Phantom Limbs

Saying goodbye to their new baby and telling wee sib that they can't wait to meet him/her.

Sister Kisses.

Luke cracking Julia up by threatening to be the "BOTTOM GRABBER". The bottom grabber is an important mythological creation in our house. He loves to chase the kids up the steps at nap and bedtime ~ Whenever the bottom grabber shows up laughter ensues.

I heard the door to Luke's bedroom open this morning like normal.

I heard his little bare feet walking down the back steps as I sat sipping my coffee.

Luke is 120 miles away.

Like an amputee who feels pains in the limbs that they don't have ~ I keep thinking I hear my kids, even though they are not here.

Luke and Jules are off to Cape May with Mom Mom and Pop Pop this weekend. Nate drove them over to M&D's at 3 yesterday and they will return Sunday afternoon. My Dad called me on Wednesday to pitch the idea to me, and I immediately started crying on the phone. I felt guilt for letting the kids be away from us on what might be our last weekend as a family of 4.

Nate reminded me of several things:

*I am a SAHM. I spend every minute of every day with my kids, and have since they have been born. 48 hours is not abandonment.

*I worried and cried and fretted about bringing Julia into Luke's world before she arrived. They are the best of friends and I cannot imagine one without the other. The kids life is not about to fall apart, it is about to get better yet again.

*I could really benefit from total relaxation, freedom, and the time to enjoy just being a couple with Nate before this new person arrives.

*Luke and Julia ADORE my parents and ADORE the beach and will likely have a lot more fun than they would have had at home with us.

*My parents adore Luke and Julia and are going to have a great time bonding with their grandchildren.

So. Here I sit. In my pajamas, sipping coffee, windows open wide and music on on a beautiful Saturday morning. Last night we went walking/shopping in Wayne, had a great dinner, and watched an amazing Flyers come from behind victory (Go FLYERS!). Nate is off golfing and I am getting ready to shower and head down to Ardmore to go to yoga with a friend. We are going to buy a new camera and get our herbs planted. We are going to enjoy looking around at a house that is not only clean, but is guaranteed to stay that way for at least the next 30 hours. We get to know that our kids are having a great time.

Thank you Mom and Dad for offering, and thank you Nate for convincing me. This was the best possible thing that could have happened for us at this juncture of pregnancy.

The above pics are of my silly kids saying goodbye to their "new baby", and loving on one another. I miss them terribly, and can't wait to kiss their little cheeks tomorrow. Till then, its all about relaxation!