P heard word that the baby is now full grown and I found him bouncing on the bed the other morning, chanting, "Finally, finally, the baby is coming!" When he caught sight of me he said, "Isn't it So Exciting?! The baby will be here So Soon!" He is beyond excited (having been looking forward to a sibling for, oh, say, 4 years or so;).
And while I'm really looking forward to meeting Little Miss, I'm glad she's waiting just a bit. For two reasons, really. I have been so sick. The last cold turned nasty and I finally fulfilled my midwives' orders by staying in bed for the better part of two days. I didn't even cook dinner (thank gawd for the awesome Polish lady's cart around the corner!). The child listened to books and watched movies and played quietly. And at the end of these two days, as E and I lay in the dark, ready to pass out, the child climbed allll over his father, trying his best to start something. Anything. Ethan responded kindly, but, being so tired, he didn't rise to the tickle challenge. Finally, the child moaned, "I need to playyyyyyy! I've been ignored for two days, and I'm sick of movies and sitting around!" Ah, the guilt. Its just never-ending :) But, honestly, he was an angel through it all.
And the second reason I've been happy to wait is that, here in Oregon at least, the official age for homeschool filing is 7 before September 1. "Please come after the first" I whispered to her every day... I mean, who doesn't want an extra year with no expectations? :) I'm loving the fact that we don't even have to file this year for P (not that filing was so rough last year in NYC or anything, its just nice:)
And so we have made it.
But the best part about being so sick while being so very pregnant is that it trumps the big bump hanging off of you. You may not be able to lay back and relax (because your silly baby, while not breech, is happily hanging in a posterior position - darnit - requiring forward leans and a straight back at all times to encourage her to turn). You may not be able to douse your woes with a potent OTC. But having a hard time catching your breath makes kicks to the bladder non-noticeable. And since you're unable to sleep through the sore throat and mouth breathing, all of those mid-night bathroom breaks are really just nicely timed options to blow your schnoz. And the immense pressure in your pelvic varicosity every time you hack and sneeze and blow will make the normal pregnancy pressure seem like a walk in the park. Yup, I'm thinking once this crud passes, my last days as a beached whale should feel like a holiday!
A holiday that needs to get busy, real fast. After a week of weakness, the house is in shambles. Yes, the Mr. is fabulous about helping keep the dishes done and the child cared for. But those drawers that exploded in the craft/dining room? Forgettaboutit. Not his area ;) And the toys strewn about or the (insert anything) piled around, well, not really something that bothers him. Which is nice (who needs a neat freak looking over your shoulder?!) But, the house looks likes its been battling the stomach flu and barfing its innards up (aka, had a six year old busying himself in an unbothered fashion;) and this absolutely defies my every nesting instinct. I can't even imagine laboring in this house at the moment. Not that there is floor space to even place the birthing tub right now...
But, other than working a little Mary Poppins magic, we should be good to go for the birth (which I know is getting close, as friends and family have started muttering the words "epidural" and "hospital" and "doctors" and "why??" to me;) The birthing kit has arrived. The extra sheets and towels are washed and ready. We (er, E) put together P's old stroller bassinet so the baby has a night-time spot until I'm comfy with her tiny-ness in my bed. I sewed some wool diaper covers from recycled sweaters (despite my complete lack of sewing knowledge, these instructions were really quite doable!). And the child, he lovingly prepared her a library and a play space.
The slanted ceiling of our bedroom creates a little cubby space dubbed "the secret passageway." The child set up his own library there and then his doll house. With the short ceiling, I've grimaced at the very thought of bending over back there.... meaning the space had disintegrated into mayhem in the last month. In a fit of nesting last week (how can I possibly have a baby with this crawl space messy? Lol.) I crawled back and tidied.
It is so sublime cleaning for this child because he is so very thankful. When he went into his space the next day he instantly noticed the difference and started ooing and ahhing and thanking me and telling me how amazing it looked :) Then, with all of the organized space, he was ready to set up his farm. Hours went by and his adoration of his passageway is at a new height. So I guess it only seemed natural to him that he would make it a happy place for the baby too. As I lay wheezing in bed a few days later, he dug out the box of board books and baby toys. (I swear "curator" is a future possibility for the kid, cuz he loves to arrange and classify and display collections.) On the floor with a soft sheepskin rug now rests a sweet compilation of his toys from his earliest days. And on the shelf beside his books are carefully organized his earliest board books. I had wondered if these would be "loaned" to the baby someday. Apparently, they have already been given. Here's hoping that spirit of sharing continues....
P, setting up his farm in the passageway.
At any rate, now that I'm at the end (still in shock over this, strangely enough... Like nine months of prep just hasn't been enough?!?) and have only a blog post or two to remember it all by, I thought I'd post the highlights. Because, much to my child's dismay, we won't be walking this particular path again (to which he's suggested adoption lol:)
Favorite Pregnancy Tidbits:
The shock of actually getting a positive pregnancy test.
Telling P we would have a baby. And watching him shine.
The relief of hearing a heartbeat.
Sharing the news with my parents.
P yelling to the baby through my belly. Or singing to the baby.
Feeling all of her sharp body parts bump and roll.
P and E being able to feel her daily hiccups.
Name picking with the boys. A real riot.
Seeing how excited the boys are to have a girl.
Feeling so loved and supported by friends and family - their excitement is awesome.
Knowing that this awful pregnancy acne will finally go away (Right? It will, right?!?!)
The ease with which I can down an entire cantaloupe. Or a bag of grapes. Or a bag of cherries. Or (fill in your favorite fruit:)
That, after all of the ouches, we will have a baby :))))
And that, finally, P will be what he has always desired. A brother.
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