Although it makes me groan when someone asks if I’m feeling “Maxed-out” as I approach my due date, I have to appreciate their courage to make such corny jokes (Ryan, your boldness in this area is always enjoyed). Just like the old man at the gym who repeatedly says, “Looks like your ab routine isn’t working!” Normally I would give a painful courtesy smile, but he’s cute and very old so I indulge him a little more. But the truth is I still can’t believe I’m four weeks away from delivering my baby boy. This pregnancy has been so much easier in some ways, more uncomfortable in others, but the truth is I will always be a fan of pregnancy and I really do love the belly. And seeing as Tim and I are not quite sure if more than two children are in our future, I’m really trying to soak up as much of this time as I can and enjoy every moment. Even if it’s been three nights in a row that I haven’t slept more than four hours and he kicks my cervix so hard I’m waiting for a foot to come shooting out of my vajayjay.

Sunday night my amazing girlfriends surprised me with a baby shower and loved on me with gifts and quality time together. This pregnancy has gone by so quickly and I often find myself having a hard time getting in the mindset that this is really happening. But opening all the gifts, seeing the itty-bitty clothes and reading the encouraging cards sent me home excited and really kicked-started me in the direction of emotionally preparing for Max. And it also made me realize not only how much I am loved, but how much my children are loved as well and that touches my heart so deeply.

Not that I didn’t appreciate all the baby-love, but I have to share the hand-made gifts because as you know, that’s totally my thing. Amanda made the sweetest little pillow for Max to match his bedding, and I was secretly hoping she would make one since I saw one she made for another one of our friends and she didn’t disappoint.

Jen recently acquired a serger and has been sewing things like crazy and made some burp clothes and washrags. They’re super soft and even have a tag in case Max follows in his big brother’s footsteps of being extremely tactile and wanting to rub them.

Gaylyn made the cutest stamped onesies (I know I know, the tutorial is coming I promise - please don’t throw trash at me), and the favorite of the night was “Small Grahl” (for those of you who don’t know that is my last name, pronounced Grawl. It just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?). She also made an adorable little brag book for me to whip out and annoy endless people with when they ask how many children I have. It was such a great night and I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful, supportive and generous women. I love you guys!

Another jolt into the reality of Max’s impending birth: Our labor refresher course. Having Conner without meds was one of the BEST experiences of my life, I would never go back and change it, all of it was totally worth it (pinky swear), but this time around the thought makes me break into a cold sweat. I thought for sure after taking the refresher course that I would be psyched to do it again au natural, but that is not the case. I have no doubt that I can do it - obviously I can. Even at the worst time of labor I never once regretted not taking the epi, but this time around I just don’t know if I want to. It was exhausting. And long. And, yes, hurt like the dickens. When some of my girlfriends had their firsts (and second), they talked about how peaceful it was since they opted for the meds. Conner’s birth - not so peaceful. But any mom who has chosen to do it naturally can tell you how amazing it is once they are born. All those natural hormones rushing and your so into it because of everything you’ve just felt and gone through, and not to get all women’s lib, but it really is empowering. So I have no idea what I’m gonna do. Not really asking for advice on this one - I know I’ll make the right decision for me and Max (and Tim since he’s the one who will have to walk the five miles around the hospital during labor like I did the first time), just trying to sort through my thoughts and feelings about it.

Okay, lots more stuff going on but to keep you from being bored to tears I shall stop here. Here’s a picture of my baby as he wakes from his fourth night sleeping in his big boy bed (and it’s going so well - woot woot!). Ugh - it kills me how fast he is growing up.

I knew things would be different with the second pregnancy, but ohmygosh I wasn’t expecting to feel this wiped out all that time! Not this soon, anyways. When anyone asks how I’m feeling, my default answer is usually, “old” even tho my aches and pains are still limited, I just wasn’t expecting to feel this run-down. I figured around 34 weeks I would start to do the ol’ “I’m never doing this again” speech, but at 28 weeks I’ve been preaching that for a few weeks already. This past week was no exception as Tim and I dragged my pregnant behind and a toddler eight hours in a car to see the in-laws in Atlanta.

We had a great time, and Conner got to meet his great grandmother and grandfather who drove up from Plant City, FL, but by Sunday night as Tim and I sat at dinner on our date I was fighting to keep my eyes open. The drive back took two hours longer since Conner was equally as tired and was not - REPEAT - was not happy in the car seat. But the highlight of the weekend besides the family time was seeing two of my fave blogger gals and their adorable kiddo’s.

We met for lunch and a trip to the children’s museum in the city and let the kid’s go nuts for a few hours. Of course when you first walk in, there’s this huge ball-thing-a-ma-jig and Conner’s eyes about fell out of his head. Then he saw the hundreds of balls that you put into it and he was quick at work.

There were a lot of really neat play stations, like painting and fishing (equipped with the rain slickers, too), and even a little grocery store they could go “shopping” in. They played for a good two hours before I noticed Conner was just walking aimlessly around the toy train set and knew that his not napping was catching up with him. Case and point: Conner before we even got out of the parking garage.

It was a great afternoon and I had so much fun with you guys and your kids are so great. I can’t wait to do it again!

Ohmygosh, I didn’t think you could still experience homesickness as an adult, but you can even when it’s only been two days you’re away and you’re only 110 miles from home!

The wedding went fine - great, actually - but after the rehearsal dinner I was so tired and my morning (evening, actually) sickness was creeping in and even tho our hotel bed was big and comfy, I was longing for my own pillow in my own bed. I don’t think I was ever so happy to be home on Sunday, mainly b/c I was just so exhausted. Conner crashed and we didn’t hear a peep from him all night. He did fantastic tho, the whole weekend - my boy gets five gold stars! He was carried around, made to stay up late, take naps in the car, be around a lot of new people, not be around mom and dad, and he did fannnntastic. He did have a mini meltdown just before the bridesmaids went down the aisle - seeing me, dad and papa and not being able to get to any of us made him very anxious. But he pulled it together, did his ring-bearer trek down the aisle, got to the other papa and was whisked quickly and quietly out the side exit so he could play outside. Tim’s parents came to the wedding, too, and ohmygosh were they lifesavers! I don’t know how we would’ve done it without them. SO happy they were there.

So now we’re home and hopefully this week will be so incredibly boring that I can catch up on some crafting, emailing, girlfriend-time, and smothering my boys with kisses. And I do have to say Happy Birthday to my dad - he’s 50 today! 50! And the man doesn’t act a day older than 18 Happy Birthday, daddy - I love you!!

Saturday we had the 5k at our church, which was actually a lot of fun. I don’t know what I was thinking by eating a bunch of tostito’s at about 10 pm the night before (ugh…felt like I was digesting a rock the next morning). But it was okay, I did a lot better than I thought I would and best of all, I actually finished the race.

I always forget how exhausting races can be. I came home and crashed while Conner napped and the rest of the day I was rendered pretty much usless. But I had a great time, and they had a great turnout for a first-time race (80 people for the 5k, 20 children for the kids half-mile). It was also fun running alongside others that I knew and knowing they were only enduring the torture for the orphanages in Central Asia, too.

Sunday we had a surprise baby shower for my friend Amanda (the one I photographed last week with the perfect belly) and it was so much fun. This is her second baby, another boy, so instead of buying a bunch of clothes, we decorated onesies. I highly recommend doing this as a baby shower option b/c it’s fun, it’s easy, and it gives you total freedom to do whatever you think is cute and appropriate (or not…we had to give Erin rules on what she could and couldn’t stencil on the onesie - “don’t bug me” is appropriate; “I suck” is not). And it’s fun for the mom to have play clothes for the baby with a personal touch on them.

And an ending shot of the cupcakes b/c they’re so pretty. And good. Yummmmm.