Again two weeks has passed since I last wrote, and those two weeks have been very full indeed. To follow-up on my last post, I did get to see The Dark Knight Rises about a week after I wrote, and was so glad that I did. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, even despite the fact that about 35 minutes in, someone thought it would be a funny prank to bang loudly on the exit door of the theater. It is amazing how stupidly people can behave.
As of the moment I write this, I have 14 days, 13 hours, and 5 minutes until my scheduled c-section begins and Ben enters this crazy world. Most of my energy this last two weeks has been dedicated to the normal care of Will and preparing the house for our new arrival. The nesting instinct has been very strong this time, perhaps more obviously because we are not just settling into this house as we were with Will. We decided to purchase a new crib, as the old one was a drop-side that had been modified and rattled, and the rails were covered with chew marks from Will's teething. (Will the Woodchuck) We finally got it put together this past weekend, so the nursery actually looks like a room for a baby to sleep in and not storage. I have washed baby clothes, organized closets, cleaned baby gear, stocked the changing tables, set up the bassinet, and worked my way through a huge laundry list of chores that I feel compelled to have complete before leaving for the hospital.
I should mention I have not done this alone. Eli has been drafted into many chores and thankfully takes my nesting very gracefully. On top of my flurry of home activity, we also had Vacation Bible School for four consecutive nights, and while I ran registration, Eli soldiered through with my not quite 3-year-old, who as you can imagine was not focused enough to sit through all the activities quietly and calmly. I have also continued my daily visits to the YMCA, and thank goodness for yoga and water pilates for keeping swelling to a minimum and my range-of-motion and general mobility much better than I could have hoped for.
On the fun side, I have also enjoyed an hour-long massage (Not suggested, but required by my husband for me to get at least one before and one after delivery. Isn't my life terrible :) ) and I got to go on a girl's night out with a couple of friends to the Melting Pot, another first for me.
So busy, busy, busy- and not surprisingly there have been many nights that I would have liked to write but was too tired to think (or move from the couch without assistance). I am so excited to meet my new little guy. I am nervous too, but thankfully this time the nerves are well-balanced with my happiness and excitement. I am beyond grateful that Eli will be able to be home longer this time, for so many reasons. I am looking forward to watching Will meet his brother, with all the normal highs and lows that will bring. Mostly I think I am looking forward to not jumping into the abyss so blindly. I have no illusions that I am going to suddenly know everything the little guy needs unfailingly or instantly, but I don't think I have experienced anything scarier that the first 4 days we were home with Will. Part of that is postpartum hormones racing through the bloodstream, but the rest is blind terror at the realization that you are responsible for a life and have no idea how to take care of it. I can't control the hormones this time, but hopefully experience will help temper things a bit.
So the countdown is on. It is constantly in the back of my mind, which, as you can imagine, makes every minute drag. So I am going to continue to try and stay as busy as possible. Will automatically keeps me reasonably busy, and add in the Y and play dates with friends and church activities I am going to try to keep my eyes (and my mind) off the clock as much as possible.
14 days, 12 hours, and 33 minutes. :)
