Learning In May

Something new: Each month, I'll be writing what I've learned and linking up with Emily Freeman's blog. By doing this, I hope you'll see that I'm fully human with the desire to learn a thing or two along this journey known as life.

Here's what I've learned in May:

1. Don't expect a sparkling surface and uncluttered carpet.

I'm raising a kid. My kid explores, makes messes, displays a myriad of emotions, eats and eats and eats, craves attention, and there's never a dull moment aside from when she's sleeping. It's when she naps that one of three things happen. A. I quickly try to tidy the home. B. I dig into scripture and either write or study the art of writing. C. In this season of life, I sometimes have no choice but to take a nap. My brain screams "NO" and "TERRIBLE USE OF TIME," but my pregnant, hormones-out-of-whack self whispers "necessary" and "it's okay." That said, if you stop by my home, I'll do my best to have progress made with tidying up, but rest assured one room in the house will be a complete wreck. I'm the gal who doesn't find a thrill in cleaning, and who often lacks the time to do so. If you are reading this and have children and a tidy home on a daily basis, teach me your ways!

Books and Laundry equal chaos in twenty minutes.

Chaos restored by the day's end.

                    

2. Someone likes carrots mixed with applesauce.

She wants more!

                                               

This child of mine has the pickiness of her mother when she was under 10. Meats? No. Veggies? No. New Food? No. Baby Food? Yes! It must be a textures thing. Upon not eating carrots, I decided to blend them with a little applesauce. Repeat procedure and one point for mom. According to the Pediatrician, she can eat basically any food. Perhaps it's her teeth keeping her from doing so or just the look of certain foods. We have dairy, grains, and fruit down, so I'll call that progress.

3. Elephants are pregnant for two years.
My daughter's room took on a slight elephant theme when preparing for her arrival. I just learned that elephants are pregnant for two years. Perhaps there's an underlying message here, like the fact that 9 month human pregnancies feel as though they last forever.

4. Tree frogs are cute.

I'm pretty sure this little guy is a tree frog. Over the weekend, we went to a state park and these frogs were everywhere.

5. Eagles fly majestically.
While hiking near a river, I spotted an eagle flying. I've never seen an eagle in the wild, so I was a bit excited. Isaiah 40:31 takes on added meaning when one considers the gracefulness with which an eagle flies.

6. Ask and receive.
Okay, so I didn't just learn this in May, but it was evidenced throughout May. We don't have family in the area, so going to an ultrasound with a toddler is downright hectic. Figuring this out the hard way, I decided to ask a friend of mine if she could watch my daughter. She graciously said yes even though she has four children of her own. Thank you, friend. You know who you are.

Also in May, God provided us with furniture for Baby #2 and we didn't have a pay a cent. We didn't ask for furniture, but had asked where a friend of ours had gotten something for a crib. That conversation turned into getting rid of a crib because their family had just moved. Thanks you guys!

8. Just say no.
I've said no before, but it's never easy when saying no to family. I was asked to go to a family reunion which conflicted with a women's conference that I was already set on attending. After great consideration, I chose to say no to the reunion because my spiritual life needed the focus and because traveling three hours up and back to a reunion didn't sound fun while pregnant.

9. I have something to say.
I have something to say in the form of a book, but I've sat idly by for fear of what others might think, for falsely believing that what needs said doesn't matter, and for worry that I'm inadequate and unknowledgeable to the book writing process. I'm in the process of praying heavily over this and listening to what God wants. In the past several weeks, I've been jotting down notes like crazy, and I believe these may be the beginning of the process.

This book idea has been floating around for years, but for years I've been denying the idea. I've spoken to my husband and a very few others, and each person has encouraged me in their own way which has been good for combating the crippling fear.

This acknowledgement written in words is just another step toward submitting to God's call. It's a small step, but a step nonetheless.

10. Choosing vulnerability means I will change and others will change.
Oh, there's so much I could say about learning what it means to be vulnerable, but I'll just leave this here with few words for soaking purposes.

Note: Number 7 is missing. I could have gone back and changed it, but I'm humoring the fact that I can write yet not count to 10. ;) Fully human. Told you. 

What have you learned this month? I'd love to hear!