September Goals and Our Surprise Pregnancy
Goal-Setting has Changed
I need to be real. Last month, I barely looked at my August goal sheet that I created. This one, right here:
While I crushed my goals in July and was very pleased with the progress I had made, accomplishing my goals practically fell off the radar for me in August.
There was one major reason: a secret I kept from most of the known world until last weekend.
When I found out towards the end of July that I was pregnant, I was blown away. In fact, I was so blown away that I wouldn’t even schedule my first prenatal appointment until a week had gone by, just to make sure I didn’t get a fluke pregnancy test that gave me a false positive. I was that surprised, people.
Cue the Sickness
But it was indeed true that my body is now growing another, a fact that never ceases to amaze me when I contemplate it. This body that I thought was done carrying children (and have told many others as much), is sustaining a new life.
Oh, and my body is feeling it. Every ligament in my body feels pregnant. It’s as if I can actually feel things in my body shifting around to make way for the inevitable, growing belly to come.
The morning sickness (can we plz rename this to all the ever-loving time sickness??) is ever present, and seems to get worse as the day progresses. Just today, I sat crying over my Olive Garden pasta because I felt so nauseous as I forced myself to eat it, to help stave off my nauseousness. What a vicious cycle!
Grateful for the Unexpected
In spite of the sickness, the exhaustion, and the restless nights, I am truly grateful for this little miracle growing inside of me. It does not escape me how many women long for pregnancy, yet are never granted it. If that is you, or you’ve ever struggled with infertility, please know that my heart goes out to you. I cannot imagine the pain you’ve faced, and I pray that God would comfort you as only He can.
One of the most beautiful moments of grief I’ve ever witnessed happened when a Christian mom (Michelle Duggar, matriarch of the Duggar family) found out the baby in her womb had no heartbeat. Tears flowed down her eyes, even as she spoke Scripture: “You give and take away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Oh, what a lesson to learn! In everything, express gratitude. Maybe this month is a good month to work on growing my gratitude- in all circumstances. Even the never-ending sickness. Because this growing child is a gift!
September Goals
I am keeping it super simple this month with three goals that don’t feel overwhelming to me at the moment. Here they are:
- Complete the 30 day goal challenge by writing 250+ words daily this month. If I miss a day, I can double up the next day. I am actually working on a new book for my Creative Mommyhood brand, and I can’t wait to share more details on it soon!
- Get our food budget back on track. It has been so high lately, and it frustrates me to no end because a food budget should be something fairly simple to control. We are not eating a bunch of gourmet dinners around here either. My initial goal is to get our food spending for the month under $900. Once we’ve achieved that, we’ll cut it more.
- Exercise 4 days weekly and give my body grace on the really tough days. Remind myself it’s okay to rest when I need it.
There you have it. My super simple goals for a hopefully successful September. I also think I should mention that I have an unwritten goal to kick this all the ever-loving time sickness to the curb!
What are your September goals? Tell me about them in the comments.
