The truth is, when life kicks up, blogs tend to die down, and that is precisely what has happened. Someone (my husband, who I think might actually have a death wish) MAY have convinced me that I should try and cram in as much school as possible before the baby arrives. So this is me. 24 weeks pregnant and only just at the beginning of an 11 credit semester. Fun, fun. Okay so here is what has happened during our little hiatus:
First, THIS.
Holy. Freaking. Crap. This baby is a boy! Leocadio Orlando, or "Leo", will be joining the ranks of our little family before we know it. And we are SO excited! The morning we found out Scarlett was lamenting, "I think it's a girl... But I really WISH it was a boy...".
It's strange. I've always just FELT like a mama to all girls, because that's all I've ever been. I was fiercely protective of our all daughter home and would find myself getting mildly offended when people would insist that we "needed" a boy. Like I legitimately wanted to tell them "Girls can do anything a boy can do!" and then stick my tongue out at them.
But here is the thing:
We actually TRIED for a boy (more on how we went about that in future post). Maybe that's why I assumed it definitely wouldn't happen. We were both skeptics, but we figured this is our last baby, why NOT try for a boy? And holy crap we got it. We are having a son! I am so excited to watch the mother of a boy bloom from inside of me. Motherhood is such a bizarrely intuitive thing. The truth is... I know very little about boys. I have no brothers (save a couple of step brothers I acquired just a year before I got married myself), no sons, nada. But this magical thing happens when you have a child where things just work out. Your body tells you whether that cry is a hungry cry or a "I just need to be held" cry. You obtain this amazing capability to read their emotions, to attend to their deepest most urgent needs. I'm excited to watch that happen with a son. And his needs will be different, I'm sure, just as my girls needs are different from each other's. I'm excited to navigate "boyhood" together with this little mister.
We actually TRIED for a boy (more on how we went about that in future post). Maybe that's why I assumed it definitely wouldn't happen. We were both skeptics, but we figured this is our last baby, why NOT try for a boy? And holy crap we got it. We are having a son! I am so excited to watch the mother of a boy bloom from inside of me. Motherhood is such a bizarrely intuitive thing. The truth is... I know very little about boys. I have no brothers (save a couple of step brothers I acquired just a year before I got married myself), no sons, nada. But this magical thing happens when you have a child where things just work out. Your body tells you whether that cry is a hungry cry or a "I just need to be held" cry. You obtain this amazing capability to read their emotions, to attend to their deepest most urgent needs. I'm excited to watch that happen with a son. And his needs will be different, I'm sure, just as my girls needs are different from each other's. I'm excited to navigate "boyhood" together with this little mister.
In other news, I've begun getting my weekly progesterone shots. With the girls I had preterm labor both times (25 weeks with Miss Scarlett and off and on starting at 17 weeks with Miss Cecilia). In 2011 the FDA released progesterone shots for the use of preventing pre-term labor and have had promising results. My midwife warned me that they hurt a lot because it's an intrasmuscular injection and the medication is in an oil based solution which makes it thick and syrupy and painful to inject. I was a smidgen terrified after that description, but it's been 8 shots now and they honestly aren't bad at all. Best of all? They are WORKING! As long as they continue to do their thing, I'm a happy camper.
My last final is on May 18 and I will be 37 weeks on May 20. We have to make it that far! After that, our little mister may arrive whenever he sees fit! I can't wait to hug and kiss his squishy little body :)
Until next time...
My last final is on May 18 and I will be 37 weeks on May 20. We have to make it that far! After that, our little mister may arrive whenever he sees fit! I can't wait to hug and kiss his squishy little body :)
Until next time...
-T
