girls day.

44 days left until my due date! annnnd i can't believe our one year wedding anniversary is a week from monday! on the days when i am dragging and just feel so done being pregnant, time seems to go so slow. but on days (like today) when i feel energized and social, life feels like it's flying full speed towards november. i can't decide which one scares me the most! a part of me feels so confident and ready to be a mother, but another part is nervous and scared that maybe we're not really ready for this. i've been feeling more nervous than anything lately because Will has been working and traveling so much. i haven't seen my husband since last monday (the 12th) and wont see him again until almost october. i'm so proud of him for working so hard and i know that it won't always be like this, but realizing that there will be times like this when i'll be on my own and Audrey is still a newborn is a little overwhelming.

my aunt debbie (my mom's sister) drove in from Cary today to spend the day with me and she did a great job of helping me feel a little less overwhelmed. it was just what i needed and we had a blast together. i gave her a tour of our house in progress and she gave me some pointers and went through some of the things that i'll need right away that i hadn't even thought about.
it went a little like this...

aunt debbie: "do you have ____?"
me: "ummm...no."
aunt debbie: "okay, well what about ____?"
me: "hmm, hadn't thought of that yet."
(after a few rounds of this)
aunt debbie: "okay, i think we need to go shopping!"

i've been missing my mom a ton lately as the time gets closer for me to become a mom myself. i wish that she could be here to guide me and tell me all of her amazing mom secrets. lucky for me, my aunt reached out and did for me what i know my mom wished so bad that she could've been here for. we talked about everything -- no subject was off limits and i love that about her. my mom and i had that raw honesty type of relationship and i miss it.
i braved the babies r us store for the first time since my registry incident and it wasn't so scary this time! that says a lot in itself :) we went to lunch afterward and had girl talk, which was very entertaining. she reassured me in so many areas that i have been feeling uncertain about, especially laboring and breastfeeding. i've been reading a ton of books and articles about those subjects but it's much more uplifting to hear about the real-life experience of a close family member. she was so positive about everything, and it was a breath of fresh air. if you're reading this Aunt Debbie, thank you again for everything! (and also, thank you to Aunt Debbie's friend for the big box of clothes, bibs, and toys!)

i would like to add that i have done a few loads of Will's laundry with our new special Tide detergent and his clothes do NOT smell like a baby :) case closed!


last but not least, here is me at 32 and 33 weeks....

32 weeks

33 weeks