Gabriella Faith Leach

Still Pregnant . . .

About a month ago, I felt slightly overwhelmed with all that had to be done before Baby Girl came.  There were several major projects that needed to be completed before "the nest" was ready.  In the weeks since, however, thanks to the help of our family, friends, and wonderful husband, the nest is ready, and I've been working on just about anything and everything that I can think of to get all the "finishing touches" together.

I've run out of things to do.  Just playing the waiting game now.

And when it comes to the waiting game, well, it's not really a game I like to play so much.  During these last few days, however, there have been several times when I've been reminded of some truths in waiting seasons.

One is that I think it's so important to try and stay focused on something other than what I'm waiting for.  I say this because I've realized how easy it can be to get so self-centered on my situation, and when this happens, it's really easy to get not only impatient, but irrational.  The thought has actually occurred to me, "What if she never comes out?!?"  Clearly my brain knows this isn't possible, but when I'm focused on me, it's easy to lose sight of the reality of my situation.

When I take my eyes off of me and look around, I see how much I have for which to be thankful.  My fat feet and hands don't seem like such a big deal when I see people with much bigger needs and health problems, and I remember that pregnancy and this baby are gifts, ones that a lot of people would love to have and haven't been able to experience.  It is quite humbling.

This isn't the first time that I've been in a waiting season, and I know it certainly won't be the last.  I really do want to get better at this and am asking God for the grace to trust His timing and plans, knowing that they are far better than I could imagine.  All the days in my baby's book have been written before one of them came to be (Ps. 139).  I am so thankful that my Father is writing the book and can't wait to read the next chapter.

The Pumpkin

Well, it finally arrived today.  My Baby Center e-mail that announced that my baby is now the size of a small pumpkin.  I'm not sure if I should be encouraged by the thought that it is a "small" pumpkin.  I've been to pumpkin patches and in my opinion, thinking of any size pumpkin coming out of my body sounds like quite a job.  I guess that's why they call it labor.  Tomorrow (June 20) is Gabriella's actual due date.  I don't think I want to know what fruit comes after a "small pumpkin" should she want to delay her birthday.

I'm including my official 10 month photo.  The shirt has been stretched to the extreme.  I look back at the 5 month photo when I had to stand sideways to see the "HUGE" bump that I had at that time.  It's definitely a pretty good chuckle.  A few other thoughts for this final stretch:

• Brad's already such an amazing Daddy.  He's got the car packed, nursery ready, and talks to Gabby regularly telling her to kick and punch that water all around her so that he can meet her soon.  What a gift he is to us both.  18 months ago today we were married.  It's hard to believe all that God has done in such a short amount of time.
• This week we enjoyed, "Celebrate the Week of TWWBATDIA" (Things We Won't Be Able To Do In Awhile).  I posted it on Facebook and got quite a flurry of recommendations on how to participate.  It was funny to see my friends who haven't had kids telling me to go out, stay up all night, etc. and those who have almost unanimously said, "Sleep!"  We've been doing a mix of both.
• I was watching a show called "Amazing Births" today on Discovery Health (what I call "The Trainwreck Channel") at the the gym.  One of the stories started out with the line, "Some women dream of the opportunity to have their babies in water with the aid of dolphins."  Ummmmm . . . I have no response to that.  

We'll be updating as best as we can in the upcoming days.  Brad will probably be better than I on his blog, Facebook, or Twitter.  Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement!

Year of Champions!

So I always took great pride in the fact that I was born in Pittsburgh in the year 1979.  1979 was referred to as a Year of Champions, as it was the year that the Steelers won the Super Bowl and the Pirates won the World Series.  Now, nearly 30 years later, my daughter is going to be born in ANOTHER Year of Champions!  How cool is that?!?  Little Gabby is a champion from the very beginning.  I can tell that she's really excited about it.

Ignorant Pregnancy

Over these previous 9 months, I've found that pregnancy is a natural ice breaker for a variety of conversation topics, many of which I can honestly say I have never previously discussed in my life, nevertheless in public conversation.  While these can run the gamut from "Eeeewwwww," to "That's Just Beautiful!" one of the more entertaining conversations that has come up several times is in regard to women who did not know they were pregnant until they went into labor.

I had thought this was an urban legend, but indeed, it does happen, even enough that they actually made an entire documentary about it on the Discovery Health channel ("I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant," airs June 14, 10 PM . . . creative title, huh?).  

This has always seemed like a bizarre circumstance, but after going through pregnancy, I have to admit that it seems almost impossible to imagine going through this and not knowing why.  It does happen, though.  Morning sickness can be written off as the flu.  Some don't have much weight gain or if they do, they don't notice it.  I'm not sure how you can write off the movements in your tummy, but maybe it's thought of as bad indigestion???

In the midst of our conversation, one of my friends commented, "Well, at least you get to go through pregnancy without dealing with any of the waiting and not-so-fun parts," and while that's true, it's my opinion that having that happen would be way worse than anything that you feel during pregnancy.  I've learned that there's a reason why God gives you 10 months to prepare physically, mentally, and emotionally.  And any symptoms that do occur can be placed in the context of the season of pregnancy.  (i.e. I may be sick now, but I know it won't be forever, I don't have to worry about it, and at the end there will be new life.)

While it's really easy for me to think, "How could you possibly be so clueless as to not know you are pregnant?" I was thinking about it more last night and realized that my ignorance can be just as prevalent in some other areas of my life.  

So many times, I've found that God is working on creating a new thing in me, in my spirit, my heart, something that often takes time.  And it's usually something that I want, like more patience, humility, love, empathy, generosity.  The only thing is, that I would much prefer these beautiful "babies" to just be brought to my doorstep by the stork, rather than going through the process of actually growing them in my life.  

It's that growth process that can often be not so much fun with feelings of pain or discomfort or sacrifice, and these symptoms can create a very natural response of wanting to avert the process, or write them off as problems that I'd like to avoid and get over.  If I look at them through the lens and perspective of "pregnancy," however, realizing that God is generating and creating something that has never before been conceived, it somehow makes the process much more bearable and even enjoyable knowing that it will last for a season and at the end there will be new life.

So while this season of my first pregnancy may be coming to a close, I'm recognizing that God has been growing a lot more than just a baby inside of me.  And I pray that as our baby girl is born that He will continue to birth new life and growth inside my heart and spirit.  

Game Six

So since I have moved to Detroit, the Pens have now played the Red Wings TWICE in the Stanley Cup Finals.  Who would've ever guessed?

Last year, Brad and I had only been married about 6 months (see picture) when the revolutionary event happened and Brad learned what he has declared to be a very important lesson.  Never bet with your wife.  As he puts it, if you lose, you lose.  And if you win, you still lose. :-)

This year, we have no official friendly wagers on the game, but there is still the marital rivalry going on.  I like to think, however, that my fan base has doubled since last year making it even more fun to cheer on the Pens.  Whereas it was just me and my mother-in-law last year (she felt so sorry for me being all alone), this year we have added Samantha (my sister) and Gabby (I have declared that at least while she is still a part of me, she is a Penguins fan.  I swear she kicks whenever they score!).  There have even been a few people at church who have stood up with me.

So, as we venture into Game 6 tonight, I'm confident that we'll see how Hockeytown handles another win for the Pens!

Almost there!

Well, the official 9 month mark (36 weeks) has come and gone.  This Friday, I will move to 38 weeks!  Here are a few musings on this last stretch of the pregnancy adventure.

• I've been amazed watching the transition of my fingers and feet over the last week or so.  I think they resemble the Michelin man, or perhaps Princess Fiona from Shrek.  I'm assuming that they will go down again after the baby is born?  I would like to wear my wedding ring again soon. :-)
• Over the last month or so, my belly button has completely popped.  It kind of makes me feel like a Thanksgiving turkey.  I think she is just about done cooking. :-)
  
• And speaking of birds . . . I have a whole new understanding about the term "nesting."  I believe that I had avoided it until Brad graduated and we could both really focus on getting physically ready for Gabby.  Once we started, it was difficult for me to stop.  I found myself doing very strange things like waking up at 5 AM unable to go back to sleep because of an irresistible desire to wash all the baby clothes and sheets.  Brad has been so patient, supportive, and creative throughout this project and I'm so thankful for all he has done to get the "nest" ready.  Mama Bird is very happy. :-)  I've included some pics in case you're interested.
• We traded in my Honda Civic for a family-friendly car.  We weren't quite ready to enter the era of the mini-van so we went with a nice crossover, the Ford Edge.  It even has a red racing stripe on it which makes us still feel not quite old.  The car seat is installed and ready to go!

All we need now is Baby bird!  We are so eager to meet her and yet at the same time, it's pretty surreal to think that in about 2 weeks, we'll actually have a baby with us.  What a gift from God and we're certainly going to need His help to understand the "instruction manual" with this little girl. :-) Thanks for all your prayers!