Six Weeks...

Yep...just six weeks till this little baby of ours is due to make an appearance.  Six weeks is a tough time frame to be in...caught between "oh my goodness, how in the world will I last six more weeks feeling like this?" and "oh my goodness, in just six weeks I have will have another baby to care for, to nurse, to change, to give my love to."  Six weeks...long?  Or short?  I never can tell.

Either way, the fact that there are just six more weeks does mean that I actually have to do something to get ready for this baby.  After three kids almost all of our baby "stuff" has to be replaced.  Three kids in a carseat and stroller make for one gross ride.  Three kids bouncing their way through life in a bouncy seat (that was second hand to begin with) means a new one is definitely in order.  And three kids living the first few months in the same sleepers means a shopping trip is a necessity!  Lots to do!

I didn't really want to do any of it too early...it just makes things drag on even longer than they already do.  But, I can't really put it off too much longer.  We've done a few things -- we bought a changing table (never owned one before!), registered (never done that either!), bought a few sleepers, ordered a few things, and had lengthy discussions on how in the world SIX of us are going to fit into our TINY house :)

But there is a lot more to do...buying a bed, stroller, car seat, coming home outfit, and diapers.  We need to pre-register at the hospital, write out directions of actually how to get there, figure out what to do with the kids when it is time, buy gifts for the other kids, etc. etc. etc.  Maybe I can stretch this process out so I don't notice how long six weeks feels.

Of course, there is always the fear that this little one will come early and we won't be ready.  I'm not too worried -- not one of my children has had ANY desire to make an early appearance.  All of them had to be helped along with Pitocin -- even Alaina, who I went into labor naturally with, wouldn't come out without some help.  So, the fear of an early arrival hasn't really been there. Except...

This pregnancy is MUCH different.  With the others, I have never had any cramping, any Braxton Hicks contractions, not even much pressure.  Sure, I've had the "feeling like a whale and I can't roll over" issues.  I've had the physical exhaustion that comes with carrying a bowling ball around.  But I have never had any of the other "the baby is getting ready to come out" symptoms.  Like I said, my babies have all made themselves quite comfortable inside of me and wouldn't come out until someone made them.  But this one is different -- I have been cramping since Christmas and I have had a LOT of it over the last two weeks.  Most of the time it is just uncomfortable (not painful), but there have been moments that it has taken my breath away and I couldn't walk.  The doctor told me everything is still good.  However, she did say that the baby is really, really low.  When I asked what that meant (silently praying that maybe this baby wouldn't make me wait all the way until March) her response was, "Well, it just means that you have had a few kids and this baby is going where no baby has gone before."  Yea, okay.

Anyway, so while I am not expecting this baby to come early, I do think that maybe I should have a few things in order just in case.  My doctor gave me a pretty stern talk on getting registered at the hospital.  She also made it clear that once I hit 34 weeks (which is sometime between tomorrow and Friday, depending on which doctor you talk to and whether they trust my U/S or my own faulty memory on dates), that I don't need to come in until it is really time because they won't do anything to stop the labor.  Now, I don't know if she is just doing her job in explaining all this to me or if this is her subtle way of telling me this baby may not hang on 'til March.  It doesn't matter.  The fact is, I really need to get ready, whether delivery is tomorrow or sometime in early March.  The time has come...I'm about to be a mama of four.

I can't wait :)

So...for someone who hasn't talked about this pregnancy that much, how is this for a post?  It's the closest I am going to get to a pregnancy journal.  Better than nothing, huh?

Hope your Monday is fantastic.  I am more than ready (weekends are the LONGEST part of our week).  Not sure what the highlight of the weekend was -- the hole that one of our boys punched in the wall or when I was trying to teach the boys to bake chocolate chip cookies one of them was cleaning off my beaters with a rag and bathroom cleaner.  Hmmm...tough call :)

Comments

[Jacki]

Oh my, tough call on the "highlight" of the weekend. Eep! I can laugh because I'm not dealing with it! :) We start tomorrow. Whew - don't feel ready but here it comes. Love your journaling today. Such an adventure! {{hugs}}

[Rona]

only 6 more weeks?!?! Time sure flies! WOW! Good luck in getting registered at the hospital AND preparing your hospital bag!!! :)

[MandaKay]

Oh my - a hole in the wall or the cleaning incendent - well - might have to say the hole! Hope your week goes a little more smoothly - LOL!

I am so excited for you - I remember 4 short months ago feeling those same things!!! How exciting!

[Melissa]

I hear ya on the 6 weeks! We're adopting a baby girl from Korea so while I don't have the physical pain, I certainly have the emotional anxiety! We're down to only about 4 weeks (I hope!!), so I'm feeling a little panicky myself trying to get everything ready for her to arrive and trying to prepare work as well since I am not planning to return to work after she arrives.

[Hollie]

It's 6 weeks loooooooong for me--that's for sure! (Although it's really 7 weeks for me but who's counting, right???). Not expecting any early appearances here--that's for sure! But it would most certainly be very welcome-LOL! Reading your blog I'm thinking that maybe I should think about what *I* need to be doing--really I feel like we don't neeeeeeed anything except the bunk beds we already ordered, and a new car seat. Other than that, I keep thinking--what do we need????? Nothing? Ummmm...diapers? Yeah. Diapers. Haha!!!! Hope you are feeling good-as good as can be anyhow!

[Joy(aka nanay2angels)]

I remember my doctor telling me the exact same thing when I was pregnant with my 4th! LOL! And boy, did my little girl go quickly! I've always had quick labors but my last one(the 4th) was so quick I almost gave birth in the wheelchair! The stuff you see in movies? Yup, it happened to me!
Goodluck with the last several weeks. I bet it's going to swoosh by.

[Amy]

Mother to four...that would send me into hiding :) I am a mother of three and I wonder how I would ever do it. However, all the mothers of four that I know say that after three it's not really any harder. I haven't been willing to trust that theory yet. Of course, you do what you have to do - I wondered how I would handle three and I wouldn't change anything for the world. There are 12 girls at church who are all pregnant and it is giving me a little bit of the bug! My husband, however, feels like his cup runneth over with three ;)

[Deirdre]

Hi ---Just found your site on a link for digi scrapbooking...and stayed to read a bit. I'm six weeks away from baby#3 appearance, so I get exactly what you mean.

Looking forward to discovering more here at your site. Thx!