40

I wrote this post 2 months ago...before I had Audra. I just discovered it lurking in my archives. I didn't want it to get forgotten in internet/blogging Never, Neverland, so I'm 'publishing' it now.

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40 weeks. Once again, I'm one of the "lucky" ones to make it all the way to (and probably past) their due date. Umm....yay?? The good news is that baby is healthy and happy and growing beautifully in there. We are officially in the "any day now" part of pregnancy and that's good, too, because I'm getting pretty impatient with the waiting. But, I thought to celebrate reaching this lovely 40 week mark, I'd try to come up with 40 things that I love about life RIGHT NOW--today, even if I am big and huge and uncomfortable and impatient and...focus, Rebekah, focus. The list of things I love:

I love...

1. that I don't know if this baby is a boy or a girl. And yes, while there are times that it also drives me C*R*A*Z*Y that I don't know, I KNOW I'm going to LOVE the surprise of finding out when my baby is born.

2. seeing the clothes combinations that Emilia comes up with.

3. watching the 3 kids play together or wrestle or chase each other around the house.

4. the way Micah phrases things sometimes. He's so...HIM. He comes up with phrases or words for things that make total sense, but only he would think to call it that.

5. seeing Josiah curl up with a book and read for an hour.

6. that we've actually gotten snow this year!!

7. watching my kids dance--and dancing with them.

8. knowing that it can't be TOO much longer before I deliver the baby. At most, 2 weeks. In the grand scheme of things, that's not long at all.

9. hiding around corners and scaring the kids when they walk past (everyone except Micah because he doesn't like it)

10. feeling completely justified in not cooking dinner for over a week. Good thing the kids like sandwiches!

11. knowing that after the baby is born we'll be able to clear out a chunk of storage space by getting rid of all of the "other" gendered clothes we've been saving.

12. when the kids touch and talk to and kiss my baby belly.

13. getting to watch Josiah learn all of the things he's learning in school.

14. having no energy to do anything other than read a book. It had been a long time since I'd read a book and I've missed it!

15. having family in town to help out with the kids on days when I'm too emotional to cope.

16. watching movies with John.

17. seeing Emilia rub her belly with lotion and talk to her "baby"

18. how Emilia does "baby talk" to my belly ("Ahhh, baby...fushoo, baby") and rub it with lotion for me.

19. tickling the kids and hearing them laugh

20. when Josiah tells me I have to stop tickling him or he's going to get the hiccups. It's happened to him since he was a baby and I think it's so cute!

21. knowing that I'm not as pessimistic as I sometimes think I am since everyday I think to myself, "Maybe today is the day."

22. beginning to daydream about all of the things I will be able to eat and drink again once I have the baby.

23. Grandma days

24. that I live in the age of digital photography and can take all the pictures my heart desires.

25. watching Golden Girls reruns

26. starting to plan my garden for this year...and being optimistic that I will have the energy to keep up with it.

27. that the hair on my legs has all but stopped growing, so I don't have to try to shave around this massive belly

28. that all the kids seem to be excited about the new baby.

29. knowing I won't ever have to be 40 weeks pregnant again.

30. that my kids are (mostly) willing to help me pick stuff up off the floor since it's very hard for me to reach it

31. so far, I haven't gotten any new stretch marks.

32. that I didn't have the baby on my birthday.

33. my days of having to eat eggs for breakfast are almost over

34. that John has learned to cook a mean "over easy" egg

35. that spring is getting closer and closer

36. John and I got a bunch of free tulip bulbs last weekend

37. that I only have to come up with 3 more things that I love/am thankful for, because I've been struggling for the last 10.

38. my friends

39. that not everyone I know thinks I am crazy for having 4 kids.

40. that I KNOW no one has been pregnant forever, which means that eventually (hopefully), this baby, too, will be born and I will not be pregnant anymore. Hopefully that day will come SOON.