Week 37 and 38: Double Trouble  

Week 37 started at a crawl and ended with a bang. Having finally gotten the room ready, name selected, diapers stacked and bag packed, I simple ran out of things to do. After weeks of panic that I was running out of time, I found myself trying to find ways to pass it. I spent an hour sterilizing bottles. I gave my breast pump a thorough once-over to make sure it's ready to roll. And I updated my daughter's baby book, thinking it will be the last time in a while. (I suppose I could crack the cover of some old baby care books for a refresher, but I'll save that one in case I go over my due date.)  

Still, I felt I was watching a pot that was taking forever to boil.   And then our three-year-old got sick. My wish that the baby would make an early appearance came to a screeching halt.  

It was one of those tough, scary nights, filled with fever, Pedialyte and tears. Our first concern was how to make our daughter feel better. And what could be wrong? After sleep came to her that first evening, the second wave of worries hit me: what if whatever she has is dangerous to the baby? Should I abandon ship and let my husband take command to be safe? And why on earth have I been sharing food with her when I know better?  

I was overreacting, no doubt. After a night's sleep (albeit a fitful one), I realized that I'm far enough along in my pregnancy (or as my friend says, the baby is completely cooked) that a simple flu isn't something that poses a huge risk to our soon-to-be new addition.  

But the experience introduced me to one of the many dilemmas that presents itself to parents with two kids ... how to care for one while protecting the other--even when that "other" is not yet born. As a stay-at-home mom of one, I found it easy to fly into action when crisis occured, dropping everything else and focusing solely on my child. But I've already discovered that it's a bit more difficult to scrub vomit off a bedspread when there's another child who needs your consideration.  

And, of course, this doesn't even factor in how we take care of ourselves in the process. I remember being down and out with the stomach bug once or twice with our first child. The thought of trying to manage two kids from a horizontal position sends my mind spinning.   

So as my daughter sleeps on a couch covered with towels, I'll try to look at the bright side. We are lucky this is happening now and not as I'm ready to begin pushing. It's also given me a little insight on an issue that will continue to present itself as we raise our two girls. 

And I still have time to flip through those baby care books.