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.