{written on September 30, 2014}
Dear Rauling #3,
I just found out I’m pregnant with you this morning, and I could not be more shocked and excited. It took a much shorter time for you to get in there than it did for your sister Lana, and I was just assuming you would take even longer than she did. So to know you’re around already is a wonderful surprise.
Today has been kind of funny. I’m waiting until Daddy gets home from work to tell him by having Lana wear the “Big Sister” shirt that Della wore when I learned I was pregnant with Lana, so you’ve been my own personal little secret since this morning. I can’t wait to tell him and everyone else, but it’s been kind of special when I remember that I’m pregnant again and only you and I know it. But soon enough the world will know, and we’ll all be eagerly awaiting your arrival.
By the end of my pregnancy with your sister Lana, I said if we have another baby I definitely want to find out the gender to make the whole planning process easier, especially with other kids in the house. But now I think we’ll be surprised again. Della goes back and forth between wanting another little sister and a little brother, so she’ll be just as excited as anyone if we wait until you’re born to see who you are instead of finding out early (fortunately she has trimmed her sibling order down from 2 sisters and 2 brothers to just 1 more after Lana, so we might be good here). I must admit, I would love to have 3 little girls, but obviously you will be loved absolutely no less if you are a little boy. I’m sure your sisters would love to have a little brother to play with. Hopefully you’ll humor them with all the Hello Kitty and Frozen gear we have.
Now, I will apologize to you right now. Being the 3rd little one to join our family, I might not write about you quite as much on here. Actually, I probably won’t write a whole lot on here period once there are 3 of you to look after, but such is life. I will be enjoying my days home instead of worrying about a computer. I will, however, make sure to take note of all your milestones and accomplishments, as I have for your sisters. You’ll have your own page on here, too; it just might not be as full. I did say the same thing about Lana’s page, though, and she’s gotten a pretty good amount of entries.
Your baby book might not be huge, but it will definitely get filled. Actually, Lana’s isn’t as big as Della’s, not because I didn’t fill it in, but simply because that’s how it was made; there just aren’t as many pages. Which worked out perfectly, because I’m able to fill everything in without trying to find time to fill so many superfluous pages like in Della’s. Not to say that Della’s is a waste, because being the first kid she had a lot more pictures taken to fill those pages. Sorry, that’s just life. We get more of you guys, we get busier. But we get happier and happier, so never doubt that for a second. But back to my point, you will get a baby book.
You’ll probably wear a lot of hand-me-downs. Actually, that will be a wonderful thing if you are a little girl, because your sisters have some really great clothes. If you’re a boy, however, you probably won’t wear any hand-me-downs. So never mind – clothes will be a win-win for you either way.
Being #3, you’ll also get toted around a lot as your sisters grow and become busier. Della will start full-day kindergarten next year, so you and Lana will be my sidekicks. I hope you’ll enjoy running and walking in the stroller as much as they have, because chances are I’ll try to start jogging as soon as I’m allowed next summer. Have no fear, though, this does not mean you are any less important or any less present in our lives – you’ll simply be part of the flow of our family immediately, since your sisters don’t slow down for much. When Della was born it was all about her, since it was only her. When Lana was born it was a little more evenly split, because I was staying home and trying to figure out life with 2 little ones. Now for you I’ll have to perfect the child trifecta, but I can’t wait. I think this is going to be a lot of fun. An adventure, if you will.
One thing completely unique to you, however, is that I went for a run with Lana in the stroller today. I can definitely say that running was not something I did on the day I found out I was pregnant with either of your sisters.
But even though you will be #3, you are already playing a huge role. You might be my last pregnancy, so I will try to savor every minute (will you make me nauseous like Lana did? will you totally mess up my sense of smell like Della did? whatever you do, i’ll just know that it confirms you’re in there growing away). This might be my last labor and delivery, so please be as fast and smooth as your sisters were. You might be our last newborn, infant, toddler, 4-, 5-, 6-, and up-year-old, so I will cherish every sweet, sweet, second with you. As I do with your sisters, of course, but I think the baby of the family always carries an extra-special place.
I still can’t believe this is really happening, even after sitting here typing this whole letter to you. Your sisters are napping and Daddy won’t be home for another hour or so, so we have a little more time just the 2 of us before anyone else knows. Thank you for coming to us so soon, little one. I’m so thankful and ready for this journey with you. It’s just so hard to believe I’m pregnant again! This is pretty good timing on your part, though. Right now I think my due date will end up being sometime in early June next year, which is just in time for you to join the wedding party in Auntie Arianne’s wedding! Maybe Della and Lana can pull you down the aisle behind them in a tiny wagon.
I love you already, my dear. I hope and pray that all goes well in there for you and that this is another healthy, full-term pregnancy for me. I can’t wait to be your mother, too, and to be a family of 5!
Love,
Mama
Stats:
Beginning weight: 146.0 (lower than with both Della and Lana)
5 weeks: 146.0
6 weeks: 147.0
7 weeks: 147.0
8 weeks: 148.5 (i can see my trying to quell the miserable nausea with food is starting to take effect…)
10 weeks: 151.5
13 weeks: 157 (so up 11 lbs. in the first trimester – much more than recommended, but similar to both your sisters when food was one of the main things on my mind. the weighing game ends here with you, though. i’ll check back at the very end to see how much we gain in total, but probably not again before that.)