Blessings

Unfortunately, my little plot to trick my body into sleeping the other night did not work.  I slept a tiny bit better last night, but I found it ironic that Patrick woke up in the middle of the night to tell me that I was taking up most of the bed and, in doing so, was kicking him off.  Would I please move?  Nothing could be farther from the truth!  He hogs the bed, and most nights I'm trying to shove him (he sleeps like a comatose person) over so that I have more than a foot and a half of bed space . . . which is nowhere near enough considering my ever-expanding belly and the fact that I need to sleep with a body pillow to support that belly!  Anyway . . .

I've been feeling a little down, lately.  The warm weather has brought on swelling in my extremities.  Although uncomfortable, I can deal with the swelling of my legs and feet.  My hands and wrists, however, are a different story.

Pregnancy induced carpal tunnel.  Not pleasant for the girl who has dealt with bad bouts of tendentious brought on by the overplaying of Beethoven and Chopin, painful for the pianist who now struggles to even curl her fingers into a fist.  Water has become my new best friend, but even she can do little to relieve the pain and discomfort.

I am trying not to feel sorry for myself, attempting to forget that I still have 4-7 weeks left before these symptoms begin to go away (and before I can take any kind of anti-inflammatory drug).  For this reason, I have decided to list the things that I truly CAN be thankful for during this time.

1. Natalie is healthy.

• This child moves all the time.  She gets the hiccups four times a day, and she loves to use my bladder as a trampoline.  Yes, I have to go to the bathroom all the time, but at least she's happy and full of life!
• Patrick loves me.
• He took one look at my swollen, pitiful self yesterday and decided that I needed to get out of the house.  We went to the Hunt Valley mall, walked around, visited 5 Below (he loves it there!) and Best Buy, and ate Chipotle.  It was nice despite the fact that I now have trouble keeping up with his pace.  :-)
• My family loves me.
• Mom and the girls came over with Jesse yesterday.  While I helped him look over some research, Mom cleaned my kitchen, Krista straightened up the nursery, and Gianna distracted me by making me look for a new book for her on my Nook.  Despite not having slept for a few days, I had a great time.
• Friends and Family love me.
• Patrick and I (and Natalie!) have been so blessed by our friends and family at our baby showers.  We have received so many things that will be useful and necessary once Natalie comes, and we've gotten a lot of things that will just be fun (hair bows, outfits, and all kinds of things to dress up our little girl!).
• God loves me.
• This one is the most important.  I know that He will never give me more than I can bear, and that He is right there when I think I am going to fall.  I struggle onward, but He gives me just enough grace to get through each day.  Other than the aches and pains of pregnancy that I face now and first trimester bleeding, He has given me an unexciting few months--neither Natalie nor I have had any major health issues.  He sends me people to encourage me, ones who say exactly what I need to hear at the moment I need to hear it.

In all reality, despite what I may sometimes think when I am wallowing in self-pity, the good does outweigh the bad, and I am a blessed woman.  Now, I need to get off to the store to buy some wrist braces . . .