Magic Bean Update: 1 week to go!

Magic Bean @ 38 weeks

Things got real today.

One week from tomorrow, we will be holding our precious baby boy in our arms.

One week from tomorrow, we will be a family of four.

One week from tomorrow, our dreams of giving Sean a baby brother will finally become reality.

Only a week to go.

I'm not sure if I'm totally ready for this!!!

There is still so much to do!

Like washing all the itty bitty things along with other baby related items, like sheets and muslins and wraps and the like.
And packing the hospital bag.
And charging the camera batteries.
And sorting through Sean's clothes so there is room for the baby's clothes in the tallboy in Sean's bedroom.
And getting the breast pump and all the accessories down from storage.
And clearing out the bassinet so that it's once again a bassinet and not the overflow laundry basket.

I thought I'd have a couple of days to get some of these tasks out of the way this week, being my first week of maternity leave. Unlike the last pregnancy, when I had no choice but to work till I was almost 39 weeks pregnant in order to qualify for paid maternity leave, this time, I chose to work until I was 38 weeks pregnant to maximise my leave entitlements. Crazy idiot that I am. Trust me when I say, now, that if I was to do this all over again, I would have stopped working at 36 weeks. Anyway, having only 2 weeks off before the baby is due to arrive meant I could still get a few things done, and the plan was to get the bulk of the things done over yesterday and today, when I was suppose to be alone and Jonathan at work and Sean at day care.

What is it they say about "best laid plans" again?

Early yesterday morning, Sean sprang a fever. He woke at 4am and cried for Jonathan, so Jonathan went into Sean's room to try and settle him. Jonathan thought Sean felt a bit hot; hot enough to warrant getting the thermometer and checking Sean's temperature. 38.2C. A dose of Panadol settled Sean, but with a temperature, I wasn't keen on sending Sean to day care. So we spent the day at home yesterday. It's hard to do anything mundane and unexciting when one has a whiny clingy sick toddler on hand, so I got very little done yesterday.

Early this morning, Sean again woke and became very fussy. It was around 2am, and Jonathan went to try and settle Sean back to sleep. Sean finally drifted off at around 4am, but only for about 45 minutes. At which point, Jonathan was too tired to cope with sitting in Sean's room, so the little one came into our room and slept in our bed. Yes, Sean slept. Not so much sleep for Jonathan nor I. We woke at around 7.30am, all feeling very sorry for ourselves, and Jonathan ended up taking the day off work today because he was just too exhausted from 2 nights of sleep deprivation. Meanwhile, Sean has developed a cough and a runny nose - early signs of a cold - which I'm hoping will get better without the love being shared around the house before Magic Bean arrives.

So, my two days of "me time" went flying out the window.

With Sean back at day care today (he was also developing cabin fever from being cooped up inside the house yesterday), Jonathan and I managed to get quite a bit done. We filled out very important banking paperwork, visited the preschool we want to send Sean to next year and filled out paperwork to put him on the waiting list, drove to Macquarie Centre to claimed all sorts of medical rebates from various health agencies, went to the Post Office, went to the bank, enjoyed a lazy lunch, and I even got my much longed for pedicure. Once we got home, we even got all the itty bitty things down from the attic storage, ready to be washed. And topping off our very productive day, we moved Sean's car seat into the middle of the backseat and fitted the baby capsule into the car. Before we knew it, it was time to collect Sean from day care and head off to visit Dr Baber for our weekly appointment.

And as it turned out, today's appointment with Dr Baber was the last time we will see him before D Day!!!

Magic Bean is still not engaged, but all is looking good. My blood pressure is good. Magic Bean's heart rate is good. He continues to move like a little man on a mission in my belly - if last night's disco dancing was anything to go by, he is going to be a wriggler just like his big brother!

I am experiencing a huge mixed bag of emotions at the moment. On one hand, I am very much looking forward to meeting our littler man. I am also looking forward to not having to deal with this giant belly and my poor aching back and buttocks/glutes, and to be able to sleep without this weight forcing me to lie on my side with a pillow between my legs. I am looking forward to holding a newborn, to watching the miracle that is a new life change and grow in my arms, to experiencing all the firsts with this new baby. And more than anything else, I am looking forward to seeing Sean interact with Magic Bean. On the other hand, I am going to miss feeling the littler man wriggling and rolling around inside my belly. I'm going to miss rubbing my belly with the knowledge that I'm growing a human. And, I'm going to miss seeing my belly become misshapen when Magic Bean rolls into a weird position. And I am going to miss sleeping through the night.

One more week. I have 2 more "alone" days next week - here's hoping I do get to spend those days alone, because this will be the last time I will get the chance to spend 2 whole days alone. I'm sure I'll still have errands to run, but I might see if I can book myself in to get my eyebrows done, and possibly get a pregnancy massage as well. I really do want to take myself to one last sushi meal too - just me, and the sushi train, and nothing and no one bothering me. At this point of the pregnancy, I really don't care what I am allegedly allowed to eat and not allowed to eat any more.

One more week. For the longest time, we didn't think we would get to this point. And here we are, one week to go.

Woo hoo!

**********

Dear Magic Bean,

In one week and one day, we will be giving you cuddles and kisses, holding you in our arms with tears in our eyes. Don't worry, darling boy. Daddy and Momma will be just so pleased to finally meet you that we will be shedding tears of joy.

We have been on an amazing journey; all of us: Daddy, Momma, Sean and you. We can't believe we will finally get to see you next Friday!

We are getting everything ready for you - or at least, trying our very best to get everything ready. The new deck is all ready, as are the new French doors. Your big brother loves the new deck, and we are sure you are going to love running up and down the deck too, just like Sean. The house is now free of all the construction dust, and Daddy has finally gotten all the little clothes down from the attic storage, so Momma can wash every item of cuteness and dress you up in all the fun clothes.

You have been super wriggly these last few weeks, which has made both Daddy and Momma laugh with delight when we see you wriggle around and around in Momma's belly. You love wriggling around late at night, just like your big brother did. And, you really get your wriggle on when Momma eats "noodly snacks", exactly like your big brother. Sean really loves "noodly snacks" - they are now one of his favourite snacks to eat, and we're sure you will develop a taste for them when you're older.

We went to see Dr Baber today, and he is very happy with how you're growing. We won't be seeing Dr Baber again until next Friday, when he will be the first person to meet and greet you into the world. You are one very lucky boy, to be in such safe hands. He was the first person to meet and greet Sean too!

Daddy and Momma and Sean are so excited about next week. You will complete our little family of four. The little family we'd always dreamed of. We can't wait to meet you face to face!

Until next Friday, keep wriggling and kicking. Dr Baber wants you to keep busy and move around as much as you can. Daddy and Momma will keep working on making everything comfortable and ready for you at home.

We love you so much, Magic Bean. See you next week!

Hugs and kisses,
Daddy and Momma