Ah, we are finally starting to feel less congested and less cough-ridden. Although we are still mending, Katie and I have more energy as we enter and enjoy the weekend.
Bill had a furlough day yesterday, and the extra time with him this weekend has been wonderful. After music class yesterday, Katie and I played around the house, cleaned our pond/waterfall, pittered around the garden, wandered barefoot in the sunlight, and blew bubbles on the grass. She took a long nap on me, and after I dozed a bit, I had a solid two hours to just read. Ah. Reading. I have always been a voracious reader, but one never realizes just how much reading is part of one's lifeblood until she has almost no time to do it. I love letting my mind ponder and wander and become part of the words and ideas. I am reading one of the books most influential in Bill's intellectual journey, and not only am I loving it, but also it is providing such amazing fodder for philosophical conversations---which has always been a hallmark of our marriage. Our intellectual intimacy is as important to us as other forms of affection. Reading connects us.
I have also managed to find time to crosstitch this weekend. Katie helps me or entertains herself nearby. I don't work my project in long stretches, of course, but thankfully crosstitching can yield rapid results in short times. I am making the same sampler my mom has in her house (only with my color palette), and I want to finish it before Little Sib is born.
Katie and I finished our weekly marketing today so that we are free Monday for a surprise (to Katie) Easter Bunny activity. She has been asking and asking about the Easter Bunny, so Monday will be special for us.
All day long, Katie has been saying such cute and humorous things. This morning we made a family breakfast together. Unprompted, she started carrying things (like her sippy) into the dining room. She explained that she was setting the table, "So that you don't have to do it by yourself, Mommy." Such a sweetheart and so thoughtful. I love watching her empathy and theory of mind develop. She has been more conscientious lately, and I can see her becoming more aware of how her behaviors affect others.
Upstairs as we dressed for the day, Katie was looking in her bedroom mirror when she said, "I am looking at my beautiful eyes." This made me smile. I hope she never loses that sense of self-contentment and knowing that she is beautiful, and that her intelligent, sparkly eyes deserve never to lose their twinkle or to diminish in their vitality.
Finally, we were talking about my growing baby bump for Little Sib. It seems like my womb has doubled in size over night. I am definitely showing now. In fact, I've been wearing maternity tops here and there. I still technically fit into some of my jeans, but I have to wear them low, and it is a squeeze. Today I wore a full maternity outfit, pants and top. It was much more comfortable, I have to say.
Anyway, I was telling Katie that we have two more weeks to wait until the gender ultrasound when we can find out if she is having a little brother or little sister. She started talking about sisters, and about the sisters in White Christmas in particular. We started singing their famous song. I then told her that one nice thing would be for her to share her outgrown clothes with a little sister. Katie responded, "I am not going to share my clothes. Of course not." The matter-of-fact, non-hostile tone in which she said this made me laugh. It is such a stereotypically Big Sister type of thing to say, in some ways. Of course I am sure they will grow to the point of sharing clothes and loving it, and I know I will enjoy watching Katie navigate and evolve into her Big Sister role.
My intution does suggest we are having a girl, though I must admit that Dr. Elfelt probably put this into my head with his initial heartrate analysis. We shall see, though. I can't wait to find out. I know for sure that I can imagine a little sister or a little brother for Katie, and either way, that relationship is going to be so special. A sibling is the best gift we can give to Katie (along with, we believe, a true love for life, a passion for learning, and a rigorous formal education).
So that is all we've been up to the past couple of days. March is shaping up to be a delightful month now that we're past the illness. We have family coming down from Berkeley this next week, St. Patrick's Day (we don't drink alcohol ever, so it is a weird holiday for us in some ways, but we do g-rated things), Easter Bunny time, an egg hunt, getting ready for Easter, and maybe (finally) a Disneyland day over Bill's Spring Break...and of course, finding out more about the person growing inside of me!
