So….I’ve been sick for a while now. Sick as a dog, and sometimes so sick at night that I cry wondering how I’m going to get up and face it all again the next day.

My oh-so-sweet husband is always there to comfort me, but nonetheless I still find it hard to get up and go sometimes on those very sick mornings. I go to work, sometimes switching from one job to another in one day, head to school, and drive myself crazy worrying about midterms and finals and research papers. And making sure I get enough “balanced” food into my diet so my baby grows healthy and strong in this ever-growing belly of mine. Maybe that doesn’t seem like much, but to me, whilst I go about my daily activities, all the while thinking about where the nearest exit is in case I get sick, it’s quite overwhelming. And let me tell you, being a former bulimic and having the perma-flu is NOT easy. SO, I get overwhelmed easily. The house cleaning has gone out the window, along with the dinner cooking, which left along with the grocery shopping and plant watering. When I get home, I plop down, try to squeeze in some homework, and try to remember to lie on my left side . So, as you can imagine, searching for hours for doctors, midwives, and researching practices and statistics was a little hard to do, although very important for my healthy baby.

And then last week my sister came into town. She’s 2 years younger than me, was married before me, and had her first baby before I did. I really look up to her and often find myself wondering what she would do if she were in my shoes.

Among her talents are an eye for creative design, a knack for baby-naming, and being bossy. All of these talents were very much beneficial to me during her trip. While she was in town, I learned a thing or two from her---Again. She got straight to work when she was here, helping me with homework, looking at baby names from a gazillion websites, making lists of needed baby supplies, setting up everything I would need to have my baby. Even called and made a doctor’s appointment for me. I was overwhelmed before I realized why I shouldn’t be.

I didn’t have to do this ALL of this…… by myself. I had help. And I NEED help. I kept telling myself I was strong and I could do it, and I’d HAVE to do it, because after all, I’m going to be a mom soon and I needed to be able to take on responsibilities that seem overwhelming. But then I let my sister be bossy, and I let her make an appointment, and pick out my insurance, and write down all the ins and outs of being a mom and finding discounts on baby supplies, and help me find baby names.

And I realized I’m not alone and never will be. My family, my God, and my friends are always there, always willing to be bossy and helping me get on track to where I need to be.