26 Weeks

This week, the fatigue of early pregnancy came creeping back in, making me yearn for my
bed before I even left the house in the morning.  I'm sure it was all due to the fact that I was
on call and had to work extra long hours and Shawn was out of town but I'm too stubborn
to admit that my work schedule may have been a bit too much, especially when I didn't
have the help of my husband that I am accustomed to.  I thought that it would be a good idea
to schedule my call week for when he was gone, though, because then I would be free and
off work when he came home.  File under: ideas that sound good at the time but end up
making you want to stab yourself.  The girls and I managed, though, with the help of my
mom and dad on the nights I got called out to see patients.  And I rewarded their
very understanding and good behavior with doughnuts and late night movie parties in the
big bed.  It was nice to spend some alone time with the girls, to break some of our house
rules all in the name of spoiling.  One or both of them slept with me every night that Daddy
was gone.  We ate waffles for dinner and made late evening ice cream runs.  I loved having
the two little Daddy's girls all to myself, if only for a short while.  It was a good bonding
time for the three of us.

Sleep is becoming more difficult. The midnight bathroom trips are becoming more
frequent and I've had to add a few more pillows to our bed to cushion my growing body.
The baby sometimes wakes me up at night with his kicking and squirming.  He is such an
active little thing.  He gets the hiccups several times a day and his movements are now
visible to those of us on the outside.  The girls love resting their hands on my belly and
feeling him move.  Their eyes get so big when my belly jumps and moves, I think that it
makes the whole concept more "real" to them.  There's a brother in there and, judging by
his actions so far, he's going to have a personality to match his vibrant big sisters!