There's a {real} baby girl in there?!?!

It's Sunday morning - one of those "easy like Sunday morning" kind of days, except I spent the first 2 hours of it cleaning.  Go figure!?!  Thank God for bursts of energy and nesting.  But alas, my ankles have started to swell and my abdomen feels kind of tight.  Baby Girl says "STOP MOM!  Time to put your feet up!"

I have bottles on my kitchen counter.  Real baby bottles.  Bottles that will soon be used for feedings rather than just chugging contests at one of our many baby celebration get-togethers.  Oh, and let's not forget the diaper bag.  The completely packed with baby clothes, binkis, wipes, butt paste, and other must-have-on-the-go odds and ends.

I guess this is really happening.

All this "realness" to fruition when my MFM (high risk doctor) said "You've graduated!" on Friday.  We officially had our last appointment with her for the remainder (3 weeks) of this pregnancy.  We got to see Baby Girl for the last time on an ultrasound before seeing her in the flesh.  She was beautiful, as always.  This time, though, we were able to actually get a decent 2D picture of her face.  Can I just say that we make pretty cute babies!  She has the most adorable chubby cheeks already.  Ryan admitted to "shedding a tear" when he saw her face {sshhh...that's our little secret}.  I swear, that man is like butter on warm toast when it comes to his daughter.  It didn't take long for the new picture of her face to become the background on his computer.  I can't help but have a HUGE grin on my face even now thinking about how smitten my husband is with his daughter.  I joke {but seriously though} that the only time I'll ever get to hold her is when it's feeding time!  We both know it.  She will be a daddy's girl and he is most definitely going to do everything is his power to be her Knight in Shining Armour!

After returning to work from my doctor's appointment, I scrolled through the ultrasound pictures a few more times.  When I saw the one of her face it was like a train hit me.  I have a real, live, growing baby girl inside my belly.  Of course, I always knew this.  I am the one carrying her and feeling every single side affect of this pregnancy.  It's one thing to know the physical aspect of it, it's another thing entirely to grasp the concept, deep in the pit of your stomach, creeping through every fiber of your heart that this baby inside of me is real, and will be in our arms in just 3 weeks.  Up until this point it was always as if we knew we were pregnant but never believed it was real.  Are we scared to death that it still might not be real?  Probably a little.  Are we nervous at the thought of {finally} having a baby to take home with us?  Heck yes.  Are we excited...anxious...counting the days?  Yes, Yes, Yes.  We are over the moon!

There is a {real} beautiful baby girl inside that tummy of mine!

Surreal.