It’s been a while! (Oh just eight months or so) Let’s see if I still know how to so this…
Thanksgiving is truly a wonderful time of the year. It brings people together, forces us to stop and think about the blessings in our life (and to hopefully give thanks for them), and asks us to slow down to enjoy a long holiday weekend. Our days are so often filled with rushing around, stress, to-do lists, etc. And although we may feel some of that this long weekend — we do have to get the food cooked, the house ready, and everything prepared — Thanksgiving is a celebration and the preparation is well worth it.
This year I have so much to be thankful for. I wish I could press pause. Time is going fast, but I hope to have a fresh memory of it always. I am incredibly thankful for my amazing husband, partner, and best friend. I’m blessed and grateful for my supportive family members (both the Mescalls and the Temples), as well as my extended family and friends. Colin and I both have a job, food to eat, clothes to wear, and each other’s hand to hold. We are in a new house and are prepping to embark on the most important journey of our lives: parenthood.
Which brings me to what I am most thankful for this year: my pregnancy, and our daughter who I am carrying. As I write this she is wiggling around (maybe she knows I’m writing about her?). Feeling her move is literally the best feeling in the world. Last night I had my hand on the same part of my stomach for a while — I couldn’t fall asleep and I like to feel her move around when I’m up (she’s a mover and shaker at night, like her mama) — and I actually felt her foot kick out at my hand. It was definitely a foot, I’d bet a million bucks it was. It almost felt like I was holding her foot in my hand. I’ll be honest, I started to cry a little (that’s what pregnancy does to you — not to mention I’ve always cried easily, which is quite the fun combo — just ask Colin!). This was another moment where my pregnancy felt incredible and REAL. When you’re pregnant you obviously go about your life and it’s not always the first thing on your mind 24/7. But when you stop to think about what’s happening inside your body it really makes you appreciate all of it. There is a little person inside me — I don’t know what she looks like yet, I don’t know what her personality will be like, the things she will like or dislike, the person she will become — but she will be here soon, and I can’t wait to get to know her. I can only imagine how I will feel when I can hold her in my arms for the first time!
So much has happened since I last wrote on my blog. I feel like I am a whole different person in some ways. Sometimes I still can’t believe I am pregnant and on my way to becoming a mother, but let me tell you…at 31 weeks it is becoming more and more believable; a little more each day. My pregnancy has been such an eye-opening, empowering, truly awesome experience. It has made me realize I am a woman who can face many things, do many things, and take on many things. It has helped me become more assertive, and find the courage to speak up for myself and figure out what I want. As a Catholic, it has strengthened my faith in and relationship with God. It has deepened my love for my husband, as well as my family and friends who show such genuine excitement and enthusiasm when they talk about our baby. She is so loved already, and in turn that fills me with such joy.
My heart is so full, it honestly might explode when I meet our child. My pregnancy and my daughter has already changed my life for the better (drastically). I can’t wait to see, feel, and experience the changes that’ll happen when she is here.
I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving! Travel safe, and eat a lot. This time of year I don’t even mind people saying anything about me eating for two, because you know what? Today I am going to embrace that. So pass the sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top, and enjoy!
