19 Days and Counting

Nursery is pretty much ready.

Hospital bag is pretty much packed.

House is pretty much ready for our baby girl.

And yet, I don't know that it's fully hit us that we'll be having another baby in less than three weeks. Nineteen days or less, actually.

The other night, I was browsing online for information about how much our little one is growing at 37 weeks. They tell me she's full-term and full developed. Now, she's just putting on weight. That my uterus may start to drop in the next few days/weeks and since this isn't my first pregnancy, there's a good chance she'll come early. The site suggested packing your hospital bag and making sure you were preregistered at the hospital.

Say what?

Why did no one tell me about preregistering? Or at least remind me?

It hasn't even been three years since our boys were born and already, I've forgotten relatively important information! So after yesterday morning, I can now add and check off "Finished preregistering at the hospital" from my list.

As good as it feels to get this stuff done, realizations like the one I had last night about preregistering make me nervous about what else I might be forgetting. If I forget to bring something to the hospital with me, not a big deal. Andy or my mom can always get it. But what if I forget something big, like what the heck I'm supposed to do!

Going through our little one's (very very pink) laundry, I'm struck by how small everything is. How am I supposed to hold a newborn again? How are you supposed to change those diapers when they are just so incredibly small? Will she latch on? What if I don't eat/drink/sleep enough and my milk doesn't come in when she needs it most? What if...? What if...?

Gosh, I sound like a first-time parent, don't I? I'm not, but I kinda feel like I am. These are obviously silly things to think about much less worry about. And I would be lying if I said these questions fill up my mind all day long. They honestly don't. Just in those few quiet moments of the day when I think about bringing our little one home. Into our home. Our lives. And I just wonder how it will go. Our family will be forever changed.

One thing I'm confident of, though. Well, two things actually. We are not the first ones to go through this. And second, we WILL emerge triumphant (albeit, not without our own little struggles, stories and learning experiences throughout the way.)

One step at a time, right?