Come Out, Come Out...

I'll be 41 weeks pregnant on Tuesday.  Well, hopefully our little one will have joined us by then but he or she is giving us a run for our money.  The induction date is on the calendar; both Lilly and Jack needed that scheduled before they arrived.  We have everything set up.  The hospital bags are finally packed.  The house is stocked with food and diapers...and coffee and wine.  Mum and Dad are here.  Jack got his molars.  St. Patrick's Day has come and (almost) gone, and Jim really didn't want this baby to arrive on St. Patrick's Day.  I don't know what else this baby could be waiting for; there are no more excuses.  My doctor is even on call tomorrow, which means that she would deliver our baby if he or she arrives on Monday.  Everything, and everyone is ready.

While Mum says reassuring things like, "You've made such a lovely, warm, cozy home for this little one; he or she is just not ready to come out yet," Dad offers helpful comments such as, "Well, what are we going to do today besides freezing to death and waiting for babies to be born?"  He asks me "when I'm going to get my act together and have this baby so he can book a plane ticket back to Austin, where the temperature is higher than Fairfield's combined temperature for 3 days?"  If you'd like to read more about Dad's running commentary on the weather in Connecticut, feel free to do so here.  Or a follow up email to an email I sent out to my family the other day about the background music at breakfast which consisted of Jack and Lilly on the drums:

The music is the least of my concerns. Between the icy blasts that strip the leaves from the trees and stunt even the healthiest of plants, that drive even the hardiest of men indoors with cracked skin and weeping eyes,-- between that, and the sense that I am waiting for a small person I haven't yet met to arrive and Amelia is really not very informative at telling me how the contractions are coming -- between all that and my wife telling me she wants to be a pilot so she can spend lots of time in another country -- I am actually holding up well. Thanks.

Dad

So we wait.  And wait.  And wait.  Mum does more laundry and cooks and cooks.  Dad offers his insight on the weather and baby names (where his current favorites include Gloria, Bernadette & Roxanne for a girl...)  and Jim keeps hoping that he won't have go to work tomorrow.  This baby is already shaping up to be a true third child.  

March 17, 2013
Our last day as a family of four?

March 12th

It looks like another due date will come and go for a Baby Clark--I don't know why we're surprised but as Jim said this morning, a due date is so anti-climactic when the baby isn't born!  We've been talking about March 12th for almost 9 months now and the day is finally here...but the baby is not.  Granted, there's still plenty of time for this little one to make his or her arrival today but nothing is underway yet.

It's been raining all day and the last of the snow is gone.  It's hard to believe, considering the huge amount of snow we've had this past month.  From the blizzard to the snow last Friday, it didn't look like there was an end in sight.  I have to say, I'm not sorry to see it go.  As much as Lilly and Jack enjoyed it all, I know they'll be thrilled to be spending afternoons in the backyard and at the park instead.  However, there's something about little children and snow that's always fun to watch.

a wooden spoon is Jack's snow toy of choice

little brothers just can't resist :)

As the snow melted away, Lilly and Gigi made snow cakes!

We've been spending our days trying to walk out the baby while we wait, although the rain today is making that a bit difficult.  Jack sprouted a bottom molar (thank goodness, because he was not a happy camper yesterday), so maybe the baby was waiting for that?  Lilly has learned how to cruise around on her little balance bike, and takes it very seriously (when she stops talking long enough to concentrate)!  

And of course, we celebrated Jim's birthday.  Lilly picked out "Dad's favorite" balloons, she made him a card and helped bake a carrot cake.  At the end of the day, as we were putting her to bed, she turned to us and said, "But the new baby isn't here yet!  I thought it was supposed to come on Dad's birthday?!"  We were all hoping, but Jim's birthday will remain unshared in the Clark family. 

Blowing out the candles with his 'helpers' 

Jim's favorite balloons, courtesy of Lilly

Bring on the Baby!

I'm in a much better place than I was this time last week.  The nervousness and anxiety is gone, and have been replaced with excitement and anticipation.  Mum and Dad arrived on Friday night and brought with them a much needed feeling of relief for Jim and me.  The snow from Friday that kept me awake at night has melted.  Instead of the worry that I experienced last week when I felt uncomfortable, I now wonder if every little move the baby makes will set the wheels turning for this little one's arrival.  And we're ready, which I'm sure means the baby will wait another week!

Today is Jim's birthday--March 11th.  Both Lilly and Jack were born on the 11th of the month as well, so it seems fitting that the baby should arrive today.  Although just as Lilly and Jack are distinct little people, I have no doubt that this baby will will set itself apart by arriving on his or her own schedule.

Life doesn't stop and wait for a baby's arrival.  We've had birthday parties and ballet; mornings at tumble time and afternoons at the park; lazy days at home; sunny, 50 degree days followed by snow days with no school.  We had a week with a health scare with Edward, after which, thankfully, everything turned out okay.  Mum and I got our nails done and I got a haircut.  As I sit here writing, while the sun rises on the morning of Jim's 32nd birthday, my message to Baby Clark #3 is simple--come on out and join your family anytime! We're as ready as we can be.

Lilly coming downstairs after quiet time, with her pirate patch that she cut out and taped to her eye!  You never know what you'll find at the end of quiet time...

Our morning greeting!  Lilly climbs into Jack's crib when her clock "turns green".  

Doing his best at putting on Lilly's headphones, walking around saying, "bubba, bubba".

Making a card for Uncle Edward

One of their favorite games.  Jack doesn't fit in the stroller quite as well as Lilly does!

Tumble Time!

the last of the snow...before the next storm arrived! 

the train into ballet!

lunch time 

Lilly's creation on my phone

There was no way this could end well.  And it didn't.  30 seconds later, Jack was on the ground, but got up and was still insistent on pushing Lilly.  I'm not quite sure how to teach him to stay away from moving swings!

stretching with Dad...one of my favorites!

very excited for pajama day at school!

another ballet train

pedicures with Mum...now bring on the baby!

Waiting...

It's a strange feeling waiting for a baby to be born.  I remember it vividly leading up to both Lilly and Jack's arrivals--each for different reasons.  And now, I'm in the waiting zone again.  Except this time, it's not a quiet sitting and waiting like it was the week before Lilly was born.  It's more of a I'm-exhausted-and-feel-huge-and-have-a-baby-that-moves-nonstop-and-a-3-year-old-that-talks-nonstop-and-an-almost-17-month-old-that-is-a-toddler-in-every-sense-of-the-word kind of waiting.  I have kind, generous friends who offer to look after Lilly and Jack on a daily basis and who are more than willing to come over should we need them in the night before Mum & Dad arrive on Friday evening.  They chase Jack around whenever we get together so that I don't have to.  I have a wonderful husband who understands me when over the course of the morning, I burst into tears for no apparent reason and then a few minutes later, marvel at the thought of having a newborn in the house again.  Pregnancy--specifically, the end of pregnancy--is unpredictable.

I have no control over when this little one arrives, although things like snow in the forecast for the next three days don't help what is already an anxious time.  As I said leading up to Jack's arrival, the feeling is similar to the anticipation leading up to an Ironman, but without a definite start time.  I've done everything I can to prepare and I'm ready to get going.  I'd like to insert a sidenote here before any male members of my family take this out of context, as they so often tend to do: childbirth is much harder than an Ironman.  I've done both and can testify to this.  Any male who thinks otherwise needs to give birth before his argument is credible.

Up until two days ago, if you had asked me how I was feeling, I would have said that I felt far too comfortable to be this close to having a baby.  Now, the tide has turned.  I'm 5 days away from my due date and officially uncomfortable.  Every time this baby moves, I don't know whether it's just uncomfortable or whether I'm going into labor.  I figure it out pretty quickly, as I know the labor feeling all too well, and so far, it's just been discomfort.  I know whenever it happens, things will work out, but this time I have two little people who need to be looked after while I'm in hospital, which adds another whole dimension to this baby's arrival.

I'm tired at the end of every day, but as soon as I go to bed, my head starts running through the the neverending list of things to do and unanswered questions.

Will we make it from Fairfield to Greenwich Hospital in time?  What if I go into labor during rush hour?  Given my past labors, I don't really have a lot of time to spare.  How will this baby change the dynamic of our family?  I can't wait to have a newborn to cuddle again.  How will Jack, who is still such a baby, react when an even tinier baby enters our house?  How will I get anything done with three little ones to look after?

I know that these questions will answer themselves, but as much as I tell myself to relax and take a deep breath and just let things unfold, I can't stop wondering.  Just as life transitioned nicely from our family of three to our family of four, I know in the back of my mind that this too will work out, but can't for the life of me, picture exactly how.  I'm very much looking forward to Mum and Dad's arrival on Friday evening.  The extra hands will be amazing.  The peace of mind, knowing that we can go to the hospital at any time, will be reassuring.  And having family here --just as they were leading up to Jack's arrival--is a welcome distraction.  As long as this baby waits until the weekend to make his or her arrival, we'll be good to go.  Given that this is a third child, however, I'm not holding my breath.  I see a snow storm or rush hour delivery in my future...