Growing Expectations

Ten days until we find out if we’re having a boy or a girl! I’ve flip-flopped between being confident that it’s a boy, to being sure it’s a girl, and back again. Neither of us have a preference -Brian is always saying how silly it is for anyone to wish the baby was a certain gender since it’s completely out of their control and it’s ridiculous to be disappointed if the baby isn’t the sex you were hoping for. “What are they going to do? Send it back?“ All we can hope for is a healthy little one -and we definitely want to find out the gender!

I laugh how now I see I’m surrounded by pregnant women and recently delivered babies. It’s funny how when something’s on your brain you notice it everywhere when before it seemed an unnoticeable percentage of the population. It reminds me when our family’s navy Chevy Blazer was stolen from our driveway in the late 90’s. As we looked for it while driving around town it astounded me that the streets were FULL of navy blue Chevy Blazers. Who knew at least half the world preferred the same color, make and model? Now I notice bulging bellies -sometimes wondering if there really is anything growing under there- and tiny little humans have increased at an amazing rate (By the way, we found the Blazer, but how that came about is another exciting story.)

Muffin is making him/herself known more pronouncedly as the days go by. I adore feeling the kicks, bumps and nudges getting increasingly stronger that remind me of my precious cargo. If I haven’t had a chance to lay down for at least 10 minutes for “baby time” in the afternoon and at bedtime my day isn’t complete. Just this morning while getting ready I noticed my significantly pregnant looking belly. The skin in getting tighter and my belly button is beginning to stretch. Trying on maternity outfits at the stores, it’s fun to pick things that show off my tummy. It’s laughable how much energy I’ve spent in my life trying to “suck it in” when now I’m trying to look as pregnant as my body allows me to, often telling myself to let my pooch be glorified.

And the advice is beginning to trickle in as well as the stories, some of them completely unrelated. Flying home from visiting Crystal, George and the kids in Escondido, I had a stewardess ask, “You feeling okay? You got a little baby growing in there?” After replying that I was doing great and affirming I am pregnant, she talked about her three nieces and how she even has a car seat permanently set in her car. It seemed as unrelated as if she had mentioned her Dalmatians had 99 puppies, but I suppose babies bring out all sorts of stories in people.

One piece of wisdom I picked up from Crystal had a profound impact on me. “You don’t have to hold the baby all the time.” With so many children in her household she has had to balance baby-time with everybody-else-time which means occasionally tiny Timothy (who is actually big for a 4 ½ month old) plays with his toys in his colorful walker. She’ll make dinner, guide the older kids in their afternoon routines, listen to their full day of school stories, while touching base with George and doing ten other things as Timothy happily plays in sight. The baby gets lots of love from older siblings (Hannah loves time with her new little brother) and the kids learn the value of giving love and kindness to those who can’t express it themselves early on. Crystal and George make time for each child, while not ruining them with slave-like attention. “When a tiny baby rules the house it’s a disaster, “Crystal says. Within the first two years an infant can begin to wrap you around it’s precious little finger simply because you are allowing it, and of course doing it all out of love and in the name of good parenting. Boundaries with babies, wrapped up in love, patience and common sense. If I’m not attached at the hip to the baby, making it seem the umbilical cord is still just a few feet long but outside the womb, hopefully the our child won’t have severe separation anxiety which is so difficult to remedy and can deal with independence better. Well, it being a Brian/Kelly baby, I’m sure it will innately know to go off and play by itself with no encouragement from us J

We’re both so delighted to begin a family. Conversation often goes towards our hopes for family traditions and lifestyle choices, such as staying active, visiting out of state relatives regularly (yep, you can count on it, Mom), encouraging self-guided learning in whatever interests our child(ren) has/have, enjoying nature together, and so on. I love hearing about fun traditions and ideas and would be delighted if you would share some of yours (or new ones you’ve thought of) with us! Please email us or share it with everyone by leaving a comment!

You can bet you’ll be hearing from us on the 18th for the grand announcement!