Final Countdown - the sequel!
Two and a half years ago, I was overdue with our son Ari. With that first pregnancy, I remember being fine up leading up to my due date and then becoming a really miserable, uncomfortable wreck for the 11 days that followed until I was induced and we got to meet our brand new tiny human. The complete loss of control, the discomfort, the lack of sleep all got to me. I felt like my baby had turned against me and didn’t want to come out into the world to meet me. And the phone calls and texts asking me if baby had arrived were making me feel even worse.
This time is so different. My due date has come and gone, and while I’m significantly more uncomfortable and sore than the last time, I feel so completely opposite from pregnancy #1.
Because I’ve been carrying so low, all my care providers predicted that I would go early with this baby. I guess not! But I am so grateful that this baby stayed put until our renovation was complete and we were settled back in our own house again. I’m so glad that we’ve had a bit more time for Ari to transition to his new preschool classroom (which he loves) and his new big boy bedroom, without feeling like he was displaced by the baby. I have used this time to wrap up some outstanding projects and have seized each day as a “bonus” opportunity to get more things done. I have woken up each morning grateful that, while I may have woken up 6-8 times that night from aches, pains and bathroom visits, I have been able to roll over or get back into bed and go right back to sleep each time.
The community mosaic planters that I’ve been wrapping up in these final days
Leading up to my due date, I canned about a bazillion peaches. I would also like to can pears, which are Ari’s absolute favourite (and with two hungry little boys I expect to go through a lot of them), but I’m nervous that the day that I go out and buy all those pears, this baby is going to show up and they’ll end up rotting in a box while I focus on surviving those difficult first days/weeks/months. Inspired by a large batch of cauliflower leek soup that I made for the freezer, my mama wanted to get lots of fresh, local produce and make a ton of soup together. As we were in the checkout line with a cart full of veggies, she said “you better not go into labour tonight!” But there was no guarantee that wasn’t going to happen. Not to mention how hard it is to stand in the kitchen long enough to get it all done. I’ve been doing a good job of keeping busy, but I’m running out of projects that can keep me distracted and also don’t require any sort of commitment on my part. Because who knows what will happen!
Soup-a-thon with my Mama – 7 varieties of soup in 1 day
Healthy Homemade Canteloupe Sorbet for our little ice cream addict
And with regards to the loss of control, I learned my lesson with Baby #1 that this is only the first of many demonstrations of how very out-of-control my life will feel in the days/months/years to come. Surrendering to this fact has brought me a lot more peace and a lot less anxiety.
Uncertainty is hard. Waiting is hard. Being sore and uncomfortable and carrying around a pumpkin-sized person inside of me is really hard. But having a newborn baby is much harder. So I’m doing my best to stay positive and make the most of the calm before the storm. Because I know that this baby can’t stay in there forever. One way or another, in less than a week, a brand new person will be joining our family. We’ll get to meet this new, snuggly, tiny baby boy that will change our whole world completely. And I’m not going to say “I can’t wait”, because actually… I’m doing just fine waiting. But I am excited… we all are!
