40 Weeks Later..

40 weeks have gone by since I got that big fat positive pregnancy test. 40 weeks of joy, excitement, first kicks, and indigestion. I bitched and moaned there for weeks about how this would never end.. and now it has. And already the pregnancy seems like a distant memory.

Already, the feeling of her little kicks and hiccups emanating from within me are fading. I no longer remember how uncomfortable I was and the discomforts that I complained about daily. Or maybe it's just that I don't have time to sit and try to conjure up these memories at the moment, because about a week and half ago, I become a mother of 2.

This week has flown by in a wave of hormones and exhaustion. I keep having to remind myself (and others) that not only do we have an infant, but I'm also recovering from abdominal surgery. Oh yea, and we also thought it would be a good idea that we all get flu shots last week.. good in concept - bad in actual reality when 3 members of the family, including the one recovering from child birth, all feel funky.

Zoë is a fabulous baby thus far. Yes, we are tired (as to be expected), but not necessarily from lack of sleep at night. Zoë has been granting us 3-4 hour blocks of sleep. Sleep that we savor and need just to get through the day of dealing with an adjusting 3 1/2 year old and an itsy bitsy infant.

Our friends and my family have been wonderful this week. My mom was here helping this week and we've had a stream of friends bringing food, wine, presents and oohing and ahhing over the unbearable cuteness of Princess Peanut Buttercup.

Tomorrow a new challenge awaits me. My first day home, totally alone, with Lucas and the baby. Oh, and since I'm not supposed to drive my car until Thursday - we will be HOME. All day. If I have one thing in common with Brittany Spears, it's that I just can't stand to stay home.

Tomorrow also seems as this new milestone for me - tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life. How cliche, I know. But really, tomorrow and the days that follow starts how our life is now. No more people coming to stay and help, Jason back to work... real life. Real life as a parent to 2 kids. And while technically I'm still in recovery, starting tomorrow I need to start getting my routine in place and figuring this whole 2 child thing out.

You know, the most important part of the whole thing that I never really thought of during the past 40 weeks...

Nope, no added special "Halloween treat"

Well, the little pumpkin obviously did not want to be a Halloweenie baby. Which is fine, but since she didn't adhere to her eviction notice in time, all that means is that tomorrow afternoon they are going in and manually extracting her.

Yes. Tomorrow. Afternoon.

HOLEYSHITWEAREHAVINGABABYTOMORROW.

It's been an interesting few days. When the check-out girl at Trader Joe's asks me "when are you due?" and I reply, "One way or another I'm having a baby by Thursday" it just sounds and feels strange. People reply with "Oh, OH!" and then it hits me that wow, come tomorrow at this time I will have a brand new baby girl in my arms. Then I freak out a little.

I spent my last day of only having one kid with Lucas celebrating Halloween. We sat on the couch and watched It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and went to his school party before going trick or treating with friends this evening. Lucas was Wolverine from the X-Men. It wasn't his first choice costume, honestly I don't think he knows who Wolverine is, but the Optimus Prime costume he finally decided on was wayyy to cheap looking for $30 and they were out of "The Flash" in his size. Plus, this costume had CLAWS and a very cool mask.

I was going to play the pregnancy card and not dress up, but last minute Jason and I came up with what we think was a pretty brilliant costume pair. Our costumes, aptly titled "Tomorrow", is Jason as the c/s Dr just scheduling those babies so that he can make his tee-time at Torrey Pines, while I’m an OB nurse. Pretty much I needed a costume that gave me an excuse to wear my Crocs in public.

More Halloweenie pics can be found here if interested

So yea. The next time you hear from me, I will be a mother of two.

Please send me positive vibes and pray for the important things like a healthy baby, healthy mommy, oh and that the hospital isn't too crowded so that I get a private room.

Eviction Notice

This note is to inform you, Princess Buttercup, that by the end of this week, you are being evicted from your current home. I know you are warm and cozy. I know you are well fed and are loving taking long naps in your watery home, but your time here has come to an end. You NEED to get out and move on with life in the outside world.

See, Mommy just can't carry you around inside anymore. There is no more room. You need to move onward and upward. As your parent, throughout your life I'm going to force you into things that are best for you. While I hope it comes across more as "positive encouragement in a specific direction", lets be honest here, your father and I are going to make you do things that you may not want to do. And since you are flat-out refusing to budge from my womb, if you have until the end of the week to emerge from your own, or you will be cut out. I'm sorry, but it's what is best for both of us.

I didn't really want it to happen this way. I hoped for you to come more on your own schedule (and I am very pleased with you that you didn't come THIS week!), but now the time has come for you to make your debut. Really, YOU can't stay in there forever.

Besides, you have a pretty large group of people around here dying to meet you. Your big brother asks every morning if you are coming today, and there is a whole adorable pink wardrobe waiting to be worn.

So consider this your warning. You have a few more days to emerge on your own terms... but by this time next Sunday, you will be home, wrapped up tight and feeling the love of the people that today are still anxiously awaiting your arrival.