Simple Joys

I thought I'd show you a few things that make me smile.

First: The "to do" list above.

Second: Natural peanut butter we buy in bulk from a little Amish grocery store in Lancaster. (Sadly, this container is empty, which means we need more.)


Third: Homemade pancake mix found in the "More With Less" cookbook. I discovered this recipe while in Zambia last year and decided it's better than the commercial mixes. (Whole wheat flour too!)

Fourth: Coordinated tote bags made with "scraps" of fabric I wanted to use up.


And we can't forget this one: The basketball I have hiding under my shirt.

Snowy Days

I guess it's only fitting that I post some pictures of our neighborhood covered in snow. Dan and I usually like to take a walk on days that snow. This time we waited until it was done snowing, so we didn't have to walk with snow blowing in our faces. It was kind of festive being out and about in the neighborhood because so many people were out shoveling. I also ran into some kids I taught at a local school while doing a long-term sub stint last month and learned that they live just a couple blocks away from us. That was a cozy experience. I like knowing the people who live near me.

Our lovely space-age car.



Our street: plowed, but treacherous. Stay away from the gray areas.


I love the icicles hanging from these eaves.


A little snow creature we met on our walk.


Yes, that is Dan's motorcycle buried in the alley. He decided not to take it to work last night.

Tidbits

Last weekend Dan and I finally painted the nursery, which meant we could finally start setting it up. Dan assembled crib and we moved in the other furniture (changing table & rocking chair)
I thought I'd show you a few of the items that will be in the nursery. When it's all arranged and set up, I'll post more pictures. Meanwhile, here are a few "tidbits."

This rug was originally going to be for the guest room until I realized that the colors would go perfectly with the nursery colors. So I made it larger than planned. I love it.
A little lamp I found at Goodwill. I covered the shade with fabric and ribbon that I also used in the curtains and crib skirt.An antique (or at least vintage) shelf that used to belong to my grandmother. It'll hang near the changing table.
The vintage changing table. My mother-in-law used this when Dan was a baby. We gave the baskets a new coat of paint, polished the chrome legs, and reupholstered the top. It's covered in clear plastic, hence the wavy reflection of light on the newly painted walls above it.

A plethora of photos and frames. We'll see if I get around to hanging them. This is the last thing I usually do when it comes to interior decorating. It's just not high-priority for me!

And here, a mirror, antique potty and cup that says "baby." You can see a peek of the curtain fabric in the mirror reflection.

A Journey

A friend asked me recently what I've been learning about myself throughout this pregnancy. It was a very timely question. I decided to post some of these things I have been realizing most recently. Some of these thoughts are not new to me, but they have been brought to my attention again. I could go in depth with each one, but I'm not feeling the motivation to do that at the moment. Plus, it would take a lot of writing. So in a nutshell...

1. I like to be in control and am having to relinquish the illusion of control related to pregnancy, labor, delivery and the health of my baby. The 4 things I am in control of are diet, exercise, sleep and attitude.

2. I really need to trust in God and the ability of my body to do what is needed to care for the baby and myself.

3. I am still a people-pleaser, and this isn't a healthy mindset at anytime - especially when pregnant.

4. I have harbored many more fears than I realized, and it is important for me to share my fears, concerns and hopes with people I trust completely and feel safe with.

5. I need to release myself from living up to anyone's expectations for how pregnancy, labor and delivery will go - including my own expectations.

6. I could use your prayers.

30 Weeks

Since I just passed the 30 week mark, I suppose it's time for a photo update! I forget that my belly is growing and growing. Every time I see a picture of myself, I think: "Is that really me?" In my mind, I think of myself as having the same figure I had pre-pregnancy. That must be why I keep trying to fit through too-small spaces and bumping my belly with doors and drawers. My waist now measures 40 inches. I'm wondering what it will be by the time I reach 4o weeks...

Latest Sewing Projects

We finally got our camera fixed, so I took some pictures of my latest sewing projects. The first is a diaper bag for my cousin. It's in the same style as the one I made for my sister-in-law and for myself. However, I increased the size by 1/2 inch all the way around, so it's a bit roomier.



What are those yellow things, you ask? Why, they're diapers. Cloth diapers. I've been experimenting with sewing fitted cloth diapers. And the cousin I made this bag for has agreed to test them out on her baby. I ordered a pattern I found online and have been playing around with it. At this point, once I have the fabric and supplies cut out, I can sew a diaper in 3o minutes. And I'm enjoying it! I wasn't sure if it would be fun or not, but the diapers are so cute, I'm excited after finishing each one.

My main concern is that I don't know how well they work. So I'm hesitant to invest too much time in making too many. I've selected a couple of different fabrics for the interior lining, so I will be able to see which I like the best. For most of them, they are made out of non-waterproof fabric, so a waterproof cover will be necessary. The yellow ones above, however, are made with waterproof nylon. Time will tell if they really are waterproof.

And here are a few pictures of the non-waterproof ones. I'll let you know how/if they work.

White Coat Syndrome

It would appear that I have "white coat syndrome" as it's fondly called in the medical world. Either that or I consider medical tests a reflection of my character and worth and feel worried that I will "fail" if my results aren't where they should be.

It's kind of humorous to think of having white coat syndrome since Dan owns and wears white coats as part of his work attire, and it's not uncommon for me to see him with one on. I even wash them and make sure they're nice and clean for him!

Each time I have an OB appointment, they take my blood pressure, and we discovered that if it was taken before the appointment, it was high but if taken after the appointment, it was normal. Well yesterday it was high before and after the appointment, but later in the evening - at home - when Dan checked it, it was back to normal.

I was nervous at my appointment yesterday because I had taken the infamous glucose screening for gestational diabetes. I felt really really nervous for some reason, and when the medical assistant called me for my regular appointment, I forgot to remind her to save the blood pressure reading for after the appointment until it was too late. My b.p. was really high then, and so I felt even more uneasy.

So the real questions I had to ask myself were: why do I get so nervous and "worked up" about these medical tests? Why do I consider them a reflection of my character?

I hate to fail. I really do. And somehow I've equated medical evaluations with tests that I pass or fail which then reflect on who I am as a person. This isn't a new thing for me really. I first thought about it in college, actually. In an undergraduate health class we were to check our resting heart rate to see if it was in the healthy range. As soon as I knew what the goal was, I thought "what if mine isn't healthy? that will mean I'm not doing everything right. oh no!" and my heart started racing, so my resting heart rate was ridiculously high. It's a vicious cycle. I get nervous - it skews the results - I get more nervous because I wonder if something might be wrong...and so on.

So what am I trying to do about this? I'm trying to just LET GO of my fears, my expectations and my belief that my worth and character are based on my performance.

After all, I really don't want to have to face more tests in order to rule out any real medical concern.