April.

We're 1/4 of the way through 2017 already. They say with parenting the days go by slowly but the years go by fast and so far in my parenting journey that is so very true. It has hit me like a rock that my sweetheart is going to kindergarten later this year as her time in preschool is coming to a close.

It was hard for me to trust someone else with her. It was hard letting go for the first time. All those feelings are coming back up all over again. A new school, teacher, staff, class... everything. I guess I never really expected to feel this way. When she was a baby and we were blindly stumbling through the newborn days I fantasized of this day. (#mommyconfession) I couldn't wait for the day that I could drop her off at school and have my life to myself again. Or at least for those hours she was gone. Maybe once I get to know the staff at her new school I'll feel more comfortable but it is so scary to trust complete strangers to care for your kid. To love them. To treat them with respect. To help them. To show them kindness and patience. To protect them. To pay attention while so many things are going on around them. It's a lot to ask. And it's exactly why I have stayed home with my kids for the last five years instead of being a two income family.

So, it's April. We're one month closer to the end of the school year. We're one month away from our six year wedding anniversary. We're a month closer to Molly's 3rd birthday. And this month we've got a little guy hitting the HALF year mark (blog to come soon on that).

And now since it's Friday, I'm gonna share a few of my end-of-the-week MVPs!

For the first one, let's start off with a little backstory... TEN whole years ago I was 19 and had just moved back to Memphis from Illinois. I went to a group interview at Build-A-Bear Workshop and somehow tricked them into hiring me by the end of it! From that job I learned so many great things from my bosses at the time about work ethic and kindness. I am forever grateful for my experiences there and for the good memories... it was incredible to work for such a wonderful company and to work with some really compassionate people. One of my FAVORITE things I picked up from my time there (besides the phrase "if you have time to lean then you have time to clean!") I learned from my boss, Paula. Our store was part of an outdoor mall and across the parking lot was a Barnes & Noble with a Starbucks inside. A couple times she had me grab her her favorite drink - a black tea lemonade - from there and after a couple times I decided to try it myself. At first I thought it was disgusting until Paula told me you could also get it sweetened. So thank you Paula - you are one of my MVPs for introducing me to the drink I have been in love with for the last ten years! My favorite thing to do is to go to either Target or Kroger and order a trenta black tea lemonade with light ice & half 3 pumps of classic syrup and sip my drink while I shop! (Especially if the kids are along.) Then I'll stop on my way out to get a free refill thanks to my Starbucks Gold Card! #BTLFTW!

A few years ago we moved back to Memphis from Illinois... again for me... and this time we were looking for a new dentist. I reached out to my Facebook friends for their referrals and among them a friend of mine was super enthusiastic about the staff at Schilling Farms Dental. They accepted our dental insurance, sounded super great on the phone, and had openings for us relatively soon so we decided to give them a try. And I'm SO GLAD we did because we just love them. They're thorough gentle, and caring with us and our kiddos. Not only that - but our dentist is a Disney fan who loves being a dad to his three daughters - so he is someone I can relate to on a personal level. Recently a super sweet friend of mine was similarly looking for a new dentist and decided to give them a try. And just like us they had a great experience! It feels good to give friends a good place to go and to give our dental office the business they definitely deserve. So, Kaela, thank you so much for sending us to them! You da real MVP!!!

Kaela, her cousin Kelsi, & myself WAY back when I first met them!

And my last end-of-the-week MVP goes to the Memphis Zoo! We are so grateful to be members at such a nice zoo but the reason they made it into my blog is because they're totally having a baby boom there right now and I love it! In the last few weeks they've had a giraffe birth and also a hippo birth. I feel lucky to see these little animals in person but for my kids to experience that is pretty incredible as well. Now if they could just have a baby rhino addition to our zoo and on display then I would be in heaven!!!

We haven't seen the new baby on exhibit yet but we love seeing the adult hippos

Hope everyone had a great week and has something wonderful to look forward to in the weekend!!!

Hey you, with the big belly!

Seems like I can't go anywhere without the mention of my belly.  I'm definitely not complaining, just stating.  It really is such a source of conversation and honestly, I can't blame anyone for noticing it! 

I suppose it has grown a bit, even in the last few weeks!

 
So many people I run into no matter where I go will look at me with big eyes (usually) and ask, "How much longer?"  It's to the point where I almost feel odd when people DON'T mention it-- how backwards!  Just this week a woman well into her 60s or 70s stopped me in the locker room at work to ask me the usuals:  When are you due?, Is this your first?, etc... and then proceeded me to tell her about her experiences first as a young adoptive mother and then a biological mother a few years later.  Today, a sweet, young guy (late 20s, early 30s?) was leaving Hyvee with his young son the same time I was and asked me if he could help me to the car with my groceries.  (I was only carrying 3 bags and my purse, but these days everything probably looks like a struggle!)  Thankfully my car was in the first spot thanks to Hyvee's awesome expectant/new mother parking - so I told him thank you anyways but that we were pretty much already at my car! :)  People being so sweet and doing such selfless things like that really remind me to pay that kindness forward.

Even my coworkers, people who see me nearly every day, have been commenting on how quickly my belly is growing.  The constant talk about it all makes me SO antsy about when the big day will be here.  Will she be here early?  Will she go past her due date?  How long will my labor last?  Will I end up accepting medication during labor?  What will it feel like when they set her on my chest for the first time?  But the wonderful thing is I am NOT feeling any amount of upsetting anxiety over all the unknown.  I hope that makes sense because while I do feel antsy and anxious, it's nothing that is messing with my psyche.  So while I would love to know all the answers to my questions, I feel a great amount of peace in where we're currently at; there is nothing wrong with being surprised with what's to come because once we get there, there is nothing we can do to stop it or to turn back, you know?  And although I can't fathom it, I know it's going to be a painful journey, and so even though I'm ready to get started, I'm also not sure how to ready myself to be in a great deal of pain.

Anyways, just felt the need to unwind and write on and off about all this on here today.  Won't be many more childless days of casually writing whenever I'd like to!  I'm so excited to see how EVERYTHING changes once she's here....