Sunday, March 2, 2014

Long Time, No Blog; Baby Update

Well, hello again.  I can't believe it has been nearly two months since I last blogged, but I have a good excuse.  We recently spent an entire month on R&R back in the States, and we're just now getting back on track schedule-wise.  I intended to blog about our trip as soon as we got back, but a broken laptop prevented me from downloading the pictures I hoped to share.  Now I am in possession of a new laptop, but I am stuck in software download Hell as I wait for it to install and upload all my photos.  A month's worth of photos.  Which is a lot.  So yeah, it's taking a while.  

In the meantime, I figured I better jump on here and at least provide an update so no one would think I've dropped off the face of the earth.

All is going well on the baby front.  I'm just getting to the point where I can't get comfortable at night, therefore, I am not getting as much sleep as I like.  But, at 32 weeks, that's to be expected.  I am ALL belly at this point and have even noticed my body slowly shifting into the "pregnant waddle" as I walk down the street.  Tying my own shoes? Ha, it's pretty comical.  Slip-on shoes is where it's at.  The baby seems to be doing great, though.  I had a doctor's visit the day before we flew back to the States, and my next appointment is at the end of this week.  I was told by my doctor that things were progressing normally, and judging by the amount of kicking going on inside me, that appears to still be the case.  The kicking is actually a welcome comfort and puts my mind at ease on a daily basis.  

E is getting used to the idea of being a big brother.  There is still a lot he doesn't understand, but he is figuring it all out.  For instance, last weekend he was watching me put on a shirt and said, "Mommy, your belly is getting bigger and bigger." I responded with a cheerful, "That's right!  It's going to get bigger and bigger until D comes out." (Yes, we have already picked out a name).  But instead of a smile or enthusiastic "yay!" E burst into tears.  Real, heartbreaking, lip quivering tears.  I immediately rushed to him and asked why he was crying and he responded, "But...but...I love D and I don't want him to go away!"  He took my "D will come out" to mean he will come out and we would never see him again.  I don't know why he thought that, but he did and it nearly broke his heart.  Of course with my pregnancy hormones in overdrive, I started crying as I tried to comfort him, which only made him cry harder and pretty soon S was dealing with two sobbing babies.  

But when E is not crying out of confusion, he is nothing but loving.  He wants to kiss my belly and talk to D and tell me all about the things he will do to "help mommy when the baby comes."  I hope those feelings continue even after the birth, although I am sure jealousy will eventually rear its ugly head.  And of course, there are the questions.  The countless, endless, questions. E is a curious child by nature.  He can't do anything without asking a million questions.  When it comes to the baby, the questions only grow more frequent and complicated to answer.  Like which leg the baby is going to come out of, and where the doctor is going to make the hole.  Ummmmm.  You're two.  Am I supposed to answer that honestly? 

S and I have also been busy preparing for the little guy's arrival by stocking up on all things baby.  Remember when I said I found some baby items in storage here in Turkey, but that the rest of E's old baby things were still back in Maryland?  Well, we've been attempting to replace what we're missing.  We recently decided to turn E's bed back into a crib (we turned it into a toddler bed shortly after moving here) and put E in a twin bed.  E's not taking too kindly to the idea, so we're hoping to get it set up soon so there is a nice long period of adjustment.  We've even ordered E new "big boy" bedding and ordered new crib bedding for D.  Our original idea was to just have D in a pack n play since it will be so temporary (we leave Adana 7 months after he's born), but then we decided we couldn't give this baby the shaft, and quickly changed our minds.  We also have a new double jogging stroller and car seat on order through Amazon, plus we're slowly collecting things like tummy time mats, clothing for up to 6 months, blankets and more.  

Of course, you can only be prepared in theory.  Nothing every really prepares you for a newborn until you actually have him/her in your arms and the reality of the situation sets in. Add a toddler into the mix and I am sure there will be some pretty stressful moments in our early weeks.  But we are still excited for our family to be complete.  No, we will not be going for a third, especially not in an attempt to have a girl, which is a question I get asked a lot.  I am extremely happy with my boys.  And even though I jokingly tell people that S and I don't want to be outnumbered by having a third, it's only a half joke.  We really don't want to be outnumbered.  Two is enough for us!

So, that's it.  We're counting down the weeks and hoping all goes smoothly.  I'll be back soon with the details of our whirlwind R&R trip, including lots of pictures.  




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