I looked at her after bath time last night, and I swear her looks had changed over the course of the day.
Her cognitive development within the last week has been astounding as well. She brings her water bottle to me when it's empty and asks for more, she brings books to us and wants us to read (usually the same book- thank goodness it's one I like), she has been sitting and flipping through each page of her board books on her own with intense focus throughout much of the day, she is starting to bring objects to us when we ask for them, she goes to other rooms to find things when we suggest it, and she's starting to figure out things like her nose when we ask her about them.
(And every other mother says "blah, blah, blah- no big deal. Every kid does this." I can't help it, ok? It's exciting because it practically happens overnight!)
[We went to a splash pad for her birthday, and she was so brave! She ran all around on her own
and loved watching all the older kids playing. You could tell she wanted to make friends.]
It seems that both babies are growing like weeds (or as Mark Sloan puts it, "mighty oaks") right now. I felt J 2.0- ooph, we need a better nickname than that- for the first time around Memorial Day, but he/she has majorly stepped up the dance moves. Jered was able to feel the kicks well last night, and I even saw the movement.
I hope to whine a little less during this pregnancy, while still being real. I still don't enjoy being pregnant, but it's true what they say. You don't think about being pregnant as much with the second because you're busy attending to your first.
I'm convinced this one is a boy because my skin has reacted completely differently this time. (Huzzah!) And you may be thinking Aimee surely has matured during this year of being a mom and won't care about the gained weight and changing body this time. You would be quite wrong. I still hate not recognizing my body, especially after working really hard this year to get fitter than I've ever been. It's wild how much sooner I'm showing this time around. I just keep hanging onto the fact that I've still been exercising regularly this time, whereas last time I did nothing. (I almost literally slept through all of my non-working time during the first trimester.)
Bothering me even more is the idea of my heart growing for two babies. I've heard enough to know that you don't share or split your love, that it somehow expands to cover both/all children.
But before you experience it, it seems impossible.
I'm finding myself feeling premature guilt. Our time with newborn Evelyn was kind of great (minus nursing pains and a couple bouts of mastitis). We loved just sitting around with her, snuggling, relaxing, and soaking her up all of the time. I'm afraid that with a toddler running around, demanding attention, J 2.0 and I won't develop the same kind of bond.
On the other hand, I can't imagine not being able to give Evelyn all of the attention. I know it will be good for her to see that our worlds don't revolve around only her, but I feel guilty all the same. Even though a year is really no time at all, it seems like she's been "our girl" (in a very unique, solo kind of way) for forever, and the idea of adding someone else to the mix... I don't know, seems like it will lessen that? I know those are foolish thoughts and I will be proven wrong when Baby Numero Dos gets here, but they are creeping around my brain in the meantime anyway.
Speaking of the girl needing attention, I can hear her buzzing her lips for me to get her out of bed this very moment, so I'll talk to you later.
Aim
