Feathering the Nest

Just down to 2 weeks and some days until my due date comes around. I've been in clean/prepare mode for a few weeks now; washing and ironing all the curtains and couch cushion covers, synchronizing all our clocks, avoiding sitting on the ground, drinking gallons for raspberry leaf tea, putting fresh batteries in all our smoke alarms, washing loads of tiny little socks and onsies, re-reading baby books, organizing the medicine cabinets, cursing my swelling fingers and feet (thank God for flip-flops), visiting a few shops and filling in the arsenal of baby items that we'll need in the first few weeks, bribing D to get outside and mow the lawn that is almost at this point unbearable for me, counting baby kicks, checking and rechecking my supply list for the birth, and trying to come up with a suitable name for out little guy.

D suggested that we take a few days with each prospective name and just call him that and see how it fits. So far I think it's been a good idea, some names are hard to assign to a little helpless infant but would be a great adult name (which I suppose is the idea as you're an adult for more of your life than a little bundle...)

At the first of the week E took her sibling class with 5 or so other soon-to-be big brother's and sister's. She loved it, and of course had so many things to share with the rest of the class. The children gathered on the floor, while the parents sat in semi-circle behind them. The instructor was Penny Simpkin, a real guru in the field of childbirth and midwifery. She brought posters, books, a slide show, had a 4-week-old visiting newborn that all the children got to practice holding, and also recreated a birth using dolls. E was all eyes and ears and of course full of comments and supplemental information for discussion times. She mentioned learning some new things, mainly "what a placenta was for and what it looked like," and also "the sounds Mama might make" while in labor. It was a great preparation class for her, and I think will provide an excellent communication tool for her and D while I'm pushin' her brother out.

Well, whenever this little guy decides it's the right time, we'll be ready.

I'm ready.