I am pregnant with baby #4 and one of the things that has been unique about this pregnancy is the number of formal events I have had to attend in my third trimester. I don’t think there is any worse investment than a formal maternity dress because they are 1) expensive; and 2) something you wear only once. For my children’s school auction, the theme was “Oscar.” All of my long formal pre-pregnancy dresses were not going to fit by growing belly; rent the runway pickings were slim; and I was not about the drop $200+ on some special maternity “gown.” So, I did what I so often do in these situations: wait until the last minute and order something from Amazon a couple days before. Normally, this does not work out, but this time it did! Let me introduce you to the perfect non-maternity, maternity formal dress (pictured below). It has all the stretch needed for a growing belly and it was totally flattering and formal. The best part: it was only $88, free returns, and it arrived in like 2 days. Also, you could totally wear it post-maternity because it is NOT at maternity dress. Seriously, this dress was a gem of a find and too good not to share. It comes in six colors and the quality was really good for the price. It is linked here.
For the past couple years, I have written letters to my darling, adorable, perfect daughter Reagan. It is something that I love to do and something that I hope she will cherish one day. Being a mother to a daughter was something that I always dreamt of and it has thus far exceeded my every desire. Last April, we found out that we were expecting another little nugget. Bennett William Bassham is scheduled to arrive on December 18, 2014. I can’t wait to meet this little guy, and I think it is about time that I wrote him a letter.
Dear Bennett,
Hi! I am your mom, and I cannot wait to meet you. I am 35 weeks pregnant, and you, sweet boy, are scheduled to arrive on December 18, 2014. Right now, you spend your days kicking, poking, and generally moving. You are an incredibly active baby. At each of your ultrasounds, they always tell us that they have never seen a baby move so much! At 33 weeks, you measured 5 pounds, 3 ounces and supposedly have a full head of hair. We got to see you in 3D – and, let me be the first to tell you, you are very handsome.
We can’t wait to welcome you to our family. I love you with all my heart. I pray for you daily and dream about you all the time. Your dad he loves you too. He can’t wait to have a son and get so excited he talks about you. He is busily preparing the house and his many “to do” lists in anticipation of your arrival. And, your big sister Reagan – let me tell you something about her – she is going to be the most wonderful big sister in the world. I can’t wait to see how she loves you and how you love her back.
Sweet boy – you are so cherished. I am enjoying these last few weeks of pregnancy – knowing that never again will I know what it feels like have your heartbeat inside of me.
I love you with all my heart. Forever and always. No matter what.
Last week (37 weeks) when we went to the doctor, they estimated you were 8 pounds and 1 ounce! That is so big! We have been wishfully thinking since then that you would arrive early and perhaps the doctors had miscalculated your due date. No such luck yet.
Right now, I am feeling HUGE and a bit uncomfortable. I just really, really want to meet you. Lots of anxiety and anticipation.
I know I have written this in past posts, but I want to reiterate how much I love you at this very moment. Right now, without having seen your little face, held your little hand, or heard your little cry, I love you more than anything in the world.
I cannot even believe that you are about to arrive! We are so anxious to meet you — it is pretty much all we talk about these days. You are getting so big and are now the size of a watermelon. I feel pretty big as well! It is a bit difficult being pregnant in the summer in Texas (it was 100 degrees today), but other than the very swollen feet I cannot complain too much. Dad and I are still very busy preparing for your arrival. I cannot not even count the amount of trips we have made to Babies R Us and Pottery Barn Kids.
We have had several baby showers for you now. A few weeks ago, we had a shower at grandma’s house for friends and family. Mommy and Daddy’s work also threw showers in your honor. It was so kind of everyone, and they helped us get lots of things we need for YOU!
We also took our maternity pictures recently. We don’t have them all yet, but here is a sneak peak! We decided to do the photo shoot at our house so we could look back and remember our first home. You are about 28 weeks old in these pictures.
Today was a good day because we got to see you! At today’s ultrasound, the doctor told us that you weigh 3.2 pounds, which means you are in the 80th percentile! It made us beyond happy to hear that you are so big and strong. Also, and this goes without saying, but you are the cutest baby I have ever seen. Dad and I both looked at your picture and fell in love with you all over again today. We studied every little feature – your cute nose, small smirk, perfect hands with 10 fingers . . . You are beautiful. You are also an active little baby. Lots of kicks all the time.
Last week, Dad and I went to Maui. While we cannot wait to meet you, it was nice to spend one last vacation just the two of us. We spent lots of time on the beach, Dad went surfing, we ate some wonderful seafood, and we drove the Road to Hana. It was a wonderful and mostly relaxing trip. We got to do a lot of reflecting on our marriage and our soon-to-be family of three!
Life is speeding up and slowing down at the same time. Like any new mom, I am overwhelmed with trying to be as prepared as possible for you. It is kind of unbelieveable that you arrive in only12 weeks! I am getting bigger and bigger each day. You keep me up a lot a night with constant kicks, trips to the bathroom, backaches, and leg cramps — but I suppose it is good practice for your arrival 🙂
Last week we learned that you are a GIRL! We couldn’t be more excited to meet you and have already told you time and time again how beautiful, smart, and kind you will be.
Dad and I found out that you were in a girl in NYC. Dad was unable to come back for my doctor’s appointment in Dallas so we decided to schedule an ultrasound here. At first we both thought you would be a boy, but recently we both had a feeling that you were a little girl. When the ultrasound technician said “girl,” we were both so thrilled. Dad was a bit scared at first as he knew that he would be even more overprotective with a girl, but he cannot wait to meet you. He has started reading you the book “Guess How Much I Love You” every night before bed time. Guess what? He loves you A LOT and so do I.
This weekend we told your grandparents and your uncle (my brother) that we were having a girl. They were so surprised! The majority guess was boy but everyone is very excited to buy you cute pink clothes and meet you in a few months. By the way, you are the size of a cantaloupe and as long as a banana!
When we found out you would be joining our family of two, we were terrified. We knew that we wanted to have children, but didn’t think it would be so soon. Dad started going into over preparation mode – gathering first aide supplies, beefing up the home security system and even talking about building a storm shelter. I, on the other hand, kind of went numb for a little while. I was barely a second-year lawyer and, believe it or not, having a baby was not considered a great career move. I struggled at the office keeping up the same quality of work while simultaneously feeling exhausted and sick in the mornings.
However, it didn’t take me too long to go from numb to beyond happy. I fell in love with you in Philadelphia. I travel quite a bit for work and when you were around 6 weeks (about the size of a lentil bean) I had to go to Philadelphia for a court hearing. As I often do, I felt lonely in the hotel room – ordering room service for one is a lot less glamorous than I originally thought. As I was about to go to bed in a king size bed far too big for one, I realized that, unlike all my other work trips, for the first time, I was not alone. You were there. You were not very big. You didn’t talk or interact, but you – my baby – were with me. I was no longer one person. For the next 9 months, I realized you and I would always be together. That was an incredible feeling.
We told our parents, your grandparents, that you would be arriving in July. You will see the video when you are older, but trust me when I say that you were loved beyond belief from the beginning.
Here are some pictures:
Gift for Grandparents
I cannot wait for you to meet your grandparents.
Dad and I had to move to New York for a few months for Dad’s job. It is a bit strange being in a big city not knowing many people instead of being in our house, but so far it has been an adventure that we will never forget. A lot of firsts have happened in New York. Last week while we were eating lunch (it is restaurant week in New York right now), we felt you kick for the first time! I always knew you were in there, but feeling you move was magical. I learned that spicy food makes you kick the most (so now I try to eat spicy food whenever I can).
Today is a really special day. You are the size of a mango and today we find if you, little mango, are a boy or girl. I am very excited to find out, but mostly I am excited to see you! We have not seen you since you were the size of a bean.
I know we have not technically met yet, but I already love you more than you will ever know.
Love,
Mom (so weird to write that for this first time!!)
Van Plus Fam 