THIRD TRIMESTER...whoa!

Today I am 26 weeks pregnant.  According to my What to Expect app, Little Miss Baby is now the size of a cucumber, 15" long and 2.2 pounds.  I've never seen a cucumber that big, and it sure seems like a downgrade from last week's eggplant estimate...but what do I know?  26w6d marks the start of the third trimester, so I'm going to go ahead and congratulate myself and Baylor for making it this far together in what has felt like the blink of an eye.

Last week's belly picture --

I had an appointment with my OB last week and was reminded that after April's visit, I will start seeing the doctor every two weeks for appointments.  It's weird, because at this point in my pregnancy with Gavin, I had seen every OB in my practice at least once and felt like the two-week (and one-week) visits would never arrive.  With Baylor, I've only seen 3 of the 6 doctors and am already staring the two-week visits in the face.  It was a serious awakening that we are not that far from meeting our little girl.

In light of that, we decided we should probably start preparing.  Like, really preparing.  We had the bedding, some room decor, and clothes (of course) -- but we hadn't yet ordered B's crib, glider, dual-screen monitor, etc.  And then there were the little things -- bibs, pacifiers, bottles, diapers -- that you ordinarily get for shower gifts with a first baby and therefore forget you need with subsequent babies.  So we took care of all of that this week!  Stephen and I found a crib/changer we love and also ordered a beautiful custom glider for all those nights we'll be spending in B's nursery willing her back to sleep.  I got off work early on Friday, so my mom and I had fun shopping for the rest of the essentials -- sleep sacks, hooded towels, pink Dr. Brown's bottles, burp clothes...everything imaginable.  Stephen and I honestly felt 100% better when we sorted through all of Baylor's new things, realizing that there isn't much left to purchase.  We have to get some sort of lighting fixture/fan for her room, and custom room-darkening shades (since her room has that weird semi-circle window)...but other than that, it's time to start cleaning out the old, organizing the new, and getting it all set up!

We have a 3D/4D ultrasound in a few weeks to see how Little Miss has grown, and after that we'll be at the ten week countdown.  We'd better enjoy our sleep now, because while Gavin oftentimes lets us sleep in until 9:30 on the weekends, something tells me those days are numbered...

Gavin's First Disney Adventure

I've spent the better part of this past week thinking of how to sum up our Disney vacation in a blog entry -- how to do it justice, how to capture the magic of Gavin's joy, how to explain the sheer exhaustion (and perfection) of taking a toddler to the Happiest Place on Earth.

I've edited hundreds of photos.  I've created a Shutterfly book (shared on this blog, below).  I've thought constantly about how fortunate we were to have gotten to spend a full week focusing on nothing but our son and his love for all things Mickey.

I could take a few approaches here -- I could summarize what we did day-to-day.  I could post endless pictures of our precious child giggling on rides and while watching street parades (let's be real, I'll probably do that anyway).  I could write a how-to for navigating the parks with a toddler.

Instead, I think I'll just say this:

When we told people we were taking a 15-month old to Disney, people thought we were pretty crazy.  "He won't remember it," they said.  In our opinion, that ended up being the #1 reason we were SO GLAD to have taken him at 15-months.  He won't remember that Mama didn't do her research and forgot about Daylight Savings, so we had to wake him up at what felt like 5:00 am to leave for the airport.  He won't remember that we had no real understanding of the layout of each park, so we spent a lot of time just aimlessly walking around looking for various rides.  He won't remember his fear of Tigger at the Crystal Palace character dinner (though somehow he still loves Winnie the Pooh).  He won't remember the things we know now to change for our next visit.  He also won't remember some really great things -- like his SHEER JOY upon seeing Mickey Mouse for the first time, or his excitement on the Dumbo ride.  Stephen and I will remember those things, but he won't.

Going into this trip, we knew it wouldn't be perfect.  We had two strikes against us -- a pregnant woman and a toddler.  We also knew it wouldn't be relaxing.  It was a total learning experience, and for us, it was just what we needed.  With our daughter arriving in early July, we needed a week to really focus on Gavin.  This trip was about him -- giving him our undivided attention, doing things that were fun and special for him, making sure his needs were met.  And honestly, that goal was 100% accomplished.  Our expectations were realistic -- never for a minute did we think we'd hit every attraction, or manage to stay at the parks for the nightly fireworks.  We went back to the resort for a nap every afternoon, never pushing Gavin to sleep in his stroller or "tough it out" when he was tired.  If he wanted to walk -- which he did, often -- we'd let him.  We wanted him to explore, to experience, and to ENJOY his time in Florida.  And as a result, we truly enjoyed seeing him so free and happy.

Once we got back home, it was back to the daily grind.  Stephen and I went back to work on Monday and life resumed as though this magical week never happened.  Gavin has his well-baby pediatrician visit (and shots) tomorrow morning, and I have an OB appointment later in the afternoon.  It really feels as though our week in Disney existed in its own little "bubble" -- and the memories we made on our special trip will carry us through until we are afforded the opportunity to travel again!  (Where to next?)

Our Disney Shutterfly Book -- ENJOY!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Start your own Shutterfly Photo Book today.