So with just over 4 weeks to go, I feel like we’re in the baby home stretch. Baby showers have been had, the bassinet has been put together and is ready to go, and just when I think my bump can’t possibly get any bigger, I look down. Little Liam seems to make my belly grow by the hour these days, and I can’t believe it’s almost time for his debut. There are two words that come to mind when I stop and think about it: excited and terrified.

Excited because of course, we cannot wait to meet our Liam. I have been dreaming of a little boy that looks like his daddy ever since we found out the gender, and I simply cannot wait to hold our mini-Lucas and become a mama. We’re just so happy! This little person that has been growing (and growing) all these months will finally be here and our little family will grow with him, too.

The word terrified also comes to mind because of the unknown, though. We’re first time parents and suddenly the realization that this tiny little life will be 100% dependent on us and that we will be responsible for shaping him from day one is a little overwhelming, to say the least. Of course we want to do all the right things, be perfect parents, and give our son the very best to grow up healthy and happy, but we know we’re going to make mistakes, too; it’s a part of the learning process. We’ll learn and grow with Liam as he learns and grows. And hopefully we won’t mess up too much along the way.

I am confident that Lucas and I are going to be good parents. We’ve always had this amazing balance about us that I think will be the perfect combination to raise a well rounded, happy child. And while I know deep down that all Liam really needs is our love and support, (and for his parents to have basic common sense) it also feels like there’s a daunting list of little things we have to remember that will be all new to us. How to keep all of that important stuff straight mixed with the advice that everyone wants to share on how to raise our boy seems like a lot right now, though I’m sure in reality once Liam is here we’ll just go with the flow and cross those bridges when we come to them. Thankfully I couldn’t ask for a better husband and partner in this exhilirating endeavor. We can do it!

We’re just over FOUR WEEKS AWAY. Can you believe it? I’m grateful to have a nice long holiday weekend in front of me to get the nursery organized and prepare all of the baby goodies for use that we’ve received at baby showers. (Speaking of baby showers, I made dinosaur soap favors for my shower, and by request they’re available to the masses on GEEKSOAP now!) The school year is officially over as of today, but my teacher contract has an additional twenty days alotted in the summer for me to conduct professional development technology training for my district. If Liam can stay put, I’ll be on summer vacation and ready for his arrival as early as June 23… that’s a little less than a week before his due date. I hope I can make it until then! (Hear that, little one? No debut until *at least* the 23rd, ok?) No matter what happens, though, I feel like we’re ready.

And speaking of organizing the nursery this weekend, Operation Geekling Dinosaur Project has been a HUGE success. We are so overwhelmed with all of the generosity we’ve enountered over the past month as dinosaur art submissions have poured in from all over the world. We’ve enjoyed the accompanying letters (to us and to Liam) and the way our nursery has been transformed by this generosity. It’s all exactly as I pictured it in my dreams, but I never imagined we’d have such a great turnout to make this dream a true reality. Thank you so much to Katie the inspiration, all of our contributors, and Think Geek for promoting our geeky nursery project. You can see how it’s going over in the official Operation Geekling Dinosaur Project gallery; we have a handful of new pieces to add sometime this weekend, too, so stay tuned. (We’ve been clearing out the frames department of our local store, so we have to give them time to re-stock, lol.)

I want to give a quick shout out to the Center Grove class of 2011, who are graduating this evening. 30 members of this graduating class had me as their 4th grade teacher back in 2002-2003, which was my first year of teaching. It’s hard to believe those kiddos are all grown up and headed out in to the world now. (Not to mention it makes me feel old!) I’ll try to keep from getting too sappy, but as a teacher, the first year class holds a pretty special place in your heart. While *every* class I’ve ever taught is special, there’s something emotional about thinking of these kids in particular “leaving the nest.” I am really proud of them! That first year I had the class fill out time capsule worksheets that listed things like their favorite color, best friend, what they wanted to be when they grew up, etc. Sort of like a snapshot of all the things that were important to describing who they were right then and there in their lives. I saved those sheets all these years, (and they even moved with me to Canada and back!) and last week I mailed them back to their original authors along with a letter. I have received in return several emails, cards, and letters from the graduating class catching me up on how things have changed in their lives since 4th grade. It has been an overwhelmingly emotional, happy experience. I am so excited to hear how they’re doing and so proud to see where they’re going. I am not ashamed to admit there were a few tears when I read these return letters! Good luck and best wishes, class of 2011; “Miss Means” is proud of each and every one of you!

The next four weeks will hopefully be a blur as I tie up loose ends at work and we put some elbow grease into getting the house ready for baby. Who knows, maybe by the next post we’ll be a family of three instead of a family of two! Take care.