Celebrating baby and bed rest

Bed rest. 

It's something that I'm unfortunately all too familiar with. 

Third pregnancy--third bed rest. 

It's just what my body seems to do apparently. It decides at about 34 weeks that it's time to hand over the eviction notice to any baby growing inside of me, and it starts the process of slowly easing this new life into the real world. So OB's put a halt to it quickly, and tell me to stop chasing after 26 kindergarten students all day long, get off my feet as much as I can, sleep whenever I'm able to and basically take it easy until baby is actually ready to be delivered. So here I am again, wanting so badly to meet this little soul who is kicking me all day long and letting me know that he/she is ready to meet us...but desperately trying to convince him/her to stay put for at least a few more weeks. 

So the couch has become my new home. Netflix has become my entertainment. And trying to keep myself from nesting, doing house chores and prepping for baby has been my challenge. And with a 2yr old and a 4yr old not exactly understanding why mom can't do the same things she was able to do only a couple of weeks ago, it means that I've had to become creative in keeping them entertained, while keeping myself at least in a sitting position. 

But in the midst of the stress, worry and fear that always come from knowing that your baby might come early, there was something that stole my fear away for just a couple of hours. A good distraction. A good sense of normalcy. A great group of friends. 

My mom and sister put together a little gathering--a small group of girlfriends, all coming to celebrate this baby, this new life and this huge change that we're about to undertake. 

And kids? Well, for the first time in over 4yrs, we decided to leave them at home instead of including them. Because we know that moms need a break sometimes. Moms need to be able to sit and chat, and eat and drink and socialize without having to chase after toddlers, feed hungry babies, rush to the bathroom with a newly potty trained kid, or break up silly fights over toys. Sometimes parents just need a break from it all. So although we would have loved to have had the husbands spend time with us as well, we invited the girls only, knowing that the husbands could then stay at home with the kids. 

And do you know what happened? After the words "This is so nice to have quiet and to know that we can just sit and actually talk to each other without the kids needing us or running around" came out of several people's mouths...we of course spent the majority of the time talking about our kids. Because as much as we all need a break sometimes--we love them, adore them, miss them and think about them every time that we're away from them. 

But the silence was beautiful. Oh it was so beautiful. 

And it was soooooo lovely because wine was poured, hot appetizers were served, people were relaxed, girl talk was happening and we could just sit and be still. Which is a complete rarity, as any parent surely knows. 

So people spent time suggesting baby names for us--since our short list exists, but we haven't nailed one down yet.

Delicious food was set out...

Wishes for the new baby were made...

Jars of candy were set out and ready to be won...

Drinks were poured...

Gift baskets full of chocolates were taken home...

Envelopes were left out for the ease of future thank you cards...

And we all sat, ate, drank and chatted...

in the silence of a house full of only adults.

3 girls on their 3rd pregnancy again together!

So once the last glass of wine (or sparkling juice, for a few of us) was poured, when the last appetizer was served and once the last guest packed up her things to go...of course the first thing that I did was call Terry to bring the kids over to mom and dad's house. Because 2hrs was just enough of a break before wanting them back in my arms again.

So within minutes of their arrival, the house burst with noise, movement, laughter and toddler tears. Just as it's supposed to.

And they put on puppet shows on the new stage that their Papa built just for them in their basement that's in the midst of being renovated into a big playroom specifically for them...

and they put on real shows where they danced, sang and tested out their new stage with an audience of family members who cheered them on after every performance.

A little glimmer of sunshine in all of this--it's probably the best therapy for a mom stuck on the couch.
Thanks mom and Jen and our wonderful girlfriends who broke up the stress and worry of being on bed rest for me...love to you all.

Love Erica xo