30 Weeks
So here’s what I’ve learned about iron infusions (which I’m still in the middle of - not done yet!). They’re amazing and have given me a lot of energy back. I can actually stay awake for most of the day now, which I couldn’t say before them. They’re also super weird, and do things like make my limbs heavy and feel odd as the iron flows through my body - and yes you can feel it. My arm was getting uncomfortably heavy and feeling a lot of pressure when the nurse was inserting the iron one day, and she flushed the IV with saline and I could feel the iron leaving my arm.
The iron also sucks all the water from your body, dehydrating you like crazy. (Which is also what the baby is doing). Knowing this, I drank about 60oz of water before my appointment, and still needed to drink another 60oz after until I finally felt hydrated again. It’s a lot of water.
Besides that I’m doing okay. All the normal things that come along with being in the third trimester that makes me slower and more sore. Of course being this pregnant in the summer is adding a whole extra dimension that I wasn’t prepared for. I have limits on how long I can be outside or hot before I feel like passing out. I’m figuring that out too, though.
We’re getting closer to the end but still so far to go. That’s okay, though, since we’re not exactly prepared. Not that there’s a ton you have to do for the third, there are still SOME things. A place to sleep, bottles to clean, clothes to organize, car seats to install, a stroller to assemble… the other day I realized we should probably get some size 1 diapers too! Plenty to keep us busy anyway. We’ll probably also do a bit more prep to prepare E & G for the arrival of their new sibling. It’s not going to be the only big change for them this summer, so they’re fully deserving of a little extra time and attention for all the transitions.
Speaking of the tiny humans, they’re doing awesome. Confidence growing daily, exploring both their world and their relationship with each other.
E is still a bit slow to trust, always eager to please, and often hurt easily. At home his emotions live on the surface and are always known, but he’s also great at discussing them and naming them. At school he keeps them a bit more hidden which often leads to him offloading them as soon as we reach the car.
He loves to learn, always working in activity books or practicing some new skill. Although he still has some of his timid nature, we’ve also seen him grow out of a lot of that this summer so far. He throws himself down our water slide over and over again, something I never thought I’d see when I bought it.
He’s still completely my sweetness too. He’ll often come up to me and tell me he has 4 things for me: A hug, a kiss, a cuddle and a squeeze!
G is everything we didn’t know we needed in our family. Full of spunk and mischief, he’s quick to laugh and brightens everyone’s day around him. He loves to recap everything, from a fall down the stairs that left him bleeding from his head, to our trip to Boston. Over and over until he gets every memory out and has processed it all. I think it’s his way to move through his emotions, positive or negative. He still doesn’t like us to hug or comfort him when he’s upset, preferring to be alone until he’s feeling better.
He lives so much in the moment - getting every ounce of joy out at school, that by the time I pick him up he has nothing to tell me. He’s already moved on. And it’s only in that moment that he sees me, that he realizes that he’s missed me all day. You never have to guess what he’s feeling either. The other day I let him play on the slide for a bit, and he just ran around shrieking “Fun! Happy!” over and over.
He loves his bed, and is impossible to get up in the morning. He'd rather cuddle in bed for hours, squishing all his stuffed animals. He switches easily from a low key day relaxing at home, to playing outside for hours, refusing to come out of the water even if his lips are blue and he’s shivering so much he’s shaking.
Mostly though, watching their relationship with each other is my favorite thing. They fight and scream at each other, sure, but they also root for each other, share their toys, and when E does something well, G is the first person cheering him on and saying “Good job!” It’s the coolest gift to watch.
