These days......I've been trying my best to prepare Biet for the arrival of her little brother. At 35 weeks (but measuring 37- big boy?), I will be full term in just 14 days. I don't expect him to arrive early, as Biet was born the day after her due date, but you never know. Biet and I have been spending hours watching homebirth videos on repeat. Every time she sees the "Mama" in the birthing tub, her little voice begins crooning "seeeeeeeeenging eeen da rain!" (we may or may not have unintentionally trained her by singing "Singing in the Rain" every night at bath time), and every time she sees the baby rising out of the water she slaps my belly and cries "baby! baby!". I think we're making progress.
I've begun my registry for baby boy and have ordered a few things for him too. With the arrival of these itty bitty diaper covers from my favorite handmade diaper cover shop, Barrel & A Heap (no, I was not paid to say that- I really do love them!), this whole "having a baby" thing suddenly feels 100% real. I'm not sure how it took 35 weeks of pregnancy to completely sink in, but the notion of giving birth again no longer feels like something that will happen "one day in the future," but instead like something that is happening now. I finally feel ready.
These days......we've been cooking up a storm. Our apartment has been filled with the aromas of soups and pastries and bubbling pots of legumes. Biet has been an amazing assistant, and a really amazing taste-tester. With a fondness for pickled, spicy, and salty flavors, she constantly surprises me with her food preferences. That's not to say that she didn't inherit her Mama's obsession with chocolate. The girl's been known hide in a corner with a stolen pint of Ben & Jerry's once or twice.
These days......the city seems to have stolen my heart all over again. Even in the chilly dead of winter, the magic of New York has been creeping under my skin and is itching me to get out and about. Of course, it's not so easy to roam the streets all day when you're hugely pregnant with a toddler on your hip, but a girl can dream. Biet, on the other hand, would run the streets all day in the cold, wind, and rain, if I let her. There is seriously no stopping that girl. She was born with NYC in her blood. I am very much looking forward to the spring and summertime this year, when I will take long walks around Manhattan with my two babies, enjoying the long warm days. I presume Biet will make an excellent adventure companion.
Gaby and I have managed to catch a couple of great concerts this winter though (Leonard Cohen was spectacular- beautiful & spectacular) and have a movie date night in the west village planned for tomorrow night (yippee- I am so excited!).
These days......I watch as a true "Papa's girl" blossoms. When she wakes up, she looks for him to make her breakfast and put on her favorite record. When she sees him putting on his shoes, she fetches her coat to join him, excitedly exclaiming "walk! walk!". When he's at work, she asks for him all day, and even finds pictures on my phone. As I take more time to rest and grow this baby, Gaby has been picking up the slack at home and has taken hold of the parenting reigns. It has been a tremendous help to me, and a huge treat for Biet. They're two peas in a pod, I tell you.
When her vocabulary eventually catches up to her emotional development, and she learns to say "I love you Papa," I think his heart might explode. And mine too.
These days have been intense, with love and change and acceptance. I try to soak in every moment as we enjoy these last few days as a family of three, and steadily prepare ourselves for the changes to come.