Waking with the rooster

Here I sit at 6:53 on a quiet Saturday morning, glancing out the window at the pending sunrise that's sneaking through my back door. These moments of sheer silence and restfulness will be few and far between in just a matter of weeks, and for this, I could not be more excited. 

I woke up around 4:15 this morning with the usual third trimester insomnia and decided that instead of staying in bed and hoping to fall back asleep, that I would just get up and wait for John to wake up in a few hours (something he is used to doing for me on these same Saturday mornings). I wrapped a blanket around my body, put on a hat and took Ellie outside for a little wee early morning playtime. While she flayed herself about the yard and took a leisurely roll in the cold grass, I was tickled to hear an unfamiliar sound- a rooster cock-a-doodle-dooing right around the corner! Now listen, I'm a southern girl, yes- but I was not raised on a farm and have secretly always wanted to wake up to the sound of a rooster.  Laugh at me all you want, I can cross something off of my bucket list.  I now recall John mentioning a few weeks ago that we did have a rooster nearby but not close enough for us to hear from our bedroom. I can't wait to tell him about my morning and how the sound spooked our funny brown dog so much so that she was digging at bushes in attempt to rid herself of the sound of said rooster.  After a few throws of the tennis ball and the decision that my toes had gotten too cold, Ellie and I made our way inside where she drank a bowl of water and walked down the hall to the bedroom to get back into her warm bed next to her favorite companion. 

So, alone I am once again. :) I am getting quite used to spending time by myself- strict bed rest after preterm labor scares has managed to glue me to either the couch or my bed with only 10 minute intervals of time allowed on my feet. Usually, I would complain about this as I don't watch very much TV and get extremely bored and have read books to my heart's content, but these days, the contractions are so painful and every step I take jeopardizes the health of my baby girl that I will do whatever it takes to keep her in there for just a few more weeks, safe and sound before the madness of this world wraps itself around her all too quickly.

This morning I am stuck in the thick of mixed feelings regarding the passage of time.  A dear friend of mine came to visit me yesterday and we chatted about our days at Belmont Abbey and how different our lives were just two short years ago and I've been reveling in silly memories ever since.  This is until I woke up this morning and realized again that today is my very best friend's little boy's first birthday.  I feel [old] so overwhelmed by how quickly this year went by!  I can remember this day a year ago when Jason called to tell me that Kallah was having this long-awaited baby boy and crying on my way home from work knowing that I would meet that little man in a matter of hours. Besides my wedding day and the moment I found out that I was pregnant against all odds, this was one of the most exhilarating, special moments of my adult life. My best friend, whom I have gone through thick and thin with and have grown to love as my own sister, was having a baby. I don't know if I've ever felt so much joy on another's behalf as I did for Jason and Kallah that day. That special day, a whole year ago now! (See my post below about my feelings towards 2011- it was an excellent, excellent year.) Time passes in the blink of an eye. Yesterday I was in my in-laws' kitchen announcing the impending arrival of our little addition and today I am embarking upon my 33rd week of pregnancy. We are settled into our house, New Year's came and went, our 1 year anniversary slipped right through my fingers, my mother now has a new husband and there is a crib sitting in our third bedroom. Phew! See what I mean? It flies! I am in love with my life right now- I couldn't be happier in my job, in our house, with my wonderful husband who lets me know each day how much he loves me, and that our little girl's arrival is right around the corner. What I am nervous about is waking up one day and realizing it's MY little girl's first birthday- or, better yet, FIFTH birthday! Time has sped up since I got married, what makes me think that it won't take off even faster after this little person joins our family? A recurring theme for me in these posts seems to be soaking up every little moment of our time here- and I hope that God will give me the grace to do so as diligently as I would like. Life is too short and goes by far too quickly to let the little things, like a hungry, hungry caterpillar first birthday party or reveling in the simplicity of waking up to the sound of a rooster, go unnoticed.
So here's to Will, and here's to the rooster. Happy Saturday, dear friends. I hope you enjoy each moment, no matter what you're doing. :)