Thursday, December 28, 2006

31 weeks

31 weeks today! My initial goal of 32 weeks is nearly there. As I mentioned, we had a doctor’s appointment yesterday. The reality of bringing home the babies is sinking in and I’m slightly freaking out over it. I’ve been so concerned with keeping the babies inside; I haven’t given much thought to when they get here. The farthest I’ve allowed myself to think is planning the nursery and we all know that’s just really an excuse to shop. Btw, I’ve officially bought our first item for the babies. BabyUniverse is very cool. I placed the order 12/26 late afternoon and it arrived this morning. Plus, they’re affiliates of Ebates, so I got free shipping and a cash rebate. Having to double up on most things, I’ll definitely be scrimping and saving where possible.

Back to my freak out, the doctor said the babies could arrive any moment. If they came now, we’d have some time to prepare since they’d be in the NICU for several weeks. However, at 36 weeks (5 weeks from today!), they’d most likely come home with us. Of course, I desperately want them to come home with us. I pray none of you will ever know what it’s like to leave a hospital without your babies after delivering them. The emptiness and sadness is like no other. It’s unbearable. Obviously, leaving your babies in the capable hands of a medical team while they grow or get better is a completely different matter, but we’d much rather be buckling them in our cars and bringing them home with us.

But how do we prepare? Should I be reading Dr Sears? Dr Spock? Dr Seuss? What exactly do I need to have before they come home? Am I supposed to bring the breastfeeding pillow with me to the hospital? Are they supposed to have special going home outfits? Do I bring my brand-spanking new diaper bag to the hospital? If so, what goes inside? When do we decide whether or not we’re going to snip our boy? How long will it take to heal from a c section? What will I be able to do after the surgery? Will I be more mobile than now?

Sometimes the birth seems so far away, I think I’ve got plenty of time. But then some sites I’ve visited say items may take 5-6 weeks to arrive. Yikes, then I realize it’s not so far away.

It’s also weird to realize our lives are going to change irrevocably. No going back now. Mike and I won’t have ‘our time’ for the next 20 years or so. But then we realize we are ready for the next phase of our lives, we have been for quite awhile. We’ve lived away from our family, lived in a foreign country and traveled abroad. We’re prepared to share our lives, to teach the little ones and become kids ourselves once again. We’re looking forward to the joy they’ll bring us and our families (especially the grandparents).

I can’t wait for Mike to become a father, he’ll be awesome. He’s one of the most patient and compassionate people I’ve ever met (if he wasn’t before, he’s gotten plenty of practice being married to me). Mike had a pretty cool upbringing; there are a lot of traditions from his family we’d like to pass onto our kids.

Ok, I think I’m ready to do this now ;-)

2 comments:

Kj said...

ahh. so lovely to hear your excitment! btw check out "babywise" on amazon. think you'll like it.

k

Anonymous said...

sneaker2@surewest.net
glad to hear your excitment... Tell Mike i said hey buddy!!!!
sneaker2@surewest.net
sneaker2@surewest.net
sneaker2@surewest.net
sneaker2@surewest.net
sneaker2@surewest.net
sneaker2@surewest.net
sneaker2@surewest.net
sneaker2@surewest.net
sneaker2@surewest.net
sneaker2@surewest.net
sneaker2@surewest.net
sneaker2@surewest.net

got the hint????