Some of the things going on these days:
- Mia still sleeps with me. She continues to wake up several times throughout the night, but when she wakes up and sees me she goes back to sleep. Today she told me that when Callie is older, they can get a big bed and sleep together. I'm not sure an 8 year old will want to share a room with a 3 year old, but we'll see!
- Mia has started reading at school. They have lists of words and each day she reads through a row and gets a score of how many she gets correct. She's doing amazing, and I can't believe it when I watch her reading random things around the house, sounding things out and getting them right! I say all the time how much I wish I had been able to stay at home with her, but that she's far smarter for having gone to Kayfield instead.
- Mia is also learning addition, subtraction, her states and capitals and all her Presidents. Additionally she will randomly tell us things like "If there's a fire, you touch the door with the back of your hand before opening it. And if you get a burn, you put cold water on it, not ice." So smart!
- She and Cara had their kindergarten testing at St. Aloysius. It will be a few weeks before we know how they did, but I am confident they did just fine and will be attending school there next year.
- Mia loves to dance! Yesterday she watched her Barbie Nutcracker video and practiced her ballet for us afterward. Today she put on her Cinderella shoes and practiced her tap. She's a very dramatic dancer and I absolutely love to watch her.
- These days her favorite toys continue to be Barbies and Polly Pockets, things with very small parts. Her bedroom has become her toy room as we prepare her former "toy room" for Callie. It stays a mess, but she has a great time in there.
- Mia is like a little buddy to me now. She's so smart and funny that we can joke and laugh together. I tease her and she knows I'm teasing and teases me right back. Mom says we have a special relationship and I agree. She's a girl's girl as am I, and we enjoy one another's company.
- We had Mia's birthday party last weekend at Kazoing. She invited her friends from school, her cousins and Macee. She has decided she does not like cake or cupcakes so we had heart shaped doughnuts instead. She had a great time.
- We are trying to decide what to do for her actual birthday this week. We're getting her a bike, and will probably take her to dinner and out to see the new Monsters, Inc. 3D movie.
- Mia is so excited about Callie coming. She kisses my belly and tells Callie how much she loves her. She says she's afraid to hold her because she doesn't want to drop her. I think she's going to be a great big sister, and I think their age difference is going to work out really well.
Because Callie is getting so big, I can feel her all the time today. I rub her back, head, bottom, etc., just like I did with Mia. I talk to her while I rub her, letting her know how much I love her. I am getting so excited to meet her. We've wanted her for so long, and now that it's getting close, I can't wait to be able to hold her and snuggle with her and pour all my love and happiness onto her. What a blessing she is to us and I hope I'm always able to express to her how loved and wanted she was.
Even though I want her to stay put in my belly until the day of the c-section, April 10, I'm so uncomfortable that I really am ready for this part to be over. I guess 5 years really can make a difference in pregnancy, especially when the 5 years put me at 40 years old. I feel more stiff, achy and tired. Things hurt more and I feel like breathing and walking cause more of a challenge this time than before. I swelled a lot up until about 22 weeks when I had all the nausea and ate carbs non-stop, but that had subsided until this past week. Now it's back, probably for good as my girl just gets too big for her space. I've not gained any weight in about 8 weeks, holding steady at 26 pounds, but I'm sure that is going to be changing now too. At least I'm not in danger of the 60 pound weight gain I've heard from some second time moms!
Dad has spent the last week painting a nursery for Callie. It will be pink above the chair rail and ivory below. I know it will always be hard for her in some ways, being the second child, so I want to make sure I always do things for her that I wasn't able or didn't choose to do with/for Mia. Mia's room was neutral, so I wanted to do something really girly for Callie. It will be very sweet. Of course, if she ends up being a tomboy, I guess we'll have to change it to suit what she likes better. But for now it will work.
I have been buying some really sweet outfits for Callie too. Things I just didn't think to do for Mia. I got a little lace petti romper for her newborn pics, and a Lil Sis and Big Sis matching outfit set for her and Mia.
I am just thrilled to be having two girls. I feel confident in my abilities to relate to girls, and think I'll be a better mother to them than if I'd have had a boy. I know this confidence comes from being raised and surrounded by such amazing, positive female role models. I hope Callie and Mia grow up sure of themselves and their abilities because of the women surrounding them.
I've already started thinking of all the things I want to be sure my girls know, things I either had to learn the hard way, or things I was lucky enough to have someone instill in me.
- I want to be sure they prioritize education. I've been busting my butt to get my MBA because I want my girls to value education and be able to always support themselves. There are no guarantees when it comes to employment or relationships. They need to always know they can take care of themselves if they need to.
- They need to surround themselves with positive female friendships. Men will likely come and go in their lives, and it's their girlfriends who will stand by them through breakups and heartaches.
- They need to wear sunscreen, especially on their face. They have good genes, but sunscreen will keep away the freckles, sunspots and moles their mommy got from those years I didn't heed this advice.
- My favorite quotes are "All growth is the result of risk-taking" and "People rain on your parade because they have no parade of their own".
