Letters To My Children | 21 Months + 39 Weeks Pregnant

Letters To My Children | 21 Months + 39 Weeks Pregnant

thursday, january 11, 2018

to my babies:

i truly thought the last letter i wrote to you would be the last before we became a family of four, but here i am sitting here with one baby upstairs sleeping and the other still in my belly.  we are taking it day by day at this point and mama can’t even call daddy or grandma without them picking up on the first ring asking, “is it time!?”  nope, not time…just called to chat.  mama’s phone is buzzing constantly with family and friends asking for baby updates and it seems like the last week is going to take an eternity.  we are so excited for baby that we just don’t know what to do besides read into every little ache and out of the blue feeling.

to my oldest:

66 words you are speaking!!  they say you should be learning one new word a day, but we are now up to at least 2 or 3 new words each and every day!  mama can’t write them all down fast enough and you amaze us daily with how much you enthusiastically speak now.  not only are you a chatterbox, but you also read your books aloud now!  once mama is done reading a book, you will pick it up and flip through the pages on your own, pointing out all the things you know as you say the word and describe the pictures.  it’s amazing that you were once such a shy and quite little one and now you are constantly telling us anything about everything.

christmas proved to be such a beautiful memory for our family.  we had a quiet christmas, just us three, and it was absolutely perfect.  santa claus completely spoiled you and it took you literally the entire day to unwrap your presents, as you liked to daintily unwrap about an inch of paper off at a time, before handing each piece to mama or dada.  unlike other toddlers who just rip the paper and make a mess, you definitely had a precise and tidy way about unwrapping your christmas gifts.  your favorite presents were your new tutu and your wooden bus.

these past few days have been the days that i will always cherish with you, as they will be our last days of just you and me.  mama has been bringing a book up to your room to read, while you play with all of your toys.  all week you have looked over at me, then walked over to give me a spontaneous hug.  it’s like you know that these days are just as special to you as they are to me.  in a way it breaks my heart a little, but in another way i am so thankful that these last moments of just mama and you have been so beautiful and meaningful.  i don’t regret one minute clearing our schedule so it could just be the two of us during these final weeks, and i will always be thankful for these sweet memories.

to my littlest:

you can come anytime now, little baby!  we are so ready to meet you that all we do is think and plan and prepare.  mama has every little detail planned and organized at this point.  daddy thinks that preparing for a baby is like preparing to sell your house, as every night mama walks around the house before bed, making sure everything is perfectly clean and every pillow is fluffed.  every morning, i do my hair really nice…just in case it is the day we meet you!  yes, it’s silly to put effort into looking nice but i can’t help but want to be perfectly prepared in every single way.

we laugh often at how much you roll around in my belly.  daddy can see your movements from across the room and always exclaims, “whoa!”  you are especially active after mama has something to eat, drinks water or in the evenings when we lay down in bed.  i love feeling your movements and i always tell daddy how much i am going to miss my pregnant belly.  it’s the best feeling in the world to feel a baby moving inside throughout the day, reminding me of how blessed i am to have this beautiful family that i do.

tomorrow is our 39 week doctor checkup!  the last time i went to the doctor, she said, “i hope to see you in the hospital before i see you at your next appointment!”  and while i never thought we would make it to the 39 week appointment, it looks like we will easily do so!  last time they checked me at 37 weeks 5 days, i was 1 cm dilated and 60% effaced and the doctor could feel your sweet little head…so i am hoping for more progress when they check tomorrow!  while we are simply giddy at the thought of meeting you, we know that you will come when you are ready and we want you to be healthy.  that doesn’t mean mama won’t encourage a little labor by walking a lot, eating some spicy foods, and researching the pressure points in my feet for my foot rubs from daddy!  (it worked with your sister!  about two hours after a really good foot rub during a pedicure, my water broke!)

boy or girl, we are still completely stumped.  last time, with your sister, we were always guessing but this time we just haven’t a clue.  one thing is for certain is that your daddy will be the one to announce your gender at your birth.  we did that with your sister and it was so special.  it was the only request we had of the doctors and they thought it was so darling too.  having lived this beautiful moment before, we are so excited to get the chance to do it all over again with you.  there is something so incredible about meeting your child for the first time and spending those first moments together.  maybe this is why we just wish you would come soon, because we know how beautiful this time is.

every night we come together as a family and pray with your sister about a lot of different things.  we thank God for our health and for another wonderful day as a family.  we thank Him for our food and our warm home.  we pray for big sister and we pray for you.  every single night, we pray for the both of you.  and when we are done, your sister says, “amen!” before kisses goodnight.  we always pray that you stay cozy in my belly until you think the time is right, and we pray that the right time comes so soon.

i love you, babies!  this is it.  this is the life we prayed for and this next chapter is going to be insanely beautiful.  we aren’t sure how we became so blessed to have the both of you but we are so thankful for you both, every single day.

love, mama