We haven’t done a lot to get “ready” for this new baby, at least in the traditional sense of the word – registering items, assembling the layette, preparing the nursery, pre-enrolling in college, etc… It’s not that we aren’t excited about its arrival – we are, very much so – it’s just that we don’t need a lot of things this second time around (plus add in all those other things accumulated by my sister and her two children in between our two) and the things that we will need can be easily acquired along the way. We had no nursery for E – it was literally still an unfinished attic – but what started out as a necessity really turned out to work in our favor. We enjoyed our little roommate for the first eight months of her life, and we shared a room quite nicely – no squabbles or chalk lines down the center were ever drawn. Her room evolved with her, and continues to do so to this day. And so will the room for this next one. But when I’m asked what my nursery looks like I draw a blank. It’s hard to imagine designing a space for a person that we haven’t even met yet. A lot of thought went into E’s room, and a good portion of that thought was directed at creating a room that seemed as if it didn’t have a lot of, well, thought put into it. I think it’s a room that allows her to grow and change and try out new things, with ample room for all her cars, her scotch tape and her endless rows of books. Who knows what this next one will be drawn to, will love to do? I’m not chancing it that I might know in advance. So we’ll wait, and we’ll see, and then we’ll grow into this new space.
I had wonderful baby showers the first time around, and have no need for another this time. But I sometimes forget that this is the first time for my daughter – this is a really, really big deal to her, and she wants to do it up right. This was evident in the baby shower she threw me a few weeks back, and by her planning and scheming to throw me a “real” one this past weekend, with all my family in on the secret. She called up her Nana, ordered cake and flowers and balloons and streamers, and pulled off quite the surprise on Friday afternoon. She and her dad purchased a bunch of snacks and treats and other pregnancy goodies and made homemade labels for them all such as “Baby Sips” on the bottled waters and “Crunch Cravers” on the protein bars. There were board books to open, first diapers to line up on the shelf and some pampering items just for me. But the best part of all this attention are the little daily notes and reminders that something special, something extraordinary is about to happen in our family, and it’s to be celebrated – not with showers of gifts and things, but with the preparation and the anticipation of the gift it truly is.