The Countdown is On!

I have made it to my last day of school. One of my biggest concerns leading up to this point has been having my water break in front of my students, but (knock on wood) with only 4.5 hours to go I feel relatively sure that I will make it through without any undue humiliation or trauma! I was originally scheduled to be here through April 1st, but with a c-section scheduled for this Saturday (8:30am on March 26th), I thought it prudent to take off a few days beforehand so I can rest and prepare for the impending adventure. Even if the baby weren't breech, I can't imagine how I'd last much longer. It's been difficult to focus on the job, and I am so unbelievably uncomfortable and tired at this point that moving around or working more than is absolutely necessary just adds to a burden that is already a challenge to bear. I am looking forward to a few days of lounging around and taking care of myself before having to switch gears and focus on the baby.

Assuming that the baby doesn't decide to make an earlier appearance, once of the major benefits of having a scheduled c-section is knowing that the end is in sight. This makes the physical discomfort a bit easier to manage, but also helps with regard to preparing our little family for the arrival of its newest member. Maddy seems to have emerged a bit from her phase of extreme neediness, which is a relief, but she understands that something is happening (at least to the degree that is possible for a 2.5 year old) and I think it's causing her some distress that is playing out in attachment issues. If I am around, she is stuck to me like white on rice. As Nara said so poignantly last week, "Quality time is Maddy's love language." She really requires focused one-on-one attention to feel truly nurtured and safe; as playful and strong-willed as she can be, she is remarkably interdependent, much preferring the close companionship of a care giver than to be off doing her own thing. I am curious to see how everything unfolds in the coming weeks and am very much focused on being available to her as much as is possible to ease her through the transition.