Survive or Thrive
So latest news is bub number 2 is well and truly on it's way! I hit the half way mark this week, 20 weeks preggers.
I love how with baby #1, it goes a little something like this:
'Oh my goodness I'm only 20 weeks pregnant! This is taking foreeeeeevvvvvvvvveeeeeerrrrrr....hurry up baby!'
Bub #2: Oh my goodness I'm 20 weeks!!! God help me. Baby slow down... I am no way ready for you yet!
So being pregnant second time round has been so different for me, so much so that it feels like the first time. My symptoms are different, emotions are different and it is SO MUCH harder! You can't just sleep in whenever you wake feeling groggy, or rest when your back starts hurting. You have to continue to chase that little running, climbing, fearless, adventurous 1 year old around, bending over constantly (although the doctor's advise was 'Avoid bending over'...... yeah right!), singing the wiggles and choosing joy everyday!
Often when friends or family ask me how my day was, I am tempted to respond with 'I survived' or 'It was a hard day' or 'I felt like vomiting or passing out all day' and of course sometimes I do respond in this way (especially to my husband, just so he knows how difficult my life is at the moment haha). But lately I have been challenged to respond with 'We had a lovely time at the park' or 'Toby was such a good boy playing with his toys today' or 'It was such a beautiful sunny day so we sat in the rose garden, which was nice'. I am choosing to focus on the positive moments or sometimes just a single moment of the day. Of course not every day I succeed, but I am choosing to thrive in this challenging season, not just survive.
With God's help and strength, I am believing that the next 20 weeks will be better than the last. And despite the fact we need to find somewhere to live (as we need to be out of our place in less than 6 weeks) and I need to move, pack, clean with a 1 year old as well as somehow navigate my growing belly (question: how the heck do you put your baby in their cot and pick up your baby out of their cot without crushing your growing belly baby?), I am going to choose joy in this time. Mostly because of Toby. He can now say Mummy (which he is saying constantly these past few days), hat (anything on top of something else is a hat), up (which means Up and Down), a-da (which means all done), Dad, Nana, U-Da (meaning Judah, which he says everyday at some point, mostly when I tell him we are going outside or when we are in the car), out (for outside), B (for ball), brrrmmm (car noises, he also attempts the fire engine sound) and probably the cutest thing ever.. Ah ah (like Ah Oh when he drops something or knocks something over) and many other babbles and sounds. Everyday he learns something new, and what a privilege I get to be there to watch him learn and grow and learn to love and be kind and give the best cuddles and open mouth kisses IN THE WORLD! Today he sat next to his basket of books and just read to himself for at least 10 minutes, it was ridiculously cute. I need to thrive, not just survive the rest of this pregnancy (and the next few years of having a newborn and a toddler) because Toby deserves it. He deserves to have the best childhood I can give him.
I know you're probably thinking I am putting too much pressure on myself, and I know I will have many days where I don't leave the house until the suns about to set and that might just be to cross the road and walk through the park in our dressing gowns and ugg boots, and I might stay in my PJs all day without even realising it, or I may hang a load of dirty washing on the line (yep that happened this week) or yell at my babes or cry for no reason, and all that is OK. But I am gonna at least try to thrive, not just survive. I'll let you know how it goes.
I love how with baby #1, it goes a little something like this:
'Oh my goodness I'm only 20 weeks pregnant! This is taking foreeeeeevvvvvvvvveeeeeerrrrrr....hurry up baby!'
Bub #2: Oh my goodness I'm 20 weeks!!! God help me. Baby slow down... I am no way ready for you yet!
So being pregnant second time round has been so different for me, so much so that it feels like the first time. My symptoms are different, emotions are different and it is SO MUCH harder! You can't just sleep in whenever you wake feeling groggy, or rest when your back starts hurting. You have to continue to chase that little running, climbing, fearless, adventurous 1 year old around, bending over constantly (although the doctor's advise was 'Avoid bending over'...... yeah right!), singing the wiggles and choosing joy everyday!
Often when friends or family ask me how my day was, I am tempted to respond with 'I survived' or 'It was a hard day' or 'I felt like vomiting or passing out all day' and of course sometimes I do respond in this way (especially to my husband, just so he knows how difficult my life is at the moment haha). But lately I have been challenged to respond with 'We had a lovely time at the park' or 'Toby was such a good boy playing with his toys today' or 'It was such a beautiful sunny day so we sat in the rose garden, which was nice'. I am choosing to focus on the positive moments or sometimes just a single moment of the day. Of course not every day I succeed, but I am choosing to thrive in this challenging season, not just survive.
With God's help and strength, I am believing that the next 20 weeks will be better than the last. And despite the fact we need to find somewhere to live (as we need to be out of our place in less than 6 weeks) and I need to move, pack, clean with a 1 year old as well as somehow navigate my growing belly (question: how the heck do you put your baby in their cot and pick up your baby out of their cot without crushing your growing belly baby?), I am going to choose joy in this time. Mostly because of Toby. He can now say Mummy (which he is saying constantly these past few days), hat (anything on top of something else is a hat), up (which means Up and Down), a-da (which means all done), Dad, Nana, U-Da (meaning Judah, which he says everyday at some point, mostly when I tell him we are going outside or when we are in the car), out (for outside), B (for ball), brrrmmm (car noises, he also attempts the fire engine sound) and probably the cutest thing ever.. Ah ah (like Ah Oh when he drops something or knocks something over) and many other babbles and sounds. Everyday he learns something new, and what a privilege I get to be there to watch him learn and grow and learn to love and be kind and give the best cuddles and open mouth kisses IN THE WORLD! Today he sat next to his basket of books and just read to himself for at least 10 minutes, it was ridiculously cute. I need to thrive, not just survive the rest of this pregnancy (and the next few years of having a newborn and a toddler) because Toby deserves it. He deserves to have the best childhood I can give him.
I know you're probably thinking I am putting too much pressure on myself, and I know I will have many days where I don't leave the house until the suns about to set and that might just be to cross the road and walk through the park in our dressing gowns and ugg boots, and I might stay in my PJs all day without even realising it, or I may hang a load of dirty washing on the line (yep that happened this week) or yell at my babes or cry for no reason, and all that is OK. But I am gonna at least try to thrive, not just survive. I'll let you know how it goes.
Great writing Gracie, good on you determined to be positive. All of your family and friends are here too to help you thrive. You are doing fantastically well. Xxx
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