Another week gone – many, many pounds added! Don’t we look massive and glorious!?

Baby

STILL INSIDE! It’s funny – after all the weirdness this pregnancy, I was so desperate to keep Baby Sister in, that I’ve had a pretty hard time adjusting to the fact that it is actually OK for her to come out now. This last week I worked on making the mental shift from “holy crap, please don’t come now” to “Ok no, now would be fine. I feel finished, thank you very much!”

Success! As of today, I’m READY, DAMMIT!

Part of the mental shift came from getting the last of the stuff we needed at my baby sprinkle yesterday. My sister-in-law and my sweet friend Shalyce threw me a lovely “tropical” themed party, and it was just wonderful. Not only did I get a ton of great stuff, but I had the best time being with some of my favorite women on this earth. And bonus on top of all of that? Delicious food (easily Baby Sister’s favorite part, judging by her kicking!)! The hostesses had Hawaiian food catered in by my favorite Hawaiian restaurant, and then my mother made a very tasty coconut mango cake (!!!!!). I could not have had a better time, a fuller heart, or have had a happier tummy.

There were still some “needs” (and a few “wants” that felt like “needs”) left on the list after the sprinkle yesterday, so I went ahead and ordered the last of the stuff last night and this morning. As soon as that all arrives, Baby Sister really will be all geared up (and we will be so broke)! And having all the gear makes this mama uber excited for Baby’s arrival.

Another part of me feeling “ready” now, is that Baby Sister is getting really, really big in there. I’m not terribly uncomfortable when she isn’t moving (thank you, long torso!), but when she gets going, it can take my breath away. Yesterday her favorite move was sticking her butt out my right side – you could literally grab her whole butt with your hand! My stepfather-in-law even felt it, which was super fun and good for a laugh. Today, in addition to moving everywhere, her best move seems to be jabbing an elbow or a foot or something else pointy out my left side. When she does these big, jabby moves, it seems like she is trying to escape, and this tired mama is inclined to let her. Hehe!

Me

The final part of me wanting Baby Sister “out” is selfish – I am very much looking forward to the weight coming off. I am dutifully taking pictures because I know I would regret it later if I didn’t have them to look back on, but I don’t like what I see. I am so, so big. And it isn’t just swelling – I’m just so fat! I’m embarrassed to be seen in public because I know people see how big I’ve gotten. It’s impossible to hide.

So I’m excited to see the numbers on the scale go back the other direction, and to start liking what I see in the mirror again. Not that I’ve ever been easy on myself when it comes to my appearance, but this pregnancy has really pushed me to the extremes of my self-esteem, and I’m not enjoying that part.

A very minor part of my size is actually due to swelling, surprisingly. I don’t remember any real swelling in my feet and hands when I was pregnant with Lewis, so this is new. I did have to take my wedding ring off with that pregnancy, but that was just weight gain, I think. This time, my feet are swelling ever so slightly, to the point where I’ve had to loosen the straps on my Birkenstocks – thank goodness they have that feature!! And I chuckle a little bit when I look down at my fat “piggies”.

Also new this time is my belly button popping out. It is subtle, but it is definitely out! It flattened long ago, and with Lewis the flattening was where it stopped. But I’m just so much damn bigger this time that my belly button is growing out of me! That and my fat piggies are pretty much the only part of being bigger that make me laugh at all.

Speaking of bellies – I can’t wait to lay on my stomach again. I miss that so very much.

Last night I couldn’t sleep due to a headache and leg cramps. I think I must have been dehydrated, because I’m feeling better with some water this morning, thank goodness. But my contractions persist. They’re still off-and-on painful, but even when I’m not having a contraction, I’m experiencing pain in my pelvis/hips constantly. It literally never lets up. All the pain and contractions make me suspect that I’ll have the baby within the next week, but who knows?!

Lewis

This kid has got to be growing. My goodness! There are meals where he just eats everything in sight (I know – my kid. It is almost unbelievable!), and he has been sleeping like a log. 3+ hour naps, 11+ hour nights, and going down easy for everything because he’s so tired. And when I have to get him up in the mornings for school, he’s hard to rouse. This is the same kid who basically didn’t sleep for 2 years, and has always gotten us up by 6:30 at the latest.

Who knows how long this will last, but he’s blowing our minds right now! One of my favorite gifts from the baby sprinkle was a growth charth to track the kids’ heights, and I can’t wait to measure Lewis once Kyle hangs it up, because I bet you he’s just shot up since his last height measurement at his 2 year checkup!

Lewis’ catch phrases this week are: “Holy cow!” and “Oh my goodness!” (a correction from “oh my god”, which he learned at school and we’re discouraging)

We took kiddo shopping at Babies r Us over the weekend to pick up a birthday present for Baby Sister. He doesn’t know it, but Baby Sister will also be getting him a present (TBD what it will be). Anyway, the shopping trip was a smashing success, and so adorable! Kyle came too, and we were both floored by how thoughtful Lewis was with his gifts! He didn’t even get upset that we weren’t picking things out for him (although we did get him a new pair of sneakers and a fun bath toy because we couldn’t help ourselves).

He picked out a Minnie Mouse hairbrush/comb set, which is so perfect coming from the Mickey Mouse loving big brother! Then he ran over to a display of backpacks and picked out a unicorn backpack. He also grabbed a teething ring/rattle, and a stuffed pink turtle that rattles, crinkles, has a mirror, and is generally adorable. I tried to get him to pick the octopus instead, but he insisted that Baby Sister wanted the turtle (“not THAT one mom!”).

At the end, he picked the gift bag and bow. In true Lewis fashion, he picked a Paw Patrol bag (his favorite show!). I asked him if he thought Baby Sister would like the doggies the best, and he was quite confident she would and shunned all other options. Then he grabbed a sparkly blue bow, and when presented with alternative options, he kept saying, “no! The blue one!”

Big brother Lewis is a very generous guy. So he did also try to get us to buy Baby Sister a new stroller, a big kid carseat, a bathtub, a chair, a bike, a rocker, and one of those activity/stand-and-play toys. But he accepted gracefully each time that Baby Sister didn’t need those things because we had them already. He would just say, “okay!” and then run to the next thing and say, “Baby Sister need this?”

*Swoon* So cute!