mmm cookies

Last night, I had an irresistable chocolate craving (come on, are you surprised?). And no chocolate in the house. So Chris made me chocolate chip cookies.

But, we don't exactly have the best oven. It doesn't cook cookies all the way. So this is what we ended up with:

Chris called them "Pug Cookies". 'Cause they're all wrinkly like a pug!

I laughed hysterically and then ate them with a fork. They were delicious.

May I Present:

Some of you may have thought this day would never come. I had doubts of it, myself. But, it is here.

I have found Baby Boy's going home outfit.

GASP!

I know, I know. You are not dreaming. And look how ahead of the game we are - a whole month before my due date! 8 long months of searching has paid off.

So do you want to see it?

Can't you just picture it? Ohmygosh I can't wait. I think we are officially ready.

I'm getting sleepy

Ladies and gentlemen, sleep has left the building. I'm afraid it will never come back. A few weeks ago, I thought to myself, "I can't wait to have this baby so I can finally get a good night's sleep!" But then I realized that after I have the baby, I will HAVE the baby... Newborns are not conducive to a good night's sleep!

Why no sleep, you ask? Well, let's see...maybe it's because of the whole peeing-every-freakin-two-hours situation. It seems that as soon as I get to sleep, I have to wake up again to trudge downstairs to pee! And then there's the wide variety of positions I can sleep in... on my right side, or on my left side! And just when I'm starting to drift off, Baby Boy decides to start stretching and grooving.

And of course, there's the unbelievable excitement. You remember back when you're eight years old and it's Christmas Eve and you've been waiting and waiting for Christmas morning for months and you're sooooo excited you can't sleep? Well, it's like that... except it's Christmas, birthday, and the last day of school all rolled into one - times a million. That's about how excited I am.

I guess I'll take the lack of sleep as practice for when Baby Boy comes... he's worth it! :)

Dear Baby,

Dear Baby,

Last night, your daddy and I fell asleep with our hands on my belly, feeling you kick and squirm. Someday soon, we'll fall asleep with your warm little body in between us. We can't wait!

Love,
Mama

I may be jinxing myself, but...

I am calm. I am at peace. I am feeling ready for this baby to come. I wasn't sure I would ever feel this way - me, the epic planner that I am, who also happens to be a perfectionist with very specific ideas of how things should be - I thought I would be frantically trying to make everything perfect right up till I was in desperate labor and Chris is dragging me to the hospital while I'm screaming "No, I can't go yet! The onesies are not organized by color!"

Are things perfect right now? Nope, not in the least. The crib is not set up (we aren't setting it up yet, since we'll be moving soon after the baby comes). We are still missing a dozen or so rather important baby things we still need to get (minor details like a thermometer, baby bathtub, DIAPERS).

But, we have safe places for Baby Boy to sleep (even though I know he'll be in someone's arms for most of the first weeks of his life!). We have clothes for him to wear (A LOT of clothes!). We have books to read and music to play. And of course, the most love two parents have ever had for a child.

Really, what else do you need?

My Biggest Baby Worry

Some of you may laugh at this. It may not be every new mother's worse fear. It is probably ridiculous to many of you. But it is a serious issue for me.

I have two dogs. The sweetest, most lovable and amazing dogs in the world. I love them almost as much as I love my husband and my family. They ARE my family. I spend the majority of every day with their warm furry bodies right next to me, no matter what I am doing. They are my babies, my best friends when I am alone.

But, I'm having a baby. And, obviously, the REAL baby is going to be taking front and center when he arrives. What's going to happen with my fur-babies? Above all, I don't want my dogs to feel sad, neglected, or left out when Baby Boy comes. The most advice I've received on the subject is along the extremely unhelpful lines of "When the baby comes, you'll realize that your dogs are just dogs!". Thanks. That's super helpful. But my dogs are NOT just dogs, they are close members of the family. I want so much to be able to give EVERYONE in our family enough attention and love. And my worst fear is that my poor pups will suffer.

So does anyone have any useful advice? Anyone gone through this who loves their dogs as much as I do? Anything would be much appreciated! Thanks for your help!

WHAT?! You're going NATURAL?!!!!!!

So we met with our doula yesterday afternoon to make a birth plan for when this little guy decides it's time to come out. What is a doula, you ask? She's there for extra support, whatever that may mean for each individual. For us, she's going to be extra support for Chris, who'll be my support. She has ideas for different labor positions and breathing techniques, massage techniques and aromatherapy - basically, her goal is to help us have the kind of labor we have in mind.

Which includes...dum dum DUM... a medicated-free birth. WHAT?!! you say? No epidural?!! Are you CRAZY?!!!!

Well yes, maybe a little bit.

Everyone seems to have an opinion about epidurals. I've received various advice from everyone including my midwife (who supports a natural birth) to women passing me on the street ("Get the epidural as soon as you walk in the door, honey!").

But the bottom line, of course, is what is best for us. What makes us most comfortable. Now, I am a self-proclaimed Wuss. A wuss with a capital W. I get a blister on my foot and I run crying to Chris to put a Band-Aid on it. I have NO pain tolerance whatsoever. So what makes me think that this is the best option?

For one, childbirth is a natural occurance. The pain is painful, of course, (duh) but it is a good pain. It's accomplishing something. Like when you have a really awesome workout and your muscles are so sore the next day that you can barely stand, but it feels good at the same time because you know how powerful your body is and what it is capable of doing. I plan on going into childbirth with this same mentality - not viewing the pain as a bad thing, something to be "fixed", but as a tool to feel powerful and prideful in what my body is doing: bringing our child into the world.

That said, I have promised Chris (who is not so eager about seeing me in unbearable pain) that above all else, I will be flexible. Our end goal, no matter how we get there, is to have a healthy Baby Boy. The rest of the journey is just that - a journey, not the destination. No matter how it happens, we are leaving the hospital with our tiny little boy, which is the most amazing thing in the world!