JOYS of pregnancy!!!!

Pregnancy is such a GIFT that brings so many JOYS with it.  Yes, there is the not feeling so well stage, the  extremely tired I'm going to fall asleep standing up stage, the backaches, heartburn, and some other "hard" things (like labor!), but the JOYS far outweigh these.  I came up with a list of my top 11 things I enjoy with pregnancy -- yes, I know it should be a top 10 list but I just couldn't narrow it down =)

1. The first thing I love about being pregnant is finding out!  I can remember when, where, and how I found out with each of my babies.  What a moment of complete and utter JOY!!!!  Finding out that new life, a miracle, is growing inside my womb. 

2.  I love telling others our good news and especially love the excitement that our children show.  They just light up and say the most precious things.  We're raising them to view children as God does, as blessings, and they are so quick to say "I'm so excited God's blessed us again!"   It is also so fun to watch their excitement throughout the entire pregnancy. 

3.  My husband is such a part of each pregnancy, and is so supportive the whole nine months.  He goes to every Dr's appointment with me (he's missed only 1 appointment out of all 5 of my pregnancies!!!), he picks up food when I don't feel well enough to cook, and he gets so excited to see me grow and to feel the baby kicking.  It is such a GIFT to have a husband who thinks pregnancy is a beautiful thing!

4.  Pregnancy also makes me feel close to God.  I know that each baby is a GIFT from HIM and I feel so blessed when he chooses to grow another miracle in me.   Pregnancy makes GOD very real to me.

5.  I love hearing the heartbeat for the first time and confirming that there is life growing inside me.  There is no sound like hearing your newborn baby's heart beating for the first time! 

6.  I know this is an odd one to a lot of people but I actually love to show!  I love to feel my "baby bump" and to see it.  It makes baby even more real to me.

7.  It is such a GIFT to feel the baby moving around inside me.  I love feeling the kicks, turns,  and even the hiccups (although sometimes they feel a little too weird!).  I also love it when baby gets big enough for my husband and children to feel these movements with their hands on my belly. 

8.  I love seeing the baby in the ultrasound.  I never want to know if the baby is a boy or girl so I do get a bit nervous we might be able to tell.  I make it clear to the Dr. though and so far our surprise hasn't been spoiled.  It is so fun to see baby's little face, hands, feet, everything is just so cute!!!

9.  My husband and I usually have fun picking out baby names (at times this has been stressful too!).  We have just started throwing some names around and yes it did keep me up awhile last night thinking about this.  It is just so fun to come up with just the perfect name for each baby.   We have always agreed on a a girls name going into labor (I guess God was trying to tell us that is what we were having!), but have had a harder time agreeing on a boys name.  We'll see what happens this time. 

10.  Another reason I love pregnancy is it is my dream come true!  My whole life I have always wanted to be a wife and mom.  I went to college and got my degree, but my desire never changed.  I wanted to get married, have children, and stay home to raise them.  At times I just can't believe how God has blessed me.  We had some fertility issues with our first pregnancy, and it took over a year.  I wondered if I would ever be pregnant.  I am living my dream come true with each pregnancy. What a GIFT!

11.  Finally, my very favorite part of pregnancy is that final push during labor when the baby arrives!  Finally, I get to meet my precious boy or girl.  I love the little, screaming, wet newborn being laid on my chest the second they arrive.  What a very precious moment!!!   As odd as it sounds, I am always sad that my pregnancy is over, but so joyful to be holding my baby. 

Pregnancy is such a GIFT.  I would love to hear what were/are your favorite parts of pregnancy. 

"Every good and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."  ~James 1:17