Dear Alex,

Merry Christmas Eve! I am writing you from Grandma and Papa’s house this week. You are a little over 35 weeks along now (bigger than a coconut!), and we are here visiting the family for the holiday. Everyone is excited to see how big you’re getting:

Your cousins are especially thrilled, and some of them have even gotten the chance to feel you moving around in there. It’s interesting how your movements feel so different these days compared to when I first started to feel you move… before I felt short, sharp “pokes,” and only sporadically. Now that you’re so much bigger & running out of room, I feel bigger “pushes” and “squirms” going on pretty much all day & much of the night. Also, more recently I’ve noticed what are sure to be hiccups: small, rhythmic motions that last for several minutes at a time. I read that you start to get hiccups more often at this stage of the pregnancy because you are practicing your breathing for outside the womb. Keep it up, champ! 🙂

Other than that, not much has been going on this week. Dad & I finally got a new mattress, and BOY am I glad we did! I still have to get up every 2 hours or so to pee, but it’s a lot easier to fall back asleep and sleep more soundly. Working from home has helped me get a little more sleep too. I’m trying to rest as much as I can now… while I still (sort of) can, haha. Honestly pretty much everything tires me out these days– with an extra 20+ lbs. of weight to carry, much of which is pushing up on my lungs, this is not surprising at all. 😉 But at least it’s not for much longer…

We are officially counting down the DAYS until your due date (33!) rather than the weeks. It’s hard to believe that you’ll be here so soon, but Dad & I are as ready as we’ll ever be and can’t wait for your big arrival. 😀 That’s about all for now… until next week, MERRY CHRISTMAS little guy! As much as we’re looking forward to sharing the holiday with our extended family tonight & tomorrow… we are even more excited for all the holidays we have ahead with you!

All my love,
Mom