Pre-Birth Jitters: Too Excited to Sleep at Night!

I have the worse pre-birth jitters ever!!! This is so crazy and ridiculous, but for about a week now I have been too excited to go to sleep at night!!

I’ve been having to take naps when Dan does in order to finish out my day, but then when it’s time to go to bed, forget it.  I’m not uncomfortable.  I’m not one of these that makes constant trips to the facilities.

I just lie there and think about:

– “What will we do if I go into labor early?”

–“What will we do if something is wrong with the baby?”

—“What all do I need to do before the baby comes?”

—-“Do I have everything I need for the baby?”

—–“Will Daniel be okay going on vacation without me?”  (of course, he will)

—–“What will we do if I go into labor before my parents get here?  Who will keep Daniel overnight?  How stressed out will that make Daniel?”

——“What if I get sick yet again?  I’m so tired of being sick.”

—-“What fun activities can Joshua and Caleb do this summer besides VBS?”

—–“When will I be fully capable of taking care of all of my children again, after the baby comes?”

…..Does it seem like I focus too much on Daniel?

It’s just that the older two are big enough to understand what’s going on better, and I’m afraid Daniel will feel scared and alone without me.

Toddlers and babies need their mommies in a way that is hard to explain, you know?  I have been “the world” to all of them.  I’m still really important to Joshua and Caleb, and you’re never too old to need your mother.  Yet at the same time, one of the points of parenthood is to raise children to not need you desperately forever, so the older the child, the more time away from Mommy they can handle.

Caleb is five, and he is still highly attached, which I honestly rather enjoy.  I do.  I shamelessly love the attention.  He’s precious, and even Caleb needs me less and less with each year.  I can see it.

At our old church, Caleb wouldn’t go to his own Sunday school class.  He preferred to go with me to my class.  When we started at our new church, he no longer had that problem, but went willingly into his Sunday school class alone.

That was a battle I didn’t feel was needful to fight.  He wanted to be with his mom at church.  Well, why shouldn’t he be with me at church?  To this day, he insists on going to “big church” with us.  It drives us crazy sometimes b/c he can be SO WIGGLY, but really he isn’t bothering anyone, and he can learn about God just as well with us as he can with other littles.

I’ve noticed a change with school too.

Caleb started full time kindergarten this year.  In the beginning of the school year, he constantly asked me to come eat lunch with him at school, which I did quite often.  It made him so happy to share that with me.  It’s been months now since he’s asked me to do that.  He doesn’t even hug me before he walks in at the beginning of the day unless I insist!

Every morning I faithfully walk both boys to school, while I push Daniel in his stroller.  We live exactly 1/2 mile, from our house to the drop-off area.   Sometimes they run ahead of me into school, but Joshua ALWAYS stops short of going inside, until I have caught up and given him his morning hug.  Little Caleb just plunges right into the building, leaving me in the dust.  I’m so thankful Joshua waits!!!

I think the boys have had a lot of fun this weekend.  Right now they are out on the boat with Daddy, all except Daniel.  He’s upstairs sleeping.

 They have also enjoyed getting in lots of trampoline time and ball time.  Joshua was delighted to discover that he can kick his big blue bouncy ball all the way up onto the roof…….which he did over and over and over again.

Only THREE weeks left!  I can’t stop thinking about it!!  I’m not in as big a hurry as I usually am though.  All I can think about is all the stuff I want to get done before the big birthday!

Actual quotes from people I run into:

little girl at church last week:  “Why are you so fat?”

That wouldn’t have annoyed me so much, if her mother had at least apologized or told the child, “No, no she’s not fat.  She has a baby in her belly, or something.”  Instead, she pretty much just stood there.

That’s okay though.  My friends here have all been so sweet and supportive.  There’s not a single person I have to avoid.

For my last pregnancy there was this cashier at Sonny’s, a restaurant that Nonna and I liked to frequent, who was so obnoxious in her remarks and facial expressions about my size that I used to live in dread of seeing her.  And yet I kept on eating there!  I mean how many places can you find fried green tomatoes on the buffet!?

**One last Update**

I shared recently that we have read Shepherding a Child’s Heart.   Awesome book.  One thing the author teaches is the importance of  making sure your children know Ephesians 6:1-3.  We’ve taught that to our children before, but I felt it was time for REVIEW!

I have been making them say it to me once every single day this week.

Don’t be a doubter.  It has made a HUGE difference.  You should hear Joshua saying “Yes ma’am” and “yes sir.”  (Of course, he also, for reasons unknown to me, is hoping this will help him get more allowance….????  That wasn’t in the book….)  His attitude has been SO MUCH better though.

The book reiterates the importance of only using consequences for disobedience, not for childish behavior that just gets on your nerves.

I thought this was a great point.

He mentions that the point of good parenting is not to have kids that become self-righteous because they can keep all the rules or kids that act quiet in public, making all the onlookers happy.  The point is to have obedient children of good character who know WHY they are being obedient and have a desire to please God, not just people.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  ² “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— ³ “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.   Ephesians 6:1-3

I’m off to take a NAP!  That’s one reason God made Sundays!!