This has been a week of preparation for parenthood.

Riley has tested my patience with her peeing on the carpets and learning to chew on things that are not her toys, but I love her so much and committed to her for her whole life, so I have to do my best and trust that this will pass.

I created project coverage plans for my maternity leave and filled out all my FMLA forms.

Dan and I took a newborn care basics class at the hospital last night (and I find it fundamentally strange that the newborn care class is only three hours long, but the childbirth class a full 8-hour day). This was also the first time Dan had ever changed a diaper, which is going to become a pretty regular part of his reality.

This weekend we’re (finally) going to paint the nursery: white trim, blush pink walls, gold polka dot accents. Oh my word, I can’t wait to show it to you.

By Monday, we should have all the nursery furniture in the house, though not assembled yet. (The glider was delivered on Thursday and I’m obsessed with it. It’s going to be my new reading chair until baby girl gets here and hijacks it for nursing.)

This baby train is moving full speed ahead, and I could not be more excited, terrified, and grateful.

Also, I bought these flowers to help myself calm down and enjoy the little things in a very fast-moving week.

Cultivating Gratitude

A maternity leave plan that, while not as amazing as the one Netflix offers, allows me to take 3 months off. Also for a husband who helps us manage our budgets so we can afford for me to take the full 12 weeks.

This final week of summer. It’s been ugly humid here in Chicago, but it was still nice to have a week to say goodbye to all my summer dresses. Bring on fall and leggings!

My incredibly generous friend, Anna, who lent me all her fall maternity clothes. I feel like I have a whole new wardrobe!

The restart of our small group after we took some time off for the summer. I love having this weekly touchpoint.

Finally meeting my blogging friend, Kristen, in real life. She recently moved to a nearby town and works just down the road from me!

The upcoming 3-day weekend! We’ve got big painting plans, as you know. What are you doing for Labor Day?

Sharing Love

I love all of Erin’s wedding posts, and this one about where to splurge and where to save on your wedding costs is spot-on.

The fear of miscarriage is so real, and to some extent, it’s both good and not-so-good to manage our expectations.

Catherine is a constant source of inspiration to me, because she writes so honestly. I appreciated her reflection on the tension of taking family photos when nothing has changed and her heart to celebrate her marriage.

It’s easy to make impulsive decisions when we’re stressed because we think it will make us feel better, but there are some things you just should just never do to de-stress.