Preparing for Baby

This time definitely feels to have gone, overall, faster.  There are certainly some days that crawl, but, for the most part, i'm amazed at how time has flown.  ESPECIALLY since we've been back from our extended trip to Virginia.

Pretty sure i've mentioned it, but it is much on my mind and i'm very pleased and excited... so wanted to share some more.

In the past, i have heard comments from some other Mothers about helping women who are having their _(more than second) baby.  It felt cruddy to hear the meannesses, but i think it was good for me, too.  As a result, i didn't really do anything different for #3 and #4 births or preparation for them.  i just wasn't present enough or organized enough to do what needed to be done... and i dreaded the labor ordeal.  Yes, preparing ahead of time required acknowledgement and acceptance of THAT particular step in the process.  :)  But i am DEFINITELY doing some things differently THIS time!  And, at least, one thing the same... but that's a good thing.

This time i feel SO different.  If you're interested in HOW (and potentially why) i feel different, feel free to read HERE.  No worries if you're not that interested, of course.

If you want to feel better about your own upcoming birth, though, i do recommend taking a few more minutes to read there.  It's all from me - so hopefully you know it's what i believe to be the honest to goodness truth.  Cause i just don't do full-frontal lying.  i admit that i am learning how to leave stuff out... but i think i should've learned THAT a LONG time ago.  ahwell...

Back to the reason for writing today!

What more have i done in preparation?  Among the NEW things i've done: i completed another 2.5 days worth of snacks!!!  That means, my friend, that i have now prepared MORE than my goal.  What a GOOD feeling that is, i have to say!!!  (We eat a little differently around here: breakfast, a snack, another snack, dinner... thus, two snacks per day is the usual requirement.)

The same day i exceeded my goal with regard to snack preparation, i also made another dinner meal... actually, only the meatballs for a dinner.  Ria is wonderfully capeable and will readily be able to make the noodles and pour premade organic spaghetti sauce over the top... hopefully have a veggie on the side (but probably something raw) if i cannot actually get up to do it.  She has been fully trained in that dinner prep.  YEAY!  So, i only have 3 more dinners to prepare ahead of time!  YIPPEE!!!  I sure am hoping i can accomplish my goal of 14 dinners before the due date, which is swiftly appraoching!

Something i've done in the past that has always helped has been to accept or ask for a Priesthood Blessing.  I've been meaning to ask for one for the last month or so, but just didn't get around to it.  Yesterday the Brother i wanted to ask turned around after the main service and asked me how i was doing.  It took a minute, but i finally remembered that i wanted to ask him for a blessing.  He was more than happy to help and he and another Brother i appreciate very much administered a PB for me after church.  The peace i've felt has been greatly increased since.  Praise the Lord!  :)

Honestly, i cannot remember if i heard about doing this or just decided to do it when i had just Ria and Kat, but it is something that has proven to be very helpful: i do an extensive clean of my vehicle and shift carseats around in advance of the birth.  Usually i do this at least a month in advance.  This time i did do a bit of shifting (reassigning the girls seats and practicing load-up and un-load order) about a month ahead of babys EDD, but i did not move Jmy's carseat until today AFTER we returned home from an outing.  It does worry me that i've waited so long to shift him.  Hopefully he'll be easy-going about it.  We'll see.

Since i was moving Jmy's carseat, i decided to also complete the deep clean.  Really, i keep the van very neat and orderly, for the most part.  However, the children do get to eat in the van at times and regardless of how many times i tell them and require them to clean up after themselves, there is always stuff left in cracks and crannies.  This troubles me a great deal... but i do my best and that's all i can ask of myself.  It was upsetting to find biscuit bits (who knows how old) and other random large crumbs stuck between a seat and the side of the van.  So, the "deep clean" was really beneficial!  But man... i could've chosen a better TIME, maybe.  i was soaked when i finished because i sweated so much.  Trying to rehydrate even now an hour later!

Yesterday my midwife dropped off my birth kit.  In the past, i haven't really bothered with looking in the kit or anything until labor was imminent.  Last night i dug into it, reorganized things, and placed the little presoaped sponge with brush thingy in a very visible place... then put it all in a place i'll see A LOT.  It's exciting!  Yes, i have already been thinking about the baby a lot, but not i'm anticipating the process to GET baby, too.  Not dreading... which is very nice!  ^_^

It sure does feel good to have food preparations coming nicely along and to have a relatively clean van now!!  I did not get around to wiping down surfaces (they are VERY dusty), but at least the carpets and seats are nicely cleaned up.  :)  It is SO much easier to keep the van nice and orderly and swept out... i figure it's sorta like the orderliness some women are able to maintain in their homes since their children are out of them for around 8 hours each day.  Don't know for sure, of course, but i imagine....   :)