Don't Touch Me...I'm Pregnant

I've always been a bit of a germa-phobe. I never shared drinks with friends in high school and there was no way I would let anyone borrow my chapstick. (If I was too embarrassed to turn down a request, the tube immediately went in the trash can later.) Today, I have a strict edict in the office that no one stick their hand into a communal box, bowl or bag of treats. (My boss still refuses to comply with this request, so it's a good thing my diet keeps me from sharing most office snacks.)

Now with the heightened concerns about the H1N1 virus, I have become even more steadfast in my pursuit against germs. I carry my Purell around and use it liberally after touching menus at restaurants, opening doors (if I can't use the sleeve of my sweater to do so), pumping gas, visiting the grocery store, touching my computer, and even shaking hands at church. Yesterday I could actually feel my hand burning with germs after shaking hands with someone during the "friendship break." My senses are more aware of the coughs and sneezes around me and I actually get a little irritated when people come to work with the sniffles. Justin even knows to expect a dollop of hand sanitizer whenever we are out together and I occasionally quiz him on how often he washes his hands at the bank. It's getting a little ridiculous.

I think the main reason I'm being so anal about it is an attempt to quell the "mom guilt" that is starting to rise up when I read the news stories about the importance of pregnant women getting the H1N1 vaccine. See, I politely refuse to get it. I'm decidedly anti-flu shot in general, but this one raises red flags for me. Not that I begrudge anyone for getting vaccinated and doing what they think is right for themselves and their unborn child, I'm just not convinced that a small test group of pregnant women (under 120 people) is big enough to get me on the swine flu vaccination bandwagon. The media says "no side effects" have been reported, but how do they know when all the babies are still in utero? It's just too risky for me. It does worry me though and I hope I'm not being stupid.

In the meantime, I'm covering this little one (and myself) in prayer for God's protection and supernatural immunity. (I'll also keep on coating myself with a liberal application of hand sanitizer.) And don't be surprised if after Luke arrives I make you apply some to yourself before you come near him. I'll try to draw the line at masks and gloves...but you never know. :)

I've never been a tidy person. That's not something to be proud of, but it's a true statement about how I've spent much of my life. I'm "clutter blind" when it comes to messes. I can definitely go to bed at night with dishes in the sink. I can let the laundry pile up for weeks at a time. I'm definitely NOT Type A in the home management department. Well at least I wasn't...until now.

My family likes to tease me with a little term called "nesting," and I've resisted the label for as long as I possibly could. I finally had to accept that it is actually happening to me. You see, for the past few weeks I haven't been able to fight my own desires to organize drawers and closets. I make sure I can see the bottom of the laundry hamper at the end of every weekend. And those dishes? They haunt me at 4 o'clock in the morning. It's weird, spooky, and kind of off-putting. Who is this person? Don't get me wrong, it is definitely a much-needed change of behavior - especially since I will soon have a newborn who needs to live in a squalor-free environment. Justin is beside himself with joy and says if he'd known the "perfect wife" would emerge from pregnancy, we would have made it happen a lot sooner. :) Now...if only a compulsion for nightly home-cooked meals would just kick in. We're still waiting on that one.

Pregnant and Growing on a College Campus

I'm sure it's all in my head, but I kind of worry that people are going to judge me when they see me walking across campus. Pregnant bellies are not something one sees much among the undergrads here at Pacific. Not to say that I'd be confused with an undergrad, but it has happened before...