4-week Countdown!

In less than a month, there will be a brand new person in our family!  It's hard to believe he's almost here- our baby William! Yesterday I had my 36 week appointment.  We talked about how I want the birth to go, and what to expect.  I feel more than ready for that day.  I'm much more worried about life after his birth than the actual delivery.  The post-delivery care (which yes, I sort of forgot about), and having a newborn again along with two very busy boys... those are the things that seem challenging.  Sometimes I wonder if I'm going to be okay, if I can really handle life with all of these BOYS!

Four weeks will go by quickly, and our lives will change forever.  Owen and Elijah will have a new little brother to love and learn from.  And we will have another son to teach us and stretch us beyond what we thought possible.  Isn't that what children do?  They show you what love really is.  Through nurturing them, we too nurture our souls by growing in patience, compassion, and selflessness.  I am such a different person than I was before having kids, and with each one I change a little more.

This time around it feels different... maybe because I have wanted this baby for so long, and he has been in my heart long before he was ever in my womb.  I can't wait to look into his eyes with the knowing feeling that he is mine and see him finally looking back at me.  We'll be having him at the Midwife clinic where I had Owen, and I'm expecting things to be rather similar.  I love being able to give birth the way it was meant to be... simply, naturally, and beautifully.  I'm lucky, I guess that my body cooperates.  Owen was delivered quickly after only about 5 hours of labor.  Martin got to help deliver him, which was so special, and we are planning to do this with William also. 

With just weeks left, I'm constantly trying to get more and more done.   The summer has been a nice transition period since we haven't had the schedule of school to deal with, but shortly after William's birth school will begin again.  This means I have to get everything ready... school clothes, supplies, organization, etc.  We're almost finished with a dresser for the big boys room.  It's about fifty years old, but now you couldn't tell. We painted the frame off-white, and each drawer is a different color, with boyish accents like a rocket, moon, stars, and the word "imagine."

The baby room is perfect.  I love going in there just to sit.  Sometimes I hold the little heavy-bottomed elephant my mom bought for William and rock in the glider, imagining holding a baby instead. I'm not sure we'll be in there much other than to change diapers, maybe to nurse, but he'll be sleeping in our room for a while, and I see myself nursing, well everywhere!

In the meantime, I am enjoying my other two boys, or should I say three counting Martin? Owen has become such an imaginative chatter box.  He loves to stay in-character throughout the day for whatever it is he is pretending... mostly superheroes, but there is the occasional monster, robot, or animal. Elijah plays along for a while, but wants to do his own thing eventually. They both love building, and thank goodness now Owen can pedal his tricycle, so they ride around together, when I feel like I can make it around the block a few times!

 Martin has been absolutely wonderful throughout this pregnancy.  He gets up early to help me with chores before work, and we spend night together on the couch with icecream, a movie, and usually I get a foot rub. He's nearly finished with the adorable baby hat he's been knitting for William. I can't wait to see it on him!!! I'm going to miss all of these evening we've had when the boys are in bed and it's just us.  But then again, it will be pretty easy to hold and nurse a baby on the couch next to him!

                                                              WHO'S PREGNANT?

And then there were five!!!