Haven't I Been Here Before?

I know I wrote a few days ago about the nesting, but I mean one would think I have never been through this before! I have not done nearly the amount of things that are on my lists each day as I am trying to be calm and take it easy, but I think it might pick up again. I have not felt a contraction of any kind all week, and since I am going mentally crazy just "taking it easy," I think I am going to pick up the pace again and see what happens! We are still on target for April 22, so I think I will be fine to hold out until then. I certainly need the time to get everything done! Now to land on a name....

With our first, we worked on names right up until Abi was born! I was in the hospital in labor (although I didn't know I was in labor), the nurse was asking the mounds of questions they always ask in order to complete the paperwork and Mark and I were there saying, "Do you like this? I like this. What do you think?" We have it narrowed down for sure at this point, much closer than last time, but I have this burning desire to get it done! So strange. I go back and forth between wanting to settle on the name ahead of time or going in with a couple and naming her once we see her. We did get a 3-D picture at the last ultrasound and a few people asked if when I saw her I just knew, but the reality is no! It's so funny. I think I am just so used to looking at the regular ultrasound pictures that it was easier for me to make things out on those than the 3-D one. Maybe I should study it some more.....

Random thought. Yes, those happen to me these days right along with the nesting :) I had the craziest dream last night! I think it is a result of my feeling unorganized and not working through my list. Here it is. I was somewhere here on earth (code for don't know where in the world I was! I didn't recognize anything around me) and I had to use the restroom (also linked to the fact that I have to go to the bathroom about every 20 minutes even through the night). I went in and had a couple of things in my hand: my cell phone and a little change purse that has about $20 in change. Yes, I do have a change purse like that which sits in a draw in the house, but why I happened to be thinking about it enough that it was the star of my dream I have no idea! Anyway, I went to flush the toilet and just as I did everything fell out of my hands, into the toilet and down they went! Well, I saw the change purse go, but not the phone. I began frantically praying, "Lord, please show me that the phone did NOT go down the toilet! Mark will be so mad!" As I continued to pray and look frantically, there was the phone! On the floor under the toilet. "Thank you Lord!" I exclaimed. I then woke up and have no idea why that whole dream came about or what happened next. So bizarre! I was going to go to a Mothers of Multiples consignment sale this morning to "shop around" so maybe that was on my mind and I was thinking maybe I would be throwing money away on things I don't need? I was only going with 2 things on my mind to get, but it is about a 30 minute drive and maybe not worth the trip right now. I have no idea, but needless to say I did not go because I am here writing about it instead :) Not to mention $20 would not have purchased what I was going for .... Too funny. It's amazing how your body works and what crazy changes occur during all the hormonal changes of pregnancy....

Okay, back on track. I was just emailing a friend who is going through this nesting phase also, but for the first time. I think I am just as excited for her as I am for us! She and her husband have gone through a lot to get to this point, and God has rewarded their trust in Him and has blessed them with a beautiful baby girl who will be born almost exactly a month after ours - almost to the day! Our girls will be a month and a day or two a part. Then I have another friend who will have a baby girl just about a month and a couple weeks after that one! I can't help to think about what I wrote about Winter a few months back, and now that we are headed into the literal season of Spring, I am writing about new life. I think about Jessica and her husband who will have their baby in about 69 days, and how long their Winter was. They refused to accept defeat and trusted that the Lord had a plan in each step of this process. They believed God would give them the desire of their hearts and they held onto that all through their super long Winter. Now Spring is in the air, in their lives and they are about to welcome new life into this gorgeous season of Spring. What do I love about Spring? Well, it is my favorite season. One day you wake up and expect to look out and see the same bare trees, brown grass, lifelessness all around but then you listen. You begin to hear the sweet sound of the birds - they are singing, setting up house, getting ready for offspring themselves and then you take a closer look at the trees and shrubs. There are a few buds on them! A wonderful sign that things are about to change, color is about to be reintroduced and new life is about to begin! A time to start all over, to breathe in the slightly warmer air, to smell the rain instead of snow and to watch God's Masterful paintbrush bring color and life to all that needed pruning and to rest. I think it is no accident or coincidence that we are all having babies this close together in this season of Spring. I see it as a reminder that we all go through seasons of the soul and there is always a Spring - a time of reflection, anticipation of what's to come, spiritual growth and the experience of fresh and new. For us it happens to include the literal "new life." God is faithful to see us through those difficult and dark times and always follows those times with Spring - a time to start fresh and begin the next period of growth or cycle of seasons.

Enjoy your Spring! If you don't happen to be in Spring just yet, take comfort in whatever season you are in. Spring is soon to come....