Reflecting on the now

Really!?!? Only 67 days until my "due date"!?!?

Even though 9 weeks sounds like forever to me, in the state I'm in, when you put it in "days" it sounds so much closer!

And if you think of it along the same lines as I do... then you will deduct 21 days from that, making it 6 weeks, or only 46 more days... since Austin was 21 days early, and therefore this baby will do the same. Right? Because aren't all babies and pregnancies and deliveries the same? And isn't it a tried and true rule that each subsequent baby comes earlier?

I have got to stop thinking these things!!! I'm totally jinxing myself into carrying this baby to 42 weeks!!! And either way, I need to remember that the baby will come in His perfect timing. Not mine! {And why would I really want it any other way!?}

I need to stop looking so forward to the end of this pregnancy, and focus on enjoying the moments of awe that it brings me daily. P.S. I'm not always waiting for the end, but I do have my moments. And I just love labor and birth so much, that I can't wait for it!! I have always been one who loves loves loves being pregnant. I need to get my head back to that place! This time around, I'm uncomfortable and physically drained. I giggle at the thought of how tired and drained I'll be feeling after the baby comes... this is probably nothing compared to that!!!

Mostly, though... I just need to keep on taking each day as it comes, treasuring this time with my two little boys. All too soon I will be sleep-deprived once again, stretching myself even more, and worrying about spreading myself equally amongst my three children! What a ride it will be! Fun, beautiful, exhausting, challenging, blessed... I don't think I could ever be ready, but I have faith that God won't give me anything I can't handle. I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be-- I do pray for peace and patience.

So about my two boys-- Oh, they are so cute right now! They always are, but they both have been saying the most darling things lately!!!

Austin is learning new words daily and speaking in 3-4 word sentences. He definitely copies everything Jake says! His sweet little voice just melts my heart. I have to get him on video- he's growing and changing right before my eyes!

And Jake is just hilarious, telling me stories about his life and the experiences his days bring. I love seeing how he processes the day's events during our bedtime talks. He's learning how to tell me not only what happened, but how it made him feel. I'm trying to remember to ask open-ended questions. Sometimes I say, "did that make you sad/happy/laugh/etc," instead of saying, "how did that make you feel?" I absolutely love talking to Jake and hearing what he has to tell me, it's one of the richest experiences that this age has brought.

Speaking of his age, is it even possible that in a month he'll be THREE!?! un.real.

On the other hand, he has a new found energy... I don't know where it came from. A wild and crazy energy! He picks things up and throws them, he says "no" to me just to see what I'll do, he still wrestles with his brother (nothing new there) but he doesn't respond to my guidance as well as he used to... WOW! Austin has never really been the greatest at obedience, so I'm used to that challenge. But what happened to my mild-mannered, obedient Jake? It is so much fun to see this new zest, though! (Even when it makes things a little more difficult at times.)

What an incredible blessing these children are. I am so humbled by the fact that I am their mother. They make me want to be a better person. They make me want to make this world a better place (even more than I did before!)

There is such sweetness in their little voices and faces, (um, most of the time, heehee!)
Hmmmm.... I love them!