IT'S A....

BABY!

(Sorry...I couldn't help myself!)

So, we had our ultrasound a week or so ago, during which I had flashbacks to when I was pregnant with Madeline. Like her pregnancy, early blood testing says this baby is at higher risk for special needs (shoot, aren't they all in one way or another?) As with her, we were sent to the genetic counselor (who confirmed nothing we didn't already know) and did a Level II ultrasound (always pretty nifty if you ask me). And although everything looks great with baby, there is a slight variance in the placenta which means we will have ultrasounds every 5-6 weeks to check on growth. (They call them placental lakes, of which I have 3, and from what I understand, they are basically varicose veins in the placenta.....hardly a surprise since I seem to have them everywhere else during pregnancy, so why not there?!)

At any rate, the difference between Minnesota and California is this: when we told them in CA we would not be having an amnio, that it would not change our path at all, they gave us a hard time. They put pressure on us to have one done "in order to make an informed decision" and when we again declined (over and over) they made us sign a waiver saying we were opting out. Here in MN, they mentioned it once in passing and when we didn't jump, they left it alone, congratulating us on the pregnancy and reassuring us that, although they couldn't tell us for certain whether the baby would have that extra 21st chromosome, everything looked as good as possible. That's good enough for this Mother Hen!

Tomorrow starts the new school year and I must admit, I am surprisingly a little emotional with Madeline going off to Kindergarten. (Can anyone say pregnancy hormones?) Just last night I was thinking about how fast the time has gone. I recall being a few days shy of my due date with her when the contractions started. My mom urged us to leave and we arrived at the hospital, six centimeters dilated....nine by the time we got settled into the room. She was born soon thereafter; quick enough that I actually felt a little cheated, though I would never admit that out loud! (For the sake of comparison, Aidan's labor had taken 12 hours from the time we got to the hospital. With Madeline, I hardly had time to settle into my room before she popped on out....And for the record, I would be totally okay with that this time around....and also for the record, it is not okay for anyone other than the mother (I'm talking to you men out there!) to use the expression "popped on out" as that doesn't exactly describe the birthing process...)

And yet, it has been over five years since she was born and now this sweet child, who regularly tells people I am not getting fat, I am just growing a baby, is off to Kindergarten. I assume my mom can remember me going off to Kindergarten and yet now I am pregnant with baby number 5....And my grandmother can remember birthing her 5 babies and now her 5th granddaughter is sending her own 5 year old off to school...you get my point. This life cycle thing goes way too fast. I've long thought that the easiest way to slow down time is to be pregnant, or at least waiting for something important. Yet, the perception of crawling time doesn't linger, and unfortunately, time and precious memories often get lost along the way. (Which is why I really need that new camera, Kurt! hee hee) But, that brings me back to this heart tug I am feeling. Madeline will be off on a new adventure, one more step closer to independence. While I am joyful for her excitement and thankful for her health and happiness, there's still that part of me that can't believe we are already here. And in a blink of an eye, she'll be the mom sending her child off to school......which would make me the grandma! YIKES! Who has control of this speeding train anyway??? I need to have a talkin' with them!

And so, (she says, raising her proverbial non-alcoholic sparkling beverage) to all of you out there who are celebrating the fresh start of the school year, while also mourning the passing of yet another summer:
Cheers!
Salute!
Chin chin!
Bottoms Up!
Sláinte!
Salud!
Proost!
Pura Vida!
A Votre Sante!
Cherio!
Afya!
Cock-a-doodle-doo!

And, while I highly doubt I will feel this way a week from now, could you please pass the tissues?!