34 Weeks

Emily's officially 34 weeks today. This is a big step, since we have been told that "34 is the new 37." (Thanks Anna!) We're hopeful that Emily will make it to 37 or 38 so that her parents can arrive and settle a bit, and so that we have more direct support for Sam when the twins come. At the same time, we're glad she's made it into a presumably safer phase. It feels as if Boy has now turned head down, but we won't know until our next appointment on Friday. It would be good news, although it would also reintroduce more choice and agency into the process, which means making decisions.

Still no name decision. A possible boy choice would have the initials EWS, which I'm not sure about. We like Biblical prophetic names, but we also know gazillions of children with those names. We've wrapped up language for a few weeks. At first it felt like I was missing a part of my day, as if someone had cancelled morning or afternoon, but now I am excited that I have time to do my own work and to prep for class without feeling entirely frantic. I still don't know how to feel about this semester. I have help now on language, which is a big improvement, but it's still a stretch for me. Essentially, I can prep full lecture notes OR powerpoint OR an outline, but not all three. I am also more academic than practical, which I know will be a growing edge, and I'm not really sure what is most helpful for students.

My professional life has also been shaken a bit by the realization that my immediate USA boss has resigned, is wrapping up his work and will be replaced (or not?) at some point in the next weeks. I feel like Denom is becoming a ghost town, able to receive e-mails and provide a word of encouragement, but not necessarily a lot more. Of the six or eight people I worked with during orientation, probably half are moved or gone now. The upside is that I have a lot of freedom, but I also get very little feedback. Sigh...

Sam is mostly charming. He is developing a mischievous side, and an iron-strong toddler will. He's very taken with an older coworker, who feeds him chocolate and walks him around campus. Any time he's allowed out he tries to visit her. It's a good arrangement actually, because she's also a foreigner so we are all a bit in our own bubble. He will need some personal fans when the twins come. He can say "no" to pretty much anything, and cycles through categories of foods he will eat. He gets tired at night UNLESS you take him somewhere new, in which case he gets wired, exploring and babbling in the new environment and looking for anything breakable. Actually, he's very good with strangers, but as parents we always feel like we are taking a half-housebroken pet to visit neighbors: there's always a little feeling of danger in going somewhere new. Sam's language is coming along also, which makes us happy. I think probably his English is still better, but he may be able to grow up bilingual, which would be awesome.

We found out a church friend is pregnant, which is exciting. It would be fun to have a community of fellow babies.

That's it from here. It's distracted work for the next few weeks and then a new chapter. I'll miss this single-child phase :( It's been fun to have such a great kid, and I hope we are not wrecking his life. Emily still remembers receiving a too-small "big sis" shirt, but Sam probably won't even remember these days. Pray for the older siblings of the world, pressed into growing up before they are even potty trained.