Monday, June 14, 2010

Drumroll.

I am warning you now that this post will be long. And sappy.

We dubbed this weekend "The Last Weekend Before Naomi!" and created a game plan of events to celebrate our last weekend as a family of three, and to also begin preparing for our lives as a family of four. I know that Cub doesn't really get what's going on. He knows Mama is a bit larger now than she was nine months ago and he knows his old room now holds "Nomi's bed!" and "Nomi's swing!" He points at my stomach and says, "Nomi!" but I know that he doesn't understand that there is, in fact, a baby growing inside.

A fact that still seems surreal to myself.

But, despite the fact that he might not understand everything, we wanted to focus on activities we knew Cub would like, while tying in the Big Brother theme (of the "he will have a little sister" persuasion, not of the "1984" persuasion). I have to tell you that as I type this, my fingers are shaking just a little. It's Sunday afternoon and I just finished cleaning Cub's room and putting fresh sheets on his bed. In almost 24 hours, my husband and I will be heading to the hospital to begin the prep for Naomi's arrival the next morning. The feeling is exhilarating and terrifying at the same time, like standing at the edge of a huge rock, waiting to jump into the beautiful blue of a lake below you. You've jumped before and you know how it's done, but that doesn't make each jump any less thrilling.

We've jumped before.

But that doesn't stop a shudder of excitement from coming every time I think about what lies ahead. I can't help but wonder about the personality of our little miracle. Will she be like her brother? In what ways? Cub was both a grumpy and content newborn--evenings were awful but nights were great. Evenings meant fussiness we didn't understand and no sleep before 10:00pm, but once he was down, he was down for a while. Will Naomi hate evenings, too? Or will she thrive in the evening but wake up frequently at night? Will she look like Cub? Like my husband? Like me?

And so this weekend was a weekend of anticipation. And a lot of fun.


Firstly, Cub and I made sugar cookies! We used blue sprinkles for the big brother and pink sprinkles for the little sister. They were quite delicious. Cub ate maybe half of one. I ate maybe half of the batch.


The next morning I took Cub to Chick-fil-A ("Chick-a-lay!") to pick up breakfast (hence the sandals with the pj's). We brought it home and he got to eat breakfast in bed with my husband and I while we watched Mythbusters. My husband's choice. Cub enjoyed blueberries and hash browns. Breakfast of champions.


After breakfast was cleaned up, we headed to the zoo. It was incredibly hot and muggy, so we only stayed for a little over an hour, but in that hour Cub got see lots of FISH as well as an elephant or two, so he was happy. I was sweating so much I was sure my water broke at least fourteen times.


When we came home, my husband hopped out of the car and Cub and I drove to Old Navy to pick out Naomi's take-home outfit. He liked the one with the "Flowers!", so this outfit won. I love it. It's just a tad large, but hopefully it will work. I wanted Cub to choose and it was so cute to see him shrink away from all of the GIRL CLOTHES, as if he already knows that he WILL NOT WEAR THAT.


After a nap and lunch (grilled cheese and oranges while watching Finding Nemo--I mean, it doesn't get any better than that!), we headed outside to paint a welcome sign for Naomi. My poster-making skills are sub-par, but it works. And yes, it is supposed to say, "Nomi", as this is how Cub refers to Naomi. He loved the finger paints and had a blast.



We hung the poster on Naomi's door this morning.


I then set about making his "Big Brother" t-shirt to wear when he comes to the hospital, since the one we ordered online, oh, nine months ago, no longer fits. So, I headed to Hobby Lobby and picked up supplies to make my own. Nothing fancy, but it works!



We want Naomi to "give" a gift to Cub when he comes to the hospital after she is born, so I found an unopened package of Chuck Trucks in Cub's closet and stuck them in a (very girly, oops) bag. We'll take this to the hospital with us. I'm sure he will appreciate his little sister's fine taste in toys. Chuck Trucks are his absolute favorite.

We know a weekend like this won't happen again, ever, as we wait for Naomi's arrival. I'm glad we made the most of it.

I started this post this afternoon, did some cleaning, ran some errands, and now it is evening. I've had a few contractions and I'm sore and very, very tired. I'm sure I had a clever and witty ending to this entry, but right now words are eluding me and bed is calling my name. Hopefully the next time I'm on here I will either be in labor or I will be holding my little girl in my arms.

Have a lovely day, friends!

5 comments:

  1. What a great idea! Glad you all had a wonderful weekend together!

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  2. What a sweet way to wrap up your pregnancy with you boys. I bet Caleb knows more than you think:) You gave him an incredible weekend filled with lots of memories and pictures to look back on. Bring on Naomi!!! :)

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  3. I love the idea of giving big brother a gift from little sister! Perfect!

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  4. Good luck, Katie!! So excited for you 3. :)

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  5. I love the sign you and Caleb made. And, the gift from "Nomi." Can't wait to meet her. Tick, tock, tick, tock...it's getting down to the hour!

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