Getting Ready

Greg and I went to the hospital today to preregister our stay there so that all our paperwork and information is in order for the big day.

Up until a couple weeks ago, our hospital had restrictions in place that no visitors under the age of 18 would be allowed to visit the New Life Center due to the high number of cases of H1N1. This had really bummed me out because I know I am going to miss Adrianna while we are away and I also wanted her to be able to meet her baby sister in the hospital so she can feel connected to everything. So we were excited to learn today that the H1N1 visitation restrictions have been lifted since the number of H1N1 cases has gone down quite a bit. I just hope this remains lifted through the next two weeks!

So we are all registered and ready to go. I have been feeling a little overwhelmed and emotional over the past few days. I think I need to have a good cry and just get that over with. I am so excited to meet this little one but a little apprehensive at the huge change that her arrival will cause for our family. I am especially concerned for Adrianna. She has been an only child for four and a half years so I am sure this will be a big adjustment for her. She is still very excited for her little sister’s arrival though, so I hope that continues to be the case. We talk about the baby a lot (at her request) and are counting down the days together. (12!)

I am also feeling a bit of frustration. After I quit my job, I had so many high hopes of getting our house all clean and organized for baby’s arrival. I am feeling the strong desire to “nest”, but am not finding the energy to do as much as I’d like. I am too busy taking naps! I suppose I need my sleep, especially since I haven’t been sleeping too well at night. It has been so cold here (single digits) that our furnace cannot keep up and as a result, we have had some chilly nights. For several nights now, we have brought the entire family into our bed (the dogs were thrilled to be included) to share body warmth and the space heater. I kinda like having all the family together. I may not sleep as well, but it definitely is warmer and cozier.

In spite of the frustration and crazy emotions I am feeling, I am also very thankful. As I look back over the past couple of years, I am so grateful and thankful to be where we are at today. I have wanted this child for so long. I am so excited for this new life; this sweet little baby that we have hoped for and prayed for. I also find myself just amazed and astounded at the beauty and amazingness that is pregnancy. Whenever I have doubts about the existence of God, I just think on the wonder of new life and just how miraculous the whole pregnancy and birthing process is. I cannot wait to meet our new little one, yet at the same time I will miss having her so close that I can feel her every move. I find myself lifting up my shirt often just so I can watch my belly dancing and contorting with her stretches, kicks and hiccups.

We brought up the changing table and old baby clothes a couple days ago and got them setup in our room for now. I feel good about getting that done. For now, the plan is to have the baby sleep in our room in a bassinet. And now that I’ve gotten all of the baby clothes out, I can see that we will still need to do a bit of clothes shopping because most of the outfits we have from 0-6 months are summer clothes rather than winter clothes. Not that I mind having to buy more baby clothes – that is a little too much fun. 🙂