Around here, we do not celebrate the end of pregnancy lightly. Excitement always comes along somehow when a Russell baby is due to be born. – Oh, just to let you know right off the bat, baby girl is not here yet! -

My first child was born a month early. I had extremely painful back labor with her for hours and hours. It took me 6 weeks to teach her to nurse properly. Other things came along that we learned to handle. All in all, it was quite the way to start out parenthood!

My second daughter was born 3 week early. Her birth was fairly uneventful and she came at the perfect time, humanly speaking. My husband was a middle-school teacher at the time and she came the very day after Christmas break had started. Two whole weeks off for hubby without any unpaid leave having to come into the picture. Awesome.

Third child and things get more interesting. We were living in SC at the time and I was beyond stressed near the end of the pregnancy. Think big hurricane coming, children down with the stomach flu, and air conditioning not working properly the whole summer so it never got below 90 degrees in the house during the day. Yeah. Talk about swollen ankles!

The end of this pregnancy is very eerily similar to the last.

Children sick, check. Only this time it is a cold and not the stomach flu. Runny noses over vomiting is always better in my book.

Air conditioning on the fritz. Got that one covered. Really, who needs it? At least it works a bit and keeps the house pretty cool. For the most part. Until the evaporator coil completely dies. Sigh.

Big hurricane. Hey, looky here, we got that one covered! While “they” say that Gustav won’t directly hit here, I won’t believe it until it is gone. The storm is just way too close to me and my family for comfort. How much do “they” know, really, anyways?

Big huge sigh.

The Lord is extremely good to me. While I list these things that stressed me out to a point of daily tears last pregnancy, I have to look at my current pregnancy and give thanks! God has given me a peaceful, laid-back look at everything that is going on and I am able to go through these last days of big-baby-belly in complete contentment.

Let me tell you, from a total stress-bucket, this is definitely God’s hand. When my husband met me I always would dive off into the Sea of the Over-emotional State when anything would go wrong or just not my way. Life became a Vale of Tears – who first said that, anyway? – and I could not see beyond the next day how I was supposed to get over the next obstacle.

Now? I am floating along the end of pregnancy in a state of almost perpetual contentment. Wow. God is so very good to me. I am truly thankful.

I would like to end with the following Scripture.

Philippians 4:6 and 7 says

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”