5 Minute Friday: Perspective

More throat is sore. Little Anna won't sleep. Hubs is working late. Again. I am exhausted and wonder what happened to my 'happy little normal' life.

Facebook can be a lot of bad things. A way to waste valuable valuable minutes. A way to feel bad about yourself compared to others. A way to get gossip and negative messages. Until you read about the distant friend from high school who's newborn is struggling to thrive, needing a shot in the thigh every day that 'might' prevent the seizures.

Suddenly, tears running down your chin, your sore throat feels like a distant annoyance and you just want to hold that little one all day long.

My heart pours out with gratitude that Anna is healthy, safe, and that I'm really going to be okay. I welcome the exhaustion and the stress, and can't imagine going back to that 'happy little normal' life that would feel so empty now. I pray for those who aren't as fortunate... and thank God for the Facebook posts that give me much needed perspective.

Child... You Are Fashionably LATE!

Ready when you are, Peanut...

39 Weeks. Thinking it could be any day now. ha.

Well, this child is taking after mom already. March 3rd came and went... suddenly I'm a solid 9 days 'past due'. Baby! We are ready for you, come on out!! It's hard to explain why this is so mentally challenging, but it is. And since I spent the first 15 weeks of my pregnancy laying on the couch, uncomfortable and blogging occasionally, it's only appropriate that I've come full circle. (Thanks Erin for encouraging me to write about this.)

Since March 3rd, everyday has been an interesting cacophony of advice, mental games, and crazy emotions. Some of the advice I've been given includes (but is not limited to):

Hiking in French Park (an easy walk)

• Walk. A lot. - I've walked miles and miles...Mark and I pick a new neighborhood everyday and just walk until I can't stand it any more. No baby, but I'm sure it's good for us!
• Massage specific pressure points on hands and feet. - Great excuse to get nightly foot rubs from Hubs, but still nothing.
• Eat Spicy Food. - Nothing but heartburn.
• Eat Pineapple. - I ate two whole pineapples in two days. I feel like I've become a pineapple.
• Eat Pizza. - Perhaps the most unhelpful advice was the guy at work that told me I HAVE to eat at "this pizza joint my wife ate at the night before she went in to labor with all of our kids. It's in Kentucky and called such-and-such... oh but they are closed." Thanks.
• Tell baby it's okay to come out. - Yes...we tell Peanut all the time, but this child is apparently stubborn just like his/her Dad.
• Drive on a bumpy road. - Really?
• Have sex. - This is not that type of blog. I'll not be revealing if we tried that one.
• Shine a flashlight on the ground beneath me so baby will head toward the bright light. - This one was obviously a joke but it made me laugh. (Thanks Jenn.)

So, all of those things that people swear by...none of them have worked so far. Guess I just need to let nature take it's course.

How I've coped? I have decided to unleash the power of positive thinking:
• I tell myself that the due date was actually a week off, and baby isn't really due until March 10! Well, now you're even late for that due date kiddo.
• So, I look at each extra day as a little gift from God to have more time with just Mark and I, getting things done and enjoying the freedom of not having an infant. This works most of the time, but we just really want to meet our little one!
• When I start to really get frustrated, I remember how fortunate we are to have made it to our due date. When I think of the families that were faced with premature births and all the fear and struggles that come with it, I am made painfully aware of how selfish I'm being. So I'm a little uncomfortable... I think I can manage to put up with that for awhile longer and let my baby come out when it is ready. We're so blessed that there is a happy healthy baby in there.

I'm just so so excited to finally meet this Peanut- and so is Mark. Boy or girl? Who's hair will she/he get? Will he/she like music like Mom; math like Dad? Come out baby...for the 100th time, we're ready for you!