I’ve updated this post from a year ago, in honor of our circle of life that will soon be expanding.
I look back over the rocky chasms and green fields of the past almost 30 years, and zoom in on those beginning months that were shaping me to be a parent.
Yes, we were excited to be having our first, don’t get me wrong.
It’s just, well, I didn’t like being pregnant.
It wasn’t magical like so many women described, with fairy dust and sparkling wands and joyful, light-footed exuberance.
No, it was months of morning sickness with my new best friends Mr. Sal Tine & Miss Ginger Ale, low energy and a much bigger appetite.
The process was a means to an end: that was my thinking in those days.
When our little one decided her time to join us had come—five weeks early—she kept changing the arrival time board, like the airports do in the midst of bad weather.
Flip flip flip flip flip flip flip flip flip went the cards as the arrival time changed by hours and then days.
She surprised us with this week-long tap-dance of yes, here I come, no, I guess not, and why don’t we give it a whirl again tomorrow?
My husband was there, day in and day out, comforting and helping me through the tidal waves of pain and fear.
Through those long days of of IV’s, cold stethoscopes and colder ultrasound gel, I would wonder if I was ready, if I had what it took.
I remember a nurse reassuring me, telling me I was, and I did.
With a simple focus and determination we have now come know, after seven days little Alexis made an arrival so quick she practically beat the doctor to the delivery room.
And then, as I held her, I understood about the gift.
That gift of unconditional love that sneaks up and washes over you like a fire-hose on full blast, leaving you breathless, teary-eyed, and babbling in silly baby talk.
That gift of unconditional love that enables you to forgive so much in spite of behaviors that drive you crazy.
That gift of unconditional love that buoys you through the often dark and stormy times of parenting teens.
That gift of life that makes you a mom.
And now, the circle of life continues, as we await our first grandchild, due in July.
Let me just say: Squeeeeeee!
However, unlike my earlier pragmatic view of pregnancy, I have found this vantage point to be so much more exciting, and can’t wait to be a grandmother.
Ditto for Keith, who has been such a supportive husband and dad, and is delighted to become a grandfather.
It’s like getting to eat everything you love in as much quantity you desire, without any of the bad side effects!
As I get older and continue to put and keep my priorities in place, I recognize how happy I am with the little things in life.
Consequently, I am thrilled and excited at the prospect of enlarging our family, and will be intentional about making time for this sure to be adorable bundle of joy.
That will mean having to say no to the less important so I can say yes to these precious moments, and that’s a trade-off I am willing to make.
No one will know the sex of the baby until he/she arrives, as Alexis and Will want to be surprised.
So, for now, we remain content to lovingly refer to BabyH.
I have a question for all of you: What is your favorite grandparent nickname? Gran? Gram? Grammy? Nana? Something else?
I’d love your input as I deliberate what mine will be. Join in whether you are a grandparent, or you have one you adore!
Questions: How was your pregnancy experience? Did you want to know the sex of your baby? Has being a mom been the fruition of a God-sized dream for you? What is one bit of advice you’d give now to an expectant mom or grandmother? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. I just love when you stop by to chat!
And now, in honor of all babies, here is a lovely, lovely lullaby.
If they knew sweet little you, they’d end up loving you too.
~From Baby Mine
Sharing at NOBH, Finding Heaven, Holley Gerth, The Mommy Mess
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Twitter: fiercedivablog
says:
Oh, Kim – I am so happy for you! My pregnancy stories varied – the first was blissful and the second one difficult because I never quite felt OK – and then had my son early – and the third was tough since I had 2 little ones to take care of (I had 3 babies in under 4 years) but all worth any of the rough patches – and of course, looking back, just wish I could have enjoyed it all more in the moment!
ilene recently posted…Nine Things I {Almost} Know for Sure about Parenthood
Wow-3 kids, 4 years. I agree with you, Ilene, even though I only had 2. I wish I could have let go and enjoy more than I did. Thanks for your blessings!
Twitter: mjwallace3
says:
So excited for you!!I still have younger ones – almost 13 (can’t believe he is almost a teenager!), 9, and 6. The years have really started flying by and I find myself more intentional about the time I spend with them because they will be grown before I know it.
Melissa recently posted…What is Your God-Sized Dream?
Thanks, Melissa! We had a friend who told us the years would fly by, and we thought he was exaggerating. Nope. 😉 You and your kids will all benefit from the greater intention behind your time together. Remember that they still want and need you even when they start saying, “Moooom, don’t hug me!”.
Congrats on the grand baby coming!
Oh goodness, this post tugged at my heart strings. I absolutely love that Dumbo lullaby. I sing it to my children every night, ever since they were babies. Even my teenagers still like it.
Best advice…
Sleep when baby sleeps.
Allow your body time to recover. Too many moms these days try to jump back in to the swing of things right after the baby is born. If you want to be at your best for your little one, get adequate nutrition and rest.
Enjoy every moment, they grow up too fast:)
Prayer is the key to survival when challenges come.
Hope Sparrow recently posted…Assumptions {Part Three}: No Fight Left
What a sweet picture you paint, Hope, of singing this lullaby tho your children every night! Our youngest LOVED Away in a Manger, and I think I sang it every night for at least 6 or 7 straight years.
I will pass your advice on to my sweet daughter, thanks so much!
Congratulations, Kim! That’s such exciting news. I don’t know when I’ll be a grandma, since my two older sons are not in any serious relationships, but I really look forward to that day. My pregnancies were all very different. My middle son’s birth sounds a bit like yours–never knowing when he’d make his final appearance! And as far as a grandma name, I know there’s one that I’ve heard along the way that I thought was cute, but for the life of me, I can’t recall what it was.
So, sorry that I can’t help you out there, but I hope you have good luck with finding just the right fit!
Thanks, Beth! Until this past Thanksgiving, we just weren’t sure when or if we would be grandparents. We were just ready to roll with life as it came down the pike. If you think of that cute name, just let me know. I still have a few months to choose, since the baby’s not due til mid-July.
When BabyH is big enough to throw temper tantrums and threaten to run away and live with you and Dad…I might just let them
That Dumbo lullaby is just too much for my weepy, hormonal self – I’m sure it’s lovely but I couldn’t make it past the first 30 seconds!
Seriously, though – BabyH is super lucky to call you Nana (or whatever name you choose!). I can’t wait for them to join our family!
Alexis recently posted…Baking up a storm: an introduction to sourdough starter
Well, that stands to reason since we always said you could run away to Nana’s and Grampa’s.
You’ll just have to set that lullaby in a quiet place and pick it back up to sing so beautifully and softly to little BabyH!
Love you a million, hon!
Twitter: susanrstilwell
says:
Congrats, Kim! How exciting!! I’m embarrassed to admit that I loved being pregnant. I wasn’t sick, but I was exhausted all the time. And I ended up on bedrest with both kids (6 wks and 8 wks), which wasn’t fun. Hmm, wonder why I loved it so much? I think because it was so thrilling to feel the new life inside me!
Grandmotherly nicknames: How about Keema? Blend of Kim and Grandma? My little nephew named me “SuSu” and we’ve decided it suits me as a grandmother moniker too
When you finally decide what you’ll be called, please write a post on it!
Susan Stilwell recently posted…A Monday Pause ~ Eucharisto
No worries and no apologies necessary, Susan! I always secretly envied women like you: no sickness, and you loved being pregnant! Ooh, bed rest is not fun. My second thought joining us at the 6 month mark would be a good idea, but she held back. The doctor put me on “chair rest” for the final three months. I wasn’t allowed caffein—no chocolate, no coffee, gasp!—wasn’t allowed to pick up anything over about 7 pounds, including 2 1/2 yr old Alexis. It was a difficult time indeed!
Oh, Keema is cute! I love SuSu-that is just too cute! Thanks for throwing a suggestion into the pile!
Grandparenting is so much fun! Congrats!
That is good to hear, Lori! I feel sorry for couples who hate feeling “old enough” to be grandparents!
Kim, first I read your “About.” I was laughing and had tears in my eyes before I finished reading it. You sound an awful lot like me in some ways, except I was the baby of 3 children, and I still got the mom gene. Moreover, the comment you made about “curiosity and cats:” oh my, I have thought the same things so many times myself.
So I started reading your post for today with tears of joy, and I remember how hard the first pregnancy was. And I was on the other side of the country, far away from our parents. But we both made it through, and so did baby. A grandchild! Hooray! We have 10, and they are wonderful — all of them. One of our daughters has had 7 children: she is brave, brave, brave — and she trusts in the Lord with all her heart: so does her husband.
Thank you for the encouragement, and I wrote you a reply on my blog post.
Love and Prayers,
Deborah
Deborah B. recently posted…God Made Us For Fellowship
Wow-7 children/grandchildren! Good for her! 10 grandchildren sound like a boatload of fun for you!
You are welcome, and thank you for taking the time to noodle around on my site. I am glad to have provided laughs for you today!
Twitter: Soulstops
says:
Wow, Congratulations, Kim…you will be an awesome grandmother/Nana…our girl was an answer to much prayer, and God’s grace gift to us…we did not know what her gender would be so we received a lot of green and yellow at our baby shower…about a month? or so before she was born, or was it a week? …I had a dream she would be a girl..praying today for Alexis…Any new prayer requests, Dream buddy? Email or DM me…hugs to you
Dolly recently posted…When you find joy….
Thank you for your sweet prayers for both Alexis and myself, Dolly. Isn’t that funny you dreamt she would be a girl? Just love seeing your smiling face.
Twitter: graceglimmers
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What a sweet post. I am amazed you are a blogger! My mom is up with the times in that she is on facebook, but she wouldn’t have a clue about blogging! It is a treasure that your children and grand-children can read your words here. I am the mother of 2 boys ( now 3 and 6 years of age). My pregnancy days were “eh”…didn’t love it or hate it. I physically did great, but I emotionally had a terrible time during and especially after (post-partum depression with both children). So it goes. God has been with me and my husband and family through it all. We call my mom “granny.” She chose that. My dad goes by “papa.” The other grandparents by Grandma and Grandpa. I wish you all the best as you continue to dream God sized dreams! p.s. we swore up and down we were having girls…we were pleasantly surprised with boys both times!
Jennifer recently posted…Patience Please
Thanks for your sweet words, Jennifer, and for sharing your grandparent names. Blogging has certainly been an adventure and a big learning curve, but it keeps life exciting, especially now that our girls are grown up. So sorry to hear how tough it was for you after your children were born, but what fun to be pleasantly surprised!
Aw, congrats. My grandma went by Grams. My mom is Gramma (no D, she didn’t want the D).
We can all be so particular about what we want to be called! Thanks for stopping by!
Congratulations!
My mom had to “try out” her names and finally decided on Grandma. My dad is Pop Pop though.
Stopping by from themommymess.
Diane recently posted…My Kids Are A Pain In My Butt. Literally.
Trying out names…that sounds like a good idea. I’ve run some through my head, but I guess I’ll just have to do some testing when the baby actually arrives.
Pop Pop-that’s cute!
Thanks for coming by-I really enjoyed your post!
Twitter: themomcafe
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Pregnancy was so hard for me! What a beautiful exciting season you are in right now!!! Cherish every moment as a grandmother!!!
Visiting from Going Green!!
Chris Carter recently posted…You’re Doing Something Right
It’s always a comfort to hear from another mom for whom pregnancy wasn’t magical. Thank you for your thoughts!
Twitter: TheMommyMess
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Congrats, Kim!! “It’s like getting to eat everything you love in as much quantity you desire, without any of the bad side effects!” Perfect!! I have lots of day dreams about my future grandbabies. They are gonna be so cute! 😉
adrienne recently posted…#GoingGreen-Recycle Your Best {Missed} Posts!
Your grandbabies will be adorable! Thanks for stopping by!
Congrats to you! Personally, I like Grammy, but you should choose what you prefer. It’s a big decision!
We did not find out the sex of either of our babies. We were happily surprised in the hospital. We were just hoping for a healthy baby, and that’s what we got.
another jennifer recently posted…You’re Doing Something Right: My Guest Post on The Mom Cafe
It’s so nice to meet other moms, especially young ones who wanted to be surprised. My daughter has taken a lot of flack for not wanting to know. Glad to hear your baby was healthy!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Jennifer!
Congratulations, Kim, SQUEE!!!!
Don’t ask me why!
So excited for you.
My son calls his paternal grandmother, Nona, Italian for grandmother – although none of us are Italian.
My first pregnancy was easy and blissful, and I was large as a house. My second, I was sick every month from the flu, or a variation of it, and was struck down by two bouts of food poisoning. I only started to feel better in the last 2 months, but by then, my hips hurt, and I was barely sleeping. But delivering the babies? #2 was born 3 hours after contractions started , while the first took 15 hours:)
Alison recently posted…Old School Blogging
Ha ha-I can’t imagine you as large as a house! Pregnancies can be so amazingly different between having our own kids, can’t they? So sorry to hear how sick you were the second time. Those second children-they are so very generally delightfully different from the first! Thanks for your congrats, Alison!
Twitter: barefootmel
says:
Kim, I adore this post and am so glad I stopped by today! Congratulations on your first grandchild…I’m absolutely thrilled for you!
My own pregnancy was…um, really rough. I threw up and had 24/7 sickness until week 24. However, my daughter is such an incredible blessing and joy that she was worth every day of that. I was dying to find out the gender, mostly because we were living overseas and planning to return just weeks before she was due…and we needed to plan. I wanted a girl but thought she was a boy, and it took four ultrasound confirmations for me to be convinced she was actually a girl!
And as for being a mommy, it’s been the most unexpected, amazing blessing of my life, and I have to pinch myself every day because I just can’t believe I’m blessed enough to be mommy to this little girl. Children are such a gift!
I love, love this piece of your heart today. Thank you for sharing! Blessings!
Mel recently posted…My God-Sized Dream: Deep Breath…
Oh, your pregnancy sounds so difficult-my sympathies to you! It always amazed me how much we forget about the difficulties of pregnancy and parenting when we see those little smiles and receive those warm and wonderful hugs!
Thanks so much for stopping to share your experience and your kind words!
Twitter: thehilljean
says:
You, my friend, are going to be the BEST grandma ever! I cannot wait to read your posts after you meet your sweet grandbaby.
I hated being pregnant–I just felt fat the whole time and that was no fun.
Now, as far as names go–I don’t think you really have a choice in the matter. Both my mom and mom-in-law picked their names, and then the kids decided what they would sound like. For instance, my mom just wanted to be Grandma, but that translated into “NaMa.” As my daughter was the first grandchild on both sides, she set the standard. My mom now has a whole slew of grandchildren and she is NaMa to all of them.
My mom-in-law wanted to be Grammy. I thought it sounded way to old for her, but we went along with it. Well, my daughter found the perfect name for her–Mimi. Mimi fits her better than anything we could have come up with. I love it!
I see you with something peppy like Mimi though 😉
So I say, pick a name but know that it will probably morph into something entirely different, and that’s what makes it so special
Hillary recently posted…Zits: What Acne Taught Me
You have just brought a whole new perspective to the conversation, Hillary! I hadn’t considered how my choice would be translated by the grandkids. As a toddler, my oldest couldn’t properly pronounce her Aunt Elizabeth’s name, and it always came out “Bif”. Even today, we sometimes refer to her as Auntie Bif.
I agree with the “old” sounding names. I hear “Grammy”, and although it’s full of love, it’s for someone who is waaaaaay older than me. I am ok with being over 50, and thrilled to be a grandparent, but something younger, “preppier” as you note, appeals. ;-D Mimi is cute-thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Congrats!!! I’m so excited for your entire family!
Lisa recently posted…S.M.A.R.T. Goals & Living Beyond Rich