Counting Down a Week Without Daddy

You might remember that about this time last year, Mark went on a mission trip/service project in Tennessee, while the kids and I stayed home and fended for ourselves for a week.  Well, this year it's happening again.  Except this time it's Kentucky.

And this time I have a baby due in twelve days. Yeah, that.

But considering both my other babies have been late, and how good of an experience it was for Mark last year, and how he really was hoping to go, we decided to make it work.  (For those who think I'm crazy, please know he's just a phone call away, he can rent a car and be home in eightish hours, and we have people on-call for me, and backups for those people.  We're covered.  It'll be okay.*)

That being said, it has been a weird week for me.  I had a few teary moments when Mark and Another Nathan got to Kentucky on Sunday.  All of a sudden it seemed very real and they seemed very... far.  I was a strange combination of sad and panicky.  Nothing like a husband being two states away with spotty cell phone coverage to convince one that labor and childbirth are imminent, right?

But it's been okay.  Last year I planned a ton to keep us busy during the week, but this year (again with the whole nine months pregnant) I planned a good bit less, just one or two things each day.  Enough to give us something to do, but not exhaust us.  I might have missed the mark a tiny bit.  We're not bored, exactly, but we're definitely feeling a bit isolated (considering they are the ones in The Middle of Nowhere, Appalachia) and ready to have Daddy back.

After three days and dozens of repetitions of the question when are Daddy and Another Nathan coming home? I took a page out of my friend Betsy's book and we made a paper chain to hang in the kitchen and help us count down.  There is a link for each day until their return. 

We tear one link down every morning.  And if my darling oldest child gets tempted to ask again when Daddy's coming back, well, he can go into the kitchen and count what's left on the chain.  (Yep, Betsy is brilliant.)

And in the meantime, we do have fun stuff planned for the week, like watching the pool being renovated in the backyard (yes, you read that right, it's finally happening)!  We've also been to the library and the greenway, and we have some baking plans and playdates for later in the week.  Not to mention a certain almost-four-year-old's birthday to get ready for!

But still.  There's that teensy nagging voice in my head. Sprout, honey, you just stay put, got it baby girl?  Until the paper chain in the kitchen says it's time.

{And speaking of Sprout's arrival, if you haven't had a chance to make your birth date/time guess yet, we're leaving it open til tomorrow (Thursday) night -- if you get closest, you win a prize customized just for you! Read more details here to make your best guess.}

*If, come Saturday, I'm holding a baby I delivered in Mark's absense -- no one remind me I said that, mmmkay?