sister on Saturday. :-)  I was supposed to have a shower on Saturday, but the flu bug canceled that.  It was still fun to see my family and celebrate the boy.

Movement: Still a lot, but the big movements are getting less and less as he gets bigger.  But - those movements are getting a bit more uncomfortable.  He's a strong boy!

 
Food cravings/aversions:  None at the moment.  I do see a banana/blueberry smoothie in my future though.

Morning sickness: None really.

 
Symptoms: Getting more pressure and achiness near the exit point.  I don't think he has "dropped" but I feel like he is getting lower and lower.  I am more uncomfortable at least.  At this point, laying down or sitting on my exercise ball is definitely most comfortable.

 
Labor signs:  Still nothing.  I'm beginning to wonder what these "contractions" feel like, because I've never felt anything.

Belly button in or out:   I feel like it is on the verge.  If it lasts 5 more weeks I'll be amazed.

 
What I miss:  Sleeping on my back or stomach.

What I'm looking forward to:  The arrival of Baby Boes {my good friend Mandy is due March 1st, but I'd be seriously shocked if she makes it there}.  I feel like once she is born, it is all go for Baby Griffis.

What's happening this week:

 

Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Your uterus — which was entirely tucked away inside your pelvis when you conceived — now reaches up under your rib cage. If you could peek inside your womb, you'd see that there's more baby than amniotic fluid in there now. Your ballooning uterus is crowding your other internal organs, too, which is why you probably have to urinate more often and may be dealing with heartburn and other gastrointestinal distress. If you're not grappling with these annoyances, you're one of the lucky few. {Unfortunately, I haven't been quite so lucky.}

 

 

{baby boy weighs about as much as a honeydew melon}

Sick. Sick. Sick.

I have been sick MORE during this pregnancy than ever in my life, I swear.  Makes sense... your immune system is down to help protect the baby, but it is just NO fun.  I got the flu this week... or something like it.  Sinus/chest cold plus a fever of about 101 for 3 days.  Not fun.  Today is the first day I haven't had a fever and I feel MUCH better without the aches and chills, but still have this nasty cold.  I'm so sad... because of this I decided to cancel my baby shower this weekend. :-(  Nobody wants to get this, and since many of the people who will be there are either pregnant or have babies, I especially don't want to pass along any lingering germs.  I am just grateful that, if I am going to get sick, it happens NOW so I can be healthy when it is time to welcome this baby into the world!!

38 days to go (give or take)... I still can't believe it.