Anticipation

I have my 36 week appointment tomorrow. I'll be 37 weeks (full term!) on Friday, that's a mere 4 more days on bedrest. I can hardly believe it's almost here!

I thought I was going into labor last night. I had about 2 hours worth of painful contractions and in general feeling icki-ness which thankfully subsided around midnight so I could get some sleep. I am still really sore in general and will be thankful to make it to full term. I maintain that this baby could come at any minute.

Poor Ainsley has a bad cold. She is completely stuffed up and has started getting a cough. Other than being up a bit at night with discomfort she's been a real trooper. She's started putting two words together. Her new favorite is to sing "nighnight ..... (baby, dada, mama, gaga, arm, shirt, anything really) over and over. It's adorable. She's started entertaining us with her keyboard skills and rhythmic dancing after she's done eating and we're still at the table during dinner. Also pretty ridiculously cute.

I have had more and more moments recently of realization that soon we are going to have two babies (Ainsley would hate that I'm calling her a baby) instead of one and the implications of that on our everyday life. As my mom has been here for FOREVER I'm expecting her to see her new granddaughter, get a good snuggle in and bolt for home. Ian is hoping to be able to take off a week or so of work right after the baby is born, but then I'm on my own.

I feel like I had just gotten the hang of a good routine with Ainsley. While she always slept well at night and we definitely had some semblance of a routine during the days, it was ever changing with her nap schedule until she hit a year old and started napping just once a day. Now we're going to throw a newborn into the mix and it could (will) get interesting. I am most anticipating the changes in running simple errands, like getting groceries (Ainsley doesn't like sitting in the cart anymore...great timing) and being able to do the activities that Ainsley and I used to partake in together (library storytimes, muskigarten, playing at the park, going for walks and jogs).

At the same time I am excited at the prospect of being less neurotic and frantic than I was when Ainsley was first born. I feel like we didn't leave the apartment for the first 2 months of her life. This new baby is going to have to adapt quickly, and if she doesn't I am going to have to not care if she's fussy because Ainsley needs to stay active and I need my sanity in getting out of the house at least once a day.

I am trying not to think about how life is going to change too much. I haven't bought a double stroller yet mainly because a. the stroller I'm jonesing after is ridiculously expensive (a Bob double jogger) and b. I'm looking forward to fully utilizing my hotsling with the new little one (have I mentioned how much I LOVED my hotsling with Ainsley?) As I have mentioned before I firmly believe that things work out in the end how they are meant to. Ian and I are thrilled to be expanding our family and no matter how hard it is at times or how tricky some changes may be it will of course be worth it.

It helps that I have seen a lot of other parents in my same boat. Sleeping babies in their carseats accompanying their toddler siblings to storytime and music class. Babies in slings with other children in the carts at the grocery store. Frantic new moms with disheveled looks trying to stay awake at the park. I'm going to be one of those moms! and soon! I can hardly wait.