Dear Baby,

Almost 28 weeks along on this journey with you, you continue to be a complete mystery. I want so much to know you, but I can’t get a feel for who you’re going to be just yet. By now, I thought for sure I’d have a good guess at your gender…thought I’d have some sense of the little personality growing inside of me. I’m so excited to discover who God has been crafting since the year began!

Today is the 4th of July, a holiday we celebrate every year because of the freedoms we enjoy as citizens of the U.S.A. This year’s 4th falls on a Monday, which means people everywhere around us have been celebrating all weekend long. Every night when the sun goes down, a crazy run of lights and noises begin outside. They’re called fireworks, and they’re explosions of fire that create colored sparks or sound or both. They’re beautiful, really, but surprising if you’re not ready for them. They create an awesome spectacle in the sky, and they take some getting used to at first.

To embrace fireworks, you really have to be a little adventurous and up for anything. Even with the ones you think you know, you can’t take a firework for granted. Some come with plot twists and special effects, some make a grand entrance, and some you don’t see coming at all. I like to think you’re a little bit of a firework in your own right, sweet babe.

Some people hate waiting on the mystery of a baby’s gender, but I kind of thrive on it. As is the case, we don’t even know whether you’re a boy or a girl, let alone who you will become. I also didn’t know to expect that you’d have such a personality in utero at this point in the game, but you are everywhere. I can’t decide if you’re head down, buns up, still flip flopping, transverse…you keep me guessing all of the time.

Today, I worked on a fairly low key project here at home (just trying to chip away at the things we’d like done before your arrival, one step at a time). I was up and down a tiny step ladder, reaching and moving things here and there, but nothing too strenuous. You surprised me there, too, because I suddenly started to feel like I’d overdone it, and I needed to rest. Three hours of on and off contractions later, I’m thinking, “Whoa, baby. Let’s not get too excited here just yet, shall we? 28 weeks is no time for these kinds of shenanigans, ok?”

Like a firework, you are surely going to brighten things up around here, just as your brother and sister before you. Also like fireworks, I kind of enjoy knowing a little of what to expect before they burst forth into the air, so maybe stay put for at least another ten weeks or so? I’m so curious what the Dr has to say about you this week. Every little insight into who you are is like a neighborhood fireworks display–a tiny appetizer in prep for the main and spectacular event.

watching fireworks on your first 4th of july.

July has arrived now, so you will be on your way before we know it. Still, there’s something to be said for fireworks on special occasions and not as a daily occurrence, so I’m good with keeping those contractions at bay and you making your glorious entrance after we’ve anticipated you a while longer.

When you get here, you’ll no doubt light up the sky and turn an ordinary day into a holiday. If we could, we’d mark our calendars, but instead, we’ll just wait with anticipation for the day you choose. In the meantime, I’m going to attempt a number of tiny projects around the house. Feel free to keep calm and be carried on.

love,

your mama