6 Days and Counting....

So I have a little less than a week until the newest little nugget arrives. I am excited to meet him, and also a little scared about how everything is going to be in our house for the next few months. I am nervous about how the kids will adjust to having a new baby around, and sharing mommy with him.

It has been a bit of a rough week, and I think we are all going through an adjustment period right now anyway with Alex being gone all week. The kids have been asking for Daddy a lot, especially Noah. And I know it has to be hard on them to have only one stressed out parent everyday, day in and day out. I do have some help part-time everyday, but it is still only mommy during the morning rush out the door and the evening hours, when everyone is at the end our collective rope. Georgia's teacher has told me that she has been overly sensitive this week, having a lot of meltdowns and needing quite a bit of help to calm down. So I am feeling bad for them already, let alone throwing a new baby on top of all this in a week.

We have also had some illnesses this week. Noah has been battling an ear infection, that I am 99.9% certain has blown up again since finishing his antibiotics last Saturday. He is snotty, and cranky, and constantly playing with his one ear. So we go back to the pediatrician tomorrow to check them and see where to go from here. I have a feeling we might be back to the ENT to have tubes placed. He is allergic to penecillin and can only use a few antibiotics. Since his infections seem to resist the first line of defense, the doctors are nervous about him getting more infections which would require stronger antibiotics. So we shall have an answer in the morning.

Georgia developed croup on Sunday evening, or rather very early Monday morning. I woke up to a crying child with a cough that was the scariest, most disgusting thing I have ever heard. Neither of my children have ever had croup, so I had no idea what was going on. So we went to the pediatrician at 8:30 AM on Monday to get the diagnosis. And just like the doctor said, we have been up every night this week (so far) from around 3-4 AM with terrible coughing and crying. She has been sounding a little bit better everyday, so I am hoping that tonight we might sleep the whole night through. I am utterly exhausted after having been up off and on for about 4 hours every night for the past 4 days. I almost fell asleep at a traffic light this afternoon. It should be good practice for the baby, I know. But at least with the baby I should be able to get 2-3 hours sleep at a time. I can't deal with the constant waking, especially in those wonderful moments right before you really fall back asleep. It is such a tease.

So I am looking forward to the next few weeks. Alex is coming home tomorrow afternoon, and will be working from home for about two and half weeks. Hopefully the kids will be able to understand that Daddy is still working, even though he is at home. But he will be able to be there for bathtime and bedtime stories, which I think will make a huge difference. It will be a crazy few weeks, but enjoyable at the same time.

Now I need to finish cleaning, folding laundry, eat a little dinner, and go to bed. Maybe I can stick it out to finish Grey's Anatomy, but thank goodness for DVR.

One week down.....

So tomorrow Alex comes home from his first week of work in Alexandria, Virginia. And everyone is still alive, unharmed, and relatively happy and well-rested. If only my dog would stop waking me up at almost 6:30 every morning I would be fine. Alex is enjoying himself, and is excited about what he is doing. In this day and age, having found a job at all is amazing, let alone finding one that he actually enjoys and looks forward to everyday. So, even though this means that we are now going to be spending more time apart than together, we still have a lot to be grateful for in our lives.

I am actually amazed at how well the week has gone. Considering I have been a completely and total emotional freak the past few months, I have managed to have a good attitude and remained pretty calm the past four days. I have gotten teary at night, but all in all am okay. The laundry is even done, and folded, and about 80% put away. In a normal week, that is a feat unto itself. Of course, I have had help from sitters part-time this week, which has made a huge difference. We both agree that I have to have help during the week to keep things under control. I am so tired and run down now, I can not imagine what the first few months are going to be like after the baby is born. And thinking of caring for all three kids, the dog, myself, and all the household to-dos on my own for most of the week is enough to make me want to crawl under the covers and never surface again. I can't even think about what would happen if one of us got sick. And forget about trying to move us all down there on my own. Since family is not especially close-by, we have been fortunate enough to have found a couple of great sitters that everyone is happy with. I am very thankful that we are able to have the help we need to get through this transition period in our family's life. I am also thankful that my kids are weird enough to love babysitters.

I am looking forward to having my husband home with us again tomorrow night, even if it is only for a couple of days. The kids really miss him, and have been asking about when he will be back, especially today. I am hoping that him being away and having a new baby in the house at the same time is not too stressful for them (or me!). After next week he will be working from home for a couple of weeks until I have recovered from my surgery. So that will be a nice treat.

And now, off to enjoy the peace an quiet of my house. The kids are asleep, and will hopefully be that way until around 7 tomorrow morning. The house is in pretty good shape, and I only have one load of laundry left to fold. A cup of tea, some DVR'd TV, and off to bed.

The Final Stretch

Here we are about to embark on a whole new life as a family, in many ways. I have 17 days left until I am scheduled for a C-section to deliver this newest little boy. It feels like the last few months have gone by in slow motion, and yet now, I can't believe how little time I have left. Funny how your brain works sometimes. I am pretty much set on everything that needs to be done before this baby arrives, aside from deciding on a name, that is. But the clothes are washed and put away, the bassinet and car seat are ready, and even the bottles are out and organized. I am hoping that I find some untapped store of energy these next couple of weeks, to give me the final push to get the rest of the house organized and keep it that way.

Also on a happy note, Alex has accepted a new job and starts work tomorrow. Unfortunately, the job is in Alexandria, Virginia, and he will be working down there for most of the week. I know Alex is going to be so happy at this company, and will be so busy that his week will fly by. I am hoping that mine will go quickly, too, and not be too painful. I am also hoping that I don't go into labor while he is away these next 2 weeks. =) I will have help with the kids while he is away, but it is going to be a huge adjustment for us. We have never had a long-distance relationship, and he has never had a job that required a significant amount of travel. It is going to be rough, and it is going to suck, but I am confident that we will get through it and be stronger on the other side. It is also going to be hard on the kids, not seeing daddy everyday and having him read bedtime stories most nights. And I know these are the moments that will be hard for Alex to miss as well. But in a few months, we will have our new routine in place and things will be going as smoothly as they can with three kids 4 and under. (I say this with the most positive attitude I can muster right now!)

And tomorrow I will embark on my newest blogging project/adventure. My dear friend Sompa gave me this terrific idea, and I am very excited to see it happen. She told me about something called Project 365, which she has been working on in scrapbook form. I will be documenting something from everyday in our lives with a photo and a small note. I think it will be great to look back on in a few months, and see some of the fun moments in our family's life. I am starting it tomorrow since we are starting out on a new adventure as a family. And it will also give Alex a window into some of the little moments that he might miss during the week. I hope you will all follow along with me, and enjoy the pictures. The new link is http://scherer365.blogspot.com

And now, off to bed to get as good a night's sleep as possible. It is going to be a long week, and I will need all the physical and emotional strength I can find. Here we go.....