1st Trimester Woes

I've been slightly miserable the past two months. I've been full of self pity, wishing these days away, and saying to myself every morning, "One of these days, I will have neither the stomach bug, nor a 3-week cold, nor morning (read: all day) sickness."

A poll question recently asked, "Which is harder: 1st Trimester or 38-40 weeks pregnant?" I wholeheartedly answered, "1st Trimester."

I recently started Ben Sasse's book The Vanishing American Adult, and these words hit home:

"Consumption is not the key to happiness; production is."

And this is why the 1st Trimester just about breaks me - All I do is consume: I consume food, I nap, I watch Netflix, I sit on the couch. I'm not cooking, I'm not exercising, I'm not crafting. I'm not producing. Well, I guess I'm producing a child...but you get my point. Idleness makes me feel like a giant pile of poo. Productivity, creativity, and busyness fuel me. (I'm finally in the 2nd Trimester and I'm ready for that Superwoman to show up aaaaaany time now.)

We're pregnant. Did I mention that?

Here's Peter's reaction to being a big brother. It's excitement, okay? I promise.

The other day I was driving by myself, and the rare occurrence that this is, I cranked up the radio. Naturally.

"I wish somebody would have told me that these will be the good ole days. All the love you won't forget. All these reckless nights you won't regret. Someday soon your whole life's gonna change. You'll miss the magic of these good ole days."

Now, I'm pretty sure Macklemore and Kesha are talking about lovers and partying, BUT it's pretty applicable to motherhood too. Especially in the midst of the 1st Trimester, when you're wallowing about your child who sleeps beautifully at home but refuses to sleep anywhere else, especially when there's corn silage to be chopped and cousins to play with and tractors to ride. My SIL's blog of the week is much more informative and sounds slightly less dramatic than mine.

And then you get hit up with some simple truths that screw your head back on straight.

1. You have been blessed with new life. Put on your big girl panties and stop complaining about a little sickness. Be thankful for modern medicine that takes the edge off. But even more so that you have been blessed with this new life.
2. You are in the good ole days. Expectations need to be changed from time to time. If you vacuum once per week instead of three times per week for a couple months, IT'LL BE OKAY. This doesn't mean you're slug or it will always be this way.
3. The rest of your family is working a heck of a lot harder than you. Like your dad, brothers, husband, and the rest of the corn silage crew working sun up to way past sun down to chop silage.

So the least you can do is chill out. You don't just have to "make it through this." You can actually enjoy it. You can thrive. You can put on your big girl panties, take your medicine, vacuum the blasted carpet, make your toddler belly laugh, cook a hot meal for your husband, and make protein bites for the hard-working men in your life. And then, you can go to bed at 7:01 p.m., right after your toddler goes to bed at 7:00 p.m.  (when you're home, anyway).

Most things in life aren't easy. Or at least the things that are worth your time. Those things that produce, those things that fulfill your vocation, those things that we are called to do. Life isn't supposed to be easy, and it's about time we (I) stop expecting it to be. It can be beautiful, to be sure, but a beautiful garden isn't beautiful from neglect; it's beautiful from time, effort, work, and the blessings the good Lord gives us.

Anyway, I'll get off my soap box here because really I just needed to share this protein bite recipe. Recipe is a loose term here....

Craisin, Walnut, Chia Seed, and whatever else Protein Bites

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup quick oats (or you can use your food processor to turn your rolled oats into quick oats)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2 scoops vanilla protein powder (I just bought 2 individual packets because I don't use it otherwise)
• 1/4-1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4-1/2 cup craisins
• 1/4 cup chia seeds

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients. The recipe is pretty fluid - If it's not sticking together, add more honey and/or peanut butter. If it's too sticky or dense, add more mix-ins of walnuts and/or craisins.
2. Roll into balls. I use my 1 Tbsp. cookie scoop, scoop them onto a cookie sheet, and put in the fridge for a bit. Then, because I'm stupidly Type A, I roll them into perfectly shaped balls.
3. Freeze or refrigerate. These last a loooong time in the freezer. For sure 3 months, but I'd have no problem eating them up to 6 months. If not freezing, store in the fridge; they get pretty messy at room temp.
4. Note: To save time, you could press these into a pan, and then cut into little squares. Or, you could just keep it as a big lump in the fridge and spoonful it out whenever needed.
5. Variations: Variations are totally endless. Instead of the walnuts and craisins, you could do mini M&M's and chocolate chips, dried blueberries and chopped almonds, diced banana chips and pecans...so many options.

Also - what's your guess? Boy or Girl??