Dear Baby Boy... 30 Weeks

Dear Baby Boy,

We're entering the fourth quarter!!

It seems like just yesterday it was halftime, and now here we are in the home stretch. Well done!

I had some fun with Nana last weekend, when we took a Birth and Family Education class for grandparents, in which she learned how to avoid inadvertently damaging you, or hurting the feelings of your novice parents. The majority of it wasn't new information (Nana's kind of a rock star when it comes to little kids) but it was still fun to spend the afternoon together. And I'm sure you'll be so much cuter than that fake plastic baby we practiced swaddling.

I had an absolutely crazy week at work, averaging about 14 hours per day. Are you learning lots about development services and proposals? Take good notes, this is a pretty cool industry, actually... Normally I don't mind working such long hours, but this time it's really taken a toll on me. Hence why I am taking a mental health day today to recover and make sure I am well rested for you!

Earlier this week your nursery furniture was delivered, and as a surprise Daddy spent the entire day putting it all together to show me when I finally got home from work. Everything looks so great and the room is really coming together... I hope you like it!

Cailin is throwing us what is sure to be an absolutely lovely baby shower tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to that. Everyone in our lives is so eager to shower you with gifts and love... you are already so cherished, little one!  

This week you are the size of a small cabbage (about 16 inches long and weighing almost 3 pounds). You are surrounded by a pint and a half of amniotic fluid, but that volume will shrink as you get bigger and take up more room. You'll be packing on weight at the rate of a half pound a week from now on, and shedding your lanugo, the downy body hair that's been keeping you warm up until now. Your eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after you're born you'll keep your eyes closed for a good part of the day (maybe letting Mommy and Daddy get some sleep?) When you do open them, you'll respond to changes in light, but will have 20/400 vision, which means you can only make out objects a few inches from your face.

Besides being exhausted from working so much, I've been feeling pretty good. The heartburn and pain in my hands and feet have continued, but I'm getting used to those symptoms. However, I have been much clumsier than normal, as you have probably noticed from my occasional exclamations when I bash into doorways and bedframes (hormonal changes and relaxed ligaments cause loose joints and balance being off). And for some reason eating and drinking have become a challenge; half of what I consume often ends up dribbled down the front of me. Eyeyeye...

My goal this weekend is to get caught up on my rest so that we are both at our best as we go into this final stretch...

Together, we're in it to win it!

Love Always,
Mommy