Haiti

Well, T is officially on her way to Haiti by now. Ever since the earthquake there, she's talked about wanting to go help catch babies but fortunately we were able to convince her to wait a bit so the country could at least establish a water supply again. She won't be living in a tent, but it will be pretty close. *sigh* Oh the things you can do when you're young and single or when you're financially secure and your kids are grown.

Since she is now out of the country, I am officially on maternity leave. I had planned to work right up until the day I went into labor, but unfortunately, my brain pooped out on me. T does have a couple people who could be in their due date window while she's gone, and normally I would have taken over their care, but I'm a big (literally), useless pregnant lady now. I definitely should not be attending births or managing care. I'll admit there is a part of me that feels kind of satisfied with knowing that T had to recruit three midwives plus an office manager to take over all the work I would have been able to cover for her (yes, I am that good :) but mostly I feel sad that I'm not able to do the work anymore.

I feel so incompetent. I read somewhere that pregnant women who are expecting a girl are more forgetful than those expecting a boy. I have nothing to compare it to, of course, but my mind has done left my body. I must only have about 10 brain cells left. One of these days I'm sure I'm gonna probably forget my own name.

Before I said goodbye to T, I gathered up a few food supplies for her to throw in her luggage. I remember how hard it was to find non-perishable healthy food that didn't take up a lot of space and was lightweight. Plus, I know she'll be appreciative of some tastes from home, no matter how small, after a hard day. At Whole Foods, I found some toddler food pouches that are perfect for working in third world countries. I hope she likes her care package.

Along with the reality of being off work now, it has also hit me that T won't be available to help for the next few weeks, in case the baby comes early. She was part of my emergency plan, and now I have no immediately available midwife. I really have to make sure baby stays in until T comes home. I'm gonna miss her. Before she left, I reminded her to register with the American embassy so they could help her evacuate if she needs to. I also told promised her to do whatever I could to bring her home safely, if things got real ugly there. At least I know I can call our congressman to help.

When she comes home, it will be time to have a baby. Yikes, I'm getting so nervous.