Waiting

Dear baby, here beneath my heart,
I thought that you might come today;
The timing just seemed right.
But the stars are out
And the moon is high
And sheepishly I wonder why
I try to arrange the plans of God.
For now I know
You will not come until the One
Who holds eternity rustles your soft cocoon
and whispers in tones that I will not hear,
"It's time, precious gift.
Now it's time."

by: Robin Jones Gunn

Ava's #1 fans!

I can remember it as clear as the sunny California sky. I waited for my students to finish their morning routine and with 15 pairs of eyes on me, I made the announcement. "Class from now on until the rest of the school year, we will be having an additional snack recess in the afternoon." Without much of a hoopla, most of my third graders glanced at each other, then back at me and gave me the polite "you are the teacher, whatever you say goes" smile. Most...except for one. "Mrs.Smith, are you pregnant?" I gave the class a somewhat bashful smile as I nodded yes. Suddenly bodies dropped to the ground (literally), cheers, and hoorays filled the room. Children are the best at displaying excitement (even if often over exaggerated). Now you are probably wondering how in the world does an 8 year-old make such a connection? Let me explain. The year prior Mrs. Tracy, the second grade teacher, had received the miraculous news that after 12 discouraging years of trying to get pregnant with no avail, and two adoptions, she was having a baby. As a result, the class benefited from an extra recess to accommodate for fatigue, bathroom breaks, hunger, etc.

When entering the third grade, the question was raised on whether I would allow for a morning recess only or for both morning and afternoon. Without hesitation I explained to the class that third grade involves a lot more work than second and therefore that valuable time would be used towards one of the academic subjects. Secretly, one of my students approached Mrs. Tracy to tell her that starting that night, she would begin praying for God to gift me with a baby so that she could enjoy the scrumptious snacks dad packed daily for her. I chuckled as Mrs.Tracy shared this with me. This student has a heart for God that is seldom seen at such a young age. But to be honest, I didn't put much weight on her requests to the God of the universe to bless me with a child.

Now most of you know that we were incredibly fortunate to have gotten pregnant within the first month of trying. I was shocked, Justin was shocked. I was thrilled, Justin was thrilled. I have heard on many occasions of amazing stories of answered children's prayers. As to whether my blessing came from a child's innocent request, well I'll just have to wait for the answer on the other side of heaven. And frankly, it makes no difference to me because either way...I'M HAVING A BABY!

Are we cramped yet?

I'm baffled by the little space babies have in the last month of pregnancy. With four weeks to go, Ava's arms and legs are plumping up nicely which means that she is big enough to take up most of my uterus, and has limited space to move around. She wriggles less because of this constriction, but her movements are stronger and more defined. Justin and I have been having fun taking guesses of baby's body parts from the contours of my belly. The Doctor said she has assumed the head-down position in preparation for birth.

Next week (week 37), she is considered full term, meaning that if labor were to start, no effort would be made to delay it. Interestingly, research suggests that it's actually Ava who will trigger labor by producing hormones as a reaction to her cramped surroundings.

Getting a full night's sleep is virtually impossible these days. I am making bathroom trips about every 45 minutes. The pressure from Ava's weight on my pelvic joints causes some serious hip pain. So about every 2 hours, I have to shift from one side to the other to alleviate some of this pain. And to top it all off, throw in the mix sudden leg cramps and charlie horses that wake me up of a "deep" sleep.

May I suggest next time you see a pregnant woman at your workplace or working hard on her feet, please extend her some much needed grace. Go ahead, hold the door open for her, offer her your seat on the light rail, give her a sympathetic smile. She will be thrilled you did.

Papa's Day

Last night I gave Justin a small "gift" of appreciation in honor of Father's day. Nothing overly exciting, nonetheless, some favorites of his. Peanut M&Ms, a box of Swedish Fish, and for his latest kick of iced lattes, a Starbucks gift card. And of course a father's day (to-be) card. His eyes lit up and contentment followed as he devoured the candy while watching "The Great Outdoors." I find peculiar (and rather relieving) how easily men can be pleased or at least my man. Besides keeping his tummy full, my husband's primary longing/need is respect. Sure he likes to be romanced, waited on, and spoiled. In actuality, the definition of respect is exacly that. Respect: To take notice of; to regard with special attention; to regard as worthy of special consideration; hence, to care for; to heed.

I thoroughly enjoyed the message by our pastor on Father's Day. The common thread throughout his sermon was that all men, and he said ALL, desire one thing. You guessed it...RESPECT. They need respect in the home as much as in the workplace. I can't control the actions of his boss and co-workers but what I can do is ensure that his home, his haven, is a place where he can beyond a shadow of doubt know he is in fact worthy of special consideration. A place where his opinion is desired, his needs sought after, and his hopes and dreams revered. I mean if that is in fact the most pressing need in my husband's heart, how could I hesitate to deny him from it?