Number 2 FAQ!

When I was pregnant with Marin I found that I was asked a lot of questions, and most of them were generally the same questions. My solution last time was the Baby Patterson FAQ. It seemed a hit at the time, so I decided to "Play it Again, Sam" using the same questions.

Without further ado, Number 2 FAQ!

1. Q: When are you due?
A: May 9th

2. Q: Are you going to find out whether you are having a boy or a girl?
A: No. We didn't find out with Marin, either. And, while I admit that the waiting was a bit torturous (especially near the end) it made the day she was born a million times more exciting than Disney World when you're six. Jason was the first to tell me that Marin was a girl, and I hope that as long as I live, I never ever forget the look on his face when he turned to me and said with stars and tears in his eyes, "It's a girl!!!" Hands down, the greatest moment of my whole life. I have never been so in love with two people ever as I was at that moment. And right then and there I knew that I'd never find out ahead of time again.

There is one small change that I want to make from last time. After Marin was under the warming table and he'd taken pictures, Jason went to the waiting room to relay the news to or family. I wish I had their reactions on film. So this time, I'm going to beg Jason to take a video camera to the waiting room to catch their reactions. It may take me the remaining six months of my pregnancy to convince him of this, but I think he'll cave.

3. Q: Are the future grandparents so excited?
A: Clearly. My mom and I have the same excitable nature, so she's going cookoo for sure. My dad and Jason's are more calm, but equally excited. My mother in law left us a message after we broke the news singing "Rock a bye Baby" so I think its safe to say that everyone is anxious to meet the new bundle.

4. Q: How are you feeling?
A: Dead and totally out of it. Like I fell asleep in the mid 90's and just woke up. I haven't talked to my friends since at least the year 2000, it seems. At this rate, I may not have any left by the time the baby is born. I dare say that I feel worse than I did with Marin. But I may not totally remember correctly, and I didn't have to chase a toddler around when I was pregnant with Marin either. So, its all relative.

5. Q: Where will you deliver?
A: As it stands now, Delnor in Geneva. It is 3 minutes away during the busiest part of the day, so convenience is key there. My doctor also practices at Central DuPage Hospital (CDH) which is only about 20 minutes from our house. That hospital is a little bit bigger, and connected directly with Children's Memorial Hospital, so if things look like they might be more difficult, I might decide to deliver there. Chances are though, as things stand now, I will deliver at Delnor. It's a great hospital and almost all of my friends from high school were born there, so they have a long history of delivery babies and I know I'm in good hands.

6. Q: Have you begun thinking about names?
A: Since about 2 minutes after I read the word "pregnant" on the stick. We had some reserved names that we liked from my first pregnancy, so we've brought those back to the table and have added a few more, too. We're keeping the final selections a surprise, so that's another thing you'll have to wait on. I know, we're mean. My mom literally can't stand this.

7. Q: Do you think you will try to deliver naturally or have an epidural?
A: I've said it before, but it bares repeating: As far as I'm concerned, if you deliver naturally you should be sainted. It just is not for me. I had an epidural with Marin and I was literally laboring while playing Skipbo with Molly, Jake and Katy. Um, yes please. I like it where I can feel pressure, but no pain. Although I do admit, being temporarily paralyzed from the waist down is a tad terrifying for a few minutes. Still, all you have to feel is one insane contraction to know that it is crazy, overbearing, excruciating pain that seriously needs some drugs to get through.

When I was contracting with Marin (before I had the epidural) my mom asked me what the contractions felt like. I told her that it felt like some monster with steak knife spiked hands ran at my stomach with all their force, jammed their hand into my stomach, stabbing as hard as they could, and then squeezed my insides and twisted at the same time, and then held it like that for a minute. I'm glad she asked me to describe it in words, because that right there is enough of a reminder to opt yes for the epidural- even knowing that it comes at the cost of a 3 foot needle inserted at the base of your spine. So worth it.

8. Q: Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?
A: I want exactly what I wanted with my pregnancy with Marin: a healthy baby. I love having a brother, so I'd love for Marin to have a brother, and I always wanted a sister, so I'd love for Marin to have a sister. If we have a girl, we have all the stuff and it'll be our second time at the rodeo. If we have a boy, it will fulfill Jason's last chance to carry on the Patterson name (he is the last hope at a male Patterson). I just want 10 fingers and 10 toes, or as Jason says, "9 toes would be fine, too. "

9. Q: Do you have a feeling about the gender one way or the other?
A: Before I knew I was pregnant, I had a dream that I was pregnant with a boy. Otherwise, everything else seems just like my pregnancy with Marin. So sometimes I think its a boy, sometimes I think its a girl. The heart was beating pretty quickly, which makes me think girl. Jason thinks it's a girl.

10. Q: Are you nervous?
A: This time I am way more nervous about the pregnancy and the birth than I am about what to do after the baby gets here. With Marin I was mostly nervous about how to be a good mother, and how to raise her to be respectful. I think I am at least a little more confident in my child rearing now to not worry so much about that, and I am more focused on all that went on during the delivery that freaked me out. Also, my body is doing strange things. I must have noticed these before, but they all seem new. I'm constantly wondering, "Is this normal?" Some is and some isn't. The baby and I are totally healthy so I need to just relax. But it has resulted in me feeling a little more skiddish with this pregnancy than with the last.

And now a few additional FAQ's since the addition of Marin:
11. Q: What does Marin think?
A: She loves to kiss my belly and say "baby!" She definitely has no idea that there is another human (attention steeling) being coming to live in our home forever, but we have been talking a lot about "our family" and are sure to include baby, so hopefully we're laying a foundation. When we ask her if she thinks the baby is a girl baby or a boy baby, she is firm on "gwl" (girl).

12. Q: They say you go earlier in subsequent deliveries than in your first. Was Marin born on time?
A: Marin was born four days early. If this baby is also born four days early it will be born on Cinco de Mayo. Jason says that if its born on Cinco de Mayo its 21st birthday will be crazy. I say its 21st birthday will probably be crazy no matter what month it's born. But I do anticipate going in the beginning of May.

13. Q: How far apart will the babies be?
A: Assuming I go full term, 27 months.

14. Q: You had a lot of people at Marin's delivery. Do you want that many this time, too?
A: You betcha. I hope everyone will want to come this time around just as badly as they did when Marin was born. At Marin's delivery were: Auntie Molly and Uncle Bri, my mom and dad, Jason's dad, Aunt Lindsay, Uncle Jake and Aunt Katy, and Aunt Vee and Uncle Bob. It was just Jason and I in the room when she was born, but it meant the world to Jason and I to have everyone there for support. It really helped keep the day moving along for me, and it was fun to be able to tell everyone right away and to have them meet her right away. In the room after she was born were the most important people in her life, and I just think there is no better way to welcome a child into the world.