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Your mother is growing more pregnant each day. While I was gone, she had to jettison her wedding ring and engagement ring for the duration of the pregnancy. Swollen tummies means swollen fingers. So, it's better to take these off now, then have to cut them off later. Don't worry. We're still an item, though.
Little one, we're now in the 17th week! While I was gone you, you grew to be the size of an onion (all the way up from an avocado!) Your bones started hardening, you're putting some fat on to said bones and you're just getting bigger and bigger!
And your Mom thinks she may be feeling the early signs of you fluttering around in there! Or, she said it may be gas. But that's far less romantic. I would have been very sad to miss your first flutters...the other option, not so much.
But, I was back in plenty of time for our Doctor's appointments yesterday.
It's been a LONG-feeling month since we last got to see your pretty face, but yesterday we got to see you again! You look just as beautiful as ever, but we must have caught you during nap time. You weren't bouncing and bounding and tossing and turning. Just nose up into the placenta.
And after what has seemed like quite a long time, that 2% of OBGYN doubt is all gone.
You're officially, 100% a GIRL!!!
The doctor said if they pulled a boy out to put him back, because there is definitely a girl in there!
This means that the cute dresses Aidan and I picked out for you and the pink onesies Yaya and Mommy bought for you don't need to be returned!
We also have some work to do with your brother, including getting him out of what is to be your crib, and into his toddler bed which he'd previously only napped in twice in the 2 months its been in your future room.
But, the Thursday night before I left, Aidan requested to "nap" in his bed. "Nap bed nap bed"...lots of pointing and gesturing. And so he eagerly climbed in bed and we tucked him in with relatively little effort. A lot less muss and fuss and crying (read, "no crying") as with the crib over the past few months. Someone was ready to be a big boy and sleep in his big boy bed. But...he's not quite ready for the self discipline to stay in it.
Thus began the adventures of Captain Thunderfoot!
Aidan, the night before I left for work in Vancouver, you asked to sleep in your big bed. You'd been doing pretty well at napping there, but we had never attempted a full night's sleep there. So, your Mom and I tucked you in, sang to you, said goodnight and voila! You fell asleep there.
Your Mom's famous last words were "I'll be very impressed if he STAYS there."
While we are impressed thus far...we haven't been VERY impressed yet. That's a bit harsh. We're very pleased that you've taken it upon yourself to migrate to a bigger bed. But, you don't quite stay in it. That first night at around 2 am...Captain Thunderfoot sleep-stomped into our bedroom. Your Mom escorted you back to bed and you easily fell back asleep. This happened again at around 4.
While I was gone, your Mom continued to re-sleep train you for the big boy bed, and Captain Thunderfoot came stomping out of bed every night, sometimes once, sometimes 3 or 4 times. Usually ready and able to easily go back to his big boy bed, but perhaps just wanting to 'quietly' check on his parents.
This pattern has even continued upon my return. You're about a week into sleeping in your big boy bed now, and you're doing great: easy to put down, easy to tuck in. You kiss your Mom's back and give her gentle hugs, then toss your blanket down on the bed so you can...ahem...lie on it...face down...and rock yourself to sleep. You even open the curtains to say 'bye' to the five kittens that live under our neighbor's house, right outside our window.
But, Captain Thunderfoot, doesn't quite stay in bed through the night. At all. Yet. This is good in some ways: you're napping like a pro at school (they had to wake YOU up), and one morning around 9, your Mom left the room for a brief moment and came back and you'd curled up in your bed for a one-hour cat nap...guess you needed it! It is cool getting to hang out with you in the morning a bit before I go to work...you normally find me by banging on the bathroom door. Captain Thunderfoot is totally a morning person.
So, while I was gone, you also grew by more leaps and bounds. Yaya kept me posted with video messages.
While I was gone, you got very excited about drawing shapes:
And you learned to stack (and hug) block towers!
I can't believe I missed those milestones, but, no worry, since my return from this epic 4-day trip, we've made a million memories, and you've grown even more: you've got a new laugh ('tee hee hee'), you're rocking the socks off of nursery rhymes and story times by filling in the blanks at the end of lines (black bear black bear, what do you see? I see an elephant looking.....(then you say) "AH MEEEEE!") You are taking ALL your meals at the table now, like a big boy.
So, everyone's been growing: young men, young ladies, pregnant mommies and even old, grizzled, manly-man daddies. That's right: while I was gone, I grew too! Okay, maybe I gained a few extra pounds, but that's not what I was talking about. What I meant was while I was gone missed all three of you very very much...okay all five of you, Preston and Toby. I knew I'd miss you, but I didn't remember how incomplete I'd feel without you. So, after my epic visit to Vancouver, and a little quiet time for introspection (which is worth it's weight in gold) maybe I grew into a bit better Daddy (and once I ate a lot of chocolate and got over the jet lag, I was a bit better husband too)...not that I had much room for improvement.
But, despite all that changed in a mere 4 days, what they is NOT true. You most definitely CAN go home again; and it definitely felt good to be home with my growing family.
