Blogging at naptime.

Dear Third Trimester, I am absolutely exhausted, often overheated, and have a quickly dwindling "belly appropriate" wardrobe to accommodate my ever growing frame. You win. I give up. Well played... Love, ~Defeated P.S. (If I were a "Tweeter" these are the kinds of life-changing updates I would offer..)

On Saturday, the kid currently residing in me had her first blowout party with some of her very favorite women in the world who she hasn't technically met yet but who occasionally speak directly into my stomach (an otherwise uncomfortable scenario) so that their voice is easily recognizable by her once she enters the world :) She was spoiled with everything a new little human needs as they enter the world. Well, almost .... I will admit that there are some obvious glaring omissions in an otherwise maxed out registry. I can't quite figure it out, except to assume that people are waiting until closer to the due date to purchase the following entirely (in my opinion) obvious childhood necessities: #1. A pony. How else will our young, impressionable child learn responsibility? Chores? Dolls? Digi Pets???? No! Only by having a pony. This was my argument when I was 7 (minus the Digi Pets, which I would have loved I'm certain) and it is still my argument the...

I'd heard rumors about the third trimester bringing with it not only the inability to sit comfortably for more than 5 minutes, but also some vivid, perhaps slightly unrealistic dreams involving child birth. A friend of mine, we'll call her "Adriane," dreamt she had given birth to a litter of kittens. Well, apparently inspired by her dream and never one to be outdone, last night I had a dream that I gave birth to this.... Welcome to the world Whiskers Ferguson. We have big plans for you and your freakishly giant paws. Love, Mom and Dad

#148. Downloading new music to your iPod can make a long day of uncomfortable sitting at work far more enjoyable. My personal recommendations/purchases for the day: Hillsong - Aftermath. Normally, I listen to a few songs when I'm choosing new music to buy...the exceptions to this include anything by Hillsong and anything from the Bethel Church in Redding, CA :) You will not regret following in my impulsive footsteps. Adele - 21. This girl is ridiculously talented. And she saves herself a lot of creative grief by simply naming her albums after her current age. One day this won't seem so appealing to her I imagine, but for now go with what works.

#27. Sometimes your pen falls on the ground at work, and rather than take 15 minutes trying to stoop down and pick it up…you simply find another pen. #54. Your friends should never leave you alone with a new kind of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. #82. Sometimes in your birthing/newborn classes you do everything you can to avoid seeing an actual birth in the videos they show. But at least once, you will not be able to avert your eyes in time... #39. Make sure to befriend lots of women who have recently had children so that you have your own personal "Google" search when you have questions about things like cribs and labor drugs. #80. I greatly preferred the phrase "Ring of Fire" when it simply pertained to a Johnny Cash song... #57. We like to believe that this Baby Whisperer guy (and the grace of God) will help us to indeed have the "happiest baby on the block." The stethoscope means he's a real doctor. And we like that. #14. You will get a lot of "kn...

We figure there's no better way to wrap up a church planting conference on October 31st than to eat some Albertson's chicken, fill a bowl with tootsie rolls and smarties, and dress up in our stylish new Value Village purchases just in time to watch literally THOUSANDS of children flock to our front door to enjoy both the flavorful candy, and our impressive flare for creative costuming... Proof of our impeccable taste. Sidebar: A glimpse of what I would've looked like pregnant in the 70's. We started our evening off feeling strong, confident.... Both in our candy selection and impressive graphic design skills. What child can resist pumpkin clip art?? All children. Apparently all children can resist clip part as proven by the fact that our evening lingered on, yet our candy supply remained unchanged. Desperation. Rejection. Not even a perfectly formed hairdo can remedy the ...

Hypothetically speaking, people ask me for advice on what not to do while pregnant all the time. If the above weren't a hypothetical scenario, I would tell them this: NEVER attempt to hike up Mt. Pilchuck while pregnant. Here's what will happen. You will wake up feeling surprisingly refreshed and energetic one Saturday morning. You will be powered by the finest breakfast known to man (mcmuffin and hash browns). You will feel fully prepared with hiking poles, comfortable shoes, and a kind husband who arranges it so you don't even have to carry a backpack. You will go hiking on the day where approximately 99.2% of the greater Seattle population has also decided to hike this very same mountain. Going UP the mountain roughly 87% of the ascent you will be an animal, with your husband remarking how proud Jillian Michaels would be of the way you are ripping the face off of this mountain. Then....... things will start to change. It will become more rocky. Both with actual rocks an...