Some Final Pregnancy Notes

I know staying away from the blogosphere this late in the game can send some mixed messages. Apparently ignoring a couple of phone calls from your mother-in-law can also cause a bit of a frenzy which may or may not cause her to call the local hospital so see if someone with my name has checked into the maternity ward.

Ok, so she didn't go that far but I wouldn't put it past her.

My prenatal appointment last week revealed that the baby has already "dropped" so it truly could be any day now. Although my gut is telling me I've still got at least another week and probably more like two or three. We'll see how far progressed I am at my next appointment on Tuesday.

Just like with William, I feel a little bitter sweet as I near the end of this pregnancy. I know that may sound weird to some women who just can't wait for it to be over. And it's true, there's a lot I'm ready to be done with. The sausages for fingers. The cankles. The constant bathroom breaks. The uncomfortable sleeping positions. The two maternity shirts left in my closet that still fit. The inability to tie my shoes or even put on socks.

But...

I do have easy pregnancies and for the majority of the time I enjoy being pregnant. I never tire of those flutters, kicks and hiccups. After William was born I would sometimes think I just felt the baby move. Then I would remember, oh yeah, the baby is right next to me. He's not in my belly anymore.

And then there's the whole issue of going from one child to two. It's still relatively easy for me to pick up at a moment's notice and run to Target or the grocery store. My daily jaunts outside the home are going to be extremely limited for awhile, if not impossible.

And then there's William. He won't be my baby anymore and that's still a hard pill to swallow. I know there's so much more fun times ahead of us now that he'll have a sibling. But it also means the end of unlimited one-on-one time whenever he or I needs it.

He's such a big boy now. Sleeping in his own big boy bed. Not too far away from being potty trained. And the stuff that comes out of his mouth. Sometimes I swear he's two going on ten.

And while he's been a big boy for some time now, this new baby just confirms the fact that our late-night rocking chair dates are probably no more.

But William and I will always have a special bond that I won't have with any of my other children. I think that every mother finds, as she has more children, that her relationship with each child is a bit different and unique in its own way. And that gives me comfort that I'm ready to start this child-rearing process all over again with a brand new life.

After all, the world isn't made up entirely of "only childs." I think, if we're able, siblings are one of the best gifts we can give our children.