A baby moon helps you relax, refocus, and get ready!
It was with much anxiety, hesitation, and relief that I entered into this agreement. I chose to take advantage of a month-long period of preparation and relaxation before the arrival of our twins. I didn’t want to accept the offer at first – feeling as if it was my duty as a mom to continue to keep all of the plates spinning in the air as long as possible. But I honestly hit a wall, and the help offered to me was quite frankly a once in a lifetime deal. I knew that at some point in the near future, I would kick myself if I turned it down.
So when my mother asked me for probably the fourth time if I wanted her to take my oldest child for a while, I finally said “Yes.” I had just gotten discharged from the hospital for the second time in a month and felt my doctors were bound to pull the trigger on mandatory bed rest. Something had to change.
Enter the season of Baby Moon
It was so strange waking that first morning without a child in the house. There was no one to make breakfast for except me. I wasn’t roused by the sound of feet outside of my bedroom door. My child was hundreds of miles away, so we video chatted over breakfast, and she beamed at the excitement of being with her grandparents. That first day, I worked from home in the afternoon, uninterrupted for the first time, without pausing to prepare snacks or troubleshoot Netflix. My house was eerily peaceful all day, and I jammed to my favorite playlist way too loud, way past any reasonable bedtime.
Within the first week, we finally stripped the Christmas tree of its ornaments, ribbons, and hand-made decorations. It was the end of January and way overdue! I mustered the focus to sort through baby shower gifts and prepare a list of thank you notes. People called and sent me messages, and I took the time to respond. There was no crying, meltdowns, or spilled grape juice on the carpet. My mind felt clearer.
We Miss Our Kid!
Of course, we miss our first-born daughter. This will be the longest period of time we have ever been apart. All over the house there are constant reminders of her. Love notes are plastered to the front of the fridge, my bedroom wall. and I discovered a rogue one in my laptop bag. Every stuffed animal, stray sock. or misplaced toy figurine reminds me of her. However, I know that the time I am taking to get myself organized, prepared, and centered for the twin’s arrival will benefit her also. I had grown to be an impatient parent with unrealistic expectations and short on grace. In the weeks before she left, I must admit that I wasn’t giving my best to her or anyone else.
Goal Setting
I defined a few goals for this baby moon. These were the things I want to keep top of mind so that I don’t lose track of myself during this time. My health status doesn’t lend itself to a traditional trip away with my husband – not even a day trip or anything that would take us too far away from my doctors. So I need to staycation with purpose.
Grow closer in love: My husband and I will date and talk. He will show this super pregnant lady a good time, and I will gladly indulge him like I used to before we had children. We’ll have some conversations that are long overdue, but also joke, have adult dinners, and enjoy each other.
Self-Care: I will focus on eating well and regularly as I have been instructed to do but have neglected over the last few weeks. I’ll schedule in the time to be pampered.
Preparation: At the start of this grand experiment, my living room was in a state of disaster,and the soon-to-be nursery looked like a storage closet. My foyer had as much ambiance as an Amazon distribution center after an earthquake. Now I have the time to tackle projects and build a nest that feels welcoming for our babies.
