Prepared or Not Prepared?...That is the Question!

There's no doubt that parenthood is going to change our lives. It's crazy to be at this point in the "waiting game" for baby to arrive because in everything we do, we wonder if it will be the last time we do it before the baby is here. Just this morning Chuck commented on that very same thing after shaving. :) I'm sure he'll still shave after the baby comes, it's just bizarre to think about how the little one is going to be here any day and will change our lives forever. We can't wait.

So often through this pregnancy we have had people comment to us things like, "You have no idea how this is going to change your life" or "Your lives will never be the same" or even "You won't even know what to expect." Thankfully most of those comments were sincere and positive, but there were the occasional few that were said with a tone of negativity and regret. Chuck and I have been looking forward to starting a family together, so we are PREPARED to know that having a child will change our lives. We are PREPARED to know that our lives will never be the same. And we are PREPARED that we won't know what to expect. That's why our theme throughout the past nine months has been, "We're PREPARED to be UNPREPARED." Life throws out so many unexpected things our way. Trusting that God will guide us through those unexpected times is what we hold dear to.

So, as we prepare for those unexpected moments - and yes, we know that we won't truly understand what those moments are like until we experience them ourselves - we hold on to the truth that we are as PREPARED as we possibly can be. No one - in my opinion - is every fully ready for parenthood, but we trust that God has prepared us to be as ready as possible.

Enough about our mental and spiritual readiness for Baby C...moving on to the physical readiness (not bodily speaking - that's a whole other readiness to contend with:).

Preparing for a first baby is a lot of work - but I truly have enjoyed every moment of it. I cherish those moments getting ready for this baby I have yet to meet. Here's just a "brief" list of how we are physically prepared for baby's arrival (maybe by blogging about it, the baby will, too, feel prepared and decide it's not so bad to revel in the goodness of being out, too!)

1) The nursery is ready! We (mostly Chuck) have worked feverishly to create a space for baby where he or she - and we - will love to spend a lot of time. We are thrilled with how well it turned out.

2) The wall above the crib is just waiting for a name to be hung above it. Will it be __________ or __________? :)

3) The baby showers are complete. We have been blessed with so many wonderful things for Baby C and are beyond grateful.

4) Everything is washed! No, I haven't washed and re-washed anything. Once is enough - but it's all ready to be worn, used, and dirtied!
 
5) Alli is ready to be a big sister. :) She has grown increasingly more curious about what is going on as we have been bringing home new things, setting everything up, etc. Little does she know how much louder it will soon be around here. But for now, she has loved that I have been home with her every day for the past few days. Hopefully she will still love that once she's not the only one getting attention.

6) The bags are packed - and have been for a while. I'm sure I could have packed, unpacked, and repacked them about 100 times by now. 

7) The above picture also shows that the bassinet (pack-n-play) is ready in our bedroom. Who knows how long or if the baby will even sleep there when we come home from the hospital, but it's ready nonetheless!

8) The phone is on! It's so cute to see Chuck leave every morning for work wearing his phone on his hip. He never does this, otherwise, so it's just one of those little things that makes me smile. He probably won't need it, but I'm happy to know he's prepared at any moment to rush home!

So, there we have it. Baby C, if you were listening or reading along as mom wrote this, it's safe to say that you may gladly arrive at any time. We're ready for you! :)