Hello Baby

Hello Baby.  I am your Momma.  Your Daddy and I affectionately refer to you as "Jenerik."  We have called all of our babies by this name during your growth in my womb.  It started with Walker because that year, it was very popular for parents to combine their names to create a name for their baby.  So we combined our names and this is what we came up with.

People constantly want to know if you are a boy or a girl - and they usually ask me, "Do you know what you are having?"  and I tell them, "A baby."

 I feel like I've been neglecting you the last 18 1/2 weeks, but I talk to you and about you every day.

I explain to your big brother, Walker, that despite the fact that he says he will "bust you in the face" if you are a girl, he will love you and find you adorable.  If, however, you are a girl, I will be sure to provide you with the appropriate head gear for your first month home.  I'm pretty sure he won't bust you in the face, but I can't be certain.  This boy is in the big K now and his loyalties are a changin'.  We find it ironic that he says he doesn't want a sister because all of his short life, his friends have ALL been girls.  Even now, when we ask him who he plays with at school, he says, "Lindsey and Lauren."  Twin girls!

I tell your big sister, Maggie, she will be a big helper to me when you join our family.  She's been practicing her mommy skills on her baby dolls and her baby brother daily.  I even caught her trying to change Will's diaper the other day.  It's great she's trying so hard to be helpful, but she'll be an even bigger help if she would learn to do onesie snaps all by herself.   She keeps dressing and undressing her babies and requires my help to finish the job.  I told her I won't have the time to dress you and her babies all day, every day.  It would be really helpful if she could just learn to dress everyone.

I try to talk about you to Will, but truthfully, he doesn't even care.  All he cares about is lifting up my shirt, exposing my growing belly, and blowing raspberries on it.  He laughs and shouts, "Fat baby bewl wee!"  Then blows more raspberries. It's his life's joy.  

I tell your Daddy how happy I am that we decided to add to our family and that yes, things are going to change, but they will be a good change and we will adapt to a family of six quickly.  Sure, we may need to invest in a bus to get places requiring any luggage, but we're Schwalm's and your dad will use his McGyver like skills to rig up whatever we need.  I tell friends and strangers that pregnancy is treating me well (except for the constant swelling of my nasal passages) and that no, I don't feel sick, haven't had any morning sickness, and other than my pants getting tighter and tighter, everything is great.  Some people respond happily to that information, others look a little disgusted.  Either way, it is the truth and I'm proud of it.  Daddy says I was built to be barefoot and pregnant.  I tell him he's lucky we don't live in a different time period or you probably wouldn't be our LAST baby - we'd just be getting started.  

Then Daddy says, "Don't be getting any ideas.  You said four.  ONLY four!" 

The next 22 weeks are going to be long - but the reward is going to be worth the wait.

The first three sure were - and I know you'll be no different!

Can't wait to meet you!

Love,
Momma