he's almost here

Over the weekend, I had several precious moments stand out to me.  I watched little moments with my amazing husband and our girls, deeply appreciative of what a good daddy he is and what incredible, sweet children we have been blessed with.  I want to savor and remember these moments, especially the little simple things like the way they were concentrating on their lego construction or the way he moves easily in the kitchen making breakfast for all of us.  I love listening to him read to them at night or how he does so many little things for us without hesitation.

One evening we took the girls to the movie theatre to see “zootopia”.  Mostly the girls loved it.  Initially, A did not though.  My little animal lover declared she didn’t like the movie because they made the animals turn bad! Since then she has decided we should see it again.  But overall, it was a fun night.  They loved being surprised with a family date, loved climbing all over Daddy and devouring popcorn, loved me sneaking them chocolates as we watched the movie together and loved cuddling to go to bed after. 

We spent the weekend assembling baby gear (daddy was so patient with all the “help” he was getting), organizing the baby’s room, running errands and puttering around the house.  I kept hoping that the semi-regular contractions would eventually turn into something more productive but it didn’t happen.  So we attended the temple dedication, built legos and enjoyed the time with our girls.

I am so grateful for my husband, more than words can ever describe.  I really appreciate how involved he is with his family despite the heavy demands of his work schedule.  Especially lately, I appreciate how much he engages with his kids, initiating activities and involving them in projects.  As I became progressively less helpful in keeping up the house, he picked up the slack without hesitation.  More often than not, he comes home from work and jumps into fixing dinner or would make sure the kitchen was clean before coming to bed.  More and more, I’ve had trouble walking, especially by the end of the day and am generally uncomfortable.  I could never tell him enough how much I love and appreciate him.

I love when he puts the kids to bed at night.  We are into the third book by Laura Ingalls Wilder and the girls are loving it.  We read a chapter each night, followed by scriptures, vitamins, “happy n sads” and prayers.  Then he patiently tucks them all in.  Usually I sit with E for a few minutes, knowing she will settle down faster if I spend ten minutes of quiet time with her.  He sits with our big girls, often letting them read more scriptures outloud for a few minutes before settling down to sleep.  Oftentimes he falls asleep as he relaxes with him, resting a short time before he slips away.

The baby is still very active.  His movements are no longer flutters or a gentle sweeping but are deliberate stretches and are increasingly uncomfortable to me.  Between unreliable joints and sciatic nerve pain, I don’t trust my body very much right now and miss being able to move with confidence or play comfortably with my kids.  And yet I know I’ll miss this.  There’s simply nothing in the world quite like having a miracle moving inside of you.  I love the reassurance of life, the hints of their personality, the intimacy and closeness of not having to share them with anyone else just yet.  While some days feel agonizingly slow, I already know and resent how time will continue to march at the same pace and yet feel like its racing away.  In a week, he will already be a week old and never this tiny again.

I can’t wait to meet you little one.