Waiting and Preparing for Baby

You can probably imagine what the frequent topic of conversation is in our house these days. Yup, you guessed it—'Little Bump.' It doesn't come as a surprise that it's the topic of conversation. It's understandable since having a baby will be a big life change for Leon and me.

We're faced with a lot of decisions... Hospital, birthing centre, or home birth? What kind of pain relief? Cloth or disposable nappies? Where will the baby sleep? What schedule will we work toward using? Breast feeding or bottle feeding? And there's even... What colour do we paint the nursery?

'Little Bump's' nursery... still a work in progress

Not to mention all the parental wisdom we've been given that we now have to sort through.

I'm now 36 weeks pregnant, and have 26 days until my official due date. But who's counting? This week, more than ever I've realised I'm done with being pregnant. I love to feel baby moving about... but I'm ready to be done.

Or am I? I also realised last weekend how precious the time is that Leon and I have together. We won't have that kind of time with 'just the two of us' for much longer. I've realised that I need to be more content with where God has us right now, cherishing the last few moments before our life rockets into a new season in life.

As anxious as I am to meet our 'Little Bump,' I don't want to rush these last few weeks. I was encouraged by a blog I just 'happened' to stumble upon yesterday. The writer talked about cherishing what we have now even though we're ready to be done because we can't have them back. She also compared it to longing for our home in Heaven. She wrote,

"Motherhood is full of these moments. The wanting to hurry through the challenging parts yet attempting to embrace each ounce of joy. Savoring each stage yet exhausted and ready for the next. Feeling the pressure to soak it in. To not wish it away.
Isn’t this also life?
Things never stay the same. Life is all about movement. Moving from one stage to the next. Growing. Looking toward the future. Yet longing for memories of the past." –God Centered Mom

I'm discovering that waiting for our baby's arrival is a bit like the time leading up to our wedding. We had a sweet ache to move on to the next season of life while trying to enjoy the season we were in. I need to find joy in where I am now while eagerly waiting for what the future holds.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6

Is there something that you're eagerly waiting for right now? Are you enjoying those "last days" or wishing them to fly by quickly?

Weekend Wander: Visit to the Highlands

Leon and I took a weekend away to the Scottish Highlands! We wanted to have one last getaway before 'Little Bump' arrives in a month. We certainly enjoyed ourselves, and it was nice to have something to distract us from all things 'baby' for a couple of days.

Yup, we love each other. :)

We stayed at a quaint little B&B in a village called Tyndrum. It was surrounded by beautiful lochs, valleys and snow-covered mountains. We wished we could go walking on those mountains, but since I'm nearly 36 weeks pregnant, that wasn't going to happen. We did get to do some exploring by car though! Our first day there it was quite foggy, but I've discovered that the highlands are beautiful even in the fog.

I wish I knew the names of all these mountains. I'm not very good at remembering things like that!

We stopped at a number of car parks just so I could take photos

Our second day there, the clouds were not as low so we could see more of the beauty of God's creation that surrounded us. We went for a drive along the coast of Loch Linnhe and Loch Crean. It was a lovely drive. We stopped in a harbour village called Oban where we climbed up to McCraig Tower (by suggestion of our host at the B&B) to get a view of the village. It was a beautiful sight!

Oban, Scotland. I think that's the Irish Sea beyond the harbour.

McCraig Tower

On Monday it was time to head back to Carlisle. After having one last breakfast by the fireplace at the B&B, we began our journey home. Leon decided to take  different route home that would take us by Loch Lomond. Some of you may know the song that is associated with this loch. It was kind of fun to see it and think of the song at the same time. Even though it was cold and windy there, it was a nice place to visit and drive along for a fair bit of our journey home.

Loch Lomond... It was pretty hard for me to not sing the song while we were there.

Now that we're home, we're in the homestretch of waiting for 'Little Bump' to arrive! Only a few more short weeks! It was so nice to get away before the 'two of us' becomes three. (In fact, I would highly recommend it for any couple who are expecting their first baby!)

Baby Shower!

Last weekend, the OM ladies had a baby shower for "Little Bump" and myself! It was a lot of fun to spend time with these ladies and play goofy baby shower games in the process.

Some gifts waiting to be unwrapped

We spent a lot of time just chatting.

Chatting away...

More friends chatting away

Time to measure how big "Little Bump" has gotten (Who incidentally isn't so little any more)!

Apparently, someone said something really funny!

Then it was time to open gifts!

Lots of exciting things for "Little Bump!"

 Another fun game! I'd never played this one before.

We had to guess all the words for 'baby' in different languages

After all the fun and games, some of the ladies offered their own motherhood advice.  They also prayed for Leon and myself as we become parents. What a blessing all these lovely ladies are! :)

And now we're even closer to our sweet baby's arrival!! So exciting!

(A special thanks to my friend Ruth for being the photographer for the evening!!)

Psalm 4: Faith in the Transition

Transitions are all around. It's a part of life. Some of life's transitions can be overwhelming. I look back at some of the transitions I've been through in my life and can see how God was the only One who could have gotten me through that tough transition.

One kind of transition: switching Underground trains in London (It's a pretty simple one!)

I'm going through another transition in life right now as I'm preparing for motherhood, and as Leon and I are preparing for parenthood together. Our little one has yet to grace us with his/her presence, but the preparation and getting my mind around motherhood is overwhelming. This being our first baby, there are a lot of unknowns in this transition.

I don't do so well with unknowns. I'm prone to worry. I've learned and been constantly reminded that I need God's strength to trust in Him while I wait out this transition. I've found myself crying out to God a lot lately.

In Psalm 4, God promises that He'll hear us when we cry out to Him.

But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
the LORD hears when I call to him. Psalm 4:3 (ESV)

It's also encouraging to know that God will give us rest and peace when we cry out to Him.

In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8 (ESV)

I'm really thankful that transitions in life remind us of our need to desperately run to Him!