The Final Countdown

It is officially the month of November. 

By the end of this month, I will be a mother of two and our family will expand to four. The reality of this has just started to settle in. I had heard stories of having a second child from other mothers, and most of them have proven true. 

The pregnancy feels different. The anticipation doesn't seem to build as much. You forget how many weeks along you are. You sometimes even forget you are pregnant. And then all of a sudden you are staring down the barrel of your last few weeks and you realize that this is really happening - that you are actually going to be bringing home a newborn soon. That you are starting over again with a new child. 

You have the checklists:

- Set-up nursery

- Sort through your newborn clothing

- Wash, arrange, and stock nursery with clothing/blankets/sheets/etc. 

- Prepare older sibling for the arrival of a baby

- Go to doctor's appointments

- Pull out and wash bottles (and find space to store for them!)

- Try to remember where you stored the breast pump

- Pull out and assemble the swing/bassinet/etc. 

And the list goes on.... But what wasn't on my list? To mentally prepare for having a newborn in the house again. My daughter has become so independent. She does not need us for every single little thing anymore. She is exploring and learning the world around her, which has resulted in a fiercely independent toddler. 

But, here we are. On the precipice of another big change for our family. And truthfully, I am not sure I can pin down a specific emotion. I know that in the end, all will be well. I have prepared the best I know how and now we will just have to go with the flow. 

One thing I do know for sure, I can't wait to meet her.