37 weeks. Game on.

With a little less than three weeks to go until the Due Date, I finally feel (somewhat) like I'm in the home stretch. Despite my feeling that I'd never get here, December flew right on by (hence, the lack of posts!).


Here - I'll provide you with some entertainment. Me, eight months pregnant, taken at the end of December:

Yes, eight months, not 9+. I excited many a stranger at Christmastime, who wrongly assumed I'd have a Christmas baby. Even today, I was asked how much longer I had to go. My response: a little less than three weeks. Her response? A disappointed "oh...I thought maybe you'd say a couple of days." I'm carrying a rather heavy turkey, who probably weighs in at 8+ pounds this week. So, since 37 weeks is considered full-term, I say bring it, child! The bassinet is in place (thanks, Janelle!), gender neutral clothing is washed, and we're close (somewhat) to finalizing names (yeah...you can pray about that one). Soon to be go time!

Trust

As the end of 2007 draws near, it's time for that natural feeling of reflection of the past 12 months. This year has definitely been one of learning, trials, and lessons. For the Ulrich family, this included setting personal running records (yah!), meeting anniversaries and birthdays with gusto, watching our precocious toddler reach numerous milestones, taking trips to various fun places, accepting the deaths that crossed our paths, hurting from ruined relationships...and, in the end, learning to trust God's sovereign hand over each and every step we took and event that came down our path.

Probably the biggest lesson in trust that the Lord gave us was toward the end of 2007. In November, we learned that I'm pregnant with number two. :o) While such news is happily accepted by the average person, people like me, (who like to know when things are happening and enjoy planning out the big happenings in life), tend to feel blind-sided, shocked, and panicked. Yes, deep down I felt a sense of happiness and excitement, but I'll be honest: my selfishness and lack of God-trust embarrassingly overshadowed those good feelings. Both Curt and I are self-employed, meaning we pay for our health insurance. To top it off, our current health insurance plan does not have maternity coverage, and I was supposed to start a different plan in January that did have maternity coverage. (Needless to say, the new health insurance company ousted me when they found out about the good news.) So, that left me pregnant, without insurance coverage, and anxious over the whole dilemma.

At any rate, through the unnecessary worry and panic, Curt and I saw God's hand in the whole thing. We learned of a local birth center and that we DO have options that ARE affordable. We learned that having peace in the midst of of a bit of chaos is SO much better (and smarter!) than being anxious. Above all, we learned that trusting in God is what we are supposed to be doing as Christians, not planning every aspect of our lives and expecting things to go our way all the time.
So, as I learn to put aside my controlling/planning ways, I'll keep you posted on how this new chapter in life goes. We're on this journey for a reason, and I'm truly looking forward to the growth that can take place. Keep checking back as I update you on my bigger belly, all-day-long sickness, and life as a pregnant mom of a 2-year-old. Oh, this is going to be fun! :o)