bébé numéro deux | 35 weeks

progress & countdown: 34 weeks down & 35 days to go. sooooo, that's like a month.

baby size: a honeydew melon.

food & drink: lots of fluids. green juices and kombucha and tea. i can't get enough these days. it is probably because we are moving into summertime and also due to increased blood and fluid supply for baby...but i don't go more than a few minutes without sipping something. and ice. the ice crunching is getting pretty wild. the food stuff is pretty much the same. and all the food seems to be working because my looks and feels like it doubled this week. grow baby grow! just a few more weeks to pack on the delicious rolls. 

bump stuff: as i said, this week marked a serious increase in bumpage. it feels heavier and bigger and i decided to accentuate this growth spurt by some horizontal stripes because, why not?

highs: family dinner dates and unseasonably cool temperatures and finalizing projects for elinor's room and little ridley. just have to get some stuff up on the walls and restock infant care items and we are all set!

lows: well, nothing too bad. just the regular homestretch preggo complaints. widening pelvis, stretching tendons, heavier belly, crazy kicking baby, and increased pressure. my body is getting geared up for the big event which is very good news. buuuut, that doesn't mean i have to like it.

new developments: baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now (but boy oh boy, is he trying). he is over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds. because he is so snug in the womb, baby isn't likely to be doing dramatic somersaults anymore (someone should clue him in) but the number of movements should remain about the same. baby's kidneys are fully developed now and his liver can process some waste products. basic physical development is mostly complete - baby's main job now is to put on weight. check! he's on it.

meaningful moments & hormones & feelings: hearing his reassuring "heartbeep" (as elinor likes to say) whoosh-whoosh sounds and beginning to talk more about the actual birth experience and postpartum stuff instead of just all pregnancy stuff. it is getting real. i have finished brushing up on my birth reading and i am making my way back to the "you have an infant...now what do you do with it?" reads. there are so many little things that i forgot about. how we kept elinor alive and functioning properly is beyond me. by grace alone, i tell you.

superficial stuff: just really feeling pregnant now. ben keeps giving me his sassy smirk accompanied with the "well, you are a month away...i guess it is time for you to feel pregnant..." and i guess it is. my pregnancy has been uneventful so far. smooth sailing and easy breezy. i don't take that for granted and i wouldn't dare complain about non-complaint-worthy things like my pre-pregnancy shorts not fitting or my active baby growing and moving... there are so many people who are sick and tired and sore and miserable and in and out of the hospital and on medication and stressed and worried and dealing with baby complications for 9 + months. so, i am just going to shut my mouth and count my blessings.

looking forward to: washing bitty baby boy clothes and hanging drapes and unrolling a fabulous tattersall rug and installing our masculine light fixture and swooning over incredible baby blankets. sheesh, we have a busy few weeks. stay put, little prince. more on that in a later letter... we do have some preferences for you, but of course.