Weigh-In: Week 23+1

This is my bare belly.  I know.  It just has to be done sometimes, though, because how else will I remember.  I like watching my belly grow, even if I don't like gaining weight.  But more on that later.


At 23 weeks, the baby is almost to viability, which means nothing more than, were she born right now, she'd have about a 50-70% chance of surviving -- up from the 20-35% chance before 24 weeks.  It's amazing to learn that 90% of babies born at 26-27 weeks survive.  Survive, of course, doesn't mean lead a normal, healthy life, but I know, like any pregnant woman, that no baby, even born at term, is not guaranteed that.  This is about the time, though, that I start to think seriously about the fact that a baby might actually be born in a few months -- and I have an overwhelming desire to prepare for that in some way.  Since we pretty much have everything we need, and I know more or less what I need to know about childbirth and infants, this mostly involves doing the few things that still need done, short of unpacking the baby stuff (since it's still a bit early for that -- I'm saving it for the beginning of winter break in December).  

I did start to get a few of the things we need or want for her, though.  A friend bought us a few girl clothes right after we found out the gender, so we have a few onesies and a pair of pink ruffle-butt pants.  My mom added some sleep sacks and pink baby socks.  I've also bought a few things I've seen and liked, including her "coming home" pants and some cute denim rompers for when she gets a little bigger.  I also got two Jamie Rae hats, which I've given in the past as gifts to moms expecting girls.  The darker one on the left is for her coming home outfit, also.  Mom also contributed an outfit that will likely not get much wear, but will certainly show up in some pictures -- a precious, newborn, yellow-rosebud gown with matching bonnet, with a white ruffle-butt diaper cover and the tiniest little slippers.  It was a gift given to her when I was born -- finally, a girl for the Neiheisels -- and now our little girl will get to wear it.  I, of course, was born in May, and our daughter is due in January -- so like I said, she probably won't make a lot of appearances in it.  But special nonetheless.  I have a few more things coming in the mail -- a few cute onesies that were on sale, some Baby Legs (never used before, but I like the idea of them for keeping warm without needing pants).  Also, in what has become a family tradition, I got the baby her own witty t-shirt for her coming-home outfit (Oliver's was #3 on this list, and baby girl's is from the same website).  I figure each of our kids will have their own coming-home outfit that doesn't get passed down to younger siblings, but with this common thread among them.  And then, like my mom, I can pass them on to them when they have kids or are just ready to inherit some of those kinds of memories.  I also ordered the baby her very own pink blanket (the same Oliver's blue one from Little Giraffe) and a lovey.  I had already decided to get her one in the same line as Ollie's, which is the Nici Plush line.  When I started searching, though, I remembered that Lovie is German.  Nici is a German line and is sold almost exclusively in Europe (and, as it turns out, Australia).  This caused me to remember that I bought Lovie in a German airport my senior year of college as a gift to Wes, which explains Lovie's ethnic origins.  Fortunately I found a great online store that sells the line with a reasonable flat rate for shipping to the states.  I hemmed and hawed about getting back-up loveys for both of them, but Ollie isn't overly attached to his, and since I know where I can get more, I'm going to sit on my hands for the moment.  There's more on the list, of course.  Mostly clothes, an infant seat (for keeping her off the floor but among the action in the living room), and a few things for me (like a nursing cover), but those can wait.  For now, I like the idea that we have our version of the essentials for this new person, even if she is a few months away from coming home (we hope).

I've also started to do something I did with Ollie from pretty early on -- read to her.  I don't remember when I started with Oliver, but I did it almost every night.  I read him board books, the ones others or we bought for him, and even worked up to at least one chapter book (The Phantom Tollbooth).  I actually saw a study the other day that said that kids read to in utero were more vigorous eaters (which clearly worked with Ollie), so hey, couldn't hurt.  Plus it's like I'm starting to work in some time just for her.  I know a lot of parents worry about their first when they're having a second -- the older kid won't get enough attention or whatever -- but that doesn't concern me.  Ollie does fine, will have his moments, but will ultimately get through it all, I think.  And I know Wes likes his age better than newborns, so G will always have dad for focused playtime.  I'm actually more concerned about the littler ones getting to be their own people -- getting some version of the attention and special focus that a first one usually gets (and Ollie certainly has).  It's never the same, I know, but I just want each kid to feel like he or she has some special place all his or her own in our family.  And so the baby gets her own reading time at night.  I decided that this time, though, since I'm already reading a lot of the board books and kids' books every day, that the baby and I will do a longer piece, a few pages at a time.  So last night, Wes off for a night shift, we snuggled into bed and read Chapter 1 of Anne of Green Gables.  I've seen the movie version of this many times, but I've never read the book, so I thought it was a good choice.  The book was written in the early to mid-1900's, so the vocabulary and syntax are pretty mature for a 23-week fetus, but I think she appreciates the narrative.  I swear I could hear her laugh last night when I read about Mrs. Rachel Lynde seeing Matthew Cuthbert go by in his best clothes on his way out of Avonlea, wondering to herself -- and then to Marilla -- about where he was off to.  And clucking at Marilla when she found out what he was up to. I figure if we're still not done when she comes (it's a long book as it includes Anne of Avonlea), we can read it together at bedtime nursing sessions.

So that's us in a gourd (it's fall, and it just doesn't seem like all that would fit in a nutshell).  For those who are wondering, I was 130.5 on Friday and then 132 on Sunday and today.  How, I ask, does one (or even one plus) gain 1.5 lbs. in a day?  I know she's growing, I know I'm supposed to gain weight, but I just can't stop myself from looking.  My only consolation is that most websites say I'm likely to have gained around 15 pounds by now, and I'm at 7-10, depending on what you count as my starting weight.  So I'm going to try to lay off the peanut butter cups -- always my nemesis -- but not let myself go hungry.  I'm not fretting about it, honest.