Counting our Blessings - cheesy but true.
I have to be honest - I started writing this post with the intention of listing out all of my pregnancy woes and talking about some of the hurdles we've faced... BUT I was just overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude because as I remembered the pains of a pregnancy with multiples, with each scenario I was reminded of the many blessings that we've received throughout this journey! We truly have been blessed with friends and family who have been such a joy to our lives. I find that in some of my hardest moments in life, God is always faithful to remind me of His goodness that I am so prone to forget. So instead of writing a rant about my woes... instead I want to write a post about the many things I've been so thankful for over the past few months.
1. Maternity Clothes
For real, it has been such a huge blessing to have both my mom and my Mil take me maternity clothes shopping. My Mom & I shopped online from afar, and then the Mil and I went out a couple of weeks ago - HUGE blessing. Then on top of that, I've had multiple friends give belly bands, bags of clothes, adorable jewelry (KAREN!!!!!), etc! It has been such a huge encouragement to me as I already look like a whale and am only 14 weeks. It's great to wake up and know that I do have options that fit and are comfortable - and the Mister and I haven't paid a single dime for a maternity outfit yet! Such a huge gift from family and friends... so if you've contributed just know that when I wake up in the morning and am feeling awful about my appearance, you are contributing to me getting in a better frame of mind! For that, I'm forever grateful! You're also contributing to my middle schoolers responses to me getting huge "Yo Mrs. Salmon, I like that shirt! It shows off how much you grew overnight." Why thank you.
2. Understanding Friends
To all my friends who have adjusted where we eat or who have allowed me to drop off the face of the world for a couple of weeks/months without taking offense - THANK YOU. One thing that has really bothered me is that I feel as though I'm not doing as great of a job as I did pre-pregnancy at juggling everything and I feel like the people that I love most in life are the ones who are getting the shaft (sorry!). For those of you who have graciously allowed me to cancel coffee dates, postpone dinner dates, peace out early during showers and parties (or not come at all), hand off former responsibilities... THANK YOU - your graciousness has been so overwhelming.
3. Excited Family & Friends
I think one of my favorite things about this pregnancy thus far has been sharing our joy with family and friends and then watching them get excited with us! There were moments early on when I was more scared than excited, but having friends and family be excited on our behalf has been one of the greatest encouragements! Also, it has been so nice to be able to call family members during both the high moments and low moments of this pregnancy. It's good to know that there is a safe place to be emotionally unstable ;).
4. Awesome team of doctors!
I love our OBGYN - hands down, they are amazing. With the type of twins we have, they could overwhelm us with the possibilities of what could go wrong, things to look for, statistics/percentages, back-up plans, strict rules, etc. Instead they take the approach that until something appears wrong... we're not going to worry about it. And I can appreciate that! I read enough in my pregnancy books for multiples OR on google (they tell you not too... but come on... are you kidding me? I google every pain, symptom, and question). I know what our risks are... Seeing my doctors be relaxed about everything, helps me to follow suit.
5. Advice from Moms with Multiples
I have loved getting facebook msgs, texts, and emails from moms with twins/triplets who have graciously offered advice and words of encouragement. It is good to be reminded every now and then that I'm not alone. I love hearing the stories of others who have gone through extreme morning sickness, faced an absurd amount of weight gain & freakishly annoying hormonal imbalances, conquered breast-feeding two babies, mastered cloth-diapering multiples, managed to get two babies on one schedule, faced twin-to-twin-transfusion syndrome (TTTS), went through pre-term labor, spent weeks in the NICU, lived to tell crazy delivery war stories, and these women are still breathing and loving their babies. I pray that not all of those items on that list characterize our journey, but still... these conversations help me to feel normal and less of a freak. I'm so so thankful for your kind words, they remind me that I can do this.
6. Breaks!!
It seems that every time I start to get a little overwhelmed, a break is provided! :) For example, I was really hoping that with Zofran and being out of my 1st trimester I'd be done feeling yucky - and I have definitely seen some improvements!!!! - but I'm not quite there yet. I was a little discouraged this past week when I had a rough 48 hrs and had to be sent home from school, but today is Good Friday and I'm writing this from BED! Amen? Amen. And then all next week is my middle school's spring break!?!?! Double Amen! And my mom is coming to town for a few days!!! GLORY. So a break has arrived just in time for me to catch up on some much needed sleep, eat some of mom's home-cookin', and hopefully get rejuvenated for the rest of the school year. So thankful!
7. FLOWERS
You might think this is silly but I don't care. I love the spring and all that comes with it! I love this gorgeous NC weather, the trees in our backyard blooming, and this past weekend I was able to plant some flowers! :) YESSSSSSSSS I love FRESH flowers!!!!! My sweet Mister brought me a hanging plant the other night when I was under the weather. THEN, I was at LOWES the next day and bought some plants for me & the Parrs from my Dad (Thanks Dad!). AND THEN!!!! that night my Mil and Pil stopped by while we were gone and brought some flowers for our patio AND my MIL cleaned our downstairs (which has pretty much been a wreck since week 6 of pregnancy). I don't know which I was more pumped about - a clean house or the flowers!?!?! Anyways, The Mister and I spent a Sunday afternoon together planting these guys and they absolutely make me smile and I'm so thankful for them! They have been such a good reminder that it's the little things in life that can bring us so much joy.
These are a few of my favorite things!
Isn't he so strong and handsome??? Also... aren't our trash cans attractive? No? Yea, I don't think so either... that's why we're hoping those hydrangeas double in size REALLLLLLL quick-like.
I'm awaiting Henry the Hummingbird's return...
Ok, so I know this was a long post... but I find it helpful to list out the things I'm thankful for when i start to get a little crotchety and have a pity party for myself... Now after writing all of this I am reminded of God's goodness and HOW MUCH I have to be thankful for! I think my theme verse for this pregnancy is going to be Philippians 4:6 - "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Amen? Amen. Today I'm thanking Him for many of you who have blessed our growing family over the past few months! THANK YOU!!!!!!
Much love,
