oh, baby doodle

we are ready for you.

i promise. contrary to what i've told people lately. really...i'm/we're ready for you.

today is monday night, the twenty-sixth of july. you will be here in four days. OH MY WORD, FOUR DAYS. (daddy and i forgot to watch ali the bachelorette tonight. we'll catch up. plus, we'll get to watch the season finale next monday when we're in the hospital with you. just the three of us.)

you will be delivered by the same doctor who delivered bigH and goo, your older sister and brother. who i've seen since 1999. i love him. he's the best.

it is hotter than anything right now. and you'll know soon enough, i HATE summer. summer janet is not a very pleasant person. and summer PREGNANT janet is, just, well, not much of a peach to be around. your poor siblings and daddy. trust me -- you'll love me october - april. right now, everyday i'm wearing shorts, gaucho pants, or my denim skirt (that is worn at LEAST five times a week) with a tshirt and flip flops. and it's all i can do to stay cool.

h, g, and i are swimming a lot this summer. and i'll be honest...i have NO SHAME when it comes to putting on my large and in charge maternity swimsuit. i have two of them. a black one and a green one. and i love them. and you and i love being in the water. it feels so good on my belly and my back. and clearly, you love it because you move a LOT when we're done swimming. i did water aerobics this summer, and i loved it. just me and 7 other 80-year-olds. it was awesome. it had just gotten too hot to walk.

speaking of moving a lot. this won't sound right, but i'm going to be sad to actually have you out of my tummy. because you moving? brings a smile to my face and little giggle to my soul. every. time. it. happens. and it happens a lot. especially at 9pm. always at 9pm. without fail. buz (your daddy, more on him in a minute) and i get such a kick out of it. all of the sudden, i feel you move and go crazy, and we look at our watches and laugh. anywhere between 830 and 915. (you're moving right now. and i looked at the clock, and it said 858. see? you make me smile.) you are like clockwork. we hope you're like clockwork when you get here. your brother and sister were, and we thank God for that everyday.

you were a surprise, doodle. and i'll be honest. it's taken some time to get used to the idea of you being in our family. our little family of four is going to change to a family of five. but we have really prayed that God would open our hearts. and that He did. you have your own room now, ready for your arrival. you have a carseat in the van, right next to goo's seat. (sorry, in advance.) i'm going to get a diaper bag this week. i think. you have diapers. a mommy who loves WATCHING you move all day long. a daddy that will be smitten with you the MINUTE he lays his eyes on you. and two siblings. OH MY, YOUR SIBLINGS.

bigH. doodle, you have no idea what you're in for. this boy. this six years and nine months (to the day) little boy is ELATED about your arrival. he talks to you all day long. he tells everyone about you. he tells everyone your nickname and is *pretty* sure you're a boy. (we'll find out in 4 days.) he loves you to pieces. and we joke that he's such a baby whisperer. seriously, he's amazing with younger children. uh-may-zing. and he will be no different with you. daddy and i cannot wait to see him with you. you will be so loved on. you are so lucky and blessed. God has given you an incredible big brother. whether you're a girl or boy, you scored.

goo. i don't know what to tell you. :) if you're a boy, it might take a while for goo to like you. she is really banking on you being a female. we'll see. we've prepared her as much as possible that there's a strong possibility you could be a boy. and she says no every time. it will probably take her a while to warm up to you. i think goo REALLY loves being the baby of the family. i think she senses your upcoming arrival. and with that, she's decided to finally get out of her bed. at night. in the morning. a lot. and her sass? oh, her sass. you're going to be sitting right next to her in the van, but i promise bigH will protect you, and i will do my best to make sure she doesn't put toys in your carseat. your sister in an amazing little girl. with a strong will. and an opinion about everything. and she is as funny as all get out. the most beautiful smile you've ever seen. and i guarantee she will make you laugh with all the random things she will say. but she will LOVE you like no other. like i said, you are so incredibly blessed and lucky to have bigH and goo as your older siblings. you will not need or want for ANYTHING. and you will be protected all the time. almost to a fault.

your daddy. buz. oh my. ask ANYONE you meet who knows him. and they will tell you. they love him. ask people who don't know him, and they will tell you the same thing. doodle, your daddy is the most selfless man i know. he gives up everything for us. and you get to be part of that "us" now. it is such a honor to have him as our provider, our caretaker. he is crazy funny. and has the best quick and dry wit. he makes up stories, and H and G always reply "daaaaaaad." like they can't believe he's telling one of his dorky stories again. he gets home as soon as possible. he doesn't dilly dally one bit during the day because he knows that will set him back. he walks in the door, and your brother and sister whisper, "dad's home." and then they run like lightning to the garage door and pummel him, almost to the ground. he will play Legos with H for as long as H wants him. he's an awesome polly pocket partner. and he always tells your siblings, "i'll do that in a minute. first, i need to kiss mommy and see how her day was." every. day. he lets H and G watch show intros from the 70s on his iPhone while they take a bath. when i do the dishes, i hear spiderman and wonder woman theme songs from the 70s. and your siblings eat. him. up. he loves being with us outside when it's nice outside. or even when it's gross outside. he's DEFINITELY the one to go to if you want something extra special. i'm typically the buzz kill parent around here. it's ok. i own it. if you want "just one more," go to daddy. one more story. one more show. one more handful of goldfish. dad's your guy. you'll love him. when you get here, he's the one who will change your diaper before i nurse you. we have a system down that we still remember perfectly. he goes in your room, gets you out of your crib, changes your diaper, brings you to me. i nurse you in our room, and daddy and i have some of THE BEST CONVERSATIONS. when i'm finished, he falls asleep (insanely fast), i swaddle (i'm a swaddling maniac) you, and i take you back to your room. and then i nuzzle next to daddy, and we both power nap until the next three hour mark. we're tired. but we wouldn't change it for ANYTHING. we look forward to it.

you're coming this friday morning. i'll be honest. it's cool that you're coming on the 30th. i was born on the 20th, goo was born on the 20th, h was born on the 30th. and now, you're going to be born on the 30th. i love it. dad was born on the 7th. but he's unique. :)

i am really excited about you getting here and all of us finally getting to meet you. but i have to be honest, there are some things i'm going to miss.

• feeling really cute in a swimsuit (guarantee this will NEVER happen again while i'm alive
• bonding and connecting with you at night, just the two of us
• going to the bathroom 19 times in an eight-hour time frame (no, wait. i will NOT miss that.)
• having people constantly asking me about you.
• feeling comfortable about my body; not self-conscious at all
• seeing stretch marks and smiling about them
• you bringing my best friend to town for a week
• your arrival connecting me to some old friends
• your arrival making my current friendships stronger and more meaningful
• your existence being fun to talk about on twitter and facebook (i'll admit it -- it's shallow)
• taking pictures of my belly in relation to other things (my laptop, my dinner, etc)
• random people i don't know well being excited for us
• wearing cute maternity clothes

i know these sound so selfish and vain. but your existence gives me a confidence that i don't think i normally have. and i love it. you and i have a little bond that no one else does. we always will. i'm your mama. and i pray everyday that you and i will connect on such an incredible level. that the Lord will give us a special and unique relationship. that you will be best friends with H and G. and that you will have daddy wrapped around your little finger. (well, that's a no brainer.)

we've got bedding for you. it's navy with white stars. i love it. plain and simple. we'll add a pink sheet and a pink lampshade and a pink changing table cover if you're a girl. if you're a boy we'll add green or red things to your room.

one thing that has blown daddy and me away is the love and generosity from our friends and family. because you were SUCH a surprise, so many people wanted to do things for us. we had people send us baby stuff, loan us strollers, boppy pillows, burp cloths and blankets. people have said if you're a girl, they have clothes and the same if you're a boy. people even threw us a shower. some of my mommy's close friends came and celebrated you and me and loved on us and LAVISHED with nice things. some people have signed up to bring us meals when we get home. mommy's best friend is coming all the way from montana to celebrate my birthday with me as well as to help with you and goo so mommy can walk your older brother to school on the first day of school. we have gift cards, diapers, floor activity mats, and emails and facebook messages. i've got to spend some neat time lately with friends i haven't done a good job connecting with lately. but YOU have brought us together. daddy's brother's wife has asked if we need anything. just because. one of goo's friends' mommies has asked to have goo over for the day next week. just to give me a break. you have SO MANY PEOPLE who can't wait to meet you. who can't wait to know if you're a boy or a girl.

we finally (last night) decided on names for you. better late than never, right? (4 days left) there is no doubt that you will be FULL OF PERSONALITY. you won't be able to help it. you've got two over the top siblings who will require it of you. :)

doodle, if i forget to tell you on friday...i'm really glad you're about to be a part of our family. we love you already. welcome to life with the wisners. mwah.

goo, me, and bigH

goo, daddy, and bigH

all of us at christmas (photo taken by mommy's friend chrys' husband mike)

goo and bigH