32 weeks and counting (and contracting)

Dear sweet, busy-as-can-be TieBreaker,

Literally, at this moment, as I type to you, I am having a contraction.  Nothing horrible, but definitely par for the course with you several times a day.  These Braxton Hicks have been happening sporadically for a while now, but have become a regular (and timed) part of our evening, usually past 7pm.  Last week, I had them every 6-10 minutes for over two hours... a bit alarming, but thankfully things subsided and went back to the regular "irregularity" by the next day.  I talked to my doctor and got some clear parameters on when to call and when to panic.  Thankfully, you (and my uterus!) are cooperating.

I joked last week that I ate enough butter and sugar (in the form of yummy baked goods) during the holidays (over about a 10-12 day stretch) to double your weight.  (Really, though, I didn't indulge nearly as much as I did when I was pregnant with your sister and brother.)  In all seriousness, though, I have been feeling like you've grown a ton lately.  Your activity level and the way it feels when you're really busy (which is often) has lead me to comment more than once on what I perceive to be your size.  But, because you are my third baby, I figured that I am just feeling more, which is common with multiple pregnancies.

This morning I went to the doctor for my 32 week check-up (officially, I am 32 weeks and 4 days).  She did an ultrasound and measured you... twice.  Why twice?  Because you are measuring at 34 weeks and 4 days.  And, though it's not an exact science, all signs point to you being a big boy.  In fact, your estimated weight based on all of the measurements is already 5.5 pounds.  Holy Moly little man...  5.5 pounds is no joke.  She took an ultrasound picture of your face (she says it's your face... I couldn't tell, and usually I am able to pick out a lot of things in the ultrasound pics!) and commented on your already "very chubby cheeks."  We'll have to take her word for it and wait until we meet you... but that needs to be in another seven weeks, okay?  Please don't get any ideas about making an appearance early.  Just because you're looking to be a big boy doesn't mean that you're done growing in the warmth and safety of the little home I have made for you!  My doctor gave me strict orders to take it easy, but she also knows that, in this household, that's nearly impossible.  I am especially trying to limit how much I am doing with your sister, but take comfort in the fact that my body has been very used to lifting her and her equipment for years.

Daddy, Gracie and Preston love to watch and feel you move all over the place.  Feeling you, and your crazy antics, has been very entertaining for all of us.   Your big brother felt you move for the first time in mid-October (and squealed with excitement), though I have been feeling you since just before we went public with our news about you.  I actually wasn't sure it was you I was feeling, as it was so early, but my doctor confirmed back then that it is really common to feel movement sooner with each pregnancy.   Gracie has been very aware of you since pretty early on and loves to rub my belly with her head in my lap and sign "baby."  In fact, even before my belly was large and obvious, she couldn't get enough of being close to you.  She was the same way when I was pregnant with your brother.  At bedtime, when I read to Preston, he almost always has a hand on my tummy so he can feel you wiggle, kick, and squirm during the stories.  He cracks up when you're wild, talks to you all the time (gives you kisses, greets you every morning and tells you good-bye when he leaves for school) and loves it when he can tell what part of you he is feeling.  The other day he felt your head and knew it was your head without me saying anything.  He was excited and startled all at the same time as he felt and watched you move completely across my middle.  And even though I have already had two babies and know what it feels like to have a little life moving and playing inside me, I am amazed by how much more I am feeling this time.

And, as if all of that doesn't prove to you how excited we all are about you joining our family,  Auntie Vanessa sent me a message back in October, reminding me of a status update I had posted exactly a year before on facebook.   It shows just how much Preston wanted to be your big brother!

(October 24, 2010)
Preston: "Mama, I really need a baby brother."
Me: "What about a baby sister?"
Preston: "Nah, I already have a sister."
(Should I tell him I need a housekeeper and a million dollars?!  LOL!)

What Preston didn't know when he said those words was that mommy and daddy had been wanting to add to our family for quite some time.  Little did we all know that it would be you we were waiting for! 

You are already so loved by so many... it's incredible and overwhelming to me just how much love has been showered on you (and our family) as we await your arrival. You're one lucky baby!   Just remember... stay put... because I said so!

All my love,
Mommy