Overwhelmed

    It’s losing sleep because you don’t know how you’ll get all the things you need to get done correctly and in time.

    I’m now officially in my third trimester and, while that gives me a sense of accomplishment, it also gives me a renewed sense of panic. We’ve spent our weekends thus far travelling to see family and house hunting on the weekends, which has been wonderful, but has forced us to put off other necessary activities such as attending birthing and baby care classes, researching daycares and pediatricians and dealing with the fact that it is very likely we’ll still be stuck in our apartment when the baby comes. As I’m sure is clear by now, the house that we put an offer on back in August didn’t work out and we are still clueless about what we’re going to do come January when our lease is up.

    Sure, we still have three months in which to get everything accomplished and that seems like plenty of time, but in the meantime, mid-terms and finals are upon me and Adrian is working as much overtime as possible. With all of those things combined, it makes spending time getting the remaining ducks in a row that much more difficult.

    I know I’ve mentioned it before but we are blessed with amazing families that love and support us to the brink and beyond, and now more than ever we’re relying on their support. As a wonderful friend advised me, when you have a child, you accept the offers of kindness and assistance of others for your children’s sake and not your own. Adrian and I plan to use the weekends to clear away the rubbish, pack and clean, take classes and figure out the other details of first-time parenthood. Our families and friends have already begun planning baby showers to help us celebrate this time and take our minds off all the things we still haven’t bought and figured out. They are providing excellent advice when and where it is needed and giving words of encouragement when it’s all there is to be given. None of it goes unnoticed or unappreciated!

    Most importantly, I’m leaning more than ever on the faith that we’ll be shown the answers we need in God’s time. It’s a small consolation but consolation, nonetheless. After living a life of trying to control the minutiae and plan every contingency, I’ve had to accept that there are things we can change and things that are best left in Other Hands. For now, the things I can control, trust me, I am! I’ve scheduled birthing, breastfeeding and child care classes. I’ve scheduled a few pediatrician interviews, I've researched the reviews of the hospital and maternity ward, I’ve gathered a list of day cares that I’d like to visit and I’m working on finishing our gift registries; all single-handedly, all in good time, and all in between classes, work, and life. I’m exhausted, I’m overwhelmed, but I’m also blessed with a wonderful burden (and I mean that both literally and figuratively)!