It's Been A Long Time Coming

I've been remiss.  I'm sorry to those of you who follow this blog.  Most of you already know why.  I've been incredibly busy chasing my precious toddler, going back to work one day a week to help out (the center was having to close that day for lack of a counselor supervisor), and enjoying (for the most part) my pregnancy with our second child.  It has been a very exciting time!  I am 16 weeks along right now.  This pregnancy has been a wonderful, but very different experience than my pregnancy with our first.  I can laugh about it more now that I'm in my second trimester, the "sweet spot" of pregnancy.  What I've learned so far is:

1. Being pregnant and the stay-at-home mom of a toddler is exponentially harder than being pregnant with your first while working.  I told Peter that being first trimester exhausted while mothering a toddler was the hardest job I've ever had.
2. Lesson one was very concerning to me considering I want more children so I asked a mom of four how she did it.  What I learned was very valuable.  She said, "Some days my husband would come home from work and I would tell him, 'Everyone is alive.  That's all you can ask of me today."  The lesson?  You do the best you can and you honor God.
3. Each pregnancy is different.  This can be scary, but it can also be wonderful.  It means just because I had some complications last time doesn't mean I'll have them this time.  Each pregnancy is similar in other ways.  Knowing what to expect this time meant I got to start feeling my little one move weeks and weeks earlier this time.  That is one of my favorite parts!
4. As with all of life, you don't know what you don't know.  Be open to learning.

I'm enjoying this pregnancy and trying to take in little moments here and there to enjoy it.  This time around I know how quickly it flies by.