A Peek at the Poulsens

Yup, we're taking the plunge, people: scheduled induction for the evening of September 25th. No going back now! He could still make his grand entrance any time before then, but we know for sure that he will be here in less than two weeks. Crazy! I'm excited to meet our son!, feeling ready, looking forward to getting my body back, and feeling that 24/7 impatience of waiting waiting waiting. I'm glad that at least something is on the calendar now, and I'm sure the days (we are literally at the point of DAYS!!) will go quickly.  giggles before church It has been SO much easier being pregnant while already having a child. I originally thought that it would be more difficult, and it definitely did have its challenges, but mostly I've just been so focused on Natsby that my pregnancy has flown by without me having a ton of time to think about it. Even now in the ahh-is-he-here-yet?! phase I'm still distracted enough with our active 13-month-old that I don't ...

What a day, what a week! I am happy to report that Natalie is back to her normal jolly self and the crankies have gone away for now. She has been SUCH a happy funny friendly Natsby the past couple days and we've really been enjoying every single second with her. I've been gone most of today and I really missed being with my little girl - definitely a good reminder to be grateful that I am able to stay home with her most of the time. Things that our Natsby is up to lately: +saying "WOAH!" in all sorts of different intonations and volumes...the cutest +still pointing at everything, especially when she wakes up and when we go new places +climbing onto the rocking footstool +enjoying different toys after I rotated them out +loving reading more and more +saying "ribbit ribbit" (which really sounds more like "weeuh weeuh") +going to bed at exactly 7 pm every night and sleeping for 12+ hours +identifying "clock" "piano" ...

I've read several articles/blogs lately that have gotten me thinking about motherhood and all the frustration and joy that comes with it. The general consensus seems to be that being a mom is H A R D because of all the daily logistics: feeding, crying, dishes, messes, outings, behaviors, potty training, napping, bed time, etc, all the while comparing yourself to the other "perfect" moms and/or children you see, not to mention dealing with your own self-image post-baby body issues and heaven forbid trying to even get a shower in, let alone actually doing your hair. After reading along and nodding your head with every scenario because someone else understands what you're going through, you get to the end of the column and it's always a positive message about how worth it  motherhood is, how rewarding and beautiful  it can be if we let go of the frustrations and expectations and find joy in the journey . I don't mean to sound patronizing or mocking, but let'...