Pregnancy diary part 3

The weeks are still slowly dragging by. Do I really have another two months of this left?!  As I continue to grow bigger and more uncomfortable I'm trying to see the funny side of things. Today I was told I look very pregnant.  It made me smile as I thought about how it's fine to tell someone they look really pregnant but tell someone they're looking really fat today and they won't thank you for it!

It's now become near impossible to cook without splashing dinner on myself as my belly sticks out so far and my husband can't help laughing at how far away from the counter I have to stand these days.

One of the more bizarre pregnancy symptoms is the 'nesting instinct' and mine has certainly kicked in.  The last few weeks I've had a strong urge to rearrange the house and tidy and clean.  Of course I can't lift stuff or reach for things and struggle to bend down so the result was a weekend of me waddling around instructing my husband to move things all over the place.  I think this has been the hardest symptom for him to handle so far and know I must have driven him crazy!  But now the house looks great and most stuff we need is in place. It almost looks like there's a kid living here already.

One of the funniest moments so far was when I asked my husband to cut my toes nails for me. He's a bit of a germophobe and he also hates feet so I knew my request wouldn't go down well.  Anyone who knows my husband knows that he likes to be a bit of a drama queen at times to milk things for their comedy value and tonight was no exception.  I was in fits of laughter watching him squirm and object as I tried to get him to touch my feet. Eventually he made an attempt to cut a toe nail but cutting someone elses nails is actually pretty hard cos you can't tell if you're hurting them.  Add to that the fact that Josh is left handed and trying to use right handed scissors and you'll see just how challenging it was!

It's my birthday on Tuesday and my parents are paying for me to have a pregnancy spa day which is gonna be great. I'm looking forward to some pampering. But it just dawned on me that some poor person is gonna have to massage my unshaved legs and get near my nasty looking feet. Do I dare to ask my husband to help me shave my legs?!!

The pregnancy diary continues...

Once upon a time I used to find having a bath relaxing. Today my back and ribs were aching so I decided to take a nice bath.  This bath was anything but relaxing! I used to love a good hour long soak in the tub but there was no chance of that tonight. I was in the bath for only about 20 mins and had to get out to pee twice!

Shaving my legs has now become quite an ordeal.  No matter how I tried to shift position and contort myself my growing belly just would not let me get my legs near enough to reach.

Next I tried to lie down and take the weight off my bump but quickly realised that was a mistake as I couldn't sit up again! Thankfully we have one of those P shaped baths so the extra width allowed my to eventually roll over on to my side and then get up on all fours.  Thought I was gonna have to call hubby to come rescue me for a minute there. My husband has now become quite used to hearing the words "babe, I'm stuck" and having to rescue me cos I'm stuck on the sofa or can't get out of my tights haha.

Navigating the storms of life

Change is an inevitable part of life and the past few weeks at work have certainly been full of unexpected changes! I've found it interesting watching different people's reactions to all that has been going on. Some people are excited by the change but others are not coping so well (mentioning no names Mr grumpy pants in the corner!)

So what is it that influences our ability to cope with and even welcome change?  Like an anchor holding a boat in a storm, we all seem to need something or someone as that one stable thing to cling to.  Some of us feel able to weather any storm as long as our partner is still by our side. Others feel sure they can handle any challenge as long as they have money.  Some place their security in their career. And others may feel that no matter who else abandons them in life they will always have their parents to rely on. So what is it for you? What is your anchor?

The problem with all these things is that none of them are 100% solid. Jobs get axed, relationships end, people die and money gets lost. So is there anything or anyone we can fully rely on to help us through the storms of life? I believe I have found the answer.

The Bible says there is one person we can always rely on:

    "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!" Hebrews 13:8

King David wrote:

    "The Lord is my solid rock, my fortress, my rescuer. My God is my rock— I take refuge in him!- he’s my shield and my salvation’s strength, my place of safety and my shelter." 2 Samuel 22:2-3

I have found this to be true in my own life. I remember a time in my late teens when a lot of changes hit me all at once and I was trusting in my partner at the time to get me through. So when he left me in the middle of the changes I kinda went off the deep end and was a mess for a while.  But over the past few years I have learnt to put my trust in Jesus more and more.  Not so long ago I went through a period of massive change like never before. In 18 months I moved house 4 times, changed jobs 5 times, changed church twice and went from being single to engaged to married!  Through it all I was able to remain (mostly) calm as I had total trust that no matter what else happened I knew I could rely on Jesus and his promises to me in the Bible.


Through all the storms of life my daily prayer is this...

"Lord, help me to remember that nothing is going to happen today that you and I can't handle together."

Place your bets...

For me the novelty of pregnancy has worn off and the weeks are starting to drag. My husband however is still finding plenty of amusement in the whole situation.  Recently he has become fascinated with watching my belly button slowly turn from an 'inny' to an 'outy'.  The transition is still in its early stages with only the top bit sticking out so far. 



So, place your bets - what date do you think the transition to full outy will be complete? Post your answers and the winner will receive a prize!