Alrighty, lots of news to impart, so settle in and get ready for a bit of a read!
:-) Of course, one of the most pressing question I've heard lately is "So do you know what you're having...?" Yes, FINALLY after waiting until I am 22 weeks and going through gut-wrenching anxiety over the health of this expectant kiddo, I can say with a big grin on my face that we are looking forward to a BIG, HEALTHY baby GIRL!
No issues were found at our big anatomy scan yesterday, her growth is wonderful, and she was throwing punches. Atta girl!
I literally could not stop laughing after I got in my car and started driving home, the relief just swept over me.
Now of course, I'm allowing myself to plan things regarding this pregnancy beyond the vague notion that I am having a baby.
We're discussing names, we're making a list of items we need. You would be surprised at how many things we do need considering that Evan was born just 17 months ago.
But keep in mind that many things we DID receive for him, we exchanged for things better suited to older kids because we brought an 8-month old home, not a newborn. So things like a bassinet, a swing, etc.... We have to get those things!
I went through all of Evan's old clothing, which was a bittersweet endeavor. I love seeing all the tiny clothes he used to wear, but hated seeing SO MANY clothes he couldn't wear in that newborn to 3 month stage. I think we had 3 outfits we put him in. I admit I teared up seeing all the clothing he never wore.
The realization is hitting me today- I will (barring premature birth or unforeseen complications) be bringing a tiny little newborn bundle home with me when I get discharged. No tubes, no wires, no monitors.
The enormity of this is overwhelming.
I am going to be a mess hearing her cry when she's delivered and when I get to hold her.
So what about her big brother? Well, Evan has made strides in the past few weeks in all of his therapies. He is talking easier now, playing with more dexterity, and cruising with the best of them! We are still slow going with his feeding therapy, but he is making progress. We start formal therapy in two weeks.
He really is doing so wonderful. He has no idea what is going on with the new baby coming, and I just hope that there won't be too much of an issue.
The biggest problems we've faced the past couple of weeks are his lingering cold symptoms, and a reoccurrence of his night terrors. Luckily the night terrors are not as frequent as they were previously, but it still is not fun for anyone involved.
I'm cautioning anyone reading that isn't aware that this cold and flu has been a tough one so far and it's not finished! Please, if you have sick kids with a fever, keep them home. Give them lots of fluids, and disinfect areas in your home such as light switches, phones, door handles, etc that everyone touches. Use a hand sanitizer frequently when in public. Wash your hands.
And please, get a flu shot if you haven't already.
