Best Friends helping a pregnant lady out

I received the best email the other day.

I believe I was queried in an email string with my best girlfriends about how I was feeling, if I'm anxious about delivery, how things are coming along preparing for baby #2, etc. I'm lucky having a girl in March since Sophie was born in April-I really don't need a lot of "stuff." All the clothes will be the right size/right season, the gear is still in good shape, and hand-me-downs and sharing will be the wave of the future for baby Emma. All we really need is a crib and new diapers! I want a glider and nursing stool (footrest really) for breastfeeding more comfortably this time around. The only challenge to this is organizing the closet and dresser and sifting through countless vacuum storage bags to find the 0-3, 3-6, 6-9 month clothing.

In January my girls are heading east to DC for our annual Diva Weekend since I'm on the no fly list in the third trimester. We are secluding ourselves in a hotel room, wining, dining, and being girls for three days. Doing anything baby related was the furthest thing from my mind. Until I received this email:

To Twobraids:

We, the undersigned, submit a proposal to you for review regarding the
weekend in January when we come to visit.

We, your fellow Bobcats, Divas, and General Goofballs, propose to come
to your residence and empty the contents of Baby Closet, clean and
sanitize the assorted Baby Toys That Got Put In Sophie's Mouth, sort
the diapers, clothes, and other surprises contained within the
structure, and embark on a journey to make a lovely pregnant woman and
fabulous mommy less stressed.

We further have agreed to re-establish organization within said
closet, taking care to label and package everything in a way that
suits Twobraids, a.k.a. ask Momma, Wife, Nurse, Friend, Goddess.

Your prompt reply is most appreciated.

Sincerely
B-P-Mc-R Inc., LLC., etc.

This is the greatest second baby gift ever! I don't think the girls know what they are getting themselves into, but they'll find out soon enough!

Shhh She's sleeping

Due to the rotation of the Earth and Daylight Saving Time not yet upon us the sun woke me up naturally at 7 am this morning. I love 7 am. It is the most perfect hour in which to wake-not too early, not too late. Too bad it will be all wonky next weekend. But while Sophie sleeps a little more I'm going to indulge in the quiet, the internet and my coffee.
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Sleep Update: She is still having fits when we put her down at night. I've done a lot of what everyone has suggested: lavender room spray, staying out of our room as much as possible, a little more reading and cuddling right before putting her down, you name it-I've tried it. The fits are getting shorter but they break my heart nonetheless. She also wakes at least once a night but I have just let her cry it out and go back to sleep. We did compromise on a "big girl bed" in which we put a pillow in the bed with her. She seems to like that a lot. I'm not ready for the full transition-I don't want her to be staring at me at the foot of my bed at 2am just yet!
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I would walk 10,000 miles. Since the weather is finally moving from blizzard conditions to bearable we took a walk yesterday afternoon. I had dinner in the oven andwaiting on Comcast to check out our intermittent at a best signal so we could only walk to the end of the street. This was the first "real" walk Sophie has ever been on (sans stroller.) It is about 1/4 mile in distance. We got to the end of the street and turned around to come back and Sophie had a melt down. She wanted to keep walking but definitely not back towards home. She kept pointing across the street for more. I eventually had to just pick her up kicking and screaming and carry her back. All I could do was laugh. I pictured the opposite happening the whole time...not wanting to go on the walk at all. When we returned home we let Phillip go check on dinner and Sophie and I meandered up a different street. When the turn around came she had a temper tantrum again. I guess the endurance is good...maybe our next walk will be enough to make her go right to sleep!
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Time out. After the walk and before dinner she was in a foul mood. She was begging for Elmo.We sometimes watch all Sesame Street has to offer on YouTube and yesterday she wasn't content with my selections and then I had to get dinner on the table. So when we turned the computer off she was NOT a happy camper. Phillip decided it was time for a time out. (Mommy had time out too, Cab/Shiraz by Jacob's Creek.) And you know what-it worked. She sat in her chair in the corner of the kitchen and didn't move. She cried, she settled down, we all felt better.
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I want another kid after all this?
Phillip and I have been talking about when we will have another bun in the oven. After dealing with Sophie's melt downs over Elmo or learning not to throw and her bed time fits I sometimes find myself questioning why? Why do this all over again? Can I handle a toddler and an infant both crying, both needing completely different things? On top of being exhausted during and after pregnancy? Then I think of my parents who did this FIVE times! And I realize why they both like to drink wine and cocktails! Or my brother and sister-in-law who have three kids and have worked through some very difficult times or hell people who have had twins! So, tell me...how do you get through the hard spots to be delirious enough to go for two?