Twenty-Eight Weeks

I officially entered the third trimester on Saturday. Seriously, how is this possible? To think that I am now less than three months from the due date just seems unfathomable. But, alas, here we are. I have yet to decide whether to hire a doula this time around. We still have not totally been able to decide on a name (though I think we are pretty close). I have not yet done anything about cord blood banking. I have not even begun to think about what I need to take to the hospital (and realized over the weekend that I cannot even totally remember all what I packed the first time around). But there is time for all of that. I did get all of Elsa's baby clothes down from the attic and actually went through and sorted them by size late last week. So that felt like a pretty big accomplishment. I really do hope the girls' birthdays do not fall on the exact same day, but I would have to say that I am pretty pleased that I will be able to reuse all of the clothing we have with them being born the same time of year.

I almost feel that there is more readying to be done with Elsa than there is in preparation for the baby. We are still working on potty training, and not getting anywhere very quickly. She totally understands the concept and tells me exactly what should happen. But actually making that happen seems to be the difficult part. She is not very good friends with any potty, and so she is quite stubborn (surprise, surprise) when it comes to sitting on one. I figure she has two more years at Gabriela's before starting any sort of "real" school, so hopefully we will have it figured out by then. But it sure would be nice to make that accomplishment prior to the new baby's arrival. Also, Elsa's big girl bed was supposed to go out for delivery last week, but we heard no word indicating the follow through of that. Jarrett and I leave for Jamaica on Wednesday (hooray!), so we figure we might as well just wait to call again when we get back. But we did find a lavender quilt and pillow sham on sale over the weekend and picked it up in preparation for the day it does arrive. We will still need a mattress, sheet set, and pillows, but we are making steps toward the big transition.

But back to Baby Helms #2... according to BabyCenter, she weighs 2.25 pounds (Chinese cabbage, whatever that is) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through my womb (so I hope she enjoys that Jamaican sunshine). She is also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

So, yes, Jarrett's dad and Susan arrive tomorrow, late afternoon sometime, and Jarrett and I head to the airport fairly early Wednesday morning. I am a bit of a nervous wreck, leaving Elsa behind this time. And I think this is mostly due to the fact that four nights is the longest we have ever left her with anyone, and Jarrett and I have never flown anywhere (let alone to another country) together apart from Elsa. Oh, deep down I know she will be totally fine, but I guess a mom still has to worry some. But I am also very much looking forward to checking out the house we rented, and then literally checking out, promptly settling into relaxation mode. Yes...