3rd Tri!

Baby Girl,

Tomorrow I will be 27 weeks pregnant. Though opinions differ on when exactly you make the switch from second to third trimester, most of what I've read says it happens at 27 weeks. Wow!! We are officially 2/3rds done with this pregnancy! With every day that passes, every day that brings us closer to meeting you, your daddy and I get more and more excited!

The second trimester was nothing like the first. The first 13 weeks I was nervous about you daily. I knew there was nothing I could do to make sure that you were happy and healthy in there other than wait, wait for the next doctor's appointment, wait to make sure there were no signs anything was wrong. Then the second trimester hit, and all kinds of amazing milestones passed. We found out you were a girl, and we were able to relate to you in a new way, able to call you by name. I started looking pregnant, and I loved (and still love) my new wonderful curves and all they entail. I started feeling you, little squirmies at first, then later solid bumps, and finally, recently, actual sustained movements across my stomach when you are moving from side-to-side or changing position. I started to get a feel for your personality--how much you love fruit and cheetos, how much you love hearing your daddy's voice. The second trimester passed quickly and in a lovely blur of "everything is great!" I can only imagine how much more exciting the third trimester is going to be--getting all of our preparations finalized, going to our birthing class, knowing that we are in the final stretch to getting to finally meet you, finally hold you in our arms and kiss your sweet cheeks and hold your tiny fingers. I can't wait!

Preparations for you are in full swing. Last week we finally put down a deposit on your daycare, the home-away-from-home you will visit when I go back to work. The whole subject of daycare has been an interesting one for me. I am a firm believer in its benefits. I was a daycare baby, and I can clearly remember how much I loved going to that school, being around my friends, playing games with the teachers, learning new things. I know you will get so much attention and be introduced to so many new things that you might miss out on if I were in charge of entertaining you every day. But I also am realistic enough to know that going back to work will be harder than anything I can prepare myself for. After 3 months at home with you, I know I will miss you desperately. Luckily we picked a location that is close to my job so that I can come visit you every day during lunch.

We're making a lot of progress on your room, too! We have ordered and are just waiting on your rocking chair and changing table to be delivered, and this weekend your daddy and I built your closet system. It was so exciting to finally have a place to start putting some of the things we have already been given for you! Your daddy loves looking at the little shoes we have lined up on the shelf . . . last night he said that it was finally feeling like your room instead of just a room that we were getting ready for you. It's amazing to me to know that all those rods are going to get filled up with clothes, and those cubbies will have baskets full of socks and hats and blankets. It feels like we already have so much for you, but I know we haven't even scratched the surface!

We've also started doing a bedtime routine with you. Every night when we lay down, your daddy reads to you. We have a little microphone attached to speakers that I put on my tummy, and he reads Shel Silverstein poems to you. You love the sound of his voice! Whenever he starts reading and talking to you, you start squirming and kicking around in there. It's amazing to know just how much you two already love each other. After he reads to you, we play a little classical music for you. Sometimes it's upbeat and exciting, and you love it! You dance around and kick to the music. At the end we always play something slow and soothing for you, and it puts you and me both right to sleep. I hope this helps us find a bedtime routine for you when you're here that will help you fall asleep quickly and easily!

I'm so proud of you, proud of the work that you've been doing in there. You are definitely my little overachiever, working hard day and night to grow big and strong for us. I will continue to do everything I can to help you, to make sure that we are both healthy through this last stretch.

Love love love you,
Mom