7 Weeks to Go (or so)???

I am 33 weeks today and am getting a bit nervous as to the small amount of time left to prepare for baby's arrival (just 7 short weeks)! While I am so very thankful to be home full-time right now, it seems the days go by even quicker, and as my tummy grows bigger and bigger, I seem to be in need of more naps and 'breaks' from doing a lot of the things I had hoped to get done each day. Simple tasks such as washing dishes and picking up around the house seem to take all of the energy I have, and then I need to lie down immediately afterward.

I guess I just need to rest in the Lord and trust He will help us get the important things done before baby comes. Here are a couple of things on my list (have you noticed that I love lists?) that we need to do in the next 7 weeks or so:

1) Finish writing our birth plan & prepare for the birth. This is something we began in our Bradley method childbirth class months ago to determine which things are most important to us for our birth at the hospital. We know we would like as natural a birth as possible, Lord willing, and have prepared (and are preparing) for such a birth. I have certain prenatal exercises to do each day as well as relaxation exercises to practice with Dan. We're also excited about having the option to have a water birth at the hospital! We've chosen St. Joe's Hospital in St. Paul after hearing so many great things about it. They have one of the lowest cesarean section rates in the country (1 in 10, whereas the national rate is 1 in 3!) and are very natural friendly. St. Joe's was also the very first hospital in Minnesota. Finally, we need to meet with our doula at the end of this month to go over our birth plan and ask any final questions we may have. I can't believe it's so close!

2) Figure out what we still need for baby. The essentials: car seat, clothes, a place to sleep (we are deciding between using a Moses basket- portable bassinet with handles- initially, and co-sleeping with the crib pushed up against our bed without one of the sides), diapers (we're hoping to use disposables for about a month or two before switching to cloth), a baby carrier/sling (have heard great things about the Moby Wrap) and the like.

3) Figure out what to pack in our hospital bags. Yikes. Some of these lists I've seen are incredibly long and include items I've never even heard of. I will spare you.

4) Have a photo shoot with Dan, me, and my bump out in the beautiful fall weather :) I realized we haven't taken many pictures together since the pregnancy, so we'd really like to document this time together before our life and family changes dramatically!

5) Organize our bedroom! All my life, my bedroom has been the messiest and most unorganized part of my life, and I usually don't even mind. However, now that we will be bringing home a new baby, I don't want to lose him in the piles of clothing on our bedroom floor... so perhaps it's time to organize.

6) Memorize Scripture for the birth. I've heard from friends that it is helpful to memorize Scripture or have Scripture read to you during labor. I know that preaching to myself is always important, and imagine that during this crazy process of birth it will come in handy! I am compiling a list to memorize, so if you have any specific passages/verses dealing with peace, the Lord's strength, or the like, please feel free to share!

As anxiety has come over me at various times lately, it has helped to focus on the nature of the God I love and worship, who has complete control over my life and over the life of this little one. Today I read Ephesians 3 and was blown away by verses 14-20 especially. Paul is praying for the Ephesians here. He is praying for strength for them to comprehend the love of God and reminding them that if they are rooted in the love of Christ, they are filled with all the fullness of God! That phrase just blew me away. If we have the Spirit living in us, we are filled with all the fullness of God. So why do I worry about birth and about being a good parent, and about life in general? We have everything we need in Christ. We fail, but He does not. He is faithful when we are unfaithful, and He loves us more than we can comprehend. Oh Praise Him!