It's one week to my due date, and I'm ready for mini-Miller to enter the world! Our "baby corner" is set up in the bathroom (the baby's bassinet in our room), the diapers are on the shelf, the car seat waiting in the backseat, our jogging stroller is ready for its first workout, and mom's heart ready to welcome the new challenge and opportunity of motherhood.
Yesterday's midwife visit went well. My belly is still growing (now at 37 inches), and the baby's head is sitting on my pelvis. I'm still feeling energetic overall, so it will probably still be a while (a week, or two, or three) till this little one makes its grand entrance. Baby Miller gave me a good punch in my belly the other day... it's exercising for its big debut!
These last few weeks have been a neat time of preparation not only in the practicals, but in my heart. Two baby showers and (first, a Noah's ark theme shower put on my Grace friends, then a shower put on by colleagues here on the center), some good conversations with some veteran moms have given me some good nuggets to chew on as I venture into the great unknown of motherhood (with the added challenges of cross-cultural life). A few of the highlights:
"You don't have to be a perfect mom. What you need to be is a surrendered mom."
"Look for ways to include your kids in your work... to make them part of the team."
"Make sure to preserve your marriage and follow your husband's lead (not just follow your own intuition) when you raise your children."
Eph 3-- "Let your roots go deep down into God's love... it's the anchor that will keep you strong in a life full of transition."
We joined the staff at Grace for their meeting this week and the Lord gave our pastor a Scripture for our baby (and for Josephine, one of the associates whose daughter is expecting this week)... Lord, let it be! (For you exegetes out there, it is clear from the passage that it is talking about Jesus, but in a sense we all continue on the ministry of Jesus... so interpret in that light).
Isaiah 49:1
"Before I was born the Lord called me; from my birth he made mention of my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver."
PS... The photo was taken the day of the Grace ladies' baby shower. If you look closely, you can see the rose buds on the corsage are actually little rolled up baby socks. Thanks, Ruth, for your creative expertise!
And a verdict on the "he"/"she" posting... the poll came out exactly 50/50 (whether we would have a girl or a boy), so I guess we'll just have to wait a week for the final verdict! Thanks to all of you who suggested girl names. We're considering!
1 comment:
Hi Rachael and Mark!
I've finally figured out how to make a comment! I've been enjoying reading your blog for a couple weeks. You are such a good historian; you communicate your thoughts and emotions well - I even sigh every now and then reading it. What you share encourages my faith, in that I want to be a more obedient and "surrendered" Christian afterwards! I just had my OB class this past summer and played with the same baby and the pelvis. (I'm working in the pediatric unit this semester.) I see you're going natural with the Bradley method. If you ever feel like telling your "birth story," I'm all ears. And to think in college we thought Mark had the gift of celibacy... :)
In His Grip,
Carolyn Goerig
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