24 Weeks Pregnant
I have no idea how I’m at this gestation already! Time seems to be in fast forward mode.
Everything is going really well so far. Baby girl is moving and kicking just as much as her two older siblings did when they were in the womb. She is the most responsive baby I’ve had – she will move to wherever a hand is lying and respond to the pressure with lots of consecutive thumps and bumps – much to Hannah’s delight.
It’s very special to be sharing this pregnancy with Hannah. She is so much more aware and interested and able to participate in the daydreaming and anticipation that comes with waiting for a new baby. One of our favourite things to do together is to lie in bed and watch 3D computer animations of how our baby is developing in the womb and what she is doing at that particular gestation. Technology is just so damn cool sometimes.
Blake is anticipating the pregnancy with the naivety and general uninterest of a 2.5 year old. He does like to lift my shirt up and kiss the bump or feel her kick occasionally but I know he doesn’t truly understand there is a new addition coming into our family in August. He is very gentle and in awe of newborns and small babies though so I am sure he will adjust as well as one can expect when the time comes.
I’m trying not to have too many expectations of this baby. Hannah, and especially Blake, were both quite unsettled babies. Definately not easy-going at all. But as hard as those first 6-9 months were, they went by so fast and I have to remind myself of that when I am in the thick of newborn days this time. I want to try to savour the moments when they are small as I know they are fleeting. I have been asked if this will be our last baby and I can’t say yes for sure – never say never. But even if it’s not, I am not going to experience this baby as a newborn ever again, and I want to enjoy it. I want to fully surrender to the experence and immerse myself in it and remove as much stress and anxiety from the months ahead as possible. We plan to indulge in a babymoon this time and spend time bonding with our new family member and connecting as a family of 5. I feel in retrospect we did too much too early in the first fortnight of Hannah and Blake’s lives and I regret that. I think we need the time to just be… I at least want to give us that opportunity and if we change our mind then so be it.
hippyhappymama 