On The Outside Looking In

When Riley was born, Pauly was only 15 months old.  A mere baby some would say.  But at the time I didn't think "baby" was the best word to describe him.  He'd always been fascinated by little children and when Riley showed up, his attitude never changed.  He was never jealous or unkind towards her.  It was exactly the opposite.  He loved his little sister to bits and would want her to "play" with him even though she lacked the skills to do so.

As Riley got older and learned to sit, crawl and finally walk, their interactions became more involved.  It sometimes resulted in tears because one had swiped a toy from the other but this was always quickly resolved.  Pauly had learned (with constant reminders from mom and dad) that if he was going to take a toy, he had to give one back.

Fast forward to now.  Pauly is just over 2.5 years old and Riley is 17 months old.  

Pauly has learned to share even when he really doesn't want to.

Riley knows that if she takes without asking she will have to give it back - and she does!

They both have learned to say I'm sorry, please and thank you.

They feed off each other but also rely on each other.

When one is sleeping, the other wants to wake them up.

When one is hurt, the other offers a hug.

If one needs help, the other is there to lend a hand.

They talk to each other and laugh with each other.

It's amazing to watch.  

I'm not sure if it's because they are so close in age or because they have great personalities.

Either way, I often find myself observing them.  Listening in on their conversation.

It fills my heart with the kind of unconditional love that only a parent can feel.

A love that aches and makes your eyes water.

Sheer joy in that moment - and there are lots of them.

A friend once told me that there is no greater love in life than children.

He was right.

Thank you God for Blessing me.

For these once in a lifetime moments.

Thank you for making me a mom.

32 Weeks

At 32 weeks, I'm feeling great. I look at myself in the mirror and see how big I am, but I don't feel it. Don't get me wrong, I am having a hard time tying my shoes, getting out of bed and just bending over in general, but it doesn't bother me. Not much anyways. There are times when I wish I could squeeze into a normal pair of jeans (elastic waistbands only go so far) but then I remember why I can't and I feel much better. I think back to when being pregnant seemed like a dream and there wasn't any sign of my lil' bean and I don't know how I coped. Whereas now, I can feel him move every time he decides to turn his head, or stretch his arms, and even when he hiccups. It's a feeling I never would give up. Well...I'd give it up to be able to hold him, which of course is undeniable in the end. So 8 more weeks and I'll be holding this little guy. Wow. It doesn't scare me but I know I'm going to miss being pregnant. There's something so special about carrying this lil' bean around that makes me want to stop time. Maybe it's knowing that as long as he's in his watery home, he's going to be as safe as he can ever be. That right now the outside world has no effect on him except through me, an you know that I wouldn't do anything to harm him. When I feel him squirm around it makes me happy in a way that nothing ever did, and I can only imagine (for now) what it's going to feel like holding such a special person. A person that I've never met but loved right from the start.

As for other news, the closet is done and being used so it's on to the bathroom. Paul & his dad have started ripping apart the upstairs bathroom and I can only hope it won't take too long to finish. It's being completely gutted and we're changing the layout so the plumbing and electrical are being updated. We're also knocking out the closet and making it part of the bathroom so it'll be a bit bigger than it was, yay!

And It's a good thing that I'm not helping with the bathroom in any way because I'm getting clumsier. I never was graceful but now that I'm carrying almost 30 pounds in front, I can't seem to keep hold of anything or judge distance. I bump into things a lot more and I'm dropping everything. It's not fair! And the cruelest part of it all... it's hard to bend over and pick up the stuff I'm always dropping.

Anyways, I've gotten one step closer to delivery but preregistering at my pre birth clinic appointment. It was nothing special, just filling out the hospital paperwork in advance, and with that came some more resourceful information. Where to find support groups, nutrition info and activities to do with your children etc.

Paul & I also went to see Clash of the Titans in 3D. What a waste of money. I enjoyed the movie itself but the 3D was pretty useless and lame. I suggest watching it in 2D instead. I think the whole 3D experience is really overrated. Of the movies I've seen, most don't even have a lot of that "coming at you" effect.
At 32 weeks, my lil' bean now weighs about 4 pounds which is close to the weight of a jicama. His length should be close to 19 inches and growing. His head is now proportionate to the rest of his body and his skull is made up of 6 bones joined together by a flexible material called sutures. This will allow his head to mould and fit through the birth canal. All of his 5 senses are functioning when he is awake, which should usually be about 10% of the time but it seems more like 20 or 30%. He's a mover and a shaker! And of course there's the pound a week I'll be gaining until my lil' bean decides it's time for mom & dad to meet him. He will only use half of that but it will make up a third of his total birth weight. Only 8 more weeks to go.