Oh hey. Yes. I am still around, although I have taken the last, almost, five months “off” from writing. This was not planned in the slightest. Unfortunately, sometimes, you have to listen to your body, recognize your limits and prioritize what matters most in your current season. This may mean you must begrudgingly accept you cannot do it all. Even when you desperately want to.
I found it fitting that as blossoms and baby leaves finally popped out on trees this spring, I simultaneously crawled out of the sludge that is the first trimester of pregnancy. After three months of feeling like an alien in a body that was constantly exhausted, depleted and unable to keep food or drink down, I am back to my normal level of being, “mom tired.” Mothers of multiples you know what I mean! Our family has been growing and expanding the past few months just as fast as my permanently stretched out belly.
I am now, somehow, more than halfway through my pregnancy, creeping up on my third trimester. I simultaneously feel as if I’ve been pregnant for 5 years, while I also can’t believe I will have our third baby in my arms in about 15 weeks. So what have we been up to the last, almost, five months? Well…
We expanded our family by six in April. My daughter is now the proud momma of six chickens. She has gone above and beyond my expectations with them. She is so gentle and caring. She is also the only one of us who can catch them. We are so excited for them to start laying some delicious eggs for us. My son finds joy in chasing them around saying, “chickies, peep peep!” Our dogs still do not know what to think about them, but my chocolate lab loves to find and eat their poop. It is disgusting and a waste of perfectly good fertilizer!
Our garden is in! We started two raised beds, several potted plants and a few landscaping areas. We shall see if my black thumb is no more. I can already tell the potted plants are not going to flourish this year. Next year we will try a new strategy, the beauty of gardening! Both my children are obsessed with picking fresh strawberries and it is a constant battle to see who gets to them first each day. We are hoping to buy more to prevent World War III from breaking out in our backyard. We are learning via trial and error with growing zucchini, squash, cucumbers, egg plant, peppers, tomatoes, melons, beans and greens. Next on our list is learning how to best preserve our harvests so nothing goes to waste.
The past few weeks I have kicked into major nesting mode in a way I never did with my first two pregnancies. Even though it is early, its as if my body knows there is no way I will physically be able sort, rearrange and purge everything that needs done before baby girl arrives if I wait much longer. I am in fact as big as a whale. I rarely go out without comments about how I must be ready to deliver. I usually just say something along the lines of, “not soon enough” to avoid the awkwardness of what comes after I say, “I’m actually not due until October.”
The rest of our time has been spent soaking in the day to day blessings. Pausing to appreciate the warmth of the sun and coolness of the shade. Picking bouquets if wild flowers from the backyard. Relishing the summer storm that waters our plants. I’ve been focusing on appreciating little moments as our last spring and summer as a family of four. Trying not to panic about how I will manage three little ones in a few short months. Actively working to leave my worries in God’s hands and take small action steps each day. This has helped at managing my emotions and expectations to better serve my family. It has been a roller coaster of pregnancy hormones the past few months which seems to exasperate my reactions to day to day ups and downs.
I feel contentment and release getting back into writing and sharing. Like a pressure release valve is being opened in my brain as words flow out. I look forward to joining you all back here a few times a month to share and encourage with midnight musings of a now, almost, mom of three.
Dirty Toes and Mommy Prose 