Counting Our Blessings

So, I figured that I should update our blog just so that no one thought there were circumstances (especially bad ones) that were preventing us from posting. The truth is that everything is eerily quiet right now. We have been in a rhythm lately in which everything has remained calm, and we are just going along with the ebb and flow of life.

The only things of note lately: I caught a cold from the preschoolers at work and subsequently passed it on to Carl. Nothing major - I haven't had a fever, and I think that I'm now on the upswing (although Carl is probably at the peak of the cold right now). It put a damper on our weekend plans - we were supposed to go to the Maryland Seafood Festival which I was very excited about, but it was also nice to stay home one day and totally veg out (you know, lay like broccoli).

Also, the Director of our school introduced me to the owner of the school yesterday, and he said that he had heard a lot of good things about me and wanted to talk to me about some things that he has in the works. I very calmly said great, anytime he was available we could meet, but what I really wanted to do was jump up and down or do back flips or somersaults or something(although these acrobatic feats would be quite a sight to see in my very pregnant state). Nothing was revealed beyond that fact that he wanted to set up a meeting, but I love new opportunities so I'm just excited by the fact that new possibilities may exist.

We completed our childbirth class on Tuesday with a potluck dinner. It may sound completely stupid, but because almost everyone there told me personally how much they like the spinach-artichoke dip I made, I have been in a particularly good mood all week. It is strange how something so silly could totally make my week. It also reminded me to compliment those around me more frequently - you never know when someone may really need that pick-me-up and it doesn't take much to do it.
At the last class, we were also making plans to see the other class members at the Stroller Mommies program at our mall and at the Reel Moms program at our movie theater. I have to say that there are a lot of really good programs in our area for new parents (even if they have held on to some sexist titles), and I am really looking forward to being a part of them. Hopefully, it will help with the postpartum feelings of isolation and general baby blues.
During our class, I was talking to one of the women about going to the bathroom at night. She said that she gets up probably every 45 minutes to an hour to go to the bathroom. I felt bad saying that I usually only get up once or twice and never more than 3 times. It really made me stop to take stock of how lucky I have been. I have been sleeping fairly well through the night, and although I have definitely started waddling and it takes a little longer to get up from the couch, I am not really uncomfortable. Not bad for being 8 months pregnant. Even if things take a turn for the worse tomorrow, I have less than 8 weeks to go. (Although, I suppose those 8 weeks could feel like 8 months, depending on how bad the symptoms are.)

I know I sound like Little Miss Sunshine right now, and I could turn into Ms. Negativity tomorrow (especially with hormones such as they are), but the real reason behind my happiness is that I was recently reflecting on where we were last year at this time and around the time of the baby's due date in November. It is hard to believe that it has been almost a year since our scare with Carl's testicular cancer last November. Everything from the discovery to the diagnosis to the surgery and recovery went so fast that even now it seems almost like a dream. But, I know that it was not. And, even though I didn't think it was possible to love or appreciate Carl more before all of that happened, something profound happened when being faced with the very real possibility of losing a person who is the center of my world. I can't really express my gratitude to not only have him healthy but to now also be starting a family with him. I'm sorry about the sappiness of this post, but sometimes these things need to be said - or written. I guess when you are feeling particularly happy, you just want to pass those feelings on to everyone else. So, my wish today is that anyone reading this will also take a moment to take stock of the good things in their lives. I don't think we really allow ourselves to do this fully with the momentum of life but maybe we can remind each other every once in a while.