The Young & the Restless

It's 5:25 a.m. do you know where your children are? Well, yes. Mine is in my belly. Wiggling. And where is his mom-to-be? Well, she should be resting, but instead she's staring at a computer screen, reading the morning headlines and unable to return to the Land of Sleep.

I'm restless.

Ever since I got on maternity leave, I've been (not so young) and restless. A lot of times my mind seems to be racing and thinking of what needs to be done. I know part of the reason for this seemingly "last minute" frenzy is the notion of nesting. It's kind of like preparing for a pop-quiz: you just don't know when "the moment" will be and so you do everything and study everything to make sure you're always prepared. That's how I feel these days.

And it's the same kind of frenzy that I've adopted in my workouts. I've realized that since D-Day could come at any moment, then I want to be in the best physical shape possible. As I've noted, I have energy to spare and am using the elliptical, weight machines and am still pounding the pavement with gusto. (Really, I know I should be in taper mode.)

We're still in the middle of prenatal classes and tonight I'm told that we will learn how to diaper and swaddle a baby. It should be fun. Right before bed last night, I got thinking, (part of the reason why I'm awake at this hour) since I have some time off now, why not practice on a doll until the real one is evicted from my uterus? I know it's not really the same thing, but I figure if I can at least understand the basics of the art of diapering and swaddling on a doll, doing so on a wriggly, screaming newborn will be somewhat easier(?)*

*Veteran parents cue to roll your eyes.

In my limited experience with children, I've realized that babies don't really come with an instruction manual and that when I take Baby Max home, nothing I do now will prepare me for what awaits: Screaming infant. Sleepless nights. Sensitive boobies. Oh boy. Being one that's not great with surprises (I hate pop quizzes), I like to prepare, plan and always be one step ahead of the game. However, I'm told, if I expect this with a baby, then I'm about to get rocked. I'm told, expect surprises; don't have any preconceived notions of what child rearing will be like because nothing we do now will prepare us for what we will likely experience.

Still, I would rather go in this prepared and informed rather than not. (Would I run a race with little or no preparation? No. Exactly.) So in between my frenzy to get my quilt and blanket finished, I'm reading as many child care books as possible. You could call it the "Childcare 101 Cram Jam."

The book I'm reading right now is called "The Happiest Baby on the Block." It's pretty good and if apparently, The B and I can master Dr. Karp's 5 S's, then we should have a baby that doesn't CRY cry. Since Baby Max is still baking away, I'm still skeptical - though in theory, Dr. Karp's method seems cogent. We'll see. And like my Born Fit shorts, I'll have to get back to you in a few weeks or months with the lowdown.

Okay. I'm hungry now and have decided to hit the gym early this morning. Honestly, I really should be in bed, sleeping.