31 weeks (and other things)

This week was so eventful I felt it needed to have it's own post. 

Big Brother

I decided to put Whit first in this post because he has had such an interesting week.  After a difficult holiday break (3 Christmases are tough when you are two!) Whit has finally gotten back on schedule today.  It's a good thing because we all head back to school in just 4 days.  I know he's enjoyed the time home with Mommy and Daddy and he is not sounding excited about getting back in the swing of things next week. As always, he will roll with it and be ok and I am comforted with the knowledge that in just 7-11 weeks we will get to be back together again (albeit in a slightly more chaotic way). 

Whit's language and understanding continue to develop at a rate that is shocking to me.  He mostly understands that there is a baby inside of Mommy and he almost gets that eventually she will come out and be at home with us.  We've been trying to read books about new babies and new siblings to encourage his understanding.  Whit has also begun singing with me at bed time and I cannot wait for the first time he tries to sing Baby Sister a lullaby (or pick her up, feed her, or changer her diaper for that matter!)

Whit's imagination has also kicked into high gear.  A few weeks ago he began "pretending" on a more regular basis.  Now, he re-enacts scenes from his favorite movies.  We've tipped more tractors than I can count and he can quote nearly every line from Cars. An interesting manifestation of the re-enactment has happened in the last 2 days.  Whit is a big fan of Caillou, and we watch an episode nearly every night as we get ready for bed.  The other day Caillou was afraid of monsters and couldn't sleep.  As a result, 2 of the previous 3 nights Whit and I have had to go on a "monster hunt" to make sure that there aren't any monsters coming to get him before bed.  It's a fear I can remember having as a child and although I don't want Whit to experience the fear of going to bed himself, I have a hard time not smiling as we trek through the upstairs with the Thomas flashlight looking in all of the closets.

Daddy & Mommy

The (repeat) parents to be were busy this week with home repairs, maintenance and cleaning.  We managed to fix a few unknown issues below the house, organize a few closets and find space for the carload of generous gifts from our holiday break in Virginia.  Of course, this involved taking a load (or two) of items to the dump and goodwill.  Mommy had great intentions of having a super-sized yard sale this summer, but my current mind set is more about keeping 'stuff' out of the house, not holding on to it for another 5-7 months.  Daddy repainted the bathroom cabinets and Mommy washed and organized all of the baby things.  Although Baby Girl's stash of clothing is no where near the wardrobe that Whit boasted before birth, she should still be able to make it through the first 6 weeks of her life without repeating an outfit more than once, not bad for a newborn. Mommy has also begun packing the hospital bag and working on a few other sewing projects that I need to complete before Baby shows up.

Baby Girl
 
Baby Girl continues to grow bigger this week which will be her main job until delivery.  At an estimated 3lb 10oz and another 3 to 5 pounds to gain before delivery we are expecting another healthy child between 7 and 9 pounds who likely won't be fitting into the few newborn sized outfits she has.  It's a good thing I decided to pack both newborn and 0-3 month sized clothing in our bag. 

We had an ultrasound today that was deemed "perfect" by the midwife.  This was, of course, a relief to Baby's overly worrisome parents, not that we've had much cause to worry with this pregnancy.  Whit was excited to see pictures of his baby sister and will tell you that's who is in them if you were to ask.  We were able to see the little one drinking in some amniotic fluid and learned that she is a bit of a contortionist keeping one leg in the fetal position and the other up above her head (that explains how she can kick me in the bladder and the ribs at the same time!) She has just a little more wiggle room than her big brother did at the same time (Whit weighed about half a pound more at an estimated 4lbs 4oz). 

The biggest surprise?  The ultrasound tech pointed out that the reason her profile looks at little fuzzy around the head is because Baby Girl is already working on her curls (although you can't see it well in this image).  She's sporting quite the compliment of baby fine hair and with two more months of growth to go, I may need to pack a comb, brush and hair accessories in our bag as well.  Only time will tell if she will have the same head full of hair that her brother had at birth.

Baby Girl in profile at 31 weeks (the nose/mouth area is in the middle of the image)