So I'm Supposed to Enjoy This Time

Things here in Madison are quickly quieting down, which is welcome since I'm slowing down a bit, too. I guess you could say that the belly is starting to get in the way more frequently. We are not expecting any company until the baby comes. I'm trying to stay close to Madison, and I'm wrapping up my projects at work. It feels like life as we have known it is coming to an end. Which it is, but every time I do something that is a last, it feels more and more real. For instance, today I visited a handful of my clients for the last time until after I return from leave. Next Tuesday I have my last out of town work meeting. It's only in Wausau (about 2.5 hours away), but that's the furthest I'm travelling until the time comes. After that, I'm going to Baraboo (1.25 hours away), and then the furthest I'll be from the hospital is the Lee's house.

As a little side note, I had to arrange to have one of my team members come with me to Wausau. I know everything will be fine, but you can never be too safe. The really terrified look on his face when I said, "Do you think you will be able to make that meeting on March 11? I just don't think I should go alone. You know, just in case something happens," was priceless. At this point, I feel much more comfortable that nothing will happen next week, but I would hate to be stuck 2.5 hours from home all alone in labor.

Everyone keeps telling me to enjoy this time before the baby comes because things will change so much when AK is here. I'm sure they are right, but sitting still and enjoying things is not really the way I work. It is nice to have a pretty clear calendar. I just think it would be a lot easier to enjoy this time if a bunch of the snow and ice melted. We still have a foot of snow in our yard! The piles by the driveway are much larger than that, and the mailbox is still barricaded by a mini ice hill. If there is not some serious melting soon, Matt is going to have to take on the task of getting the mail. There has been enough melting that the mailbox now comes to a more reasonable height, but when the cars drive through the puddles and splash on the snow in front of the mailbox it turns into an ice slick.

Another side note, if I keep discussing the mailbox in detail, we might need to change the blog title to Matt and Rachel's Mailbox and Baby Blog. Those of you who know me do know what an important part of my day getting the mail is. However, if we changed the title, I might have to plant flowers by the mailbox and fix it up a bit so that it does not wobble anymore. Once winter's over, the mailbox loses much of its intrigue.

We are going to try to enjoy this time and appreciate the quiet moments, but I'm sure that I'll have no idea how special it really is until we no longer have it. It is so difficult to remember that today is special when so much of my time and energy is focused on the future.