Some catching up to do...

Hello!

Well .. my goodness ... it's been awhile since I've blogged. It's not that I've been short on material ... just short on, well, energy I suppose.

First things first -- we're still waiting on our new arrival.  So, that's not my excuse.  :) Although -- I have a feeling "pending baby" may get in the way of blogging for a little while, but we'll see.

As of today I'm 38 weeks and 5 days pregnant.  Almost 2 weeks longer than I was pregnant with my girls.

We had a little "test run" this past Sunday night into Monday .... when I contracted for over 12 hours.  They weren't crazy painful contractions, but were coming at a constant pace with little time in-between.

We headed to the hospital (per the OB's request) only to be sent back home.  Truthfully ... I was OK with that.  I wasn't "quite" ready to be done.  Sounds silly, I know.  But -- I guess because I wasn't expecting it ... I just really wanted some more quality time with my girls ... which I've been fortunate to have this week.  I wanted to tie up a few more loose ends ..... and just feel more "ready" ... whatever that means.

Due to the "test run" .... my dear, sweet mama changed her travel plans and is arriving a few days early.

She is set to arrive later today and we are VERY happy about it.

Gives me compete peace of mind, now, knowing that whenever the baby decides to arrive ... the girls will be beautifully taken care of -- and feel totally at ease.

When we had to scurry in to the hospital early Monday morning -- we had a sweet college (neighbor) girl stay with the girls.  I was anxious as all get out because she came over at 6am - before they were awake.

But - as they always do ... the girls surprised me with their calm demeanor when they woke up to a stranger.  I was so comforted when we came home to find them playing together and having so much fun.

It's no surprise ... the hubs is very, very ready and EXCITED to meet this new baby.  I am also giddy with excitement and anticipation .... but full well know when we return home with the new baby ... our current "babies" will likely look and feel more like teenagers.

I have no doubt all of our children will appreciate having each other.  I know ... coming from a family of 4 kids ... I have LOVED, LOVED ... having my siblings in my life.  I don't have any idea what I'd do without them.  So -- I'm holding that idea close to my heart ... knowing my emotions will be across the board when I see my "big girls" when we return home.

In other news .... we have less than 4 months remaining here in our "temporary" home.  Can you even believe that??? We are starting to really think about and make plans for our return "home".  Once the baby arrives ... we have no doubt time will disappear and in short order we'll be packing up to travel home.

It's simply AMAZING to me what has all transpired this past year for our family......

Above all .. we've most certainly been strengthened in size and in our relationships with one another.

Both are blessings we weren't anticipating ... but, so grateful to have experienced.

Regardless of some of the hardships .. I will look back on this time with a smile in my heart --

Who knew we could gain such beautiful gifts in the midst of our year away?

I'll check back in soon -- hopefully with some "pink or blue" news.

Stay tuned....!!

With love,
Cuz I'm the mama!