Today, I am three weeks from my due date. So, so soon, our family will change forever. We’ll meet someone we’ll love instantly, and who will change the shape of who we are.

Today, I am folding towels and sheets and washcloths and sealing them up, labeling them “clean”, and checking one more thing of my list of preparations. I am digging through a newborn box and finding receiving blankets and hats and tiny socks. Into the wash they go, too. Soon, a corner of my room will house these and other birthing items. Crazy.

Today, we did a few chores in the morning, then donned suits and packed pb&j and headed to the beach. I’ve been happy to just do pool time this summer, but the boys love sand — and since they needed baths, anyway, why not? When we left, I thought, we need to do this more. So fun.

Today, there is so much to do, so many piles — of dishes, of doorknobs in boxes, of crown molding, of tools, of books… But today is not the day for that, not really. And so I do what I can, put my feet up for a bit, and decide that we’re okay. (And tomorrow, I think I’ll paint my newly-finished closets and start putting away some piles as soon as the paint dries! Excited!!)

Today, I read Hello, Baby to my two boys, and watch as their eyes take on awe, wonder, and sparkle. A baby being born — even these little guys understand how amazing it is. Jameson volunteers in a hushed voice, “We will help you, Mama, when the baby is born.” William just smiles.

Today, I peek into their bedroom as I pass by and have to stop, just for a minute, to take in their sweet sleeping faces. Pink cheeks, fair eyelashes bleached by sun, parted lips, and little bodies that aren’t so little anymore. Today, I want to cherish these little lives. How precious they are.