A Wonderful Break

A blogging break was just what I needed.

With feeling extra big early, complete with sore hips and lower back I felt almost pressured to get some stuff done, so over the weekend we strapped the furniture that needed to be strapped to the wall for safety (my contribution was, "Little to the left? Looks great honey!"), assembled the crib (again, my contribution was to hold the end to make sure it did not fall on the worker and little assistant), and then we washed laundry, a task which carried into Monday (folding carried into Tuesday and today....), and made up the crib. While it is definitely early to make the crib, it serves as a great work surface for me as it is the right height for me not to be bending over. Plus I put a throw sized quilt over it to keep it dust free, and it is our quilt, so it is not a big deal if it is not perfectly clean and ready to go when baby comes home.

So with all the 0-3 clothes washed and put away, all the blankets washed and almost put away, and the room essentially set up (just don't look in the closet), I feel much better about things, and don't feel the pressure of "how am I ever going to get this done when it is so hot and I am so uncomfortable!"

I also worked on the Thank You cards I wanted to make. It turns out I did not have enough ribbon, but will order some next week at the class, and will be able to wait for it to arrive to finish. I am actually making cards that will be enough for two small showers, baby's arrival, meals from our church, gifts from family and friends who are far flung, the baptism, and other stuff that comes up in life in general like occasions, so it is not like they all have to be done immediately...except in my head. Plus I also have some "back up" thank you cards that would be great for baby's arrival, but also up to easily a second birthday or more thanks to a great sale! (Although the thought of occasions reminds me that I wanted to make a list of card needs through the end of the year!)

So basically I may not be feeling at the top of my game, but I certainly feel on top of things! Plus, I have more reasonable expectations! Friends of mine who are not expecting or chasing littles are complaining about the heat and how it is making them feel, so what makes me think I should be superwoman?

I am also happy to report that we have finally found a method for evening family devotions! Something we have wanted to do, but have no friends who do, and did not grow up with it, so we were kind of feeling our way along without a real guide or idea of what to do! We basically get Miss Pear ready for bed, pile into our bed, and read Big Truths for Little Kids, working on memorizing the questions, then we read a Psalm and briefly say something about it - usually that we are thankful that God cares for us, protects us, or something simple the Psalm teaches us, then we move on to the bed time routine which ends in prayer. Maybe not perfect, but we feel like we are on the right track and are making progress, plus Miss Pear loves it, participates, and pays attention - that major factors of success at this point. We would like to add singing to it so that we could work on learning songs as a family, and talk about the passage more, but for now we will take what we can get!