Love.

My sister-in-law's parents sent Naomi some shirts from Mongolia. If I were any sort of seamstress, I would make her ten. Thick and warm and pretty darn cute.

Or maybe we just need to take a field trip to Mongolia. :).

Have a lovely weekend!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone...hence the sub-par picture quality

Buzz. Slap.

I'm walking through the waiting room at my doctor's office.

A guy is sitting there with his wife/girlfriend/sister/etc. who is pregnant.

He gestures towards my stomach and chuckles.

Guy: "Looks like you've been stung by a bee, too!"

My mind clicks down the list of possible responses to his attempt at humor:

1) Give a courteous smile and continue walking. Quickly.

2) Freak him out by crying and running for the door. He just called me fat, right?

3) Give a clever response.

Me, putting my hands on my burgeoning stomach:

"Yes, sir! And it must have been a BIG BEE!"

You roll with the punches, right?

Have a lovely day.

Drawing a Blank.

As I laid in bed this morning, the thought crossed my mind that perhaps I should pack my hospital bag soon. At some point. I mean, I don't think baby girl is coming too soon, but a little preparedness is never a bad thing.

Oddly enough, as I was racking my brain, trying to think of the appropriate items to bring, my mind kept drawing a blank. I remember meticulously packing our overnight bag before Cub was born ... but I'm not sure what was in it. Naomi's birth was planned and I'm sure we were stocked and ready to go ... but y'all, I'm not even kidding, besides socks and chapstick, I'm having a hard time coming up with those little things that I'm supposed to remember having done this twice before.

What were the necessities that you packed for the hospital? Were there other things that weren't as obvious that you're glad you brought? I know once I sit down and make my list it will all come back to me, but for now, my post-holiday fog coupled with my dense pregnancy brain is making it difficult for me to come up with anything!

Have a lovely day, friends.

Flippin' Sweet!

It's safe to say my perspective at the end of this week is a little more upbeat than what I experienced last week.

The stomach bug laid me flat for four days and finally, on Tuesday, I was able to hold food down and function somewhat normally. It was miserable, but y'all, let me tell you, there's nothing like illness to make you appreciate health. At the end of it, I found myself tolerating the normal pains and groans and strains of third trimester pregnancy with much more grace. A few contractions, sore hips, and pressure are easy to manage when compared to experiencing those things AND the symptoms of a stomach bug. God knows that it's hard to have a bad attitude when one has a grateful heart. And I am so grateful for health ... SO grateful for health, that the negative thoughts and feelings I was having have paled in comparison. Don't get me wrong--the thought of three little ones is still a bit overwhelming, but I am enormously grateful that He has given me a healthy and, all things considered, an uneventful pregnancy. I needed that reminder.

That being said, I think all of the throwing up may have paid off. While I was heaving (sorry for all the throwing up talk), I felt like I was on the brink of breaking a rib. I almost screamed in pain. Throwing up has never been that painful for me, but now I think I know why it was. At my appointment yesterday, we found out that Lydia, who has been breech since 30 weeks, has FLIPPED! And I'll bet you anything that baby flipped while I was throwing up. I've heard of that happening, and it's the only way I can explain the pain I was feeling (it was horrible). Isn't that crazy?

So now here I am, a day away from 36 weeks. I'm dilated to a 2, but I'm guessing that is just the result of Lydia flipping--surely that shook things up a bit! I am not effaced at all and I feel great, so I think baby girl still has a while before she makes her appearance. She already weighs six pounds and the doctor thinks I won't make it to my due date, but we'll see. We all know we girls are tricky. :)

There you have it!

Have a lovely day, a lovely weekend, and a VERY Merry Christmas!