I can't believe we're so close to the end. In about a month and a half Connor will be here and our lives will be changed in a big way once again. It's crazy to think of having 2 babies living in our home. 19 months apart, that's all the farther they'll be. I hope that they like each other and will grow up being the best of friends. I'm sure my ornery little girl will teach her little brother how to be contrary. ;) But I know she's going to love him so much. :) She cares a great deal for Dayton, who is very close to being a brother to her. She light up when he comes around and is always excited to see him, play with him, and talk to him. It will take a while before Connor will be old enough and big enough to really play with Avery. I hope she's patient in the meantime. ;) I think she's going to be a very helpful big sister. She's understanding so much more when Michael and I talk to her. She understands and recognizes many objects in her books and in the world around her. She can follow simple two-step commands like, "Get your baby and put her in bed." She's such a smart cookie! I hope she'll be excited to help Michael and me in caring for Connor. :) It should be an interesting transition.
I am so incredibly thankful for my mom and all the help she's given me. Early on in my pregnancy she came over to help me with the babies on the days when my morning sickness was bad. She was care for them and I'd just lay in bed feeling worthless, waiting for my zofran to kick in. I'm so glad to be out of that stage!! She also came over at least once a month (and usually much more often than that) to watch the babies so I could go to my monthly doctor's appointment without having to haul them along. That's been a huge blessing. It's nice to have even an hour just for Michael and me to talk to the doctor and be excited about our new baby. :) She has been over usually about once a week (sometimes more than that) since I began watching Dayton. I appreciate the adult interaction, the time to be able to sneak off and take a shower, the extra help with the babies, and the help in allowing me to actually be able to leave the house with the babies and go places like the store, Michael's office, or the zoo. :) As Connor's due date rapidly approaches, I've needed more of my mom's help, since she's available during the day when Michael can't help. Sometimes it's just some extra help with the babies that I need, but since 30 weeks, my appointments have become more frequent. Now I need her over once every 2 weeks to watch the babies for my doctor's appointment, and it's only going to get more frequent! When I hit the 36 week mark, I'll have a weekly appointment! (I can't wait!) And what I'm REALLY thankful and looking forward to is the week before Connor is due, when my mom has agreed to watch Avery and Dayton for me the entire week at Sis and Adam's house!! :D That week I'll really have an opportunity to focus on me and the house. As much as I try, I can only do so much housework with 2 one-year-olds awake and running around. Whether it's them getting upset because I'm working in the kitchen and temporarily out of eyeshot, or Avery getting upset because I won't pick her up, or even anger because I won't give them graham crackers at a moment's notice, something is always drawing me back and keeping me from my housework. :\ That final week of my pregnancy, Avery will be out of the house for a good chunk of the day and I intend to take advantage. I also play on resting, eating, and watching tv. I don't want to wear myself out so much, cleaning before Connor arrives, that I have no energy to give birth. Sleeping in will be nice too. *sigh* It will be like a week of vacation! A calm before the storm. ;) I'm looking forward to some me-focused time. :D I'm so thankful to my mom for making that possible. Then, after Connor gets here, my mom will be watching Dayton for week 1, while Avery stays home with Michael, Connor, and me to get aquainted with her new baby brother and so we can all spend time together as a family. During week 2 Michael will have to go back to work. That week Avery will go back to Sis and Adam's with my mom and Dayton. I will get a week with Connor where we can both rest, relax, and have quiet naps all day to ourselves. The next couple of weeks are still a little fuzzy as far as the plan goes... I know eventually Avery and Dayton will be back as my house, and I know my mom will be here to help for a week or more if I need it. We just haven't completely nailed down the timeline on when that will happen... I might want a 2nd week with just Connor at home with me, or maybe by week 3 I'll be ready to have Avery and Dayton back to home with me, as long as I have some extra help... We'll see. We've got up to 2 weeks after Connor's birth planned, the rest we can play by ear as it gets here. :) Not much time left to go!
Less than 7 more weeks. 46 days. I know that's the longest it should take, because with my platelets, my doctor won't make me go passed my due date. During my 38 week appointment I plan on talking to my doctor about scheduling my induction (if we don't schedule it earlier than that) for Connor's due date. I'm not in much of a hurry to get him out early (I know that 40 weeks is still the goal), but if he hasn't decided to come on his own by his due date, then we'll take the necessary measures to get the process started. How crazy would it be if both of my kids were born on their due dates?! Even more crazy, if I went into labor naturally with both of them and they came on their due date?! You see, I scheduled an induction for Avery for October 5th. But beginning early in the morning on October 4th, I began having contractions. They weren't enough to progress my labor until about 9pm. When I'd had transitional labor contractions for about an hour and they were getting close together, we went to the hospital. Avery arrived on her own time frame, without needing to be induced, on her due date, October 5th, at 10:55am. :) Maybe Connor will follow suit and do the same thing. ;) Time will tell. :)
In 7 short weeks it seems I have so much to do! I know you probably don't care, but I do better with lists, so here's my list (that I can think of now) of what needs to be done before Connor's arrival. I'll try to keep the list limited to things that actually need done before he gets here and not just stuff on my list, like my never-ending cleaning. :P
-Set up pack and play in our room
-Install carseat in my car
-Install carseat base in Michael's car
-Take unnecessary items out of Connor's room (Avery's chair, Dayton's pack and play, carseat, Dayton and Avery's diapers, spare pack and play
-Buy new tubes for breast pump
-Set up breast pump next to our bed so it's ready to use, read up on it to make sure I know how to use it properly
-Buy or make a pumping bra
-Pack a hospital bag for Michael, Connor, and me
-Pack a small overnight bag for Avery in case she ends up spending a night with Sis and Adam if we need to go to the hospital in the middle of the night
-Buy snacks to take to the hospital for Michael and me
-Put new labor and delivery playlists on my ipod
-Pack ipod and speakers
-Create slow labor and delivery playlist
-Make and freeze meals for maternity leave
-Pull newborn toys and accessories out of storage (swing, boppy, playmat, hanging toys, plastic and fabric books, bouncer, etc.)
-Get playmat, hooded towels and bath sling from Sis and Adam
-Go over lists to make sure we have everything we need for Connor (receiving blankets, boy baby blankets, baby book, etc.)
-Go over lists to make sure we have everything we need for me (nursing tank tops, nursing bras, pumping bra, lanosil, pads, ice packs)
-Schedule and have maternity photos taken
-Inform Courtney of any induction scheduling, that she may make time on her schedule
-Wait for Connor to get here. ;)
Seems like a pretty big list for 7 weeks, but many of the items won't take much time. Still, there's plenty to do before our little man gets here! ;) I'll be very busy for the next several weeks when you add in the daily house cleaning and the deep cleaning to prepare for Alia's party in just 2 more weeks. There's always something, right?
I'm looking forward to May and June when I'll be off work for maternity leave! :D It will be so nice not having to work around my schedule to spend time with my family. :) And having those warm months off means we'll probably have several days at the zoo and pool together. :) It will be wonderful! :) Looking forward to our perfect little life with our daughter and son enjoying a much needed extended family vacation from regular life. :) Can't wait!
Well, that's probably more than enough for this morning. ;) Hope you all have a wonderful week!
Love,
Jen
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