Root Canals, Moving & Pregnancy - Oh My!!

Hello readers!

After a bit of a break, it sure feels nice to be back in this space. To say our March was crazy is a bit of an understatement. The entire past month feels like a blur of boxes, packing tape, exhaustion and so many trips to Target, I lost track a long while ago!

I also learned a very important lesson: root canals, moving and pregnancy do not mix.

Yes, in the midst of the craziness of our move, I had the super fun experience of undergoing my first root canal!! Yikes. I began having some pain back in February, so I went to the dentist (you know, trying to be responsible and on top of things!). He promptly told me it was "no big deal," just some gum pain likely due to pregnancy.

Yeah, he kind of missed the boat on that one! Needless to say, he is no longer my dentist.

So, just days before we officially moved, I found myself scrambling to find a dentist or endodontist who could perform an emergency root canal--on a Friday. Folks, no one in the field of dentistry works on Friday!! But, even in the midst of awful pain, the LORD worked in each detail to bring me to the right person who could provide relief. It certainly wasn't a pleasant experience, but I love how God is so faithful and takes care of His children in all the details, big and small.

The move also proved difficult for me in light of my burgeoning belly. I can honestly say that for 27 weeks, I never "felt pregnant." Most of the time I forgot that I even was pregnant. But the physical labor of packing and moving plus a growing bump made me keenly aware that I am, in fact, quite pregnant. Like anyone, I'm not a big fan of limitations, so it was beyond frustrating to feel so tired and puny when there was so much work to be done!

Thank goodness for my amazing parents!! They truly came to save the day, and along with Aaron, were able to get 'er done, as we say in the South. With this being a local move, we did a lot of the work ourselves, but left the heavy lifting to the moving company. Originally, I thought a local move would be so much easier than a big, cross-country move . . . but I'm afraid that, any way you slice it, moving just plain stinks and will suck the very life out of you when it's all said and done.

But, Praise the LORD that it is, indeed, all said and done!

Our Home Sweet Home!

And as manic as it was, we are now fully settled in our new home, and we love it!!! Mom stayed an extra week with me, and we kicked it into high gear each day, decorating, hanging pictures and putting all of those detailed, final touches on things in order to fully complete the move. With this baby girl arriving quickly, we knew it had to happen now if it would happen at all. I'm beyond thankful for a mom who is so hard-working, and so good with all the details. That is not my forte, and without her, I'm quite certain I would be living here years from now and still not have a single picture or mirror hung on the walls!

We also completed the nursery for sweet baby girl, and everything is in order for her arrival! This is quite a welcomed change from our experience with Isaiah, knowing that we would be moving just one week after his arrival. Moving while pregnant is no fun, but moving at 8 days postpartum is even worse!

I'm incredibly thankful and grateful that we are settled now, and can just enjoy our new home and new neighborhood for a few weeks before chaos ensues and we become a family of four! It's been quite overwhelming to dwell on God's goodness and kindness to us--to see where He's brought us, and the joy He's placed in our lives now, after such a long time of struggle during residency. People say that life is a series of different seasons, and this is my favorite season so far! And considering that life doesn't follow a calendar when it comes to the changing of those seasons, I am trying to enjoy each and every minute of this time of rest and blessing. I'm not trying to sound like a Debbie Downer, but circumstances can change in a heartbeat. Whether wonderful or awful, seasons of life are destined to change!

So, that's the update from here for now, and hopefully more blogging is on the way, now that we're back into a routine. I'll leave you with some of my very favorite scripture from Deuteronomy and a very important reminder to give thanks to the LORD and remember His abundant blessings!

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.

When the LORD your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you--a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant--then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."

~Deuteronomy 6:4-12

Blessings,

~Mere