Due date
The "due date" has come to feel like an accomplishment I have to work toward. Not because it's work to finish baking this baby, but because it's work to be this pregnant (as of tomorrow, officially full-term) while staying patient and upbeat for Ethan. He is really looking forward to being a big brother, but also nervous and definitely experiencing conflicting emotions. He is also three, which means all of the mood swings, adorableness, and assertiveness that age entails.
He loves to poke and kiss and bonk my belly, talk to the baby, and talk about things the baby can't do (walk, crawl, talk, eat, climb, etc.). He insists that the baby will be a little brother, who we will name Holden (at least it's not W anymore). He is also very interested in whether the baby will need any shots, for which Ethan will gladly volunteer.
This pregnancy has been so different from Ethan's, in many ways. One of which is that we have no belly shots this time around, except for incidental shots of my belly with Ethan. We'll have to take a few this weekend or risk having none to show the little one when he/she grows up. (I guess it starts early, having fewer pictures of the second one!)
It feels bittersweet to imagine Ethan with his new sibling. He has had so much mommy time these past few weeks, it's sad to imagine that these are our last few weeks together without a second one tagging along. I wish I could savor these upcoming weeks more, but chasing after a 3-year-old at this point is pretty exhausting, and part of me thinks that the first few weeks after the birth will be a relief - grandma will be here, Phil will be home, and I can just lay in bed and take care of the baby all day, right?
Ethan listening for the baby's heartbeat outside the Monterey Aquarium (May 2009)







