nesting...and other pregnancy and life updates

I've been nesting lately.  This time around it is more in the form of "let's get rid of some STUFF" rather than "let's make sure everything is CLEAN."  Cleaning just seems so futile these days.  But if you purge some stuff, it's gone and it's not coming back the moment Levi wakes up :)  I can't help but think, too, that being 7-8 months pregnant over Christmas this year is a good thing!  As much as I don't love bundling up for the cold (huffing and puffing just from putting on my boots), the desire to keep clutter to a minimum has proven helpful in keeping the Christmas extras from taking over the house.  Out with the old, in with the new!

In other pregnancy "news"... ... ...this time around has been so different than when I was expecting Levi.  In the first trimester, I started showing earlier this time.  I was WAY more tired this time (likely thanks to not being on bed rest and not being able to have a nap whenever I felt like it).  Morning sickness was less this time, not that it was bad last time either.  In the second trimester this time, I barely felt pregnant.  I didn't notice my growing belly unless I looked in the mirror.  I was perfectly comfortable.  I got some energy back and didn't feel sick in the slightest.  Last time I think I felt decent too, but with a threatened miscarriage, I was taking every precaution and noticing every little feeling that was different from the norm, wondering if it was normal or something I should be worried about.  The third trimester in this pregnancy has been harder than the last.  I have been much more sore (again, probably thanks to not having been on bed rest and not taking it as easy as last time with a 2 year old to chase around).  I think walking on ice also doesn't help as one little slip on the ice has muscles stretched that I didn't even know I had!  I've also been feeling more of the "normal" pregnancy symptoms like heartburn and low blood pressure that I didn't really have to deal with much last time.  Third trimester is definitely my least favourite but I really can't complain.  I hear about people who are sick the full 9 months (or longer) and am just glad that I made it through the first 28-30 weeks in relative comfort!  I also can't complain because I know how much I begged and prayed for children and how much some of my friends are hurting to hold children of their own in their arms and I remember that this is really a small price to pay for the miracle that is motherhood.  It is not something to be taken lightly...each and every child that enters a family is a miracle, no matter how they got there.

Of course, I should probably throw in a little Levi-update!  Levi is growing up SO much!  He knows most of his letters.  He can count almost to 10 (1-2-3-7-8-9), usually in the right order.  We've been diaper-free for 5.5 months now, both daytime and nights (just HAVE to brag about that one!). He is talking more all the time.  He loves to use phrases that he hears Nathan and I using:
- "of course"
- "much better"
- "stay puppy! good dog."
- "no puppy!  bad dog. stay!"
- "oh no!  big mess!"
- "alright."
He has started singing in the last couple weeks which is so cute!  Before he would sing E-I-E-I-O, but now he is starting to sing songs on his own like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Clean Up Song (clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere), Wonder Pets theme song, etc.  He also loves when we sing songs with/to him...they can even replace a bedtime story for him if it's a late night because he loves it so much.  Speaking of stories, he has discovered the fun of made-up stories.  He often asks for "car story" at bedtime, which means that I am supposed to make up and tell him a story about a car.  Sometimes I get him to tell me a story too.  I tell most of the story, asking him to fill in details like colours and activities.  It can get quite interesting to see his little imagination at work!  Levi loves all things animals, especially if they're living and breathing and happen to be puppies (or kitties).  Lennox is finally starting to tolerate Levi's affection...after 2 years of Levi chasing him, it is about time he just accepted that the boy isn't leaving.

Nathan is still enjoying his work after almost 1.5 years at the church.  We really appreciate the way this church gives the pastors time with their families and also time for self-care.  Not all churches do that, often leaning more to the side of overworking their pastors (usually unintentional, I'm sure).  To be at a church where we feel appreciated and cared for is certainly a blessing and answer to prayer!

Not much else is happening.  We're right in the middle of Christmas celebrations, having just spent a couple days with Nathan's family and looking forward to time with my family.  And soon it will be the new year!  The year that we welcome another little person into our family.  It feels so surreal.  How did this happen so easily this time after so many years of waiting and praying last time?  I can't even describe how many times during this pregnancy I actually had to check the mirror to make sure that I wasn't dreaming it all.  But that's a side note.  Hope you all have a good start to the new year!