Once Upon a Time

I had a baby.
And now he is 5.
Unbelievable.

I was pleasantly surprised when my four year old took it upon himself to make his brother's bed neat and tidy. I gave no instruction and did not ask him to do it. More impressively the end result looked better than what I'd been leaving him with for the past few weeks.

Twenty Eight Weeks

is a lot, but not nearly enough to relieve back aches and restless sleep.

Thanks, I think, to this pregnancy, I feel a degree of adoration for my children that I've never experienced.  It seems almost urgent that I look at them often and enjoy their quirks, understand their motives, hear their stories and songs, appreciate their natures, and show them compassion and love.  My boys seem cuter and seem to do fewer irritating things these days.  Patience comes easier.  Or perhaps patience is this only thing I have energy for.

I'm beginning to believe that the more kids you have, the faster time goes.  There is so much to plan for and anticipate, that this birth will have to be wedged in between it all.  An anniversary, a fifth birthday, a week of horse and house sitting, a bus ride to the first day of school and subsequent days of school, a baptism, Halloween, a visit from Aunt Diana and Uncle Jordan, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and birthday upon birthday.  Somewhere in there, we'll add a baby to the family and then continue marching (perhaps with less grace and more chaos, but marching nonetheless).

Nolan comments each morning that my tummy is growing BIG (as if there's a noticeable change overnight).  Gerret is very interested in the baby's arrival because then Uncle Jordan will visit (baby schmaby, we want Uncle Jordan!), so he asks me each morning, "Is the baby coming today?". Nope, Buddy, not today or tomorrow or this month or next month.  October, I tell him, it will be here in October.  That's still months away.  It wiggles around frequently and with enough force to make me wish October was tomorrow.

Yes, I call my unborn child "it".  

Inquiring minds would like to know about gender.  There is a reason I call it "it", which is we don't know the gender.  But as the lack of an ultrasound was previously due to the lack of prenatal care, you may be relieved to know that I now have a midwife, low blood pressure, normal blood, no diseases, healthy pee, and have heard a heartbeat three times now.  Plus this baby moves around like an Olympic athlete.  All good indications that things are going well.

Due to popular request, this is a picture of it. And, yes my hand is blue (from tie-dying the day previous).