Saturday, December 26, 2015

Christmas

Dear Baby,

Merry Christmas! You aren't here to actually enjoy it this year (though I got a few decent flutters and thuds from you yesterday, which I interpreted to mean that you were enjoying yourself in my uterus), but you did receive some sweet gifts, and I'll tuck them away for you till May or June. :) Your dad and I bought you a teddy bear that we'll use to photo-record your growth, the way we did with your sister and brother. We also got you a Dumbo, because it's awfully cute. You have a cool plush fish bowl with all kinds of crinkly-plush fish from your Great Aunt Sue, and an outfit from your Aunt Jill, Uncle Luke, and Grayson. Your Memere (my mom) got you a neat plush folding elephant activity mat, and Granny Jill (your dad's mom) got you a great big collection of children's books. You're 18 months gestated, and already very loved.

I'm making a rug for you, but I'm trying to work a little more slowly on it, because we're going to find out whether you're a girl or a boy on January 12th, and if you're a girl, I'll work a little bit of pink fabric into it. For now, it's blue, yellow, white, and gray. What are you, baby?! I can't bear the suspense! Maddie is certain you're a girl, and when I asked Simon, he said, "Baby Sisser." But then he quickly changed his answer to "Baby Brudder," so really, not helpful, Simon.

I'm still taking Zofran, and still throwing up occasionally. (Again with the car vomit. This time I wasn't even in traffic - I had to continue driving while I threw up into a bag of donuts. Not awesome, baby. It was not an awesome time for me.) I'm feeling more movement from you, which is reassuring. I can't wait to see your little face on the 12th! I think I've had the fewest ultrasounds with you, and it's crazy-making! I want to know how you're doing in there all the time!

I haven't been taking bump pictures, but I'll start when I'm about 20 weeks. Your baby book arrived a few days ago, so I'll start filling out what I can (family tree stuff, pregnancy memories), and will look forward to getting your little footprints stamped inside in about five months!

We love you, baby.
Love,
Your Mama

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Hello, Baby #3!

Dear Baby,

I haven't forgotten about blogging for you. I'm just a little behind. Your dad even beat me to your first post! (Good work, Dad!)

First, I want to tell you how excited I am to meet you in May or June. (I'm hoping for a June 1st birthday, because then all of my kids will have their own birth months. If you come in May, that is also totally okay, but let's try our hardest not to go into labor on your sister's birthday.) Your due date is May 31st. Maddie's due date was May 29th, and she was born May 27th. There may be some double birthday parties in your future, little one, but on the bright side, the weather will be lovely on those double birthday party days. Your poor brother was born in January, and we live in a suburb of Seattle, which means it is almost always raining on his birthday. (Sorry, Simon!)

I am just about 16 weeks pregnant. Rereading these blog entries that I wrote when I was pregnant with Maddie, and then again with Simon, it is amazing to me how different things are! With Maddie, we lived in Rhode Island, and I was working on my grad school thesis. Your dad was working at 38 Studios, and we were newlyweds. With Simon, we had just moved to an apartment in Issaquah, Washington. Your dad was working for ArenaNet in Bellevue, and I was writing as much as I could. We were figuring out how to manage so far away from both of our families, and in a place neither of us had lived before. Now, I'm pregnant with you! We bought a house in Renton, and commute to Issaquah a lot for Maddie's school, for church, for my critique group, and to visit dear friends. Your dad is still at ArenaNet. I'm not writing as much as I should, but I will.

The thing all of these pregnancies have in common is the nausea and vomiting. Oh gosh, the vomiting. (Perhaps you have some memory of this past Thursday, when I threw up all over myself while driving in traffic. It wasn't awesome.)

I bet you're wondering what you are. So are we!! Oh gosh, Baby, I am so impatient. Lots of people have said to me, "You won't even have to find out this time! You have hand-me-downs for either!" People, you clearly do not know how impatient I can be. I've done the Chinese Gender Chart. (It said boy.) I've analyzed every emotion I have. (Based on the amount of weeping I do, I'd say girl.) I have no idea! What are you?! Aaaaauuugh! Well, we won't have to wait long, thank goodness. My big anatomy ultrasound is scheduled for January 12th. I'll keep you posted. :)

Your nursery is Snoopy themed, and I'm really excited about it. (To be fair, I should tell you that you're actually going to spend your first few months in a bassinet in our bedroom, just like your sister and brother did. Then, when you're five or six months, you'll move to the crib in the larger of the two kids' rooms. You'll have a roommate, too! If you're a girl, it'll be Maddie. If you're a boy, it'll be Simon. You'll love them both!) Here's a peek at your cute Snoopy theme:

I bet you'd also like a peek at you.


That was you about two months ago. Now you're the size of an avocado. Good job growing, baby! 

As you can see, we're delivering at Swedish in Issaquah again. That's because I loved delivering at Swedish. It's beautiful, and the food! The food is delicious. It's just over half an hour away, but I'm pretty confident we won't have an accidental car delivery. Wish us luck, just to be safe. 

I'll write soon. Very, very soon. Sorry about the delay, baby. 

Love,
Your Mama