31 Weeks

Well, this baby boy is the size of a pineapple and I feel like the size of a whale. I can't imagine that bump getting bigger but it will. Just nine weeks to go! Yes, I'm still swollen. Yes, it's still hot. Yes, it's very humid. But, to be honest, I am loving a summer pregnancy! Swimming brings such sweet relief and I have a rockin' tan. Plus, I'll have all of fall and winter to wear bulky sweaters and hit the gym. 

Liam has been so gracious during this super hot, super lazy summer. I really can't do as much with him as he's used to but he gets to watch a movie almost every afternoon so it's a fair trade. He talks about baby brother and his fourth birthday a lot and he's so sweet about it. I want to throw him an awesome fourth birthday party. He deserves a big one!

I'm keeping comfortable in my non-maternity clothes. Cotton, loose layers, comfy shoes. That's about all you need. This is a tank top from last summer, a thrifted skirt that my sister gave me, strappy flats  and a necklace with a pop of color. Perfect for heading downtown to have one last Nashville lunch with my sister before she moves to Portland. So sad. No more blood relatives in Nashville for the Reads. Thankful for our friends and church community who love us like family - more than ever!

Tank: H&M, skirt: thrifted, shoes: Forever 21, necklace: the streets of Palermo, Sicily.

Adoptive Mom / Bio Mom

Baby Dan

Baby Lindsy

A while back I was rambling on and on about the baby. We were in the car, Dan was driving and Liam was in the backseat. I was telling Dan how excited I was to see what Baby Brother looked like, what our collective genes would produce. I was sharing that I hope he turns out just like Dan was as a baby: fat and happy. I think he'll be smart and funny, maybe a little shy. He'll have Dan's guitar skills and my mediocre sportiness. He will definitely have terrible teeth. We need to save for braces.

Dan wasn't chiming in and I could feel some tension. I knew this conversation was making him uncomfortable and I knew exactly why. We are going to be the parents of an adopted child and a biological child. I asked Dan if he was holding back because he felt guilty. He was. But I felt it, too. 

We've got this amazing adoption story. Liam came to us at 5 months old, a tiny, unknown, scrawny little peanut. We were told he was a "long term placement" but we had no idea if we'd have him for a week, a year, 2 years. We loved him with all our hearts but he wasn't truly, legally, officially ours until we signed papers 2 years after we first met him. While we did meet and interact with Liam's biological parents on several occasions, we really dont know a lot about them. I know that his mom likes basketball and will eat just about anything - two things Liam shares with her. Pretty much all we know about his father is that he likes video games. Liam hasn't shown interest in video games yet - ask me again when he's 13. I know that he looks 100% like his mother and nothing like his dad. I dont know where his curly hair came from. I do know that he's funny. I know that he has a hard time learning new things. He is a fast runner. I know that he will remember just about every person he meets. He will tell people he loves them, sometimes minutes after he's met them. He would rather play with an old hanger, a dried up glow stick and a handful of rubber bands than the most expensive, awesome toy he owns. He's full of joy and passion and so much love. 

Giving birth to a child will be very different from adopting, obviously. I want to celebrate both boys uniqueness and both their stories. So, I'm not going to hold back my awe when Baby Brother has Dan's eyes or my lips. I'm going to tell both boys how freaking incredible it was meeting him for the first time - even though both stories will be very, very different. I wont compare the two.

Both boys are a miracle. Both boys will be wholly ours, fully "Reads". The Read brothers. I cant wait.

29 Week Update + Cell Phone Pics

11 more weeks. 11 more weeks. Seems like nothing! It's going to fly by - and I hope it does, but doesn't, all at once. I'm swollen and it's very uncomfortable. Sometimes my hormones are out of control and I get incredibly mad about the dumbest things for about 10 seconds. Most of the time I'm too tired to get angry, no matter how bad the hormones are raging. I've got 6 more weddings until baby arrives. I'm needing a lot more rest and recovery after a wedding. Shoot. I need rest and recovery after walking to the mailbox. I'm still active, working out 3 - 4x a week. I can still run 3 miles, very very slowly.

I am not an inside person. As a born and raised Washingtonian, it's literally a sin to be inside when the sun is out but I've had to talk myself out of that. I know I need to rest more so I'm just enjoying Liam being 3 (he turns four in just 6 weeks!). I'm trying to enjoy Curious George, Liam's favorite show. I'm trying to prepare healthy meals that are easy and don't require too much standing or too much heat! I'm enjoying and marveling at the miracle of having a kicking baby inside me, even when it hurts a little or keeps me up night; I am so grateful for it.

Dan's been gone so I wont have any outfits to share. I've been living in sundresses anyway. (Have I mentioned it's hot?) While he's on the road, we text pictures back and forth. Pictures are our love language. One of our favorite after-tour traditions is showing each other all the photos we took while he was away.
These are all the ones I sent to Dan this week:

1) Liam was sick on Monday with a fever of 102°. We spent most of the day on the couch. I mostly wanted to share this photo because I don't look hugely pregnant in it.
2) It's too hot for pants. Liam wore his unders and rain boots on a turtle-hunting expedition in the backyard.
3) That's just a big ol' belly on a tired lady. Thumbs up.
4) When I try to explain the heat and humidity to my friends and family in the northwest, I'll just refer to this photo. The A/C is set to 75° in the house. Outside was 93° plus 89% humidity. I opened the front door and my glasses fogged up. [Drops the mic.]

Liam was sick on Monday with a fever of 102°. We spent most of the day on the couch. I mostly wanted to share this photo because I don't look hugely pregnant in it.

It's too hot for pants. Liam wore his unders and rain boots on a turtle-hunting expedition in the backyard.

That's just a big ol' belly on a tired lady. Thumbs up.

When I try to explain the heat and humidity to my friends and family in the northwest, I'll just refer to this photo. The A/C is set to 75° in the house. Outside was 93° plus 89% humidity. I opened the front door and my glasses fogged up. [Drops the mic.]

27 Weeks : Happy Independence Day!

Sunglasses: Fossil, Shoes: Dr. Scholls, Top + Skirt: thrifted.

I find my profile to be pretty funny! For a while it felt like belly vs. booty but I think the belly has finally won. That's not a few extra cheeseburgers in there; That's all baby. In fact, my appetite is back to "normal" after months of a ravenous, demon-like hunger. 3 meals a day and still not craving any sweets. Baby Brother is a big fan of meat, fruits and veggies. I think he's going to be a healthy boy in every sense of the word. We get to see him again on Tuesday (another ultrasound) and I get to take the glucose test that I've heard so much about. All in all, I'm feeling good. Just a little slower and a whole lot bigger. I think he grew a ton while we were in LA! 

Good news. We think we have just one name for him. The only perceived problem is that Liam cant say it very well. But, we'll work on it.

I threw on my best - and comfiest - red, white and blue! The top was a little boys shirt. I cut off the sleeves and tied it over the bump. The skirt, also thrifted, has been worn many times already during this pregnancy. I can dress it up with a black top and fancy shoes or dress it down with a gray T and flip flops. It was the best $2.99 I've ever spent.

Wishing you all a very safe and happy 4th of July! I love 4th of July! The official start of summer. I'm looking forward to pulled pork sandwiches and snuggling my boys during the fireworks tonight.