I came down with a yucky cold/cough last week that has only continued to get worse. I keep hoping that maybe each new day will be the day that I start to turn around and head towards "better" rather than "worse". So far, though, I haven't turned any corners. I have heard that your immune system is not as strong when you are pregnant, so it can take longer for your body to fight off things like this, which kind of stinks considering that you feel all the more miserable when you are dealing with sickness during pregnancy. I talked with a nurse from my OB's office this morning, and they recommended that I go ahead and make an appointment with my primary care doctor to see if I maybe need to be on an antibiotic. So, off to the doctor I will go this afternoon.

I had all of these grand visions of having a healthy and fit pregnancy at first. I understood the value of continued exercise throughout pregnancy, and we have generally eaten pretty healthily in our household, so I didn't really have worries about that. But, as with many things in life, even our best laid plans are subject to change. It started with incessant nausea throughout my first trimester. And, continued because of the horrible heat wave that we had all summer long here in Virginia. It was astounding how many days we broke record high temperatures. One doesn't really feel like going for a jog or a nice long walk when they're feeling sick to their stomach, and it happens to be 100 degrees out. Even the coolest parts of the day were often miserably hot -- especially while feeling ill. And, major food aversion and the smell induced nausea kept me from cooking on many a day. Some days I just tried to soldier through and cook anyway. Sometimes I had success, and sometimes I ended up in bed or so sick that I didn't want what I cooked. Now, it is this nasty cold keeping me from much activity. I asked the doctor at my last appointment if I can still ease back into exercise at this point in the pregnancy. She said "absolutely!" So, that gives me some hope that I may not be in too horrible of a state come time for delivery and recovery. The baby continues to grow, though, and the belly right along with it, so I'm sure that I will have to get a little more creative with exercise as I get further along. Is there anything specific that you moms out there did/do for exercise while pregnant? Fitness DVD's, plain walks, toning exercises that still work while pregnant?

So, I am still trying to figure out what "healthy" looks like during this pregnancy. Some days it feels more like it's just damage control -- trying to still make smart food choices while eating out or getting take-out because I couldn't handle cooking. Some days it feels like baby steps towards more activity in my day. Some days, it is just scheduling a doctors appointment, and trying to get well enough to eat, sleep, and be up and about again. Never yet has it been as simple as I hoped pre-pregnancy. And, yet again, this has been another life-lesson in letting go for me. Maybe that is why the Proverb sticks out to me, "Many are the plans of a mans heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." (19:21) Something I have to remember often in life. The Lord's purposes always prevail. So, even in the hardest or crummiest of situations, His purposes are prevailing. Even when things don't go as we hoped, planned, or expected -- which, let's face it -- is often much of life, the Lord's purposes are prevailing. That is something to take great delight and comfort in.