Night Before the Big Day

It is finally here.  Baby #4 will be in our arms tomorrow, hopefully by lunch time.  It is such a relief to finally know that he is actually going to be here.  I am going to the hospital to be induced before 8 a.m. My first thought is that it will be nice to be able to wear regular clothes again - I have been wearing/rotating 3 bottoms for the last 2 weeks because none of my other ones fit or are too uncomfortable to  wear.  That's what I get for not buying any maternity clothes.  I was so tempted last week to buy a new pair of maternity jeans!

Today I spent the time hanging out with the kids, delivering the last of the neighbor presents, buying last minute baby things (I had forgotten I actually need a new breast pump, a monitor, and a bath tub!) -- I also spent some time organizing presents so that when I get home in 2 days Kevin will know where to find the stash (you know I put them in random places and remarkably I remembered where they were all today!).   Then nostalgia struck as I finished the last of my to-do's.  

I patted a crying Maddie's head and felt a little sad she wasn't going to be with me for two days.  The little sweetie has been my little couch buddy the last couple of weeks - and she is so sweet to ask me if I would be sleeping downstairs every night. And since the only place comfortable is my couch (too hard to get up from my bed!) my answer is always yes.  I talked to her today over and over about me being gone for two days and that I was going to be at the hospital to have her baby brother.  I don't think she gets it yet though. Hopefully she will do fine. 

Then there was the thought of "wow this is my last night of being pregnant" and it made me a little sad, surprisingly.  I had to snap out of that thought and tried to remind myself that the last two weeks have been tiresome and not so fun.  But the feeling persisted.  I realized I never stopped to think about being pregnant because this pregnancy had been by far the easiest the first 8 months.  I was so buried in lots of other things that I just never slowed down to soak in the whole pregnancy experience.  I got a lot accomplished even with a growing belly - and for the first time, I didn't get a migraine after I was 12 weeks along.   I won't miss being fat and uncomfortable, but I will miss carrying a baby.  There is just a special feeling that is around when a baby is about to come!  I am so glad to finally be able to snuggle a newborn tomorrow.

So for the rest of tonight we are going to watch a Christmas movie and just have some lazy time.  I am hoping everything will go smoothly and be home just in time for Christmas! Pray and wish me luck!