Thoughts about Blessings

Belle had her 4 month check up today and all looked good. She is a healthy little girl and is growing as she should. She still has a big head (90th percentile), a long body (90th percentile), and is still kinda on the skinny side (75th percentile). She handled her shots pretty good. She was crying even before they gave them to her so the shots didn't really make a change in her temperament. She cried about 30 seconds and then zonked out in her car seat.

On my way home, I did a lot of thinking about how much I hate baby shots, but how blessed I am for so many things:

First, I am thankful that I have a child to even get shots. I know many couples right now who are struggling with trying to get pregnant. I think it is easy to forget the hardships, the stress, and the desperation that these couples go through. Paul and I didn't have too many difficulties getting pregnant. Our journey began with a miscarriage 2 months into trying. They called it a "chemical pregnancy," which means the egg was fertilized, but never implanted. This was hard on me and I felt defeated...and we had only been trying 2 months. There were many fears I had. Thankfully, God blessed us with a pregnancy the following month. I only know the frustration and the struggle of what we went through and there are many couples who go through this process with a million more struggles. It is hard and it is exhausting. My heart goes out to couples who want a baby and are trying. I can only pray for them and try to be a support. I can't imagine to understand their story, but I can be empathetic and feel sadness for them. In the meantime, I have been having conversations with God as to why He needs to bless these couples with babies because each of them would be such amazing parents--WAY better than Britney Spears or any of those moms on MTV's Teen Moms.

Second, I thought about how thankful I am to have a healthy baby. It is very easy to take this for granted. Belle was sick a couple of weeks ago and it was really hard on me (I am such a whimp). I just wanted her to feel better and I wanted to be sick instead of her. This was only a cold and an ear infection. I don't know how parents find the strength to watch their child through a terminal illness or any other type of scary medical condition. I am sure that God gives these parents a certain kind of strength and support system to get through these difficulties.

God has blessed Paul and I greatly and I don't ever want to take it for granted. I don't want to take for granted that I am a mother and that my baby is healthy. On the other end, I don't want to forget the families that are trying to get pregnant or have a child with health conditions. They have extraordinary strength and I pray God sees them through every step of their journey.