I really try not to let pregnancy throw me off my game. If it was left alone with just my family and close friends, I would probably do great. Unfortunately, I work in an office that is heavily female. I understand people’s concern and interest, but my tolerance for the standard expression of those feelings is pretty low. The extra physical contact (unwanted hugs, shoulder rubs) and constant questioning (how are you feeling, you should eat food x because the baby wants it) are the hardest part of being pregnant. Sciatic pain can be fixed. I can only be so blunt with coworkers.
However, I try my hardest to be happy and low-stress during pregnancy. I really do think my attitude affects the new kiddo. How could it not? And with big changes on the horizon, I am doing what I can to actively control my stress and look at what good things are going on in my life. I was working late Friday, and my back started to spasm. Instead of freaking out about how my weekend of getting stuff done was sidelined, I just decided to roll with it. And so here is what I found to be happy about.
New friendships
I think that one speaks for itself. One of my good friends married a delightful lady, one whose social styles are pretty in sync with mine. That sounds so minor, but it’s surprisingly hard to come across. And I am currently delighted about the whole thing.
Good food and the ability to cook
Good and generally healthy food is one of the top priorities in our house. Even if the food is simple, homemade is nearly always preferred. Time spent washing and cutting up produce, spicing meats, baking bread is all bonding time for our family. The best meal this weekend was mushroom risotto, watermelon, cucumbers and rolls. Simple but so yummy. And I love eating dinner at our table with my daughter. I also love having a kid who wolfs down her fruit and veggies before she even touched her roll.
A fair amount of security
I have been working hard to keep our family on a budget where we live below our means. Sometimes it can be a hard sell to get everyone to not spend money when we have it. However, it has benefited us in the past (cash payment for an emergency car repair) and I believe it will in the future. But having a little extra wiggle room also means I can get a treat every once in a while. My darling husband had bought me a maternity wardrobe off Craigslist for a steal. Total he spent less than $100 for enough pants, jeans and tops to serve me fairly well. The only problem is some items don’t fit and others will be far too warm for a summer pregnancy. So I bit the bullet and got myself two Megan Nielsen patterns. One for a simple ruched tee because I loooove those things and can also make them as tanks. The other is for a maternity/nursing combo top. That pattern will be heavily used for the next year. So now instead of spending the equivilent amount on one maternity item, I can make a bunch of new stuff out of my fabric stash.
Good health
Pregnancy may stop be from bending perfectly. I may have back issues. And I do need to actually sleep instead of staying up until 3 like I want. But I am still so far from bad health. Since I took decent care of myself this weekend and was really nice to my back, I was able to work on my collage a bit more. And what more could I really ask for?
daydreamhouse 