Well, I'm still pregnant.
But hey...let's look on the bright side! At least I've developed a vicious head cold (complete with body-wracking cough) to take my mind off of the small human taking up the majority of my abdominal space!
I saw my OB yesterday, hoping that she would be FULL of answers for me about when this kiddo MIGHT arrive. It is impossible for me (and for a host of my beloved and frequently calling loved ones) to accept that there can be NO ANSWER to the question: When is this baby going to get here?
The doc informed me that Doodle Two should make his or her appearance sometime between now and May the 17th. (HINT TO ALL HUMANITY: If I am still pregnant on May 17th - SEEK COVER FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY!)
Having come to terms with the fact that it may be a while before this baby shows up, and feeling determined NOT to let this blog devolve into a weekly series of screeds chronicling my own late-pregnancy misery, I've decided to devote the remaining pre-birth blogs to answering questions from readers!
Now, some of these questions have come via email, some have been posted in the comments section, and let's be honest - some are things my mom just asked me on the phone yesterday when she called to check in.
TODAY'S QUESTION IS:
How are the preparations going for the arrival of Doodle 2?
THE ANSWER IS:
With embarrassing slowness.
Everything about preparing for our second baby has been markedly different than preparing for the arrival of our first. When I was pregnant with the Snood, David and I were living in a one-bedroom apartment. In spite of an EPIC lack of space, David and I moved out of the bedroom months in advance and started sleeping in the loft in order to get the room all ready for the blessed event!
At the time, I thought nothing of schlepping up and down and the stairs half a dozen times a night to use the bathroom, because it meant that we got to erect the crib, put up the adorable Pooh mobile and set up the changing table for OUR NEW BABY!!
Snoodie's nursery - fully set up TWO MONTHS before his birth
But with Doodle Two's impending arrival, things are a little different. The main problem with awaiting number two is that all the time one might have spent preparing is taken up in caring for one's extant offspring.
My mother had three kids in three years, and for proof of how different things are for each subsequent child, one need look no further than each of our baby books. My brother's (the first born) is filled out in exquisite detail, each roll, smile, and bowel movement lovingly chronicled in my mom's elegant cursive. My sister's (the next in line) is sparser - featuring the occasional photo and entries chronicling a handful of notable developmental milestones. Mine (born exactly a year and 11 days later) has my name and date of birth written on the first page and then a collection of glaringly blank pages with the occasional keepsake jammed haphazardly in-between.
And who can blame her? Just trying to keep the Snood from crawling into the dishwasher while I desperately attempt to grab some infant clothes out of storage has proved overwhelmingly daunting. While Snood's first 18-months have been intensely "hands on", I think the reality is that Doodle Two's are likely to be a good bit more "catch as catch can".
So, that answers our first ever READER'S QUESTION! Should I still find myself still blogging next week (having failed to succumb to either labor OR deep homicidal rage) I will address more questions, including the oft-queried
WHERE DID THE NAME "SNOOD" COME FROM?
Until then, I remain, pregnantly yours.....
