Some other things that I forgot

It turns out that I forget other things besides my infant's name.  (Read the post below if you don't know what I'm talking about.)

When I had baby number 8 (also known as Mariam...) I forgot clothes to bring her home in.  Oh, I had packed a bag for the baby, long before she was due.  It had everything that a newborn could need and more contained within:  diapers, wipes, t-shirts, a carefully selected incredibly tiny outfit made of pink velour, socks, EXTRA clothes and t-shirts because everyone knows that babies make great messes right when you least expect it, and - a beautiful pink sweater and hat set that I had worked on for months before her birth.  There's a picture of her wearing the sweater in my left sidebar.  Oh my.  I was just so eager to dress my new little girl and to bring her home.

The problem was....that when the time came to leave the hospital, we realized we never did pack THAT particular bag into the car.  My lovely newborn princess was carried home in her diaper and a generic long-sleeved t-shirt with the words "St Mary's" stamped down the side of the arm.

Maybe I was too proud of the baby and that sweater?  (*cough*)

This time around, with baby number 9, I made sure to grab the baby's bag and actually PUT IT IN THE CAR.  (I also noticed that someone had failed to put away the chicken from the crockpot and took the time to put it in the refrigerator.  I know, I know.  Frugal to a fault.  But I knew the family would want to actually eat at some point in the next few days.)

I have this thing at the end of every pregnancy.  Since it feels like FOREVER, I actually begin to believe that I will be pregnant FOREVER.  There's something in my warped little brain that thinks "Nah, it won't happen yet.  I couldn't actually have this baby EARLY.  Why pack my bag?  I won't pack until it REALLY happens."  Most times I pack anyway - but this time I bought the myth.

Yes...

When it really was baby time (at 37 weeks) I was not ready.  I had not packed.  (You'd think I was a beginner at this game, wouldn't you?)  While I was in labor, I did not mind at all that I had not packed, but once I'd had a few hours to recover and wanted to shower, I found myself...inconvenienced.  To top it off, Labor and Delivery had lost my clothing that I wore INTO the hospital.  I didn't even have shoes.

We had the baby at 5:38 a.m.  Since I told him I was just going to be sleeping, Jeff had gone into work.  He was at work an hour away by 9 a.m.  He couldn't bring me anything.

At some point this summer our hospital stopped giving out the "personal care" packs - you know, the ones that have shampoo, lotion, toothpaste, and the like, all tidily tucked inside your own personal emesis basin?  Yeah.  I had nothin' except for a toothbrush and some lotion from my purse.

I assessed my situation, and decided that I could "make do."  Here's what I learned:

• The hand soap that comes from the wall dispenser actually gets your teeth really, really clean.  The taste is kind of addicting, too.  Lots of foam.  I assume it's antimicrobial as well.  Bonus.
• It works as shampoo, too.  So, you have to frequently get out of the shower to get another pump of soap...you know how to rally.  It'll do.
• Hand lotion can work as conditioner, in a pinch.  It can even serve as a sort of hair spray, if it has to.  (It had to.)
• Hand lotion does NOT work well as a deoderant.

By the end of 48 hours my family had (at separate times) brought me three tubes of toothpaste and a bottle of shampoo, clean clothes and socks and shoes.  The conditioner and hairspray never did appear, nor did a razor.  I missed the razor the most.  

 And now you know why there are very few photos of me at the hospital this go-around.  (Well, that, and the fact that our camera batteries weren't charged and we were only able to take a few...)  Learn from me, ladies.  Pack your bag before you need it.  Life is coming, and you really do want to be prepared.