Finishing Touches

Now's the time for twiddlin' my thumbs.

Alright, there's never a moment for a mom of young children to twiddle: there are crumbs to sweep up, clothes to fold, noses & bottoms to be wiped, meals & snacks to prepare...the list goes on and on.

But as far as the wee one is concerned, everything is pretty much settled.

I've washed gowns & sleepers. The blankets are neatly rolled in some bargain baskets. The boys have tested the swing and bouncy seat. I even sewed a sack to hold bags for dirty diapers.

Announcements are addressed. Stamps have been purchased. The camera is charged and the memory card has been erased. Laundry is done nightly. A suitcase is constantly tripped upon.

In a superstitious moment, I grabbed Andrew's Honey Do list and made some cinnamon buns to put in the freezer along with 2 large and 4 small loaves of zucchini bread. Alas, we ate the soup and pie and there was no cake, but do you think it's close enough?

Determined to be super woman and do it "all why self" I set to work at 9pm last night playing musical chairs with the kids' car seats. Stephen, who for the last few months has played momma's helper with Matthew, was sent to the back with Andrew. Matthew, sans his stash of crushed Chex and petrified craisins, was scooted to the middle of the middle row AND turned forward. (I wish I had had a video of his face today as we went to the grocery store: absolute amazement!)

Well, after fiddling with the moving the middle seat for way too long, I relented and called in reinforcements (and greater muscle) to fix the problem. Amazingly, Doug had it solved in no time, and I think it may have been one of the first times we have ever installed a car seat together without arguing.

Now it's just a matter of time seeing as anything from 37 to 42 weeks is considered "normal" in the realm of pregnancy. Something like only 5% of mothers deliver ON their "estimated due date" so it really should be viewed as a large window, but unfortunately, we feel compelled to concentrate our energies on one date circled in red and anticipated for months.

At least with the boys, I've been rather vague about it all. On September 22 I mentioned that it was the 1st day of fall. Stephen immediately piped up, "And the baby is going to be born and all the leaves are going to fall off the trees." I guess I had forgotten explaining the general time frame. I assured him all those things would happen in the fall, just not necessarily on that day.

They are growing more and more excited though that might be because I told them they could have the cinnamon rolls when the baby is born. Andrew declared today, "I like babies, I like cinnamon rolls, and I like God." Stephen has been playing "Ms. Leigh" (my midwife) and measuring my belly with a measuring tape, all the while making helpful comments like, "Your belly is really big." They also like to investigate a hideous scar on my belly, a lovely reminder of the danger of a pregnant woman draining boiling water from spaghetti noodles.

Yes, the time is drawing nigh, and I am torn. I want to enjoy the final kicks, the pokes and prods and rolling; yet I am anxious to know my fate, as well. What does the future hold for the Hamill home? Only time will tell.