I had my two week appointment today. Baby seems to be growing fine and the heartbeat is good. Ethan enjoyed hearing the heartbeat. I lost a bit of weight since the last appointment so afterward we went to Atlanta Bread Company for a muffin to make up for it:) For the past couple of weeks I’ve been having contractions every day. It’s usually in the evening and doesn’t last too long. So far I’ve not had more than two episodes in an hour, if I have four then I have to call her immediately. My doctor wants me to rest more because it’s too early to have the baby yet. She asked if I could get a nap in the afternoons. I laughed.

I got a call from my mom yesterday that my grandmother had passed away:( She had been in assisted living after breaking her hip. I’m glad she was able to meet Ethan the last time we were up there. I’m really too far along now to risk flying up to Maryland so I will miss the funeral.

I have been waiting for this day with anticipation and it has finally arrived. Ethan is now in the big boy gymnastics class. This means I don’t have to help him through all the circuits in class, he goes by himself with his teacher. I get to sit in the bleachers and watch. I brought some Starbucks and my Jane Austen book and enjoyed my hour (I’m working my way through all her novels, I’m now on Mansfield Park). Ethan has experienced a lot of “big boy” changes in his life the last few months: using the potty, moving to another room, changing to a booster seat in the car, using regular toothpaste, preschool, etc. He has gone along with each change quite well and hasn’t resisted any of them however his mood/behavior has gone down hill over the past few weeks. I wonder if the changes are wearing on him. He is usually pretty polite and lately he won’t say hello when someone says hello to him, he’ll even make a mean sound. He’s also usually pretty good with teachers and other adults (except family of course) and I heard him yelling “no” at the gymnastics teacher yesterday. While he does very well with using the bathroom away from home, when he is home, he frequently wets his pants. One day he was watching Little Einsteins and there was a part about a flower that grew from a seed (baby Tulip) into a big flower. He was very upset and kept saying that the flower needed to stay a baby Tulip. We keep talking about the benefits that big boys have versus babies but I guess it’s just something he’ll have to get through. I’ve been praying that God would give him the grace to handle these changes as well as the big one-his brother.

One of my friends hosted a shower for Ian this weekend. I don’t know how she did it with two kids, especially making such a great cake too. Showers are so much fun! We tasted baby food and tried to guess the flavor. Funny thing, I had never tried any of Ethan’s baby food so it was a new experience. I know in past generations they didn’t always have showers for second babies but I think it’s important for the second child to know they are just as important as the first, especially if they are the same gender. Ian’s bedroom will be a train theme so the cake had a cute train on it and I got lots of great stuff for his room, cute clothes and rubber ducky stuff for bath time. Thanks everyone!