This week has been a major reminder of my own humanity, and especially the realities of being a pregnant human.

I joyfully and thankfully hit the third trimester this week (WHAT?), and as I’ve mentioned before, I’m feeling really amazed at how easy this pregnancy has been. Aside from one scare near the beginning, I have felt great and have truly loved being pregnant. I joke that I think I’ll be one of those women who goes into labor and then bursts into tears because I don’t want it to be over!

But oh, the third trimester. Almost overnight, I stopped being able to do the things I’m used to. Rolling over in my sleep, for example. Putting on socks without grunting and bending over awkwardly. Working out the way I’ve always done it. I love my workouts, which often involve jumping squats, jumping lunges, and various other high-intensity exercises. My doctor said these are totally fine as long as I feel good doing them. Well, I no longer feel good doing them.

I take a lot of pride (not always the good kind) in working out and being physically strong, and it’s an idol I need to let go of, because for very good and important reasons this part of my routine needs to take a backseat. There are plenty of safe and low-impact exercises I can do, and I need to learn to be satisfied with these and grateful for the ability to work out at all. In a broader sense, I need to stop pushing myself past my limits and acknowledge my inability to do it all. (Perfect timing, given my post from earlier this week.)

I need to ask for help, keep saying no, and take more time than I think I need to rest.

Humanity, friends. It’s not easy or pretty, but I’m grateful for the ways my humanity keeps me in check.

Here are some other gratitude gems from this week.

Cultivating Gratitude

Relaxed time with our out-of-town family at the cottage this weekend. It’s always such a treat to see Rob, Laurie, and baby Lila!

Quiet evenings. Our Xbox broke a couple of weeks ago, which means limited Netflix in the Bergman home right now. (I can only watch so many shows on the laptop before I go crazy.) It was frustrating at first, but it has opened up so much freedom and time to have lingering conversations, take Riley to the dog park at night, and just enjoy a slower pace. Maybe I don’t want the Xbox back.

A job that offers the flexibility to work from home once in a while. A day of productivity in my pajamas was just what I needed this week.

The blogging communities I connect with each day. The people in these groups are so supportive, helpful, and genuine. I had no idea how much I’d come to love and share with other bloggers.

Sharing Love

As I get ready to actually birth this little human, I’m starting to think about my hospital visitors “policy.” Thanks to Lindsay for these empowering and encouraging tips!

Dan and I are not overly emotive people, especially not when it comes to arguing, and I think it’s because we learned to do these six things early on in our dating relationship.

When I saw the headline for this post—How to Stop Being a People Pleaser—all the flags and sirens and flashing lights went off in my head, saying BRITTANY, READ THIS. My biggest fear behind saying no is that I believe the other person’s world will end if I do, which is almost never true.

Wednesday was National Dog Day, and I’m already so happy about the ways Riley has changed me. I agreed with so many of Erin’s sentiments about how her dog has changed her life.