June 14, 2023

Countdown to Baby: 20 Days!

I can't believe I'm nearly done cooking this baby.  I'm both eager to meet him/her, but also nervous about labor, and of course how I'm going to parent 2 young children.  Mothers have been doing it since the beginnings of civilization, so I'm guessing soon enough it will become second nature.  However doesn't it just seem wrong in this culture how isolated we are from each other, family and otherwise?  I wish there was more help available for families, and not of the kind that requires the transaction of money.

Despite the late pregnancy tiredness, I'm making extra efforts to do some fun things with Soren before the baby comes.  Yesterday we tagged along with friends to the Philadelphia Zoo, and had a great time.
It was a perfectly breezy and pleasant day to visit, and I was surprisingly able to keep up with all the walking and standing.  I did sleep exceptionally well last night though.

I think the boys spent more time climbing the bronze animals throughout the park instead of gazing at the real ones!
The Philly Zoo is such a kid-friendly place, lots of things to climb on, a carousel, interactive kiosks with puppet shows, and even a train and swan boats to ride.  I definitely see us returning again; maybe we can convince one of S's uncles to buy a family membership for us as a Christmas present this year, since they're often stumped for ideas.
Soren's favorite thing was the children's petting zoo, where he got to brush and pet goats and sheep.  It was so sweet to see, and unfortunately I left my camera outside the pen with the stroller.  The funniest part was when he got wedged between 2 goats and the fence and was a little concerned.  My friend Amy got a picture of it, so it will give us a laugh later on.

Now if only I can get that Simon and Garfunkel song out of my head: "someone told me it's all happenin' at the zoo. I do believe it, I do believe it's true."

Other than being tired, things are going well with me physically.  The nursery is 99% done, I have a stash of diapers waiting for a baby butt, and have ordered some more cloth ones.  I still haven't packed my hospital bag, but I'm not too concerned as I'll be packing light this time. I just hope I don't forget the camera!  And I do apologize for not being as speedy with returning emails and responding to comments.  It's been tough finding much time to be online lately, especially with being exhausted come evening.

I'm also considering a gift for the new big brother, maybe a sand table, since he loves the one at our friends' house.
I think that might keep him busy while adjusting to the new baby.  Did you get your older child a gift from the new baby if you have more than one child? What did you buy? 

9 comments:

  1. AH! After I saw this I checked my ticker and I only have 27 days...talk about scary! Here's hoping everything goes VERY smoothly these last few days :)

    And a lot of people think we're crazy, but we actually live in an old house that has 6 bedrooms, with my parents and grandmother because my mom and grandmother will be taking care of our baby once I go back to work. It's made it MUCH easier on the bills for everybody and we're actually enjoying living together (and it's been about 5 months already!). Sometimes it's frustrating, but luckily the house is big enough we can all still have our "own space." I know I'm going to be REALLY grateful for the extra help when the baby gets here :)

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  2. I have 19 days left myself and have been thinking about what to get my 2 year old from his baby brother. I did get a Thomas take a long play set but he already found it so I need to decide if its worth getting something else.

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  3. Yay! Congratulations! I am getting really excited at this point, too. I will be pleased if the baby stays inside for the whole nine months, but I'll also be excited to meet him if he decides to make a (healthy) early appearance.

    Anyway, my mom gave the oldest three of us handmade dolls when she had her fourth child. She told us they were our babies since she had one. I was seven at the time, but it was a precious gift.

    I am thinking of giving Kidoodle a train track, since he loved his cousins' so much.

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  4. We have that sand table and LOVE it! It occupies our three year old FOR HOURS! That being said, I am planning on emptying out the sand and filling one side with aquarium gravel in a fun color. The sand makes a GIANT wet mess.

    Good luck in this home stretch!

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  5. Hmm? I don't believe we gave our first born anything when our second was born. I would probably guess that his grandparents and aunts did..I would bet they did..but I can't remeber..that was almost 10 years ago. Yes, my baby is almost 10 and my first born just turned 13 this past Saturday. You must be so excited...your baby is almost here! I was very nervous about labor, even the 2nd time around, but somehow it all just falls into place, cause it just has to! I'll be thinking about you these last days and I pray that everythig goes well with your labor and delivery!! It will!!

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  6. I can't believe you're almost done either! It seems like just yesterday I saw your post announcing your newest member-Time sure does fly by!! O.o

    I'm glad to hear that you're doing well, though, and that you're pushing through the late pregnancy fatigue to do with with the little man :)

    That zoo looks so fun!!

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  7. An exciting new chapter in your life you are heading into.

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  8. You look so good =). At that point in my pregnancy I was just a mess! LOL!

    omg...i'm having a major absent-minded mommy moment. I think I got the two older boys something from the baby, but I honestly can't remember...or maybe I was just considering getting gifts? oh boy.

    anyways, so exciting!!!

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  9. Advance greeting for the new baby! This is exciting for the whole family. I think the sand table is a great gift for Soren.

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