I'm still alive!

But still no internet. At the moment I'm borrowing a neighbor's signal. Ours should get connected sometime this week though!
I'm still very much enjoying work, so far. The hours are reasonable, and the load is such that I can work and come home with a little energy left (I've finally hit 2nd trimester, so I'm sure that helps as well! But work was draining me long before I was pregnant).
Josh and I are looking for a church. No luck so far, so we'll keep trying! That was actually the thing that Josh selected as his thing that he was least looking forward to about moving. Me too. We aren't naturally social butterflies or very extroverted, and we're a little spoiled in that we just came from a really good church situation. However, it's only been 2 weeks, so I'm not giving up yet! We are at least getting some ideas of what we do/don't like and what we can/can't compromise on. We've made the mistake of "settling" in a church before, and don't want to do that again, so it will just take however long it takes.
I have had some disappointment recently in my interactions with some fellow believers, however. It makes me sad, and I'm not 100% sure how to deal with some of the comments. They all have related to the baby and our choices surrounding the baby. Some were solicited, some were not.
One category of comments, if you will, has arisen from my decision to birth in a hospital setting here. I have good reasons (I feel) for doing so, but you should hear some of the things I have heard as a response to that! Mostly they have come from people who don't know me well or at all as I have attempted to get a word of mouth referral to a doctor who will be natural birth friendly.
"Don't you know that you are immediately increasing your risk of a C section by at least 50% just by choosing to walk in the doors of a hospital?"
"I would think that if you really loved your baby and trusted God enough, you would do whatever you have to do (read: have it at home) to keep anything bad from happening."
"I just know that all the hospital birth stories I have heard were horrible, and all the home birth stories were amazing."
The second category of people is the one that finds out that my current plan is to go back to work after having the baby.
"Haven't you read all the verses about being a keeper of the home? Don't you know that it's better for you to raise the baby?"
"You really shouldn't have a child if you are planning to put your career first."
"Do you understand that having a child is not the same as having a pet?"
And my favorite. The Look. The one that means all of the above and more, but the person giving it has some social inhibitions against actually saying these things or something similar.
Now, obviously these are the worst of the worst comments. But I have had similar responses (just worded more nicely) from quite a few people.
I promise you, friends, I am not choosing a hospital birth because I want to harm my child. I'm not itching to have major abdominal surgery. I don't think that I love my child any less because I am planning a hospital birth.
Likewise, I am not going back to work because I don't want the responsibility of caring for my child. In fact, my preference would be to stay home. But we are not currently in a situation where that would be possible/wise. I think/hope I have fewer stars in my eyes about children and childcare than many people do with their first child. I understand that it is a lot of work. I fully expect to live in a land of exhaustion, where I work hard to earn money, then come home to pour out all that I have left and more for my husband and child(ren). I intend to do the all night thing just like everyone else. No, this isn't the way I imagined it would be when I was a naive little girl fantasizing about what life might look like. But it is the way that it turned out. Is it just the way life shakes out? Is it a result of my own and/or other people's sin? Perhaps a sign that we/I do not trust God enough? Would, indeed, my faith be bigger if I just quit my job with no other means of income in sight? Would God honor that by providing, or would it be the height of stupidity? He does call us to be wise, but also to trust...
I don't know. I just know that right now, this is our situation. If God opens a way for me to stay home, then I will gladly take it. For now, however, I am going to work 40 hours/week after my maternity leave and Josh/my Mom will tag team for baby care during that time. When I come home, I expect to be doing the majority of childcare so Josh can study (he's hoping to go back to school).
Anyway, that's where my conflicted thoughts have been lately! If any of you (especially the moms who I'm sure have heard input you may or may not have wanted along the way) have thoughts of how to respond/deal with these kind of comments, I am all ears! For now, I'm trying to believe and trust that there is more than one good way to raise a child, and that God will guide us and give us what we need when we need it.