waiting

this is hazel, at the galleria play area today. it was a lot emptier than usual. probably because people are afraid to drive outside in dallas if the ground is wet and it's cold outside. seriously, it's ridiculous.

i am 38 weeks pregnant today. i remember feeling exactly the way i do today, at 38 weeks with hazel. excited and anxious to have a new baby in your arms. and even though you know it's probably at most a week or two away, you fill each moment of every day with activities to do. and more things you can dream up of "getting done" so that you'll be completely "ready" when the baby comes, because if you don't... if you sit down to rest... then you start to think. and when you start to think, you start to wish you could go into labor right that second. you start to get hopeful. and you think a week is a very short time but for a woman who is 38 weeks pregnant, a week can feel like an eternity! 

i have done the false labor thing for a week now, and a week is more than enough. baby girl, i'm so impatient over here. so hurry up and get ready to be with us already! 

happy full-term!

well, i am officially full-term today.  when i woke up this morning and realized i was 37 weeks, a feeling of impending doom hit me.  this is really happening!  was all i could think.  and also, i'm not even close to ready.  besides having a sick, stubborn, naughty toddler the past week, which has made me both terrified to bring a newborn into the house and also put me behind in all my cleaning/baby prep, i also realized that my hospital bag isn't packed, the infant carseat isn't in the car, i don't have any hand sanitizer at the ready in our house.... and so forth.  

i looked around the house this morning and thought, if i went into labor right now, i wouldn't even be close to ready.  now of course, if this baby is on the same timeline as hazel was, then i still have two weeks to get ready.  but, just like the boy scouts, i like to be prepared.

so after i got home from my ob appointment, i cleaned the house pretty furiously.  i attempted to pack my hospital bag, and then we had a glorious toddler eating battle at dinner over german pancakes and sent a hungry toddler to bed, and i just cried and cried.

things are getting crazy over here.

and just when i had hit my limit for the evening, a good friend who is due on the same day texted me, "happy full term to you!" and i just had to smile.  

despite the craziness that has hijacked my brain the past couple of weeks (and will probably set up shop until i have this baby in my arms, lets be honest), i know that it will all be worth it.  looking at our announcement on this blog, simple as it was, of hazel's birth has reminded me of that.

now that i'm a mother...

now that i'm a mother...

i wish every establishment- even the grocery store- had a drive-through window

injuries and gross things are now owies and kuh-kuhs, even when i'm talking to john

shaving my legs is a grand luxury

lipstick is always a good idea. (because even if you didn't shower and you're still wearing pajamas, it looks like you tried, right?)

exhaustion has a new meaning

i almost always regret spending extra time making dinner (because if it's something special, most likely the toddler won't eat it)

i'm singing disney and nursery songs around the house pretty constantly

eating is an all-day affair

being a mother is one of the most challenging, physically&emotionally exhausting, wonderful things. i've been thinking about how lucky i am lately. i spend my days growing a baby (which is hard work, by the way) and chasing after a toddler (probably even harder work). but i get to spend my entire day with my girl. she is mine, and i am hers. and i am so blessed for that connection that we will have forever. 

survival mode.

the last few days, i have really felt like i was in survival mode. hazel is sick and cranky and teething (and let's face it, almost 2!) and i have been STARVING pretty much all day long, and tired and sore. these last few weeks of pregnancy are going to be different than they were the first time around i can tell. mainly because i am chasing a toddler around!

but, there have been some things that have kept me going through all the craziness that is me when i am 35 weeks pregnant: 

chicken gyros

watching tangled on repeat with hazel

dry shampoo

red lipstick

sitting at the playground on a sunny day while hazel plays

having the perfect excuse to eat lots and lots of ice cream

feeling baby kicks that get stronger every day

talking with random moms of two around town that are excited for you, and also, clearly surviving

little projects to be completed around the house

sonic diet cokes with blue coconut and lime

oh how we love the weekend.

this weekend was pretty great. john watched hazel on friday so i could go out for a much-needed girls night. briana and i got burgers and pinkberry and talked about girly things. which is something you just sometimes need, you know? 

saturday we ran errands, fed the missionaries, and watched a movie.

then we had some friends over for the superbowl. mostly because it's a good excuse to eat wings and appetizers as a full meal. 

some photos of life lately....

go ahead and make yourself comfortable, hazel.

at the zoo last week, when it reached 80 degrees one day. is it really january? 

frisbee golfing with dadda

we take coloring very seriously these days.