Read Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven
Feb 20, 2020
I’m 24 weeks and officially reached viability. While I still fret some days, I’m starting to feel a little calmer, especially the more she kicks.
Yesterday was a wonderful day. Bailey felt his baby sister kick for the very first time. She performed a few hard kicks for him and the look of awe on his face was a moment I’ve been waiting months to see. He covered his mouth with his other hand, his mouth gaping opened, and said “Oh my god. I felt her!!! I felt her!!!” His eyes lit up with such excitement.
Every day he looks at my growing belly and says, “Jesus mommy, you’re belly is getting big!” I love how excited he is for his sister. I also love that at 4 years old, this is a time he will truly remember experiencing…especially with the elephant memory he has! I told him it’s my birthday next week and he said to me: “Last year your birthday was at GeeGee and Papa’s house. I ate your face.” I looked at him confused. I had no recollection of what my birthday cake looked like. Sure enough, I went on the computer the next day, found a picture of the cake my mom made, and there it was. A drawing of “me” on the cake. The fact that he remembers something so specific one year later is amazing to me. I couldn’t even remember that I had a cake last year, everything has been such a blur!
But it’s moments and memories like that which thrill me in knowing he is absorbing and memorizing every moment of these months leading up to the birth of his baby sister. He’s going to remember feeling her kick. He’s going to remember my belly growing. He’s going to remember Daddy running out for weird cravings and me running from different smells.
I used to envision a slightly smaller age gap between kids but I feel so lucky to know this is the gap we’re getting. Bailey is so ready to become a big brother. He’s been role playing with a baby doll. Pretending to have it cry and figuring out if it needs food, a diaper change, a toy, or cuddles.
He told me he wants to help me with everything. He wants to help feed her and read to her. I asked him about the diaper changes and he looked at me and said, “Eww stinky. You do the stinky stuff mommy.” So I guess maybe not everything! Darn! Ha!
It’s hard to believe that in about 16 weeks, we’ll be meeting our baby girl. I am counting the weeks now, not just for my own peace of mind as I make it successfully through another week of pregnancy, but also to see our beautiful family grow. To see our son embrace his role as a big brother. To see my husband undoubtedly wrapped around our girl’s little finger. To have the baby girl I dreamt of having since I was a little girl. I can’t wait for this new chapter to begin.
Read Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven