It’s a little hard to believe that this is the last post in the 30s–hard to believe because the days just keep flying by, and also a little ironic, because as this countdown exits the 30s tomorrow, Jason enters them. There are so many things to be celebrating right now, and tonight, as April 1st waits in the wings with a mere 20 minutes to go, I’m thankful for all of the indications of life and celebration around me.

After childbirth class tonight, Jason and I met up with friends and sat around the table swapping stories and a good deal of laughter. Topics of conversation ranged anywhere from work life to kids to farmer’s co-ops to baby gear, and all the while, the little one moved around like a champ in my belly as if to say, “Mom! Mom! Mom! I’m here! I’m coming soon! I love it when you laugh!” [Sometimes when this happens, I can’t help but sit back and just rest in gratitude.] And all I could think in the moment was, “Jason is winding down a hills and valleys kind of year surrounded by great people in a great town, where we’re all having a great time…and he’s going to be a dad in a matter of weeks…and could the start of 30 really be any better than this?!”

I haven’t asked him, and maybe he’d have a different perspective, but it’s impossible to ignore that there’s a fresh start coming in our lives very soon–and in a way, Jason’s begins in less than half an hour with a new milestone and a fresh page. I think it’s a beautiful thing.

As our evening progressed tonight, I realized that I hadn’t blogged yet today–right about the same time that the baby starting hiccuping (as it is wont to do on most evenings). And I realized that hiccups–like forgetting something you’ve committed to doing, like the baby has perfected before even being born, or like some years of our lives that challenge us in ways we didn’t expect, are often a great opportunity to take pause and reflect. Although exasperating in the moment, they don’t last forever. Instead, they cause us to take a deep breath, to reconsider or reconfigure, to catch ourselves and take notice of what’s happening.

It feels like life has been abundant with “hiccup” type moments in this season, but when I really think about it, I’m mostly grateful for all of them. We’ve learned a lot, grown a lot, changed a lot and become a lot more of who we are because of (or perhaps, in spite of) the hiccups we’ve weathered together. And I can’t wait to continue celebrating this reality as Jason welcomes another birthday–or as we welcome the newest, greatest part of our growing family oh-so-soon.

I’m sure there will be plenty of hiccups in this new chapter, too, but they’ll refine us and teach us and bring us to spaces where we laugh and sit back and acknowledge just how great the ride has been anyway.

jumping beans in my belly 🙂

mm