a TON of bricks

Things are going well here. I have 24 week photos, but they have not been loaded on the computer yet. We are SLOWLY making progress toward getting ready for Baby Girl.

• Last Saturday we started cleaning out Baby Girl's room. Since moving into the house a little over 2 years ago, this had become our junk room. Don't know what to do with something? Put it in the front room. People are coming over and we need to quickly clean off the dining room table (which collects all sorts of stuff)? Put it in the front room. Too lazy to take this or that downstairs where it belongs? Put it in the front room. You would not believe what all was in that room. It is almost emptied and ready for its makeover (even though we don't know what exactly that will entail and don't have any furniture ready to move into the room). We moved some things to a new home within our home and took many things to Goodwill. It felt good to at least get started on that project.
• Even though I already had a pretty good list going of names I like, several weeks ago I went through the HUGE baby name book and marked all the girl names I liked. Last night, I finally wrote out a list to narrow down the choices. I figured this would facilitate a nice discussion between Matthew and me of names. As I was making the list, I came across several names and wondered what in the world caused me to mark those names. Yikes! Maybe I was quite tired while marking the names. I definitely have a favorite name that has been picked out for a LONG time. Now I just have to convince Matthew that it is the best name choice.

That's it! So that's not much progress I guess. But we're working on it!

Back to the subject of this post...

I am guessing that I have always wanted to have children and imagined myself as being a mom one day. Matthew says I started talking about babies almost immediately after we got married. There is probably more truth to that statement than I care to admit. I really enjoyed babysitting when I was a teenager and have always liked kids.

A couple of weeks ago as I sat in Sunday school and watched a mother with her month old baby, I came to the realization that I have not spent much time around newborn babies and really have no idea what to do with one. I am far too composed to admit that I started to freak out (but in truth that is what happened). I started for the first time to feel completely unprepared for Baby Girl. I am still so excited to meet her, but now I am starting to think about all the things I have no idea about. I hope that every mom-to-be comes to this place at some point and that I am not entirely on my own in this.

I have since done a lot of praying, talking to Matthew, reading, looking through the classes offered by the hospital, and settled down a bit. I realize that I could not possibly know all there is to know before this precious gift is delivered. And I think with the classes I hope to take at the hospital, I will be reassured about caring for Baby Girl and learn many of things I am currently clueless about.

Whew! "They" aren't kidding when they say this pregnancy thing is an emotional roller coaster!