Getting a Kick in the Priorities
Guest blogger Janalee Card Chmel is co-owner of MA! motherhood with attitude and is a Denver-based freelance writer. She was shocked at the age of 40 to find out she was pregnant. Follow her journey each month.
I am just finishing Week 28 of my surprise pregnancy, which means I have about 11 weeks to go before I meet this wee one. We’ve opted not to find out the gender, yet again, because despite the tactless, graceless, tantrum-throwing way I behaved when I discovered I was pregnant, I do love surprises! I truly love that moment when the doctor says, “It’s a girl!” (so far that’s all we’ve heard) and my heart instantly says, “Yes, of course it is. I think I knew her all along…”
Looking back on the last 28 weeks, I recognize that one of the most rewarding aspects of this journey began when this baby started kicking me. Let’s face it: This has been stressful on me and on my family. Not only did we have zero maternity care insurance when we discovered this blessed bombshell, but we have a two-room home for a soon-to-be family of five. Since May 27 – the day I looked at that pink stick in my bathroom and let loose a string of words not truly maternal in nature – we have made incredible changes in our lives!
But, as a friend recently pointed out to me, the most dramatic and important changes have been emotional. I’ve gone from panic to peace, from resentment to readiness, from self-pity to unabated joy. I truly believe now that this was meant to be and that there is a profound reason that I am not in control of my own life.
And just when I start to slip back into panic mode, the baby kicks me and I snap back into peace. The kicks help me keep my priorities straight…
- Basement remodel over budget?! Panic panic panic. Swift kick from this supreme priority growing in my belly… and back into peace.
- Freelance client giving me impossible deadlines? Freak freak freak out! Rolling flip in my belly while I’m on the phone… and back to bliss.
- Uncertainty over the future (my abilities and our finances)? Fret fret fret. Middle-of-the-night nudge in my belly… and back to sleep.
I think it is a rare gift when we are forced to get back to our most basic priorities and that is what I’ve been given with this new child. I find that I’ve returned to the simplistic view of my goals and even my expectations of myself. Life is about to get both harder and easier and I need to keep my priorities straight! Physically and emotionally, it will get harder because new motherhood is physically exhausting and I will need to extend my emotions to three incredible children. But the other expectations I place on myself (work, clean home, three-square meals, etc) will have to be reduced… and I find that I like the forced re-prioritization.
So, dear baby in my belly, thank you! You have already helped your mommy straighten out her priorities… the first of many miracles you will deliver upon your arrival.
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As always Janalee it’s a joy to read your blogs! I am so excited for you and this journey you’re undertaking. Could I be jealous? You may have given ME a kick in the priorities!
Janalee, thank you so much for sharing your journey with us. I LOVE this post! I think we all need a kick in the priorities every now and then. :)
This is such an encouragement! Sometimes things go the way I expect them to, but most of the time I feel like I have zero control.
And isn’t it great to know that we are NOT in control of everything?? It actually kind of takes the pressure off. It reminds me that we have a God who cares for all of it whether we realize it or not. And that His plans are better than anything I could dream up!
Blessings on your growing family!
Whether it’s our first child or our third, I think all children bring us back to basics. I’m constantly reminded of what’s important every day just by the fact that I’m a mother now. It’s still hard to prioritize. I guess that will be a life-long struggle for me. Sometimes we all need that little kick, whether it’s from outside or inside!