50

50 is the number of days left until my due date. This pregnancy has flown by on one hand, but crawled and eked by on the other.

50 days- how on Earth did I get to only 50 days left? There's so much to do to get ready for a permanent addition to the family. Chris and I are getting our baby furniture in today and we are very excited about it. Carragan will have a bed to sleep in and an armoire in which to store her clothes. You can physically get ready for the baby to come. You can buy the furniture, get her room all set up, wash and hang up those little clothes, and get bouncers and swings ready and in place. But how ready are you really? Physically, you can check off that box, but what about mentally and emotionally?

Mentally, how do you prepare for a permanent family member? Emotionally, how do you prepare for the tremendous amount of love and devotion you are going to pour on this little person who has come into your life. One of my most favorite memories came after the birth of one of my best friends' daughter. Our very dear friends, Mike and Julie, were expecting their first baby. We did everything with Mike and Julie from dinner about 3 times a week to getting down and playing a massive amount of cards and board games. We were and are the very best of friends. And you get to know those friends on a certain level, but when I walked in that hospital room after Addison was born and saw the love and adoration in Julie's eyes for Addison, it really struck a chord with me. It was a different side of Julie and Mike than I had ever seen. But what an amazing memory it is.

So how do you prepare emotionally for a baby- unless you already have a child, you can't imagine how much love, adoration, pride and awe comes pouring out when that baby gets here, how you would willingly give your life to protect that of your child. Or that you would do everything in your power to give that baby everything within your means. Or drop down like an avenger if someone dares to hurt your baby.

And I'm sure parents take tons of time to simply stare at their baby knowing that's something you and your husband created and get to raise, shape and mold. Knowing that beyond a shadow of a doubt that God has given you the most perfect person in the world to raise and love.

So can you emotionally prepare for your baby's arrival- no. I don't think any first time parents know just how much your heart can stretch with love for your newborn child. Chris and I are getting more and more excited about Miss Carragan's impending arrival. We are trying to prepare physically for her arrival but knowing that her arrival could be 50 days away and knowing that she will be the most loved, cherished, and wanted baby. . . well it just doesn't get any better than that!