This past Monday was our big anatomy ultrasound for the baby. Everything was great, and baby was on the move as usual. We did confirm (for a 3rd time now) that she is definitely a she! We saw lots of great shots of the baby, although she never let us get a good profile picture of her face, because she kept it buried most of the time behind her hands or tucked towards her chest. Most importantly, her growth and development looked perfectly normal. At this point in the pregnancy (just over 21 weeks), baby is about 10 1/2 inches long! No more measuring the entire body length on an ultrasound, because she's too big! Now they just have to measure particular body parts (the leg bone, head and belly) to estimate the size and corresponding gestational age.
I started working again full time this week, covering a friend's maternity leave in 2nd grade. After being accustomed to teaching kindergarteners and mothering a 2-year-old, it's been amazing to see what 2nd graders can do...on their own! We have been saying prayers of thanksgiving every day that Finley has done really well with this change so far, and hasn't been acting out more than normal. Since I'm only a sub, I'm not required to go to any meetings after school and can leave in time to get home near the end of Finley's nap to have the rest of the afternoon and evening with him. Thank goodness, because Nate's been busy going to lots of end-of-year dinners and parties and has been a bit MIA the past few days. But now, (happy sigh), it's the weekend and we can catch up on more family time and family naps! This morning, we kicked off the weekend with a hike since the weather is lovely.
Nate and I are a bit tired from all the busy-ness. Speaking just for myself, it's hard being pregnant and working all day, then coming home to a second shift of parenting and cooking dinner, while also doing a little of my own school work and then trying to find the energy to maintain personal hygiene (i.e. shower) before collapsing in bed. But, it's only for another week and a half, so I'm sure we'll all make it and will be very glad to have the extra money to put towards our hospital bills when baby is born!
Just another little tidbit about Finley to end the post: Last night, when I was feeding him dinner and Nate wasn't home yet, Finley blurted out one of his longest sentences so far-- "Daddy come home then go outside again." Wow, 7 words in a row!
