31 Weeks Old!

This week is my birthday and I've asked Hannah for a very special gift. I'm hoping that she says "Mama!" It has to be coming soon because she already wails, "Ahhmmmomomomom" while she cries. She's showing recognition of sounds and she loves reading books with me. Most of the time she puts the books right into her mouth, but that's common for babies at this age. Luckily the rhymes are easy to memorize so I can generally continue reading even if she takes a break to gnaw. Sometimes I'll offer her a toy or other book to hold so that I can get through the story. I'm finding that she even enjoys laying on a blanket with her toys while I read to her. It's exciting to watch her begin to learn and understand about reading!

She's also exploring more and more with her hands and it seems like she realized this week that we both have hands. She looked at both sides of her hand, then felt her hand with the other, and then examined mine along with the pair. It's also getting easier for her to sit and play with her toys. She has a new stack of rings that she plays with from every different direction.



I am certainly thankful for her naps during the day now that I'm 11 weeks pregnant. I remember wondering during my first trimester with Hannah how anyone could possibly cope with pregnancy and another child. Well, my nightmare has come true and it's hard but manageable. I literally sleep whenever she sleeps. Luckily, I'm not dealing with morning sickness anywhere near the level I had with Hannah. Women often wonder which is worse- nausea or actual vomitting. I can tell you with 100% authority that it is worse to heave.

So, we'll continue on this trend of napping as often as possible and hopefully sometime soon Hannah will sleep through the night. She's getting so close I almost feel rested some mornings when I wake up! I can't wait to get to the glorious second trimester so that I can go back to being a non zombiemom. I'm also going to need to start working on getting back some brownie points as a good wife before the third trimester. Whew! I'm already imagining what a challenge it will be to pick up a baby with a baby belly.

Any Moms of back-to-back babies have advice to offer?