The moon is full tonight.
The barometer has dropped so that now it is cold and raining. The first snows are predicted in the Cascades.
I have nested to the enth degree: floors cleaned and re-cleaned; rugs rolled up, sent to the cleaners and returned; blinds vacuumed. I even re-arranged the furniture in the living room in an attempt to bring on some labor action.
The freezer (and we have one that is big like a full-size refridgerator in our garage) cannot absorb one more food item. It is stocked to the gills with homemade chicken potpies, lasagnas, and - Missy's favorite - 70 lbs (!) of frozen blueberries from a local orchard. (We go through blueberries in this house like some toddlers roll through string cheese.) That this baby's due date coincided with the final harvests of the season is somewhat to blame. I think I have 12 full chickens and our Thanksgiving turkey in there, too.
The pantry is likewise: shelves of pasta, boxes of Annie's bunny crackers, bags of flour and sugar along with dozens of quarts of applesauce, nectarines, peaches and roasted tomatoes put up in the past 6 weeks.
Everything for baby has been (a) pulled out, (b) laundered, (c) put in its place. All the momma necessities I didn't plan for with Missy - breast milk storage bags? wtf? - are under the counter in the bath.
My bag is packed. But its contents are much different than the first time. Gone are the ipods, magazines and books. In their place is a breast pump, sterlized bottles for collecting colostorum and warm shirts and hats for the baby. Did I ever mention I forgot to pack clothing for Missy the first time around?
Everything that I wasn't prepared for with my first baby has been checked off the list.
Everything except for how agonizing and physically painful those last few weeks of pregnancy can be. I am generally not a whiner, least of all about physical pain, but - Good Lord Almighty!
By being born at 36 weeks, Missy spared me this final assault on my body. Her little sister, however, seems intent on picking up the slack.
I guess this is a precursor of life to come: what one doesn't teach and prepare me for, the other one will.
Bring it, girls, I think with a mixture of pleasure and ruefulness.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I missed those last weeks of pregnancy too - so I'm not totally sure what that is like, but I can only imagine! Sending lots of love and good energy your way, and hoping this full moon urges your little girl into action. xoxo
I am sooo impressed. You are not Ms. Planner by accident... I remember when you tried your hand at canning and how cool I thought that was ... And so much else about how you and cowboy live and raise your girls sounds to me like a life I might have lived if things had taken a different path. All this to say: you're my hero!! I love how you end this post. I am so excited for this chapter... Xoxoxoxo
I am so jealous of that stash of blueberries! I thought we had a lot when we got 16 lbs. in our freezer! No surprise that our toddler drives the blueberry consumption through the roof!
Very exciting in the last few weeks! We were totally unprepared for baby #2. Hadn't even inflated the pilates ball that we might need for laboring. After all, I was convinced she'd be 10 days late like her sister (not 3 days early!!). I'm lucky I had a few things in a bag and we were able to grab a few other things on our way to the hospital. You sound far more prepared!! Happy waiting!
70 lbs!! Wow. B would be so jealous--he LOVES blueberries.
Hang in there, Ms. P. Any day now for sure!
Wow! I'm not nearly as organised as you. I'm just sitting around feeling sorry for myself and hoping that is all over soon.
Post a Comment