The final countdown

As long as everything goes according to plan, I've got about three weeks left until I have this next baby is born and I am feeling the time ticking away. I literally feel like I've got a clock above my head and I can hear it's tick-tock reminding me I'm running out of time. Don't you like the image I made? It looks like some cheesy image from The New Era or something. I used a photo Marisa took of me recently at a shoot.

Anyhow, so in order to feel some sort of control over the situation I've decided to compile a list of things I want to do before the baby comes.

1. Go camping in the camper -done! I'll post with some pictures about this trip in a couple days...
2. Go on a date every weekend until then. This is something I wished I had done before Peter was born because it's a few months at the very least before you can do it again.
3.Go to the temple. I won't lie saying it's been easy to get to the temple for the last little while. I've been pregnant and with a baby for a while now so I'm feeling the need to be there a lot more than I have been. And it's just gonna get worse again for a little while...
4. Finish the quilt I started last August! All I have left is a few rows to quilt and the binding. Sewing is hard enough with a ten month old at your feet let alone a newborn AND a one year old!
5. Take Mike to Paradise Bakery to try their Southwest Caesar Salad. It's really really good.
6. Clean and organize! It's time to pull out the boxes of baby clothes we JUST boxed up and to somehow find space to fit a fourth child into our little place.
7. Give my older boys some one on one time. When I had Peter my older boys, especially Elijah, got a real attitude with me. I didn't know why until I realized I was a pretty big bummer. I was constantly having to say no to his requests because I was down and out from the surgery and then there were baby naps. They're already getting frustrated with me because I can't or won't do as much - so I need to give them one last hoorah before the madness begins again.
8. Teach Elijah how to change a diaper. We've let him do it a few times as a novelty but I think I need to really get him able in this capacity now as a means of survival.
9. Write out a schedule of our day. I'm nervous for when my mom comes and when the boys go to my in-laws because three boys including a baby is a lot more complicated than two older kids. Especially since Elijah homeschools. So this schedule will include Elijah's homeschooling stuff, Peter's milk and nap schedule and just general guidelines on what they like to eat and when.
10. Get my game face on. I know that having a baby can really throw me for a hormone whirl. I can get crazy pretty easily so I'm hoping if I prepare myself for that by knowing what I'm getting into and having some tactics for dealing with the madness. And perhaps I might be able to glide over it a little more easily. Cross my fingers, eh?

So in the end, I am terrified and excited and overwhelmed all at the same time. I already love the little boy in my belly and can't wait to give his little cheeks kisses but there are times when I've got kids crawling all over me that I'm like, "How the HECK!?" A few weeks ago at church I was thinking and the clouds parted and I actually had clarity for a moment. The Lord reminded me that this experience is one of joy that I should be grateful for. And that if there are people around the world dealing with the atrocities they are dealing with - I can handle two kids that are close together. Quit whining - I'm strong, right? So, we'll see! I better buckle up, it's gonna be a crazy ride!