Well, we're 40 weeks pregnant and today is day 3.
This was not expected at all.
Last Sunday I thought we'd have a baby by week's end.
This past Sunday I thought we'd have a baby in February.
It's now March and I'm completely thrown off of my mind's last 10 months of planning and considerations.
Provided that all goes well, we'll have another March baby between now and the 15th. Someone asked if we miscalculated the due date. I said nope. I calculated her the same way I calculated Becton - and he was early.
For some reason, this little one is just late.
I've given up on having special days in mind that I wanted her to be born or not born on. Although, tomorrow would be cool (3-2-10) I'm not married to it. I'd just like for her to get here and be healthy. And I want bonding time with her and Becton so we can establish our routine.
It's helped me realize that I'll need to probably limit well-wishers and visitors from the house until I'm all settled and feeling less overwhelmed.
Particularly since she's late, my plans for when people could visit are going to change drastically.
When Becton got here, a lot of people came to visit almost immediately and that was really overwhelming for me. I can handle 1-2 visitors at a time for about an hour either in the hospital or at the house, but more than that at any time was honestly too much.
Especially to have been in recovery from major surgery.
It's hard, because I know folks want to come and see the baby and they mean well. But it was to the point that I had a room half full of strangers at the hospital passing the baby around during RSV season. It wasn't smart for me as a mom to allow that to happen, so I've decided that I'll need to speak up early for the expectations about baby #2's arrival.
I've accepted that it might confuse, upset, or offend some of the folks closest to me as well as be a change from how things were with Becton - but as the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20. And this little one is already coming into the world with potential kidney issues (a normal variation, the docs say, but still, enough to make me a bit anxious) - why add more stress to her little life when she gets here, as well as mine? Mommies are supposed to protect and that's what I intend to do.
I think if our family is allowed to keep visits brief between now and the end of RSV season, we'll be in a much better place to entertain and have extended visitors in May.
What complicates matters is that we're supposed to be semi-moving onto Antelope Island this month as well - most likely during Spring Break when I have the most time off and no teaching/work obligations. And that either has to happen now or in mid-May when the semester is over and I'm done with conference presentations and 80% of major work obligations.
We're really just not ready for visitors until we're settled.
And since she's not even here yet, visitors aren't really a feasible idea until April at the earliest. It's such a delicate balance between trying to do what's best for your family against protecting the feelings of friends and extended family. Hopefully it goes well this time.
Let's explain the semi-relocation before I forget.
On Antelope Island where Michael works - the Asst Park Manager's House has been vacant for a while, and they've given him the okay to move onto the Island.
They did it last year too, but then moved him to a different park.
We'd stay there until he deploys at year's end. It's a nice house. Larger than what we're in now with plenty of space for me and the kids to spread out and have fun while Michael is at work.
Ideally, how it will work is that me and the kids will go up on the days that I'm not teaching/working and stay there during Michael's 4 day shifts. It's an awesome backyard for Becton to play in and it's not very far from the town when we need to get out and get away (i.e. grocery shopping and the mall). It's nice to be right there because we see Michael more often and it's a less-tired version of Michael too. He can sleep in later, come home for lunch and be home in time for a decent dinner too.
So I'm looking forward to it as best as I can.
It's always a whirlwind of events in some way or another at the Schultz household.
We have an appointment tomorrow to discuss Non-Stress Tests and Biophysical profiles for the baby. If I wasn't so anti-c-section, I'd just sign up to have the surgery on Friday. But I seriously don't want to do it. I just don't know why this labor hasn't started spontaneously yet, and that's a little disheartening. My hope is that we have a healthy baby, however she gets here. If that means another surgery, then so be it. If they'll let me wait until 42 weeks, I'll take it.
The caveat there, unfortunately is that week 42 is a Friday where Michael is away for training - March 12th. I was going to shoot for Monday the 15th, but that's Spring Break when we're supposed to be moving and I'd be out of commission and still in the hospital through Wednesday of that week because of the surgery. There's child care to coordinate. Meals that folks will want to deliver. And still the ever-present "new baby life" to adjust to - oh yeah, and the weekend that Spring Break ends Michael has drill and won't be home, plus we're supposed to be planning Becton's birthday party around the same time too.
Wow, the more I think of it, the more March just isn't a good month for doing much more than breathing, existing and anticipating daily life.
Yup, I'll probably offend people by telling them to wait until April to come visit - but looking at the life schedule for March, there's no other way around it.
So, for fair warning, to our families, friends & well wishers we love you dearly, and will look forward to seeing you in April when baby's 4-6 weeks old.
*edit*
Wait wait wait... Becton's birthday party still has to happen.
Maybe that can be her Welcome to the Family party... if Becton is okay with it.
Ugh. Decisions, decisions
*end edit*
Stay tuned to the blog for pictures and updates once she gets here.
March will be an insanely BUSY month!
This was not expected at all.
Last Sunday I thought we'd have a baby by week's end.
This past Sunday I thought we'd have a baby in February.
It's now March and I'm completely thrown off of my mind's last 10 months of planning and considerations.
Provided that all goes well, we'll have another March baby between now and the 15th. Someone asked if we miscalculated the due date. I said nope. I calculated her the same way I calculated Becton - and he was early.
For some reason, this little one is just late.
I've given up on having special days in mind that I wanted her to be born or not born on. Although, tomorrow would be cool (3-2-10) I'm not married to it. I'd just like for her to get here and be healthy. And I want bonding time with her and Becton so we can establish our routine.
It's helped me realize that I'll need to probably limit well-wishers and visitors from the house until I'm all settled and feeling less overwhelmed.
Particularly since she's late, my plans for when people could visit are going to change drastically.
When Becton got here, a lot of people came to visit almost immediately and that was really overwhelming for me. I can handle 1-2 visitors at a time for about an hour either in the hospital or at the house, but more than that at any time was honestly too much.
Especially to have been in recovery from major surgery.
It's hard, because I know folks want to come and see the baby and they mean well. But it was to the point that I had a room half full of strangers at the hospital passing the baby around during RSV season. It wasn't smart for me as a mom to allow that to happen, so I've decided that I'll need to speak up early for the expectations about baby #2's arrival.
I've accepted that it might confuse, upset, or offend some of the folks closest to me as well as be a change from how things were with Becton - but as the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20. And this little one is already coming into the world with potential kidney issues (a normal variation, the docs say, but still, enough to make me a bit anxious) - why add more stress to her little life when she gets here, as well as mine? Mommies are supposed to protect and that's what I intend to do.
I think if our family is allowed to keep visits brief between now and the end of RSV season, we'll be in a much better place to entertain and have extended visitors in May.
What complicates matters is that we're supposed to be semi-moving onto Antelope Island this month as well - most likely during Spring Break when I have the most time off and no teaching/work obligations. And that either has to happen now or in mid-May when the semester is over and I'm done with conference presentations and 80% of major work obligations.
We're really just not ready for visitors until we're settled.
And since she's not even here yet, visitors aren't really a feasible idea until April at the earliest. It's such a delicate balance between trying to do what's best for your family against protecting the feelings of friends and extended family. Hopefully it goes well this time.
Let's explain the semi-relocation before I forget.
On Antelope Island where Michael works - the Asst Park Manager's House has been vacant for a while, and they've given him the okay to move onto the Island.
They did it last year too, but then moved him to a different park.
We'd stay there until he deploys at year's end. It's a nice house. Larger than what we're in now with plenty of space for me and the kids to spread out and have fun while Michael is at work.
Ideally, how it will work is that me and the kids will go up on the days that I'm not teaching/working and stay there during Michael's 4 day shifts. It's an awesome backyard for Becton to play in and it's not very far from the town when we need to get out and get away (i.e. grocery shopping and the mall). It's nice to be right there because we see Michael more often and it's a less-tired version of Michael too. He can sleep in later, come home for lunch and be home in time for a decent dinner too.
So I'm looking forward to it as best as I can.
It's always a whirlwind of events in some way or another at the Schultz household.
We have an appointment tomorrow to discuss Non-Stress Tests and Biophysical profiles for the baby. If I wasn't so anti-c-section, I'd just sign up to have the surgery on Friday. But I seriously don't want to do it. I just don't know why this labor hasn't started spontaneously yet, and that's a little disheartening. My hope is that we have a healthy baby, however she gets here. If that means another surgery, then so be it. If they'll let me wait until 42 weeks, I'll take it.
The caveat there, unfortunately is that week 42 is a Friday where Michael is away for training - March 12th. I was going to shoot for Monday the 15th, but that's Spring Break when we're supposed to be moving and I'd be out of commission and still in the hospital through Wednesday of that week because of the surgery. There's child care to coordinate. Meals that folks will want to deliver. And still the ever-present "new baby life" to adjust to - oh yeah, and the weekend that Spring Break ends Michael has drill and won't be home, plus we're supposed to be planning Becton's birthday party around the same time too.
Wow, the more I think of it, the more March just isn't a good month for doing much more than breathing, existing and anticipating daily life.
Yup, I'll probably offend people by telling them to wait until April to come visit - but looking at the life schedule for March, there's no other way around it.
So, for fair warning, to our families, friends & well wishers we love you dearly, and will look forward to seeing you in April when baby's 4-6 weeks old.
*edit*
Wait wait wait... Becton's birthday party still has to happen.
Maybe that can be her Welcome to the Family party... if Becton is okay with it.
Ugh. Decisions, decisions
*end edit*
Stay tuned to the blog for pictures and updates once she gets here.
March will be an insanely BUSY month!
1 comment:
please do not worry about offending family and friends - you are right, it is your job to protect your babies (is it weird at all to say you will have babies?). good for you for speaking up. I just had a friend deliver and she let the l&d nurse talk her into going it o natural even though she didn't want to and she hated the whole thing. you can do it. good luck with EVERYTHING! I'm glad the antelope house will allow you to see Michael more often.
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