everyday, messy life

We had the opportunity to have our life documented for 48 hours through Wirken Photography's photo journalism workshops. Our photographer, Joel (or Josh as Henry preferred to call him), was with us from early morning until bedtime.

When I got the pictures yesterday, I first saw the clutter in our house. I'd found out that morning he was coming due to a cancellation from another family 

so there was no time to pick up the papers littering our dining room table, the remnants of Henry's forts, and yesterday's dishes in our non-dishwasher kitchen.

I saw the double chin of eight months of pregnancy, the lumpiness of maternity clothes and the dark circles of tiredness. The glass tables smudged with fingerprints, the overflowing baskets of laundry and the random piles of stick and acorn "treasures" 

that make it into the house during moments of weakness.

But the more I looked, the more I saw a life I love, including all those messy details.

The morning moments of hiding under the covers from tigers. 

The cries over oatmeal that wasn't cooling off fast enough.

The hugs at daycare pickup.

The waiting at the slowest elevators in the Midwest for an OB appointment 

where a healthy heartbeat is heard.

The spaceship that flies to the moon with alien noises and Superman as the captain.

The love between two people that started this crazy mess and
steal sweet moments in the middle of chaos.

The fries and milkshakes to celebrate new milestones.

The non-graceful juggling of work, marriage, chores and parenting. Always finding time for play.

The dirty hands and feet.

The exhaustion and quiet moments at the end of the day.

oh right, third trimester

27 weeks, Disney World

Dear baby boy,

The funny thing about this pregnancy is for awhile, I kind of forgot I was pregnant. But the big belly, sharp kicks and rolls, fiery heartburn and ridiculously gross congestion are a constant reminder now.

We've entered our third trimester together now. We've crossed all those big milestones that I didn't write about like 12 weeks of progesterone supplements, early ultrasounds for reassurance, making sure all your parts and pieces were in the right places, finding out you had boy parts, finding a new doctor, and the dreaded glucose test. We've graduated to semi-monthly appointments now and soon will be registering at the hospital.

22 weeks

Your big brother is excited to meet you, though he's pretty sure you're living in his belly. Despite your in utero status, he's given you piggyback rides, taken you to Disney World, read you books, had you help him find hidden pictures in his Highlights magazine and help him eat snacks. He tucks you in by lifting up my shirt and tucking a blanket around my roundness.

24 weeks, 4 days

This pregnancy has been admittedly less fun but much faster than the first time around. My body feels it more, and I'm less thrilled about the expanding belly/thighs/butt/face. I've found winter pregnancy to be much more challenging for me than summer pregnancy. Probably less swelling but lots more indoor time and more battles with my limited pants selection.That doesn't mean we're anything but overjoyed to meet you in a few months. If this last year taught me anything, it's how lucky I feel to be able to expand our family.

So even though your crib is in a box upstairs somewhere, your clothes and diapers are still neatly (ha) packed in plastic bins in the attic and the new stuff we need is waiting to be bought from my Amazon wish list, we're ready for you to make our family of four complete.

Keeping growing in there little man.

Love you to the moon and back,

Mama