Where did the last six months ago? I promised myself that I would savor every moment of this pregnancy because it will most likely be the last, yet I find myself two-thirds of the way through it in a blink of an eye. All this time I thought I had to prepare and enjoy the time as a three-some is quickly coming to a close.
Of course, the late-night pregnancy hormones have me up at 3:30am thinking about all of this - how in three months I'll be up at this hour feeding, and again in another two hours, and another after that. That in three months I'll be teetering on the brink of exhaustion and trying to introduce a new baby into the family mix (I'm not really sure how Mason will do...I think he'll enjoy the idea of a baby, but maybe not the reality that feeding, diapering, and sleeping (or not) will consume me for a few months).
But what I haven't done is really give a progress report for how things are going. People continually ask and I always say "feeling good" or "getting huge and uncomfortable" or something, but never really divulge much more. I try to remember how I felt at this stage in my pregnancy with Mason (overworked, a little less huge, brimming with excitement) and think about how this compares.
Sadly, for the most part, the pregnancy has been/felt the same. The heartburn is consistent (thank god for Zantac!) the cravings are minimal (but I recall not until the final month that I only wanted things like Sprite and baby carrots), and the belly is, well, huge. I feel bigger than I was at this point, which makes sense since my body "remembers." My belly and my pelvis just kind of flopped out one day as if to say "yup - know right where to go." I'm hoping not to bypass the 175 I hit with Mason, but it is a definite possibility.
I know other people say they can tell the difference between their pregnancies (and between the baby's gender), but I really cannot. There is lots of fits and hyperactive movement and some serious bladder massaging, but I remember that with Mason, too. I remember he used to do a kick, kick, kick! into my left lung area when I had been sitting for too long. This one just seems to not like me laying on my back - although that is still the most comfortable position at night (shhhh - don't tell my midwives). A lot of what I think about is how labor will go. Now that I've been through it I hope, at the very least, it won't be as long or as hard and I KNOW that if I can do what I did with Mason, I can pretty well handle anything. But, there is still the unknown. I do wish to document it by photos of video, so that I distinctly remember the hours of pain and am reminded not to try it again.
What I am also more focused on is just how fast Mason grew up. In just over two years, he is fully mobile, speaking in sentences, able to assert his feelings (being afraid of the dark and the smoke alarm are current worries), able to get into any door, cabinet, closet, and cupboard, and say "no" and really, really, really mean it (I have NO idea where that stubborn streak comes from!). He has some funny little quirks that we find amusing...if you ask him what time it is at any point in the day, the answer is always "ten till five." He loves asking "what is that?" or "what is that noise?" especially when he knows the answer and he just wants you to tell him. His favorite song is "Twinkle, twinkle" - he sings it first thing in the morning, in spurts throughout the day and at night to the stars. He picks out his own boxes of cereal to eat in the mornings and drinks the milk out of the bowl (usually leaving most of the cereal). He likes to gallop. We have finally gotten him to sleep all night in his "big brother bed," but we leave our doors ajar so first thing in the morning (usually around 6am) he waddles into our room, closes the door, and climbs up on my side to cuddle for another hour. Going outside is his absolute favorite thing in the world...after playing in our cars. His favorite books rotate between "The Giving Tree," "The Cat in the Hat," "Oh, the Thinks you can Think," and "I Love you Through and Through."
He knows what You Tube is and how the basic concept works. He says "watch dis one" to whatever is on the side bar, even though he has no idea what they are. I'm cursing Ivan Ulz for ever creating the "Fire Truck Song." He is pretty good about going to bed at night now that we have his routine down - bath, brush teeth, get dressed, read books, lay down and fall asleep. Still working on nap time and trying to get him weaned off the drive and listening to Elbow (at least we finally moved beyond the Putamayo 'Sleepytime' CD).
Mostly, I'm trying to enjoy what we have, while we have it. Everyone says our lives will change completely with another kid, but I don't totally believe that. Our lives changed completely when we had one - I don't see how another will shift our expectations for lack of sleep, personal space, or quiet time more than they already have. What will be fun is experiencing the new dynamic of four.
