Thank you to everyone for praying for me and baby girl! Your prayers are working. This pregnancy has been so smooth. Baby girl is healthy and measuring very petite. We are continuing to cover her positioning and my body in prayer during these last few weeks. I am feeling wonderful and full of joy in anticipation of her arrival!
Some exciting news to bring to the world... her name! After much prayer and pondering we are so excited to announce the name of our sweet girl.
Our prayer for Eleanor : “May your life be marked by revelation and rest. May you stand for Truth and extinguish darkness. May you show us the Father's friendship that you know and live so well. You are so deeply loved and needed. For such a time as this God has created and released you. MIGHTY exploits you will do for The Kingdom, and nations will see the shining deeds and be humbled back to Jesus. Burn and Shine, Sweet Glory Girl. Righteous you are, and regal you stand.“ From the beginning of this pregnancy I've been receiving promises and scriptures from the Lord about light and an unusual glory that this child would carry. Eleanor has always been on our "girl list" but when we discovered the meaning was "bright shining light" we knew it was a match. Lee is special because it's my mom's middle name, and my middle name. It means so much that three generations of Glory Gals will share this special "green meadows" meaning. I pray she too, will plant herself in the place of devotion with the Father, a place of provision and peace for all her days.
As we are 10ish weeks away, I've had people ask me how I'm preparing and what I'm doing differently this go around. So for those of you who are interested, here's my "2 Under 2" Countdown List: 1. Alone time with Ryan.
After a few vacations have now been canceled, and COVID still on the rise, I'm not sure what a "get-away" will look like but we are committed to passing Oliver off to a grandparent for a few days to really soak in each other before our family of four takes off.
2. Fun Adventures with Oliver.
I get alone time with Oliver all day everyday, but I'm soaking it up and intentionally trying to do things with him that he really loves and will be a bit harder to do once Eleanor is here, and nursing every 2-3 hours. (Fun outings to the park, spontaneous coffee shop trips, extended nature walks, etc.)
3. Postpartum Prep.
I was totally blindsided by the "4th Trimester" with Oliver. I was prepped for the sleepless nights and dirty diapers but had NO idea about the roller coaster emotions that come from breastfeeding learning curves, body pain as your body gets back to "normal", and extreme flare ups of hormones that mask themselves as "baby blues". I'm really putting time and money into prepping for that this go-around. For me that looks like:
Upgrading breast pumps.
Ordering natural supplements/oils to help my hormones ease back.
Investing $100 to a "Postpartum Capsule Wardrobe" that's functional and makes me feel human. (I'm a MAJOR under-buyer, and it's really hard for me to spend money on myself. But I know this go-around, getting one or two "athleisure wear" outfits for around the house, a few nursing friendly tops, and a pretty dress for church in my new size really is worth it in the long run.
Creating new worship/praise playlists to fill my home and heart with the presence of God.
4. "Me Appointments"
Dentist, Haircut, and hopefully a pedicure closer to the big day.
5. Setting up Eleanor's Nursery.
I have most of the elements ordered or here in boxes, it's just setting everything up, which should only take a few fun evenings once Oliver goes to bed.
6. Creating a "Yes" home.
I'm keeping track of what I'm saying "no" to a lot for Oliver and I want to turn those "no zones" into "yes zones". By anchoring bookshelves to the wall, creating little spaces with baskets of toys, and baby-proofing a few extra things, I think it'll set us up greatly for when Eleanor is here. Oliver is already a great independent player, but this will help me not have to chase him around as cautiously as I do now.
7. Potty Learning for Oliver.
I know what some of you are thinking... whoa. He's only 17 months. That's really soon. Yes, this is true. This wasn't my plan but Oliver has been showing all the signs of potty learning. At 14 months I started slowly showing him the sign language for potty, and we started learning wet vs. dry and how the toilet works. I've just been following his lead and he seems ready. So, we're going to give it a go. If he picks up on it, great! To have him out of diapers by the time baby girl gets here would be wonderful. If he needs more time, that's totally fine too. We'll give it a few more months.
8. Stocking up on freezer meals.
Ryan's family stocked my freezer with meals for Oliver's birth and it was the kindest gesture! Not having to think of shopping and cooking was a life saver. I want to have 2 weeks of meals stocked.
9. Discussing Roles with Ryan
Before Oliver got here, Ryan and I sat down and discussed expectations and roles. This was a GAME CHANGER for the first 6 weeks. For us it looked like : Ryan - House and Abby care. (Laundry, dishes, shopping, meal prep and keep Abby fed and encouraged.) Abby - Baby care. (Nursing, changing, naps, night wakings, etc.) Obviously, there are always exceptions, but for the most part having set roles really helped us. We'll discus this again, and what Oliver care will look like this time.
10. New journal, and new robe.
For me, a new journal and a new bathrobe are the christening of a new season. It's a silly simple tradition I have but it seems to help me mentally shift. I am so eager to enter the world of two children, and adding "girl mom" to my title.
Thank you for praying and loving sweet Eleanor already. She is such a gift in so many ways and we can't wait to hold her soon.
The Joyful Mama,
Abby
***Don't forget... The Cirkles are cheering you on!