in preparation...

a girl needs darling little comforts in her arsenal in effort to offset

all the sterility and discomfort.

yep, this sweet little ruffle-trim velour number is coming with me to the hospital.

perhaps i'm crazy, thinking of fashionable things when i think labor & delivery.

but it comes natural.

and looking good makes us all feel a little better.

(yes, i'm in denial.)

that is all.

GET A GOOD LOOK NOW
Because it's all beautifully organized thanks to a weekend with my Tampa BFF, Steph who's a major virgo (she claims this explains her stellar organizational skills). Something tells me that upon Liam's arrival it won't look like this anymore. Heck. Before Liam's arrival, even. The German & I are organizationally flawed. Anyway, we washed and dried a thousand little things. Things we both were a bit perplexed by. (What is this for? How is this different from that?) Things I found so adorable and wondered what they'd look like post-spit up and projectile poop. We stocked up the fun little Ikea shelf above the diaper changing table with all the little "goodies" I was told I couldn't live with out. Moms out there, please take extra time staring at that photo and let me know if you see it's missing anything vital.
We made sure we sought out saline solution, even though we both had no idea what orifice it was to go in (I think I do now, though—up the nose? Salt water!? Ouch!)
It's going to be so weird, a few months from now, when all of this is second nature. When the mystery shrouding babies and parenthood goes away... Can you believe I have little toy cars in my house? I can't. The shades... well, that's another story. L needs A LOT MORE of those to keep up with his mommy in sunny South Florida!

hello 36 weeks.
i see you.
i'm scared of you.
you are screwing with my little bony feet.
(not looking so bony, more balloony, GROSS)
and holy hell are you wrecking continuous havoc on my hands too! the usually simple act of just brushing my teeth hurts my hands, heck it sends pain up through my wrist too. seriously. WTH.
(read about it, temporary carpel tunnel, no joke.)
otherwise, the fear stems from the fact that, well, i'm about to have a kid. i confessed to my hair stylist last night that it's quite possible i still don't believe it. and i damn sure can't picture it.
or, picture HIM rather. little L.
boat loads of WOW...

his side of the equation.

thus far, as i've been growing this child and experiencing all the hiccups related to that, the german's roll has revolved around putting stuff together, carrying heavy stuff upstairs to L's room, installing a myriad of things, oh & putting up with my ever-changing hormones.
but all that is about to change. big time.
once little L gets here, we'll both be thrown into parenthood head first, and a plethora of new rolls will suddenly be tossed upon us. last night i read a blog post by joanna goddard that truly struck a chord where a man's roll in baby raising is concerned. her husband, alex "guest blogged" his 8 confessions of being a new dad. the second i finished reading the post i hit "share" & sent it to the german. i hope it sheds a little light for him on what he can expect in the coming months. and that no matter how hard it is, there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. the post helped me in that way as well. i have so much love for those that share about their experiences in all aspects of life honestly and candidly. candy coating is for candy, people. be raw and real. anyway, check out joanna's blog and her hubby's post right now, ok? thanks.

um. this is weird.

there's a car seat in my car. "they say" 35 weeks is the time to install it (& I'll be 36 weeks on Friday), so the german did. so now, i glance back whilst driving and freak out a little every time. this is real and happening soon.

my latest super fun little gripes

just for you...

#1 area just below my sternum is my sudden enemy: BLOODY OUCH. What the HELL. At 1st it was my right rib cage, which was annoying and occasionally a little painful, but in the last couple days the issue has moved left, just slightly and is tender and on the verge of brutal. Hadn't heard about this one. Why do i get all the weird symptoms? (remember those incessant nose bleeds?)

#2 i think i just threw up in my mouth a little bit: Yeah, gross. Super gross. And again, something new & out of the blue. Going on about my day and BAM!, it happens. I needn't go into any kind of detail. It is what it is. And I don't dig it, at all.

#3 (& probably related to #2) BURNING SURGING FIERY heartburn: OK, so this could be my fault to some degree. I dig acidic food big time. Spices, tomatoes, onions, garlic, citrus, etc. etc. And suddenly, my fun little body is telling me it hates it and punishing me for having such. Mild food is blah though. Seems I'm going to need to stick with it for a bit and see if it helps. I have had heartburn once or twice earlier on but not on the regular like I am now. Grrrr.

#4 Asleep hands: Yep, another odd one. And happening more often than not, I wake up in the middle of the night and/or in the morning with hands that are TOTALLY asleep. And kind of throbbing. And I'm aware of said throbbing IN my sleep as I am having reoccurring dreams that my hands have swelled up like balloons. Anyone else ever experience this madness? Fun fun fun.

Well then... I believe that covers it for now (Except yeah, am still hitting the loo 1,000,000 times a day AND NIGHT). Or, am so ridiculously tired I can no longer think of the others. Yeah yeah, I'm going to be all the more tired when he gets here. BUT, he'll BE HERE, and I'll be able to sleep on my damned stomach when I actually can steal away for a bit of sleep. Tomorrow marks 35 weeks. Unbelievable really, and I must close in saying, on the whole, this ride hasn't been nearly as bad as I imagined it could be. Let's please alllllll start hoping the same for D-day. Thank you!

gallery as nursery.
so my turn the nursery into an art gallery idea, featuring those i know already love liam and those i know he too will love has become perhaps, one of the BEST ideas i've ever ever had. and kids, i'm an idea factory, no joke.

but, give creative people a theme and a loose color scheme and prepare to be amazed. i'm in love, utter and total, with every single handcrafted piece i've received.
this past weekend i finally got my own mom's creation. completed by her just a couple short months ago, it will forever be my utmost favorite of them all. she crafted it with the most love am positive, but also amidst battling ALS. familiarize yourself with ALS and know, this wasn't the easiest of tasks. and yet it's adorable, unique, amazing.
thank you mom, i love you!
so so much.
and again, thank you to the rest of you that have made Liam's room one-of-kind, and those that continue to work on projects for it. you guys own my heart. and will own his too.

i think this is what you were all waiting for...
*POP*

i'll be 35 weeks on friday. yep, home stretchhhhhhhh. what were you doing in preparation at 35 weeks? do tell...
OH, so last night i wandered in to the future L's little room & found myself gliding away in the plush baby blue glider. for a long time. dozing almost. my dog lily on the bear rug/pillow/blanket thing on the floor beside me. and i thought to myself, this is awesome. i could sleep here. and something tells me i'm going to. weird.

hmmm. well.
i searched through a vast sea of father's day cards for the one little father to be card they had. wrote a heartfelt and utterly fab message within, gave it to the german on sunday with love. watched him open it. watched him read it. then watched him stare, for some time, at the card's cover. felt happy. he generally doesn't take THIS much time with cards. then...
"there are penises all OVER this card." he finally said aloud.
i was stunned. had no bloody idea what he meant.
i did not see this comment coming.
then he held the card out to me, "see! on the bottle, on the teddy bear..."
i stared long and hard, trying to decipher what he meant.
"oh, those! those are safety pins!" i said through tears, laughter and very little conviction.
eeek. they did look ridiculously phallic.
oh well, there's always next year, when he really IS a dad.

grrr monday.

just a wee little post about getting your wee one clean based on an article i caught in my inbox this a.m. found this helpful. something that might come oh so natural to some,

is daunting to others. i love how this is broken down. how a supply list is provided etc.

how to bathe a newborn via "what to expect".

Happy Father's Day.

I spent Father's Day weekend in central Florida with my parents and the future father that is the German. Not only do I know that the German will be an amazing father to little L, I want to recognize him as an awesome son-in-law for taking me to be with my mom and dad, for preparing comforting meals for them, for helping dad lift and move my dear mom wherever she needed lifted and moved.

The German is going to be one of the most hands-on dads out there. He has has waited patiently for many, MANY years for this opportunity to be a parent. Bearing with me every time I said "not quite ready yet" or "let's go on one more trip", "ok, one more trip". Liam, you're a lucky kid, hope you come to realize that quite soon.

I also want to shout out my own father. In his father's day card I told him that one way a man can be an amazing dad is by taking painstaking care of his children's mother. That is what he's doing, day in, day out. And I know it's hard, albeit, an absolute labor of love. Thank you for all that you do, dad! You inspire us all.

YOU MEAN I'M NOT GOING TO BE PREGNANT FOREVER?
In light of the fact that the German and I are both green as green can be in the baby department, we signed up for some classes. And, the night of our 1st one was finally upon us.
We anxiously awaited class beginning, Infant Care class, to be specific. Sitting amongst nine other 1st time parents, all seeming equally clueless as to what to expect class wise and well, life wise, in just a few short weeks. The teacher arrived with a "bag full of babies" wanting us each to have one of our own to "practice" with. Plus a cr@p load of papers and brochures and guides. A video about infant massage was playing on the screen before us. I couldn't help but look around and scrutinize the bumps of others. Or the facial expressions and body language of all the future dads in the room. Was just dying to know if they got dragged there or were so freaked by the pending child they'd soon have that they felt desperate to attend. The teacher went around the room asking each of us "Due date? Boy or girl?" The room was equally split. Five boys, five girls. And we all had June/July due dates. She half joked that we might be seeing each other again come D-day. This thought kind of (read: totally) wigged me out, reiterated how real and imminent this all is.
So, we watched a movie and periodically the nurse/teacher would stop the movie and discuss it, then have us play with our dolls for a bit.
We practiced soothing our dolls.
On the video they talked about how babies will cry and cry and the different ways we as parents can attempt to soothe them. One way NOT to do such was by shaking the baby. I got caught jokingly shaking my doll by the teacher. Some things never change. Instead, we're supposed to feed them, change them, rock them, walk them, shhhh them(shhhhing them is essentially filling the airwaves with white noise, it should begin loud, then lessen in volume until the baby is quite and soothed). got it. oh, but none of this may work. so, in that case, if we feel ourselves on the verge of shaking the baby, we should put them in their crib, shut the door and walk away for a few minutes. The teacher then had us practice rocking and gently bouncing our dolls, wow did we look like a bunch of weirdos.
We practiced swaddling our dolls.
While there is new research out on swaddling and how it can hinder a baby's development (particularly when their arms are tucked in, straight jacket style), we still learned to do this, as people have swaddled their babies for thousands of years and it has proven to make a baby feel safe and secure. The German swaddled his baby with arms out. I practiced both ways. The German's swaddling techniques were tighter and more precise than my own. No big surprise here.
We practiced changing our doll's diaper.
OH HOW FUN. Damn, I would change 8 million doll diapers if that meant I didn't have to change a real one. Particularly a newborn real one, as their stool goes through all these gag-inducing changes in the 1st several days and weeks. This is going to SUCK. Judge away, I hate it. I don't know anyone who particularly loves changing a poopy diaper, but some of us gag less and feel faint less than others. I being of the latter group. The german, lucky duck, being of the former. I learned to make sure that L's "pee pee" is facing south for certain, when closing up his fresh new diaper. Otherwise, when he next pees, it will be upward and out, onto his shirt or onesie. Awesome. I also learned to try and wipe away as much of the mustardy green gunk present in a poopy diaper away with the used diaper at hand 1st, then use wipes. As this is conservative where waste is concerned.
We practiced taking our doll's temperature AND sucking spit up and snot out of it's nose with one of those turkey baster type things.
We were told we should check the baby's temperature orally or beneath their armpit if orally isn't working, as rectally is dangerous and has been known to hurt the baby if the parent goes in too far. Good Lord. As for the "turkey baster"... When a baby is spitting up, these are to be used to help them get it all out. And best used by inserting to the side of the baby's mouth with the goal of not startling the baby. Should you startle the baby, the baby can suck back his/her spit up and choke (the horror, for real). These turkey basters are also good for sucking spit up or snot from the baby's nose.
To be continued...maybe.

Ready.
Set.
Go.
Rewind your mind to the last time you were hospital bound to pop out a kid. You arrive @ labor & delivery, then let out a little #@%! because you forgot to bring/wish you brought ____________ in your hospital bag.
I've seen lists upon lists of what one SHOULD pack but I want to know what you DIDN'T pack & truly wish you had. As you fill me in via comments below, I will update this post itself with a list I'm going to use to get own little bag packed. For a girl who loves traveling, have always sucked at packing. But something tells me I'm going to want to get THIS right. In the mean time, like the psychic "What to Expect" is, I got this link in my email box. Why not review this list too & tell me which things on you feel are superfluous? Thanks, loveys! Have at it.

Labor Gear

• Pen and pad, for taking notes, or the What to Expect Pregnancy Organizer
• Your birth plan (several copies, so all staff, on all shifts, can get one)
• Stopwatch to time contractions
• Massage oils or lotions
• Your favorite pillow
• If you have long hair, a clip or scrunchie to keep it out of your face
• Sugarless candies or lollipops to keep your mouth moist
• A tennis ball or plastic rolling pin — both make excellent backrub tools — or an actual massager
• Snacks for during labor (your own snacks will be limited, and must be approved by your practitioner; your partner should pack sandwiches and nutritious nibbles so he doesn't have to leave your side to find something to eat)
• Diversions for a long labor: music, puzzles, magazines, books, a deck of cards, laptop, handheld electronic games
• Any mementos you'll want with you, such as family photos
• Your Who to Call list, and a prepaid phone card or calling card (be forewarned: Most hospitals don't allow cell phones)
• Camera and/or video camera — even if you don't want to capture your labor and delivery experience, you'll definitely want to capture your baby on film, and someone in the room will be happy to take your first family portrait
• A small basket of goodies for the staff to give along with the birth plan

Personal Items

• A baby care book, like What to Expect the First Year (if you want to lug it and think you'll have a chance to look at it)
• A baby book for recording everything (ditto)
• Toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouthwash
• Hairbrush and comb
• All your essential toiletry items (don't forget moisturizer)
• Extra absorbent maxi-pads (the hospital will provide some, but you might want to use the brand you're most comfortable with)
• Snacks for after delivery — don't count on the hospital or birthing center to provide them in the middle of the night
• Champagne or sparkling cider to celebrate with
• Shower gel, face wash, shampoo, conditioner, makeup, and whatever else it takes to make you feel human again after delivery

Clothes

• Extra pairs of underwear suitable for wearing with maxi-pads (no thongs, in other words) and a nursing bra
• Nightgown or pj's, socks, and slippers
• Comfortable outfit to head home in (remember you'll still look six months pregnant, so plan accordingly)
• Going-home outfit for baby (don't forget socks or booties and a receiving blanket, plus extra layers if it's cold). Bring along a few diapers, although the hospital will probably provide them.

Other Essentials

• Rear-facing infant car seat. This won't go in the suitcase with you, of course, but when it comes time to take your newborn home, your partner should know how to find it quickly and install it correctly. Better still, install it in advance so you're ready to roll (after you're both checked out by the hospital staff).

NON STRESS TEST, REALLY?
No. Joke. Hospitals blow. Am in one now, having an NST. I'm sitting here in a triage room, well sort of sitting, kind of half sitting/half lying, which, kids, feels like hell, my back hates me. Two bands are strapped to my stomach with little plastic disks on them that are pressing into my skin. A tight band was around my right upper arm, I presume to check my blood pressure. And here I thought I was here to have an ultrasound, to check on little Liam's growth. For an ultrasound, I've found, I'll endure most anything. But, am not having an ultrasound, the nurse has just informed me. Grrr.

Currently the room is silent with the exception of L's heartbeat, which, WOW, fluctuates a lot—from 138ish to 165ish, Kind of nuts. Nurse isn't super friendly, or maybe she's just a little rough around the edges, which might not be the best quality in a nurse. She says to me, 'wow you ARE tiny.' Uh, thanks? Someone is next to me behind a curtain, she sounds exhausted. I can't see her. The nurse just said 'be back in a few minutes' and bolted out. I just heard a baby crying. Wonder if it was just born. Am guessing yes? Because the cry sounded wet. Wet like fluid in the lungs. I'm such a novice. Holy cow.

Not sure why they call this a non stress test. Hospitals alone amp up my stress level. Just stepping into one. BAM, like that, stressed. Guess it doesn't do such to L's, but now she has me eating graham crackers and downing a liter of ice water to get him moving. He isn't super interested. He's a night owl and evidently, quite stubborn (hello, that makes him my twin on both accounts). How LONG am I going to sit here? Am incredibly bored. I hate putty colored walls. I hate ugly curtains. I hate silence. "Focus on the heartbeat, Sarah. It's not silent." I tell myself. I watch the jagged red line being made as slow as molasses across a piece of paper that is feeding on the the floor. Hmm, how sanitary.

The German comes in and sees my graham crackers. He loves graham crackers. He starts eating them. The nurse walks back in. "I'm eating my kids crackers." He tells her. She looks at him like he has three heads and says that's OK.

"Well your baby's fine, just have to get the paper work together and then you can go."

20 minutes later... I sign and we get the holy heck out of there. Well, after signing up for Infant CPR, Infant Care and YAY!, Breast feeding classes.

I should add that while signing up we encounter a woman in a wheel chair that is pregnant with identical triplets. The German tells her she's going to need three boobs. I die inside, simultaneously choking back shock-related laughter and tears of embarrassment. In one week I get to go back and repeat the whole affair. Jealous?

Yeah, I know you are.

PURE ENERGY
so two nights ago i thought he ripped his own umbilical cord out. had to be like 3AM and suddenly i'm awake and @#$!ing. the german didn't stir. the dog did. she thinks i'm nuts, am certain.
not quite sure WHAT THE HELL he's doing in there but it's energetic and forceful. the silver lining to today's hospital visit is, perhaps i'll get to see! will report on their findings this evening.

Be(ad) Near Me

Remember how, at my 2nd baby shower, I collected charms and beads from my sparkling faves to create a necklace I could wear on D-day to feel like all my dearest were there with me? I called it the "I'm scared, come with me" project. Well. In the thick of my 2nd cold of this pregnancy, it dawned on me, like a jolt of lightning, how to combine all the fab pieces I'd acquired into one killer strand. I used a super durable and stretchy clear .7 mm cord and supplemented all the charms and pendants with semiprecious

stone beads. Voila!

it's love.

And it's coming with me.

Eeeeek, in like 6+ weeks.

<--- which best describes you?

see, on the not quite a parent yet side of the equation, it drives me a little bit nuts to see all of my beautiful friends' faces replaced by equally beautiful (but NOT THEIRS) baby & kid faces. i -think- i get it, like the instant a baby's born. or the occasional photo of your child when they've accomplished something monumental. but 24/7, no more you? that's kinda weird. i noticed it most the other day when i saw a facebook post notifying me that a friend of mine was now friends with 'jane doe and five other people'. five out of six of her new friends were under the age of one?really?! i think i'm going to be in that 29%, photos of both me AND my little L together. i guess we shall see, but hmmm, i do miss my dear friends' faces...

Womb for Rent

As i sit here this Saturday morning watching (he can make my laptop quite literally bounce on my lap) and feeeeeeeeeling Liam shift and flip and dance about inside me, it begs an interesting question. What WILL it be like to have my insides vacated? Am i going to miss this? Does a person even have a second to think of missing it? Is that why some find themselves in depression post-birth? Because right now I'm looking so very forward to it. But like so many things in life, once something is behind you, you find yourself looking back and missing it... Thoughts?

So—yesterday I went to my regular OB/GYN for my regular check up. However, I brought up my recent visit with the "you're 35" specialist. And the fact that he made note that little L seemed a little little. Not alarmingly so but enough so that he wanted to see me again. But, was going on holiday to Greece... the envy. Anyway, my regular OB/GYN has decided she wants me to head over to the hospital at which I'll deliver to have L checked out on their equipment that she doesn't have. So... I'm off to the bloody hospital this Tuesday for testing. She says not to be alarmed. Or worried. That it's just a precaution and that aren't I kind of glad he's not a gigantic baby in light of the German's size. Hmm. I hate hospitals. But a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do for a baby L.

happy friday.
am daydreaming & doodling.
dying for a fast forward button.
and yet, also a pause...

WEIGH IN please.
five-day old baby
on a beach walk.
pink did it.
thoughts?
YEAH YOU
let me know what you think.

d@mn good thing a wee one is itty bitty

for a bit at least

little liam's room is getting crowded. surprise surprise. absolutely NOTHING i'm in charge of adorning/appointing/populating is capable of not being stuffed to the max.

am a hunter & gatherer by nature, loveys.

hopefully once the kiddo is here we'll quickly realize what can be shed to make access to the absolute necessities a little less less like an obstacle course. per usual, wish me luck.

gotta say though, that plush ultra-pale blue glider feels like a lovely little cloud. good thing. considering what i have to do in it at all ungodly hours of the night. ;-)

i should have a sign on the door of one of the bathroom stalls at work, a dressing room style sign. i live in there. the moment i've washed my hands and exited i'm thinking, gosh, i could probably go again. THIS. IS. RIDICULOUS. baby L, you torture my bladder. still love ya!

also:

sunlovey

dear L, thank you for being a straight up energy zapper. love, the girl you've taken over entirely <---tweet from earlier today

yep, i'm in the b!tch my @$$ off phase... something tells me (or shall i say SOME OF YOU have essentially told me) this phase is going to last months and months in different forms. aren't you excited?!

;-)

i did go for a seriously awesome beach walk this evening. probably a couple miles. a brisk pace. a ton of fresh air. the soothing sound of the sea to cheer me along. usually liam is quite still on said beach walks, tonight i think he was trying to stand up and walk too? ha.

life is crazy.

am a total sucker for cuteness.
saw these little nonskid rugs in the "cheapy" bins at target & simply had to have. the german didn't love me getting them, but truly, $5 for both? that's less than a lunch out. he informed me that it would be a lonnnnng time before liam would "use" them. i told him i didn't care. so glad i stuck to my guns. they make me happy when i peek into the guest bath...

QUESTION:

if i force myself to lie down more often, say, during non-sleep/daylight hours, will little liam's acrobatics and dance-a-thons go down in frequency during true sleep hours? weigh in won't ya? i've searched this subject & come out fruitless.

last night i got up (actually early this a.m., about 3:40 to be exact), per usual, to hit the loo. and upon returning to bed, L decided, as he did when i 1st went to bed, that it was show time. AGAIN. & for a good, long while. lurching and lunging. shimmying and swaying. this resulted in me waking up fully, as opposed to dreamily drifting back to sleep, as i sometimes manage to do. and that's when the dark demons that lurk in my mind awoke from their slumber too, unfortunately. thus, i watched the sun come up. and it wasn't one of those beautiful photo-worthy sun rises. instead it was dreadfully @#$!-inducing. i was going to have to face an already dreaded & abhorred monday with a whopping 3 1/2 hours of sleep. i didn't just wake up on the wrong side of the bed, i stayed awake on it, which is far worse.

insomnia is a b!tch. and people that know it super well truly dread anything that might trigger it. getting up to pee is definitely a trigger, but a rave 'til dawn baby on top of it, wow, that's some serious icing on the not so tasty cake.

i did read that right around now the little guy should be at his activity peak. shortly, as he experiences the growth spurt that prepares him for birth, he won't have room.

anyway, the photo above was taken shortly before i lied down for what i thought might be an OK night sleep. wish me luck tonight...

I CAME FROM OUTERSPACE
If I hadn't reached my german-imposed buying clothes for baby L pre-baby L's birth limit, I'd be snatching this cute little bodysuit right up. Adorable, no?
It's by Pluto & on zulily.com today.

this is no joke.
A friend of a friend shared this hospital packing list with me.
Am currently mesmerized in massive ways by the organizational/planning skills of this list's creator. She is having a pool birth at the hospital so there ARE a couple things of that nature that aren't applicable to everyone. But a poster for the door!? Well that's dire. Hmmm, I'm kind of not joking. Had to look up "pretty pushers". And WOW, that's snazzy. Thought this list would be helpful to others like me who were born without any organizational/planning skills whatsoever.
(If it's fuzzy/blurry to you, just click on it and it should get bigger and more clear.)

No world, I do not suddenly have tourrettes syndrome.
I'm sporadically uttering exasperated $#@%'s here & there as my insides are being bullied by a very small being. I -know- I look crazy, sound crazy. But if YOU only knew. And again, friends with kids, you never ever accurately described what was going on in there as you grew your little ones. "Oh! He/she's kicking!" doesn't quite cut it. Leave it to my former coworker, Carrie, though, she fully divulged that her son was annihilating her rib cage 'til the very end. I sent her a text last night letting her know that I was and AM being tortured in the same way. It's pretty amazing. Laying flat on my back for 20 minutes or so is too, perhaps more so. No joke, it's like an alien is in there, watching my stomach stretch and roll and take new forms. Utterly insane.

In other news... being a fashion hoarder has def. paid off these last 32 weeks. i've purchased two pairs of maternity shorts and one pair of maternity jeans. the rest, i've found in my very own closet (or purchased as i stumbled upon a fab find, per usual). Flowy tunics, A-line dresses, stretchy knits and leggings have reigned supreme through this entire pregnancy. That's not to say i won't be buying moo moos at Walgreens and Publix here very soon. ;-)

The home stretch is full of tons of "fun things". Including fear. Truly can't wait to meet the cause of all this chaos...

the landscape is changing.
it's quite the surreal sensation when i find myself getting excited that they've torn down the old "play park" in my neighborhood & replaced it with this bright, cheery, primary colored one. i have visions of putting little L in his jogging stroller, enjoying the tree shaded 1/2 mile walking path to get to this fun spot, then snapping fab photos of him against such great colors.
the future's so bright...

I KNOW 2 PUPS in for a SHOCK
i happen to know a pair of pups on the brink of a major rude awakening. there have been foreshadowing signs for each of them, but it's pretty safe to say foreshadowing is lost on your average dog.

lily has found herself plopped down into baby L's crib on numerous occasions. i'm quite certain she finds it comfortable and spacious but isn't fond of the fact that there is no exit.

additionally, the german decided to practice using a Velcro-closure swaddling wrap on lily two nights ago. this entailed her back legs being tucked into the pouch at the bottom and her front legs being wrapped and velcro-ed at the top. she let out a piercing warning of her hatred for this straight jacket-like contraption. worry not, she was not harmed, just pissed.

then there's maggie, our second maltese's most recent baby L-related experience. i just had an ultrasound this week, revealing little Liam's current position. the ultrasound revealed that L's head was to the right, just above my pelvic bone, his butt, all the way to the left near my waist and lastly his feet, all the way to the right, wedged into my rib area. like a "C". the german grabbed maggie last night, flipped her upside down and positioned her exactly as I've described, against himself, "so this is how liam is right now?" he asked. maggie had NO idea what the heck was happening. each of these two scenarios provided moi with much laughter. am i a bad mom already? ;-D

these two fluffy white girls have been the center of the universe for 10+ years. suddenly, their world is changing, just as much as ours. and i'm afraid that they have no idea what exactly is about to hit them. am certain of one thing though, there will be tales upon tales to come as liam meets and gets to know his two big (little) four-legged sisters.