All the things.

After going a month without writing, at a time when there's lots to say, how does one begin?  It's been such a whirlwind since returning from our two-weeks on the road at Christmas/New Years.  For remembering sake, I am going to write what we've been up to, and hope not to bore you along the way.

Enjoying a delicious dinner at Prejean's exactly 3 years after hosting our rehearsal dinner there. 

In the notable department, we briefly celebrated our 3-anniversary with a trip to the restaurant where we had our rehearsal dinner, had maternity pictures taken, and was treated to a shower by family and friends.  Alex came with me for an overnight work trip to Camp the second weekend in January, and each weekend since has been spent kicking ass (aka working like crazy) as we great ready for the little one to arrive.  We've accomplished so much, I want to include a list for memory's sake:

• cleaned out and organized all our closets and storage areas
• donated items to Goodwill, dropped several boxes worth of paper stuff in the recycling bins
• bought 20 baby items (0-12 months) for $25 at Goodwill
• sold items to Amazon, Declutter, and SellBackYourBook
• had furniture moved in all rooms of our house
• sorted shower gifts and set up basics for baby room/our room
• ordered bedding (via Etsy) for the crib we have on loan
• brewed a fresh batch of homemade laundry detergent
• prepared 12 gallons of freezer meals (pretty sure this one almost sent me into labor at 36 weeks)
• ordered/installed two car seat bases and (assembled) the coordinating stroller, had installation checked by a local Trooper
• had carpets/wood floors professionally cleaned
• vacuumed/dusted/cleaned the house...more than once
• renewed Sam's Club membership
• made an errand trip or two (Walmart, Dollar General, Babies r Us, Ulta, Lowe's, etc)
• attended breastfeeding (2 hours on a Tuesday night) and childbirth class (2.5 hours on a Thursday night), and the first ever local Theology on Tap (!)
• toured the hospital where we will deliver
• researched and selected a pediatrician

...that's all in the last three weeks and in addition to keeping up with the weekly grocery shopping and dishes/laundry piles, while trying to get out and walk around the neighborhood at least a few times a week (weather, depending, of course).  And as home ownership goes, we also had to replace our toilet seat, as well as the fill pump on our toilet, and discovered we need a new roof ASAP thanks to an obvious leak stain on the ceiling in our living room.  I'm just exhausted thinking about this list!

Anybody wanna buy some Jodi Picoult books?  Facebook is apparently uninterested, lol.  

At least we shouldn't go hungry.

It's a start. 

At work, I've been preparing what feels like three months worth of lesson plans (if I were a school teacher, that is).  A college student will be filling in for me part time while I'm out, so I have assembled a month by month list of everything that needs to be done, including deadlines and checklists, with as much details as I can possibly anticipate with memory on overload at this point.  There are reports to be submitted and just some things that she cannot do, so I am ferociously working to have those ready before I'm out, while training her on where things are located and how things work in the 10-15ish hours a week she is working now.  Not to mention, this girl works two other jobs (one of which is actually with Alex as her boss on campus, lol), so coordinating with a full time class schedule and three jobs can be just a wee big complicated!

So if you've been wondering why I'm absent, maybe now you understand... :)

I guess now that the big things are checked off, my mind is still working in overdrive but my body can't keep up (and thankfully there isn't much essential left to handle).  We do still need to pack our hospital bags (MUST happen this weekend!), attend a newborn basics class this week, and I never have gotten around to researching day care options in the area...oops.  (Consciously/subconsciously I'm hoping I won't need to make that decision and thus it keeps getting put off.)

In any case, I really miss this here blog and I hope I can get back to posting more regularly.  At some point, I want to share our maternity photos and talk a little about the shower too.  Stephanie encouraged me to prepare a lineup of guest posts for when baby comes, but it has yet to be seen whether I'll manage to be that put-together before the little one arrives. I mean, technically, he or she could arrive any day now... AH!

If we make it to Mardi Gras without a baby...I will need more of this...and Blue Bell ice cream.

This is really happening, isn't it?
-Lauren

P.S.  I know for some this type of post can be uncomfortable, difficult, or just plain painful.  Please know that we recognize this and pray for those of you who may struggle with infertility (any variation thereof) and/or infant loss.  Our hearts go out to families affected by these struggles each and every day.