I can explain. There is a reason that I am awake before the sun is out of bed, satisfying my mango craving (thank goodness for super-moms who have amazing instincts when it comes to detecting the cravings of their pregnant adult daughters), and trying hard not give into the temptation of waking Darrin up. Yes, it’s 5:30 in the morning and I’ve been up for two hours. But, like I said, I can explain.
Maybe it’s because moody Ohio weather decided that it was winter again last night, resulting in a never ending hide-and-seek-tug-of-war-game between me and my blankets as I attempted, in vain, to find the right sleeping “degree-age”. Probably it’s because I’m carrying a watermelon as a baby and no amount of pillows, angles, tempurpedic mattresses, or sleeping positions can satisfy my current definition of “comfortable”. But most likely it’s because I’m supposed to meet Minky in four days (dear Lord, please let Minky be like her father – on time) and the arrival of my parents last night made everything more real.
So here I am. Wide awake. I admit, pregnancy has a tendency to wake you up at all sorts of ungodly hours, whether it be to go to the bathroom for the umpteenth time or change your sleeping position to your right side – the only other position option you have. But, unlike other nights, where I either a) attempt to wake up my husband “discreetly” by tossing and turning, grunting and growling, or, if that doesn’t work, b) whisper as loud as I can (after all, I am a considerate person) “Darrin, are you awake… I can’t sleep”, I decide to let my long-suffering hubby get some rest, and instead, I find myself in Minky’s room.
We just finished making up her nursery a couple of days ago. It’s gone through quite the transformation, morphing from an office-studio to an office-studio-nursery. On one side, we have a bookcase, a study desk, and Darrin’s recording equipment. On the other side, we have Minky’s jungle safari, aka, her crib that’s decorated with all sorts of stuffed animals and safari-themed blankets and bed sheets, the wall decorated with her name and flowers (which, I’ve decided are jungle/safari type flowers), and our special rocking chair. As crowded as that seems, we somehow made it all work. And at least we didn’t go with Darrin’s idea of purchasing a crib with wheels and utilizing our hallway as a makeshift nursery (not the greatest idea, even if it was intended as a joke, to suggest to a hormonal pregnant woman).
As I look around the room, mentally going through my “do-we-have-everything-for-our-baby-checklist” for the hundredth time, I can’t help but rub my watermelon belly and ask Minky to PLEASE PLEASE, if she does not want to be early, at least come on time. I’m so excited I don’t think I can handle her being even a day late. It’s amazing. I’ve never been this excited about meeting anyone in my whole life! Yes, she’ll most likely continue to give both her dad and me sleepless nights. And yes, we can’t even begin to cover all the fears we have about parenting this little girl. But the lack of sleep and the anxiety that comes from being first time parents pale in comparison to the joy and love she already brings us. So Minky, be daddy’s girl, make mommy proud, and come on time :)
