this is not that post

Since my loved ones are awaiting baby news with great anticipation, I open nearly every phone conversation I initiate with something like, "Hi ... it's Bonnie.  This is not *that* call."

overdue

Things to do when you're overdue*:

• pray 
• laundry
• canvas the entire expanse of local mall, both floors, with three children and their grandmother; be sure to include a fun lunch
• lie down and rest -- even if the bambini don't -- so long as the grandmother is still up for wrangling them
• snuggle with said three bambini
• pray
• sip a favorite beverage (even if it is hotter than Hades outside) after the bambini zonk out in the car on the way home after traipsing all over the mall but not resting at siesta time
• laundry
• read books with the bambini
• feather the nest for loved ones arriving to help
• rearrange the kitchen counter top accessories
• pray
• build things with the bambini
• brush up on newborn care and nursing fundamentals
• laundry
• get a pedicure, massage, chiropractic adjustment, or any combination thereof
• bake something with the bambini
• pray
• laundry

*Really, the due date is more of a general "expected" date and is just one day in a window of a few weeks when the baby is "due" .  Every person and pregnancy is different.  Just goes to show: babies come in God's time. 

ready and waiting

We're at that point now where Quattro could come at any time, but we have no way of knowing when that will be.  Thus, we carry on as though each day is "normal" (whatever that is), ever knowing that things could change just like that.

This is a really unsettling stressful uncomfortable place to be in.

We make plans (and contingency plans), get things ready, carry on as ever, and try to keep in proper perspective this life-changing event that could happen tonight, tomorrow -- or next week, or even the following (especially my track record for tardiness).

Quattro will come in God's time.  I pray for the grace to trust Him (notice I didn't say patience), and the wherewithal to attend to things right here right now.

nesting: family-style

While we wait on the stork to bring Quattro, the whole family is in on this nesting business.  Yesterday the lads helped* my beloved clean up the Bambini Ride and rearrange the car seats to make room for a fourth one.  Both lads are now in the "way back."  Mama is hopeful there will be a minimum of fisticuffs. 

*by "helped", I mean they unearthed the younger lad's long-missing favorite ball cap, helped vacuum up a school of Goldfish crackers, wiped down seats scuffed with footprints, then climbed into the front and pretended to be driving their firetruck.  This was followed by some construction with PVC pipe outside the vehicle which soon devolved into whacking things.

The washer is on overdrive, laundering teensy tiny (or "tinsy", as the elder lad used to say when he was about the lass's age) baby clothes, blankets, bedding for the helping hands who will be staying with us once Quattro comes home, and car seat covers (in addition to the usual queue).  The current incarnation of our drinkable yogurt recipe is posted prominently on the fridge for hasty refills.  We're baking things in big batches to "feed the freezer" -- pancakes, cookies, muffins...

The recently-unearthed infant carrier is drawing lots of attention.  The lads have each tested to see if they can fit in it (just barely) and laugh at the thought of themselves small enough to have been strapped in.  The lass says "baby! baby!" and tucks her baby doll safely inside.

I'm wondering if Quattro will have dark hair like my beloved's, sea glass-colored eyes like the elder lad's, or his or her own unique combination of features and coloring.  And speaking of "his" versus "her", will Quattro even the gender score in this household or tip the scales even further? 

We're so looking forward to meeting you, Quattro.  We love you already.

nesting: the fourth time around

The two-year anniversary of our moving to this house happens to coincide with Quattro's expected arrival window in late July.  When we moved in around the beginning of August, I was about halfway through my pregnancy with the lass.  I wasn't really in a position to be schlepping boxes around, and most of the grunt work was handled by my beloved and other family members (with our deepest gratitude).

Being as we are in the "life with young children" mode, our decorating scheme could easily be described as, um, sparse, and we still have lots of unfurnished space. It actually works out well for children moving at full tilt.  While I would love to hang pictures and adorn our living space, I consider these bambini the most interesting and compelling artwork we could behold and have fewer worries about things getting broken or banged up.   

Having said that, there are some things around here that I want to get done before Quattro arrives -- things that might qualify as "nesting", but aren't as interesting or creative as decorating a room.  It's more like culling through clutter, trying to deal with things that have accumulated, making room for the next chapter of babyhood by putting away or getting rid of things that aren't being used, and addressing such things as school supplies and uniforms that will be needed shortly after Quattro's arrival.  It's not the cute side of nesting -- but it's necessary.  I figure if I do a little bit each day (or as I can), I'll call that progress...