28 weeks (measuring 31 weeks) and counting

The belly, it is growing. I am 28 weeks along which means my baby is officially viable with a "90% chance of entering Kindergarten with no ill effects from her premature birth." So you know, a nice bench mark, but she better not have any plans on exiting anytime soon. My perinatal nurse practitioner, whom I have come to love and will actually miss dearly once our weekly chats are over, is very pleased with my progress and lack of labor symptoms. My belly has been steadily measuring 2-3 weeks ahead, which she assures me is probably just evidence of a big baby, like her brother (who was 7 lbs. 7 oz. and 21 inches long at 5 weeks early, and my dates were right), and not reflective of the number of cookies I ate during the month of February (Valentine's AND my birthday; it's a month full of sugary landmines that I willingly throw myself upon).

Due to an unusual amount of free time at work, I've been very productive on the baby preparation front. Her beautiful birth announcement has been designed by my talented friend and awaits the insertion of details and pictures, and the addresses of family and friends have been gathered and printed out on labels. (Side note: when my friend sent me an image of the announcement I immediately started crying at my desk; I'm having a baby!) Her baby book has been purchased and the pages I can fill out ahead of time are done. I pushed JP up the stairs on Wednesday and Thursday nights to hang up everything in the nursery and it looks so pretty. I just need to get a curtain panel cut in half and re-sewn and then it will be complete! Landon loves to go in there and keeps sticking his toys through the slats in the crib "for the baby". We've also set up the new changing table in our bedroom downstairs, have the co-sleeper waiting in the corner, and the little changing table baskets filled with the necessary newborn accessories. Her closet is empty except for this adorable Swedish/Spring inspired dress which I saw while shopping for summer t-shirts for Landon and absolutely had to have, even if she won't wear it for another year:

I'm totally over the novelty of being pregnant, not that I was really into it the first time around. In fact I pretty much hate the whole process and believe me, if JP could grow a baby, he'd be the one wearing the elastic pants this time around. But having a baby who turned blue in my arms about 3 seconds after he was born and then spent 12 days in the NICU has given me an adjusted perspective and I'm grateful for every day my belly gets bigger, my belly button looks a little stranger, and my baby girl continues to appropriate most of my body's resources for herself. I may still complain, and at 35 weeks I may be superficially wistful when I remember that last time I was done right about then, but I will be grateful.