An announcement

On a recent morning, I woke up 10 minutes before my alarm went off.
That, my friends, is a Very Good Sign.
It means, for the first time in quite a while, I'm rested.

You know the type of person who is always tired/overcommitted/crazy-busy ... and never lets you forget it?
I'm not going to be that person. A) Because it's slightly grating and B) I've got a very specific and wonderful reason for being tired: Geekling #2 will join our family in approximately 25 weeks.

It's definitely different the second time around. With E, I was relatively nausea-free and energized. This time ... not so much. It's nothing compared to what it could be, certainly, but I've definitely spent a few evenings in quiet and dignified misery.
On the plus side, I feel much more relaxed about the entire process. I have a general idea of what to expect and when, and while labor is not precisely a walk in the park, I know I can handle it.

Like a dutiful mother-to-be, I read every piece of material I was given while I was pregnant with E. Based on that, I planned to be in labor for at least 18 hours and at the hospital for a fair chunk of that time. So I figured an epidural would be welcome relief and included it in my birth plan.
Well.
From start to finish, I was in labor with E for 10 hours. We left our house around 2 a.m. and she was born shortly before 10 that morning. By the time I got the epidural at 9 a.m. (which took an hour to do, thank you very much), I was nearly ready to push. She was born less than an hour later.

So this time, I'm forgoing an epidural and opting for other pain-relief methods. I'm not Super Woman and I know how much it hurts. But getting the epidural was almost worse than labor and I'd really rather not repeat the experience.(Disclaimer: My intention isn't to malign epidurals. I know they work for many women. This was just my experience and shouldn't take the place of your doctor or midwife's advice and your own instincts.)

Aside from evening nausea and getting tired much more easily, life continues as usual. E grows more talkative every day and for the first time, she's cuddly: Leaning toward us for kisses and hugs, wrapping her arms around my neck, resting her head on her daddy's shoulder. What precipitated this, I have no idea, but I'm enjoying it tremendously.
I'll admit I've spent a couple of wakeful nights, imagining what life will be like with two children under two. I think I will probably never sleep again, is my prediction.
But if I never knew my capacity for love until I became a mother, I expect I'll be twice as amazed with two children to love and nurture.