22 months

22 months

Friday was Wilder's 22-month birthday! He went to the park with Daddy, got a haircut from "Uncle" Les and played with trains at Mimi and Papa's. Wilder's days are filled with exploration, reading, laughter and lots of talking. He speaks in exclamatory sentences, but they're mostly understandable. He picks up random words all the time--he's seriously a parrot. We can have conversations recalling things that happened earlier in the day, or the week before, or about books we've read together. It's such a fun time interacting with this little boy! Everything is fun for him-- from running in the house, to looking at trash trucks outside. As I get ready to deliver his little sister (sometime in the next three weeks! Due October 7!) and things are finally winding down with my work, we are really savoring this time as a family of three.

Wilder is still wearing 12 month old shorts with a belt, still wearing 18 month old tops, but they are getting a smidgen short. I got him new shoes last week: 5.5 mediums. In the spring, got shoes that were 4.5 wide width. He's been wearing his size 5 Natives most of the summer. So his FEET have grown. I'm pretty sure he's taller too. He's just a string bean! I was built that way as a kid, and Zach was thin too, so it's not really surprising. I don't have any idea what clothes he'll wear for the cooler weather. He's probably too tall for his 12 month old pants from last year (CRAZY) but 18 month old waists will swallow him!

Some of the words Wilder has said lately: Bulldozer, haircut, helicopter. He will say "Sad" when he's upset and "NoNice" when we do something he doesn't want to do. He rates everything as "Tiny," "Big" or "Really big." Everything is "Funny" to him. He calls after "Afed, Pierre, Ewwie" and wants to pet them. "Choo-twains" Thomas, Percy and Caboose rule the roost right now, but he is equally enamored with his cars and planes.

He can count to 10 all by himself!

Favorite books: Little Engine that Could, People-God-Moon(Bible), his non-fiction adult books about classic cars and steam engines, 10 little snowflakes (it's a counting book). He will go through days where he wants the same 4 books read over and over, and the next day he's on to a different set. He can tell you which book he wants and say no to other suggestions.

For the most part, he's stopped this thing he was doing where every night he would wake up around 12 and call for mama or daddy. All he wanted was a diaper and rocking for a few minutes (he can tell you what he wants, which is nice) and then he would ask for his bed again. It was every night for a couple of weeks, but this last week he stopped doing it and went back to sleeping through the night. He goes to sleep around 8:30, no matter when we put him in bed (usually 8 and he rolls around for a while). He's up between 6:45-7:30 am. He also naps 2-3 hours in the afternoon like clockwork.

I'm so grateful for my Wilder snuggles. Even though my belly is huge and I can't get around very easily, he's such a hugger and lets me hold him in ways that we can still be close. I just feel so lucky to have him for my son.

Here are some more photos from today!

Jumping with Daddy. :)

36 weeks

A little less than a month till my due date!

I'm in the home stretch! Today I am 36 weeks pregnant. I am always happy when I get past 34 weeks. My mom had me at 34 weeks, and I was so worried about that with Wilder--ironic, since he was born at 41 weeks 5 days! I breezed past 34 weeks and Monday was one month till my due date. I can't believe this pregnancy is almost over.

I have occasional contractions, and they kind of put me in a panic, because I still have assignments left to go before my due date. That number of stories is shrinking rapidly, though. I can see the finish line! I really just want to get these completed so I can relax and focus on my family during those early days with baby girl. It won't be the end of the world if I don't get it all done, but I sure would be a lot more stress-free going into labor if I could get them done.

So I workworkwork. Went to San Antonio twice this m month, and the last time, even with compression socks, I was really happy when I got home because I started swelling. No more long trips for me for a little while! I feel really heavy and bulky and it's hard to move quickly anywhere. I'm still trying to stay active--stretching and yoga, walking, some squats, but it's difficult. My calves have been hurting--the chiro says that's because pregnancy causes the muscles in your back and backs of your legs to contract as your body is pulled forward. Makes sense! My feet are starting to swell... yay. :-) Loving warm epsom baths. I'm still able to sleep well, but I'm not resting enough. I'm trying! :-) I still feel good most of the time, but I can definitely tell I'm carrying a big ol' baby, and my body is getting ready for labor.

Felicity's room is almost finished. We got her dresser, nightstand and chest of drawers yesterday. I'm waiting for some curtain tiebacks in the mail, and I'll be finishing her room next week with decor. I organized her closet on Monday. It's looking great! We have a few more items we need before she comes, but it's nice to already have some things from the first time around! Once it's done I'll take some photos and share them!

I'm packing our hospital bags today, just to have it done. :-) Probably she'll come late, but I'll feel better if I'm prepared!

We met our doula today and I think she'll be great to work with!

Yesterday I had my 36 week appointment with the midwife. All is well. Her head is down but she's moving around still. We scheduled the rest of our WEEKLY appointments till my due date! Getting close!

and... for comparison, here's a photo from the same point during my pregnancy with Wilder. I look a lot bigger and you can really see how much lower she's sitting! I weigh less than I did with Wilder at this point, but I've gained a bit more throughout pregnancy. Hoping not to gain any more, but I know she's growing at like an ounce a day? So I guess I'll be gaining a bit more. Oh well! It could be worse. :-)

I'm just really looking forward to meeting our baby girl and seeing Wilder interact with her too. It's going to be so different with two little ones, sometimes it seems overwhelming. But I'm excited for the challenge and I am excited to see how Felicity's personality shines through!

Thanks for reading!