Happy Meal Picnic

We've been having some terrific weather in Portland. Traditionally, it doesn't start getting really nice (mid-70's, sun, blue skies, no humidity) until after July 4th, but we got a large slice of summer this past week. This means our little family has been out and about in the sun as much as possible, making up for the dreary rainy days of winter/spring. ESK has been loving it.

On Friday, I spontaneously took ESK for a lunch picnic at our neighborhood park after her swim class. I was in a rush to get back home before her nap time, so I went to the nearest fast food chain and picked up a drive-through meal -- chicken nuggets, fries and drinks for both of us.

When I got to the park, of course, I wasn't the only mom to think it was a perfect day for a picnic. There were at least four other groups there eating lunch. The only difference was that everyone else had brought healthy homemade snacks. Nutritious veggies, cut-up fruit and sandwiches. The golden arches printed on the paper sacks I carried felt like the modern-day mom equivalent of a big, red "A" stitched on my chest. At least, that's how it is here in Portland.

I felt a pang of guilt and looked around surreptitiously for sidelong glances or whispering from the other moms. But after awhile I forgot about it. Not even my self-consciousness could take away from the simple pleasure of picnicking on a beautiful day. ESK loved her nuggets and fries. And then it was on to the swings and jungle gym. Life is good when you're two years old. Life is good taking care of a happy two-year-old.

Still Pregnant
I'm done being pregnant. Practically speaking, we really don't want the baby to arrive until my mom flies in on the 20th. It would really just makes logistics a lot easier for SK and I. However, I'm not sure how much longer my body can take this pregnancy!

There is no room left in my belly and when the baby shifts around, it is sometimes painful. I get tired pretty easily. My fingertips are numb on my right hand. I snore in my sleep now and sometimes I wake myself up with my own snoring (this totally grosses me out by the way)! And my feet are so swollen that they no longer fit into my clogs! Thank goodness for flip-flops and warm weather. I have cankles and my legs are elephantine.

Oh, and every time I show up the slightest bit late or don't return calls, people have been telling me, "Ha ha ha! There you are! I thought you might have gone into labor or something! We thought for sure you were on your way to the hospital!" If only....

I'm in the home stretch, I know. Just getting a bit impatient...

Unprepared

My OB told me I should have my bags packed and logistics figured out for delivery day when I went to my weekly appointment two days ago. Even though I am nearly 37 weeks along and should have been expecting new like this, for some reason, hearing that made me feel very unprepared. At the time, I did not have my overnight bag packed and did not have a lot of baby things in place.

How unprepared was I? No outfits for baby, no set emergency plan for ESK, and a sparse baby name list (only one boy name!). Mentally, neither SK or I are ready for this baby either. Somehow, I felt more prepared when ESK was born, probably because I was taking classes and obsessively reviewing our baby literature every night.

SK and I have since added to our baby name lists (boy & girl names). My bag is packed. But what to do with ESK is still up in the air since it will really depend on what time of day I go into labor. We have contacted almost everyone we know here in Portland as back-up care for ESK. But hopefully, this baby will not arrive until my dear mother gets here on the 20th. Please please please...

Anywhoo, I was having problems sleeping with the baby moving around in increasingly cramped quarters and frequent middle-of-the-night pee-pee runs. But now, I find myself sleeping even less since I'm feeling anxious and all of a sudden scared again about heading into labor and delivery. I'm freaking out a bit!

In the midst of this all, poor ESK has no idea how much her world is about to change. Despite her terrible two's, she is really a joy in my life and I get emotional thinking about how much I love her. She is especially happy when both her mom and dad are around since she is the apple of both of our eyes. But soon this will change. We've tried to prepare her with the concept of being a "big sister", but I know she doesn't fully grasp the coming changes. Poor thing.