Today marks the 40-week point of this pregnancy. I have reached the due date, a day after my
birthday. While I have not felt any
contractions yet, I have been progressively dilating from 2 to 3 to now 4 cm at
my appointment today while remaining 50% effaced. I thought I might go into labor on my own
this time at this rate, but it still hasn't happened, so the doctor scheduled
an induction for next Tuesday.
During this last trimester, final preparations have been
taking place from hospital bags being packed to planning the baptism and more
recently giving the house one final good cleaning, stocking up on groceries, and scheduling a maternity photo shoot.
Eli also attended a sibling class at Finley in the beginning
of the month. It was held on a Monday
night, so he didn't seem to be the most attentive (I thought a Saturday morning
might have worked better for young kids).
However, I was impressed with the 2 nurses who led the class. They began by sharing a book about a baby's
life inside the womb up until birth. They
also helped the kids learn how to put a diaper on a baby doll. The most useful information they shared
included different ways the older siblings can be helpful along with basic
safety guidelines to keep in mind around newborns. The
class also included a hospital tour of the maternity ward. The night concluded with each of the kids
creating a birthday card for the new little siblings. Other souvenirs included handmade rattles
they each picked out and a coloring book and certificate to take home.
With Emma's arrival in September and Aliyah's debut right
around the corner, here is a story worthy of sharing: My mom sent me this picture of a pink flower
that she noticed soon after Emma's birth:
At first, she thought it blew out of the nearby flower bed
full of flowers Megan always plants for Mother's Day. When she went to pick it up, she realized it
was firmly rooted in the ground! The
first thing I thought of was it must be a sign from Grandma and Grandpa Winter
looking down on all of us with the arrival of this new baby.
Megan mentioned to Mom about how it would
really be something if a purple flower appeared next (my favorite color). A couple days later, Mom sent me another picture
of just that! True story!
Not too far from the first pink flower that started growing outside
of the flower bed, a purple flower began to bloom. She thought it might even be growing now
before Aliyah is born before it gets too cold outside. I have never witnessed any type of sign like
this before, but I truly believe it is one from above, especially with both
girls sharing the same namesake of my grandma, Ann, as their middle names.
Dear Aliyah,
The time is fast approaching when the end of this pregnancy
will mark the beginning of your life out of the womb. We are so excited to meet you, and Eli is
ready to begin his role of big brother.
I wonder a lot about who you will look like; I think you might resemble
a combination of Eli and cousin Emma. I
also find myself daydreaming a lot about what it will be like to raise a girl
now and what your little personality will be like.
I imagine Eli as a gentle, protective, and proud big
brother. Since he is 4 years older than
you, he has a good understanding of how the family dynamics are about to
change. There still might be some
adjustments for him, but I think he will gradually become accustomed to his new
position in the family.
We are looking forward to your arrival and can't wait to
begin this next chapter of our lives as a family of four!
Love,
Mom, Dad, and Elijah
No comments:
Post a Comment