Grandma Oh No

Two nights ago, I got my first “negative” reaction to breaking the news to a friend I work with. Of all the things I expected her to say, it definitely wasn’t her, “Oh no oooo!” And now she’s officially won the title, “Grandma Oh No” so I can never cease explaining this name to our curious grandchildren, and hopefully keep up my forever tease of her. Nana Aba, you know no logical defence will save you from this situation, right? I can’t stop laughing. Here’s to the beginning of immortalisation. 

So aside Grandma Oh No’s reaction, every reaction so far has been pleasant, supportive and/or excited. I understand some may not be genuine and others may come with the unpleasant realisation that I won’t be around to do the work they know me for when I’m off to deliver Ariosua (yhup, we still don’t know the baby’s sex yet). I also understand not every expectant mother has had the privilege I’ve had with positive reactions, including false negatives like Nana Aba’s. So I am definitely enjoying the reactions either way, and thankful for them too. 

But the reaction I enjoy the most is my own. I’ve come to realise that if you’ve waited for and worked for something you want badly, any wait is still “too long”. I still remember my own reaction when I finally had my first positive pregnancy test this life has ever offered me. Or when it was Mother’s Day this year and I could beam with secret pride that I too could be counted amongst women who bear a child. Or my triumphant “Happy Father’s Day” to Ariel later on without the guilt of stealing from the category of men who were being celebrated that day. Yes, any wait is “too long” no matter how short it is. 

Ariosua has been an answer to prayer, literally. And many who’ve heard the news from me may also have heard me say, “My family and I are really happy. We’ve been looking forward to this for so long and it’s such a joyous time for us”. And truly it is! I’m having a baaayyybeeee!! 

As I reflect on my reactions to this, especially the ones that plaster a smile on my face, Mary, mother of Jesus, also comes to mind. Surely her circumstance was different, but one thing the gospels keep noting about her, “And Mary pondered all these things in her heart” Now see me, pondering these, and truly thankful that I could be favoured in this way. It’s nice to share such brief moments with a figure known so well from the Scriptures. A pondering in my heart… 

Ariosua, I hope one day you and your siblings grow up to read this. And remember that, it’s truly lovely to have others celebrate with you but it is perhaps the most euphoric thing in the world is when you can genuinely and personally celebrate God for all that He is doing for you, no matter what it is.

7:22am 

Pregnancy Diaries || Friday, 6th August, 2021 || 22 weeks, 3 days

Your Body, Your Baby

This is Your body. This is Your baby. Please show me what to do. 

I found myself saying these words today as I lay in bed deciding to wake up or sleep some more. I’d been up really late finishing a task that was overdue and needed to be addressed before I totally run out of any more time this week. By the time it was bedtime I knew I’d miss the opening session of a key training I’d join other facilitators at work to lead this week and the week after. The opening session was mandatory for all facilitators. All. 

Priorities seem to guide me by the hour. I promised myself I’d be kind to me. We’ve waited for Ariosua’s arrival for what seems like so long that I wasn’t going to be the one to mess it up. Ariosua isn’t his/her name yet, I love to do that for unborn children of people I know, combine the names of their parents so our little one is Ariosua until further notice. 

With all the changes that be, no wonder I’m guided by the hour. I promised to be kind to me but also be responsible about it. I won’t just vanish, or not show up, but I won’t ignore the consequences of my actions either. 

Most times I’m sure, other days I’m confident enough to wing it and stick by it. This morning I honestly had to pray, “This is Your body, this is Your baby. Show me what to do.” Because sometimes the simple decision to sleep in a few more minutes or wake up and start an already late day is like God’s intervention! Really it is! 

I mentioned to a friend, Delight, that I salute our mothers. They survived, thrived in, lost in, loved in, grew in pregnancy without the Internet. Only folk tales and hearsay and gut feel and the scientific evidence they had access to but they had all of us and the ones they lost along the way. I salute our parents, our mums and dads. To me, they possibly prayed even more than I did or perhaps less with the information they had, “This is Your baby, this is Your body. Show me the way.” 

I got up when I realised my exhausted body had not woken up for the night’s pee, my risks of UTIs and its potential harm to Ariosua. So I got up to pee even though my brain could confirm that I could enjoy another hour’s sleep without issues. And that was it. I was up. Exhausted but up. 

Now I have very little time to complete my pending work even with all the time I’ve gained by missing the opening session at work. And even less time (probably no time) if I take our 6-month-old puppy to the vet because she’s been sick for a while and I don’t want to wait to the weekend to “see” if she’d live or not. 

And so the prayer continues… “This is Your body, Your baby, Your puppy, the job You’ve blessed me with and want me to be a good steward of… Show me what to do.”

And the list may keep growing. Isn’t it a deep and amazing joy that our Father in Heaven hears us, listens so carefully to us, even with prayers we know we need but doesn’t always make sense? Because more than an answer to prayer, we need Him. Him. And He gives so much of Himself to us even before we ask, let alone when we do. 

This is Your body, Your baby, Your puppy, the job You’ve blessed me with, the time You’ve given me to live, Your life, Your words on my fingertips, Your worship, Your day that You created, Your chosen destiny for me to take hold of, Your love for me, O God… Please show me what to do. 

9:13am

Pregnancy Diaries || Tuesday, 13th July, 2021 || 19 weeks, 0 days

The Night Before

On the eve of our departure from Kumasi I really want to capture my thoughts and emotions. 

Grateful… Totally grateful… 

It’s been a beautiful ride. Almost 4 months living with my parents again and it’s been a beautiful stay. 

I’d like to thank my Mum and Dad for being such wonderful hosts to me. My doctor, for ensuring I needed nothing. Ariel, for being such a wonderful partner to me especially with Naa Ameley. O-squared, all three shopping we did together, it was a joy being next door to you and my niece. A and BK, maternity dorm mates unlike no other. Auntie S, for supporting when I was weak. Fidelis, for all our important trips together. 

It has been an amazing ride. 

I arrived with a belly that wouldn’t show, hands that wouldn’t work properly from intense pain and proceeded to nights that wouldn’t rest, weight gain and a belly pop that was impressive considering the circumstances, sleepless nights and afternoon naps to keep me working from home. Not forgetting my lost voice by 2pm each day in what would become my last week of work. The academic bond formed with Amanda and the witness of almost 5 internal dramas that happened around me… 

A beautiful baby shower, sick leave that relieved me, Naa Ameley’s surprise arrival, Ariel’s arrival and his many trips to and from Accra for our sake. And today, well yesterday since it’s just past midnight as I type this, my Mum’s birthday at a significant age as we crown the end of birthday season: hers preceded by Auntie S, preceded by the double wedding anniversary, preceded by O, preceded by Baby Jesus, preceded by Daddy, not forgetting a few cousins home and abroad. 

Yes, grateful.

I count my blessings, naming them one by one. Naa Ameley, your birth and early days in Kumasi were incredibly eventful and extremely blessed… yes, our Kumasi days were blessed. 

Looking forward to you settling in Accra/Tema, our Ganyobi Naa Ameley… I definitely can’t wait! 

12:13am 

1st Baby Diaries || Sunday, 23rd January, 2022 || 1 calendar month, 29 days

Controlled Breathing

Controlled breathing! What a Godsend! 

Yesterday, I listened to a lady answer a question about Christian meditation and not getting involved in occultism. She mentioned she was aware that some meditative positions in yoga paid homage to other gods but she also personally benefited from meditation where she focused on her breathing. She even recommended a Christian guided meditation leader she knew of.

Weird intro to a pregnancy diary but waaaait for it! 

After suffering from painful bloating for days, I’d had enough. I’d spent the afternoon reading about a tonne of home remedies, one of them being: “just relax”. Then I remembered a friend of mine, Eyram, mentioning how breathing techniques were really useful to her during labour. 

Surely! This pain wasn’t labour but it was still terrible! I looked up labour breathing and discovered Lamaze breathing. 

Nothing scary in the write up that ran through a simple, but not fully conclusive guide for Lamaze breathing. I gave it a try and whoooooaaahhhh!!! Am I still amazed at the results! 

So it didn’t eliminate the bloating itself but after a few runs for some minutes, I instantly felt the relief of no pain. Mahhhnnn am I still happy. 🥳🥳

The joys of motherhood include victories like these. Our little Ariosua has been letting me know s/he’s there with all her/his movement, sometimes making painful bloats even more unbearable. And now thanks to something as simple as breathing, those bad pregnancy days just got a tad easier on me. Doesn’t that make us glad? 

5:02pm

- Pregnancy Diaries || Sunday, 11th July, 2021 || 18 weeks, 5 days

Aversions

Aversions. It’s a real beast. 

I feel any “negative” pregnancy symptom that isn’t experienced is a blessing. One that I’m blessed to realise the blessing of its absence because I actually experience it is this: aversions. 

Currently, I’m hidden away in my room because of it. And it’s weird how something as simple as boiled plain rice can make me head to the hills. Such a common Ghanaian staple, and it sends me to my room like a stubborn 8 year old 😂😂 Let me not start listing the others before I have to head to the…. 

And some wonder why I haven’t stepped foot in or anywhere near our work canteen. Hmmmm… it’s going to be you and me, Oats-from-a-mug, for lunches at work for quite a while if these aversions don’t get significantly better soon. 

Whilst some aversions can be avoided, others need to be borne long enough to prevent me from graduating to a cookie toss. So I’ve developed a breathing-through-my-mouth technique that helps me survive a few minutes of whatever aversion it is without drama. Often enough time to use the washroom and hide again if “love” is in the air 😅

Before pregnancy, I can hand-on-heart say I underestimated the power of aversions and their psychological impact. Imagine! Now a billboard showcasing a picture of freshly boiled rice can put me off totally… and now even as I envision this my mouth starts to build a good flow of “water”. I need to calm my thoughts before this escalates any further to running to the washroom. 🤦🏾‍♀️

Amazing how our bodies work. Even more amazing with the joys of carrying a child. My aversions have peaked and dipped over many weeks and the sheer variety of it all is amazing. Some have remained a constant from the early weeks. Others seem to join the club later. Whilst others I can only test the waters to actually see if I’d react badly or not. 

Test and learn. Another thing almost guaranteed on this incredible but definitely beautiful journey, aversions or not. 

8:32pm 

- Pregnancy Diaries || Tuesday, 6th July, 2021 || 18 weeks, 0 days

Rumours

Today I got caught up in a very interesting situation at work. 

A colleague had heard something about me that two senior management were discussing in my absence and had told me she would tell me. For days, I thought about it and concluded I didn’t want to hear it, I didn’t want to know. If the senior management wanted to spread anything but slander, they would find a way to eventually address it with me. And if it was mere slander, then I wasn’t interested. 

Something my Dad told me. “I don’t listen to their hearsay about me. Everyone has rumours about them but I don’t pay attention to mine...” It seemed my Dad wanted to tell me he focussed on what he needed to get done, and spent his energy on what he had been told directly “… but I don’t waste time on rumours, I don’t care.” He chose not to care, and now, I also choose same. 

Hey! I could be absolutely wrong, and absolutely regret not finding out what was said. But I’m willing to try it. To trust God more than the rumours. Not play ostrich, no. But to look up to God instead of the rumours. Ask God to keep defining me instead of the careless or malicious words of others. And I’m happy to be in the position to start this now. Not only with my first pregnancy but in the active positions of loving work friendships where I can be honest about my stand and have that stand respected. 

Pregnancy has taught me to trust God. Let go of being in control and just live by the hour. Enjoying energy when it comes and look forward to just a little more energy when it’s gone. I have learnt to forgive myself and just do my best within my circumstance. I’ve learnt not to blame anything or anyone but just bask in the now, thanking God for the now, counting my blessings instead of sulking about lost strength. 

These are attributes I never really thought I had, and I really hope wouldn’t go away with my first pregnancy. And I hope this approach at work won’t go with this pregnancy either. I plan to try it out for the next few years, stick to it and make it my mantra too. And if it sticks, that’d be heavenly. And if it doesn’t, well I was willing to try a strengthening of my faith over my own force battling against the force of others. Letting go and letting God truly take control. Allowing truth that is stronger than death itself to prevail without claiming it needs my help, without claiming it’s weak without me. Who am I when God is in control and the utmost Defender of truth? Who am I but His precious daughter Who He won’t allow to live unchecked at the right time? His precious daughter in whom He’d prefer she look up to Him than look around at slander. I’d have nothing but lessons in the next few years if it fails, but more than just confidence in God and in myself if it doesn’t. 

A humbling of some sorts, a relinquishing of rights for my absolute trust in God, a choice to choose Joy over and over again because He loves me so. An epiphany during my pregnancy I’d prefer not to let go. 

7:29am

- Pregnancy Diaries || Monday, 28th June, 2021 || 16 weeks, 6 days

Bloating

 Bloating… 

So initially I thought nausea, vomiting and general loss of appetite would be the only thing that would prevent me from eating something… guess what… bloating is its own beast and champion. 

Today, I ordered Starbite beef burger. I was starving at 3pm after my sparse meals all day, I knew more bananas wouldn’t save me. 

And suddenly, I wanted Starbite beef meat pie, then the Starbite burger, and as I placed my order on phone, I wanted the Starbite apple crumble as well. I’d have ordered a raspberry and yoghurt muffin in addition but they had run out at the Tema branch. I waited for my feast to be delivered and realised I was going to pay hard for this. 

Halfway through my burger, I knew I had to stop eating. I didn’t and finished it off but then I couldn’t get myself to consume the delicious fries. Hm… the crumble and pie made its way to the fridge. 

Craving stuff at your fingertips that you can’t eat out of sheer sensibilities is torture! One of the reasons I look forward to sleep tonight, just to end the cravings and usher me into a tomorrow that gives me a fresh opportunity to finally eat my currently chilling treasures. 

This thing called bloating…

I only have a slight baby bump now, nothing massive, quite unnoticeable under fairly loose clothing. But funny enough, it’s my bloated tummy that makes me “look pregnant”. From day one, it’s looked bigger and “moved forward” way more than my lower abdomen like a bulging muffin top. I’m sure my baby bump may have been noticeable a little earlier if my constantly bloated upper belly didn’t hide it. 

My diet’s changed a lot too. Pepper could make me throw up just from too much bloat. Oil isn’t my friend. Powdered and Evaporated Milk are pretty good enemies to me now. And I can’t have oranges after 12noon any more. I’ll speak to aversions another day but my bloaters pretty much cancel out most of our Ghanaian meals, and pretty much slay 80% of my cravings on the altar of “don’t touch me”. My darling kontomire abomu died at that altar too… I still mourn my loss driven by its pepper, rich groundnut paste and palm oil… boi! 

So here I am, 22:49, paying for my Starbite crime against my pregnancy. At least, it’s worth it and it’s pretty kind tonight. Unlike the coconut gari soakings I had that contained powdered milk. I could barely get a comfortable position to sleep in that night, and the following day my tummy was sore for hours!

Now my average intake each day consists of 2 bananas (it has to be the local variant - shorter, more tangy bananas), one orange (not the local ones, but the ones that are the colour orange evenly all round), 2 boiled eggs, a cup of oats, if I’m lucky I’d have almonds or cashews, and sometimes fruit and fibre with my oats. And that’s it! Juice may follow and of course, plenty of water. No wonder I’m losing weight. 

One of the things I won’t miss when pregnancy is over is this… the limited ability of a Foodie to simply eat at will, just because of the risk of intense bloating. Sigh. 

I miss being adventurous with food. Now I just have to be patient with myself and my body as she manufactures a whole new life in me…. Such a delightful thought to end with, a higher calling by all means. 

11:09pm

- Pregnancy Diaries || Wednesday, 23rd June, 2021 || 16 weeks, 1 day

Naps and Vaccines

Today I confirmed my decision to not get the COVID-19 vaccine jab at the office tomorrow.

Not because of the jab or our baby but because of the distance to work, the associated fatigue, and our online cake tasting show this weekend. 

It’s amazing how now I’m basing almost every decision on how tired I am or could feel afterwards. I never even imagined this should happen to a perfectly healthy person. Not that we don’t take decisions based on our energy levels, but to do so for every decision is amazing!

Lazy… that is what I would call it before feeling this way during pregnancy. Even the time I was on medications that made me drowsy, I’d still be prone to this thought. But now, the world can call it what it wants, even past me has the permission to call it what she wants. To me, it’s a survival skill, just having enough energy to get through the day’s priorities. 

Perhaps pregnancy for some teaches us to face our inadequacies not with shame and resentment but with responsibility and resilience. 

I am tired, I need a nap, I take a nap. I need to take a nap in a time that involves others, I respectfully excuse myself but not vanish without notice (as much as I can help it, which for me now, is all the time). Someone has an opinion about my nap, well they can have it, I’ll have my nap because I need it not because I want it. As much as I choose things based on my physical limitations, I also choose them to support my mental health. And sometimes that’s why informing others who need to know that I’m away for a bit contributes to it. I honestly may not care half as much or admit that I actually do care that much, but I’m also doing what I’m doing to ensure I’m in my best state when I return to them, if I return to them. And if I’m tired and don’t need a nap, I don’t take it. I just carry on, or take a short break, or put my feet up. Physical, Mental, Social and Spiritual health all matter to me now. Yes… spiritual… I don’t plan to break God’s laws in my self preservation which means if it comes to excusing myself for a nap, I do so in love and respectfully. 

It’s been an interesting day. But this pretty much sums up my motives today. Pregnancy has humbled me in beautiful ways I didn’t even imagine possible, even in the need for a nap or a vaccine jab. 

5:30pm

- Pregnancy Diaries || Thursday, 17th June, 2021 || 15 weeks, 2 days

Kind to Me

After all the running around yesterday coupled with the traffic jams, I’ve broken down. 

Lying on my bed knowing I may join all calls lying down, mentally scrubbing things off my to do list at work that don’t fit “Urgent and Important”. I know I have to go brush my teeth so I can eat but it’s feels like a feat. 

It’s 8:13am and I only seem to have the energy to get up and pee. Thankfully, I grabbed my breakfast things before Ariel begun his video calls. I’m exhausted. Just exhausted. 

But I’m also kind to me. Not feeling guilty, or refusing to feel guilty at any point. I put in extra hours to get Tuesday’s meeting through…. Working late on Friday and Monday till 1am the next day and 11:30pm respectively. Even without being pregnant that is tiring enough. 

Today is for baby and me. I shouldn’t get to the point of breaking down totally if I can help it. I still remember who’s number one now and it isn’t me. If it’s not urgent and important, God willing, we’d live to fight another day. Today I give myself permission to be and to breathe. 

8:27am

Pregnancy Diaries || Wednesday, 16th June, 2021 || 15 weeks, 1 day

Facial Expressions

7 weeks, 3 days.

That’s how old Naa Ameley is. And it seems like a lifetime already… well, to be fair, not quite because I remember a tonne of stuff and still feel a tonne of “periods” before she arrived. 

But it has been her lifetime with me. And o how grateful I am. 

I kept wondering what to write about at her iconic 7 week mark. From wisdom in partnering Ariel to raise her, to her experience with immunisations, to my sheer gratitude for us, to finding help when we relocate, to her recent growth spurt in week 6 and week 7, to sleepless nights, to relationships that are on the mend because Naa Ameley is here with all of us, to I don’t know? Quite a tonne of things, really.

I do want to capture this memory sooner than later though: her facial expressions! 

My word! Our child can make faces for the whole Ghana! 😂😂😂😂

And they are ever so entertaining. I wonder what she’s thinking when she makes those faces. I wonder if she’s thinking anything at all and if the thoughts would just match up with her expressions later in life. 

So far she’s mostly calm and quiet but with facial expressions than can change 6 times in 5 seconds. I kid you not! 

So being the amateur photographer that I am and the lover of memory lane, I’ve captured so many of them! I dare say I already have close to 400 shots of her facial expressions at different weeks of her life at this point. 

And what do I do with them, you may ask. Well… I make conversation with them and it’s so much fun. You may have already had a WhatsApp conversation with me responding with her shots and apt captions to go with them. 

For a long time I’ve been tempted to believe, and even now, I am quite convinced that when God weaved Naa Ameley together, He dropped this in as a beautiful gift to me. And I pray in all honesty, that some how, it becomes a beautiful gift to our world too. I’m not sure how but I still do pray that wherever these expressions may lead, however long they would last, they would point so many to Christ, and the wonder of His love. I’m not sure how God will choose to use them but I do pray that He would in the most beautiful ways ever. 

For me, they surely do point you God’s love. Yes, it’s been quite entertaining but it’s also been so more than just that. It’s been a reminder of how God knew He needed me to laugh in these times from something I could barely control or influence. It’s a reminder of how much He loves me, Ariel, our family, and our friends each time any of us sees her express all sorts of emotions on that beautiful face of hers. It’s a reminder that God cares for us deeply, and He even knows how to time conversations and opportunities where Naa Ameley’s shot would be shared so it makes someone’s day too. It’s such a beautiful reminder, and o how blessed I am to have this. 

Naa Ameley, I’m not sure how long this would last, how the reflexes in your face will largely be heartwarming, or where this would lead you, lead us. I’m not sure how God will choose to use them but I do pray He does so beautifully.

I’m not sure how but I still do pray…

10:48am

1st Baby Diaries || Sunday, 16th January, 2021 || 1 calendar month, 20 days

The Journey - Intro

The journey…

I lost my ability to hold and use a pen a few months ago due to a temporary pain in my wrists. Since then I’ve been contemplating what to share… when I should share… how much I should share. I even asked God but probably didn’t pay attention enough or He was silent for a while.

So eventually, I randomly asked someone, hoping to hear God speak through human lips as He sometimes does. Initially, I wasn’t quite convinced about the idea. But I remembered James 1:5-8, one of my favourite passages, and tonight I surely am.

Thank you, Kyerewaa for your kind words 🥰 and for being that someone that shared your honest thoughts with me. I’m so grateful you did.

So within my current limitation of the inability to write or sketch without pain, and with my current ability to still type and use many electronic devices without aid, I’d be sharing my next series with you: “The Journey….”

12 days of sharing selected sketches that were shot in the 12 months of the year. 12 moments of reflecting on how good God has been to this particular Enosua’s heArt ministry. 12 comparisons that hopefully reveal God’s heart in His provision of progress. 12 blessings counted in the hope of so many more…

I pray you are blessed by them; I’m so sure I would! I pray God speaks to you through them, as His word should.

Looking forward to these 12 days… eagerly… 

#TheJourney…

#AnEnosuasHeArtSeries

#EnosuasHeArt

The Journey — January

Take a moment with me

This was January

Each picture from the annals of history

Snapshots of The Journey…

The Journey — February

 

In the second month of the year 

Came sketches to us dear

Each picture from the annals of history

Snapshots in time, selections from The Journey…

The Journey — March

March came along 

With hopeful song 

Each picture from the annals of history

Snapshots in time, moments from The Journey…

The Journey — April

In April we were enabled 

To live lives as Christian faithfuls 

Each picture from the annals of history

Snapshots in time, moments from The Journey…

The Journey — May

Slowly came the months of May

Trusting God and all He’d say

Each picture from the annals of history

Snapshots in time, moments from The Journey…

The Journey — June

Day 6 of this 12-day series, a day for each month of the year. 

When I begun this series, “The Journey…”, a few weeks ago, I didn’t think for the life of me that I would be viewing all my shots so far. But O has it been a joy doing so!

Some shots that did not make the final pick for its year have still encouraged me in the moment, some even more relevant for me than when I sketched them that month in the year. Others have spoken to situations I know some friends and family were going through recently. Some I felt strongly to share randomly with others, with the faith that our God isn’t just random. Whilst some have just reminded me how far God has brought me considering the different circumstances in which I sketched each picture.

It’s been a refreshing journey — in light of my current circumstance that has prevented me from sketching — to be able to look back and see… See what the Lord has done, see how far we’ve come, see His blessings anew and receive a great deal of hope for the days ahead.

June is my birth month; Day 6 of the Journey for me serves as a reminder of the many milestones I have been privileged to enjoy in spite of my life’s circumstances. I’ve tasted and seen that the Lord is good and look forward to exciting my “palette” with so much more… all He has in store…

I hope somehow you are able to pause too… because truly, in spite of life’s pains, even within life’s hardest moments, we all in truest honesty and reverence to our King can hand-on-heart say, “The Lord has been good to me too”… Taste and see…

In the month of June we pause

Amazed at all He had in store

Each picture from the annals of history

Snapshots in time, moments from The Journey…

 

The Journey — July

 

July begun with the utmost security

In His Word, His promise with all humility 

Each picture from the annals of history

Snapshots in time, moments from The Journey…

The Journey — August

 

August reminded us of Christian growth

Maturity, suffering, appreciating both 

Each picture from the annals of history

Snapshots in time, moments from The Journey…

 

Patient Waiting

Even without a baby, we, as humans, tend to have random profound moments straight out of the mundane. 

I had such just a few minutes ago…

I heard her whimper in her bassinet about 3am. Having been the one who slept perhaps an hour or 3 earlier, my body shot up faster from sleep and I gathered her in my arms. I knew exactly what to do… feed her, burp her, lull her to sleep so we could all keep sleeping. “Easy.”

Suddenly, in that very moment, there was the need to pee. Having built a strong water-drinking habit from my pregnancy cum UTI-risk days, continued with the same habit post delivery to help with breastmilk production, and the sheer need to stay hydrated in this harmattan, it wasn’t weird that I needed to empty my bladder.

But then I had a baby inching towards screaming point in my arms. And knowing how hard it’s been to lull her to sleep after she’s crossed screaming point, I attended to her instead. Waking up an already-exhausted Ariel who had manned our “fort” a few hours before would have been too much trouble — and perhaps too late in trying to avoid screaming point. 

Surprisingly, we ended up having a no-fuss session that was completed in under 30mins! I mean! Fed? Burped? And asleep? That could qualify for a Christmas miracle! (Yes, I’m still counting the 12 days of Christmas on the Orthodox Christian calendar — it’s not over yet 😂)

As I washed my hands after I had laid her down and had finally emptied my full bladder, the profound thought came to me. The thought itself being even more simple than the events surrounding it but absolutely profound to me because of how simply it pieced itself into this moment:

• Wait a little, be patient in your wait and have the right attitude for your urgent priorities at that moment in time 
• Good will definitely come — don’t lose sight of delayed opportunities in your wait, but don’t get worked up about them, just keep working towards them 

I waited my turn to pee, I did the needful for Naa Ameley with the right attitude, eventually good did come to both situations and it definitely felt good. Imagine if I grumbled my way through it? Attitude is everything… 

I think these points are dear to me now as I think through what I can feasibly pursue during my maternity leave. They add up for me considering what I put on hold during pregnancy to help me relax better to carry Naa Ameley well. They definitely are profound to me as I make life choices that can affect my employment and how I make money off my other passions…

… and I hope somehow they are eye-opening to you too. Freeing you to prioritise pragmatically and wait patiently while you do so. Because in all honesty, only we have the power to kill our dreams, no one else does. 

Naa Ameley, I hope you grow up seeing your Mum pursue her various passions and be good at them eventually. I hope you keep seeing your Dad never give up and excel after every set back. I hope you’re inspired to chase your own dreams, making pragmatic decisions along the way as you #CommitNOTDreamSuicide… 

… I hope, I pray… our Naa Ameley….

4:13am

1st Baby Diaries || Tuesday, 4th January, 2022 || 1 calendar month, 10 days

The Journey — September

We let ourselves remember once more in September 

God’s rich compassion to us and to others through us 

Each picture from the annals of history

Snapshots in time, moments from The Journey…

The Journey — October

 

October, a month before the journey’s very beginning

Relying on God’s word for salvation and in suffering

Each picture from the annals of history

Snapshots in time, moments from The Journey…