I sat down to write nearly an hour ago, but distractions abound in the house on a Saturday night, when siblings are attempting a sleepover and any manner of mice, spiders or splinters might pose a threat to those sleeping on the floor. (Just to clarify, the floor is carpeted, not wood.) Then there’s the slippery slope of compelling Instagram stories, replete with pictures of cute babies and every advertisement possibly targeted at an expectant mama in her third trimester…all gain my attention so much more easily than they would at a more alert and purposed time of day. But here we are, documenting day 38(?) in this 100 day countdown, and the truth of the matter is, I’m a little extra physically spent today and my mind is wandering to so many places.

We mostly stayed home today, which was lovely even on the heels of a homebound week. E and I ventured to the farmer’s market this morning, followed by a visit to one of our favorite shops downtown. I enjoyed using part of a birthday gift to purchase a few new plants for the baby’s room and E enjoyed carrying her rainbow-y bouquet of flowers and a bag of macarons through the market. The intermittent sprinkle of rain and the cloudy, cool morning made for the perfect day to casually wander for a bit before heading home to the boys (and the Matchbox cars and Legos and IKEA furniture building party that evolved into the afternoon). We’re making progress on various things here at home in prep for baby, and all things are one step at a time. The boys’ new room has two of everything, naturally, so J is exercising extreme patience in building two desks, two nightstands, two beds, etc. to get ready for the boys’ transition down the hall. In a good deal of discomfort today, my contribution was presence and moral support (plus being a human incubator, which is worth far more, I suppose). It’s so fun to see things coming together and I’m excited for the boys’ new space. I think it’ll be a great refresh for everyone, and besides, it’ll mean the crib goes up again soon. When we put it away the last time, I wondered whether it was reasonable to keep it here, taking up space. You can bet I’m so thankful that we kept it, and all the more thankful that it’s coming back out of storage once more.

Rainy Saturdays are good for inside projects, and I’m grateful that we could tackle a few today. When these summer weekends hit, it feels hard to balance inside and outside time, so I kind of like it when the weather tells us what to do. Tonight was family movie night and snack-y dinner, and it’s a tradition we all love well. Easy food prep for me, lots of options for everyone’s plates and a low key time of entertainment for our whole crew. A favorite aspect of movie night for me is the moment when C finishes his dinner and comes to find a spot with me on the couch. I love how we’ve figured out a way to curl him just so in my lap around the baby, or to make a nest for him right close so that we’re not missing out on the chance for a snuggle despite of my ever-growing belly. When he’s near, there are always a handful of sweet moments where he feels baby move, gives extra hugs or talks to baby quietly. I can sense his endearment to this little one growing, and I know that he’ll be a doting and protective big brother just as soon as he’s able. He told me tonight that he wished he could just hug the baby forever. That’s so good for a mama’s heart, even if the comment or moment is fleeting.

All in all, today was a good day and this weekend is a much needed weekend. We’re all in recovery mode from a long week, and having low key time together is highly valued and restorative. A few fresh plants and flowers in the house perk things up even more, and the sun coming out after the rain today was a lovely shift in the day. I can feel things slowing down for me a little, even as I want to be able to speed myself up in ways. This exercise of learning stillness continues in my daily walk, and I’m grateful that God pursues me in it in ways I can’t ignore. He is faithful to see us through to where He wants us to go.

I’m re-learning what it is to juggle a few new additions to my plate lately, and baby will be along before we know it, so it’s good that my pace is a forced slowness with a lot of intentionality required. Another pruning season for me, to be sure.

Distracted or otherwise, I’m still here, coming along.

MM