3 weeks to go…and we get to meet this baby boy.

Let me tell you, I could fill pages and pages on the comedy of errors that is this pregnancy.  I weeped my way through the summer, contracted one nasty little bug after another, I’m pretty sure my friends have deleted me from their phones thinking I decided to brush up on my Russian and move to Moscow…and just as I begin to relax thinking I can actually see that elusive light at the end of the long a** tunnel, I decide to trip and fall yesterday.  Big time.  With Jack in my arms.  I tossed my son folks.

Ironically I had just successfully walked over a patch of ice only to get my heel stuck in a rut on the perfectly dry sidewalk.  I looked up from my hands and knees to see Jack on his back 2 feet in front of me.  Everything from that point felt like slow motion.  The nearest person was a block behind me and didn’t even see me fall. I struggled to get to my feet and figure out how to pick up Jack meanwhile realizing that I lost my right shoe and hurt my left foot.  Pretty pathetic picture once we got up: shoeless, ‘uber’ pregnant me standing there holding Jack as both of us just sob. Sigh.  I know someday I’ll look back and laugh, right???

Here’s where perspective comes in.  Fast forward a bit and the reality is that Jack, baby boy in the belly and I are perfectly fine.  I’m limping a bit but I think it just adds a bit of swagger to my waddle.  Jack is apparently made of rubber and I can’t find a scratch, bump or bruise on the boy (thank God for big puffy jackets).  At the time we were on our way into Grace’s preschool program so I had to pull it together (which truthfully I failed miserably at…I still had a random tear running down my face every time I thought about it for the next 4 hours!!!).  But nothing could put a bigger smile on my face than watching my girl up on stage rocking her performance.

At first I thought she might freeze…she looked a little nervous and apprehensive up there.

But once they were all lined up (she’s on the far right) and the music began

she lit up and turned it on.  Can’t you just hear her?  She’s inviting you on the sleigh ride.

Do you hear the bells?  (At this point I’m just about bursting with emotion hoping the camera is hiding my quivering lip…Oi these hormones already!!!)

It goes without saying, this Mom job is hard.  Growing them is hard, birthing them is hard, every day just about…can be hard.  Yet, the reward.  The blessing.  It’s rich and outweighs the work. Loving someone that much and being responsible for setting their path (regardless of whether or not they follow it), it’s just indescribable.

And I get another one 🙂

And while I’ve been put to the test these past months, the reality is that I have ultimately had a healthy pregnancy.  I’ve had a supportive and loving husband.  My kids are not scarred by my exhaustion or the minor illnesses that they bring home to share.  And I…get another one.

I promise I won’t toss you kiddo.