Ready or Not...

You may have noticed that my posting has been less frequent lately. Even now,
my foggy brain is struggling stringing words together to transfer to the computer
screen. Sleep deprivation secondary to advanced pregnancy is to blame. My 
mother teased me earlier this week that it's God's way of preparing the soon
to be new mother for what will be elusive after her new baby comes. I've even
said this jokingly myself in the past, but it makes much more sense for a new
(or new again) mom to be well rested before her new bundle comes into the
world. Waking at least twice a night to go to the bathroom and then not being
able to go back to sleep despite extreme sleepiness just isn't right. 


If the lack of sleep isn't enough, there's the fact that taking a nice deep breath
isn't an option. Deep inside there is a sweet little baby bottom pushing up against
my lungs, causing the classic third trimester shortness of breath. So, here I am
putting forth a conscience effort to focus my thoughts while gasping for air. 
Dramatic, I know, but true nonetheless. 


Despite my physical complaints, I've been obsessed with readying the house for 
baby #3. This includes ungodly amounts of laundry; salvaging what I can from
my two year old's former newborn clothes; arranging a space in our bedroom for 
a crib, changing table and rocking chair (thankfully our bedroom can 
accommodate); cleaning out and organizing cabinets to make room for baby 
things; figuring out how to squeeze more linens into my linen cabinet; and the 
list goes on. 


Last weekend, my poor husband experienced a bit of shock when shopping for 
the new baby. For my second child, we were able to use a lot of same things 
(excluding clothes) I had for my first one, the majority of which didn't make it 
past baby #2. Reality set in big time when we purchased a new pumpkin seat 
(infant car seat) and set it up in the car. All child seats have been shifted in the 
old minivan to have the pumpkin seat in the only seat that has a latch system. 
Thankfully, my two year old is happy with his new place in the van and my four 
year old is thrilled the be in the "way back" like a big girl. 


I now feel mostly ready for our newest member to come and join our family. This
next week's objective is to pack my hospital bag. Talk about a reality check. I'm 
a bit (or more than a bit) apprehensive about transitioning from two children to 
three. I hear varying stories about the process from other mothers. Most say it's 
easier than when you go from one to two, but a few say it's absolutely nuts. I'll 
opt to believe the former and trust God that He'll give me the rest, strength, time 
management, and organizational skills that will surely be needed. 


I plan to post at least twice a month over the next couple months as this 
transition takes place and then try to go back to weekly as I've done earlier 
this year.