The Countdown begins!

We are having a BABY in eight weeks!!! Planning for the newest member of our family has finally come front and center after a whirlwind four months, which included our move from Peoria to Nashville, buying and selling a house, getting settled in a new place, and all the excitement and travel of the Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are so excited!

And focused too. It's wild to think that two weeks from now in my last pregnancy, I was in full-scale preterm labor with Madeline before I was placed on bedrest. So while we don't expect any hiccups, we're still being thoughtful that we may not have the full eight weeks of prep time that we expect with a March 4th due date. Our discussions about baby names have become more frequent and realistic. Just in the last two days, I've started my hospital packing list, pre-registered with Labor and Delivery at the hospital, bought newborn diapers and onesies, and I've been brushing up on the fuzzy bringing-home-baby details in books (it feels like a lifetime ago already). Thankfully, I'm feeling great and haven't slowed down much yet (with the exception of a pesky nerve in my back that can bring me to my knees...which is actually pretty funny when it happens).

More than anything, we feel our giddy excitement growing. Today I spent a minute looking at Madeline's newborn pictures -- when her little legs were folded up like a frog's and we simply gazed at each other for hours. It was sweet and even romantic to look at pictures of ourselves and our families, teary-eyed as we all passed her around for the first time. We can't wait to find out if our little one is a boy or a girl. Most of all, I know the love I already feel for this unborn thing that's kicking my bladder and punching my ribs will explode and grow exponentially just like it has with Miss Madeline! We are excited for her to have a brother or sister!

In honor of this new chapter of our lives that will be starting so soon, stay tuned for a updated blog title (and heck, since it's a new year, it will have a new look too)! But Madeline, if you're reading this years from now, the Adventures of Madeline May and her Dog Maple are not ending, sweetheart. They're only getting started!!! I love you, Little Girl!