D-Day is just hours away!!!

I still have TONS to blog about--- i.e. EASTER, Bentley taking his first steps (FINALLY- he just started walking a week ago, not a minute too soon before the new baby is born!), all four boys in their swimming lessons and an overall summary of how this pregnancy has been--- BUT it will all have to WAIT, because tomorrow morning, BRIGHT and EARLY, we will be checking into the hospital to deliver our 5TH baby boy!!! 

I like to believe that most mothers never feel completely prepared for the new arrival of a baby in the home... I'm one of those mothers. I deep cleaned the house, did all the laundry, stocked the fridge and pantry with food only days ago, but already I feel like the house needs another scrub down... if only I had the energy to do it, you just might catch me doing it tonight at midnight but the truth is, I'm beat and ready for bed.  My nesting instincts are fleeting me... but I'm as ready as ready can be I suppose. My hospital bag is packed, our cameras, laptops and Nooks are all charged (hospital stays just wouldn't be pleasant without the convenience of modern technology)... I've washed, dried and folded every burp rag, blanket, baby onesie and piece of newborn clothing we own... Our 2 baby swings are set up and ready- one upstairs, one downstairs- for a new little baby to rock to sleep... the baby bouncer is out, the car seat is sitting by the door, ready to accompany us to the hospital, the bassinet has been once again reassembled and washed down, the Baby Bjourn and baby sling are both washed and hung conveniently in the closet... old baby bottles have been replaced with new ones.... the closet is stocked with a plethora of newborn and size 1 baby diapers and MORE IMPORTANTLY, Grandma Truesdell (my mother) is here to help with the four older boys while Spencer and I adjust to parenting a newborn once again...  she'll be all alone tomorrow with the boys--- it's no easy task to take on, but she says she's game for it.  She's been here since Friday evening and trust me, I've used every minute since then to coach her on how to manage the boys... I'm not terribly worried leaving them alone with her, I mean she did raise me and I learned all of my mothering skills from her, however, I'll have to remember to ask in my prayers this evening that the boys be EXTRA GOOD for her tomorrow...  just in case she needs any back up help, my in laws, Les and Linda, are both just a short distance away... it's always been such a blessing at a time like this to have family live so close by.  We're fortunate...  The ONLY thing that we are not prepared with is a NAME!!!  I know, I know, we've had 9 whole months to choose a name, but honestly, we haven't given it ANY thought really, until this evening...  I sure hope when the baby is born and we meet him for the first time a name comes to us, OTHERWISE, we might be bringing home a Baby Boy Campbell from the hospital!!!

Right now as I'm writing this, I'm experiencing pretty painful contractions--- perhaps this baby won't want to wait until it's time to check in in the morning at 7:30.  I had contractions last night too and earlier this morning and afternoon just after the doctor did an amniocentesis to check the baby's lung maturity (more details about that to come in a later post)... the lab results looked good so in the morning just after checking in at the hospital, I'll be given a little pitocin to induce labor... AND of course I'll be requesting an epidural--- I won't hesitate to ask for that... and HOPEFULLY, all my fingers and chubby swollen sausage toes will be crossed, labor and delivery will go smoothly and quickly and the baby will be healthy (that's our BIGGEST concern) so that we can be back home in the matter of no time adjusting as a family of 7!

Oh, I nearly forgot, the following is a picture of the outfit I plan on bringing the baby home from the hospital in... isn't it cute? A little over a week ago, I was complaining because I COULD NOT FOR THE LIFE OF ME find something cute to bring our little dude home from the hospital in.  Lucky for us, this is our 5TH boy, so of course, we have MORE than enough baby gear on hand but I always like to find at least one NEW outfit for the baby to wear that he, and ONLY he, will wear...  I searched and searched every store I could think of looking for something but found NOTHING... well let me clarify that, I found OODLES and OODLES of little BABY GIRL clothes that were ADORABLE, (that's always the case) but the baby boys clothing selection in every store was LAME... but then I remembered a friend who sewed moccasins and I found the following black and gray elephant onesie on sale (I HEART SALES) online at Gap.com.  I LOVE elephants and you all know how we LOVE giraffes in our family.  The giraffe blanket is SO soft and beautiful- I almost wish I had one my own size--- it was given to us by my sister Tricia and her family, along with the giraffe burp rag; the giraffe security blanket is a gift from Grandma and Grandpa Truesdell and those adorable little leather moccasins, I bought those from a friend of ours who hand sews them... they are TOO DIE FOR and oh so hip (they were featured once earlier this year on the cover of Parenting Magazine with Kourtney Kardashian and her son Mason wearing a pair)... if you'd like to buy a pair for your little dude or dudette, click HERE... (I'll be honest, I half wish I had a daughter just so I can buy a pair of the metallic pink moccs--- they're ADORABLE).

So that's it. Everything is coming together and after 9 LONG months, we're excited to meet our newest addition!!!