our "baby"

Dane is really into pretending to be a baby right now. It's kind of annoying actually, because when he's a "baby" he just walks around saying "mama! mama!" in this fake high-pitched voice, and he won't stop or say anything else no matter how many times I ask him what he wants. He wants us to wrap him up in blankies and carry him around like this all the time. I don't have the heart to tell him that the very fact that he can pretend to be a baby proves that he is no longer a baby. He is a full-fledged child, with very little baby there any more. (Except when he has nightmares and needs to be cuddled and rocked back to sleep, which is so sad but oh so cute and sweet and I love getting to hold him as he falls back to sleep.)

My due date is five and a half weeks away now, and Dane was born a week early, so... we could have our baby here in a month. I am not ready for that, mentally, but I'd be happy to not be pregnant any more. The closer we get the faster time seems to be speeding up, which I know is different than most people's experiences and I'd rather things go fast instead of slow. But the closer the day comes, the more I want to snuggle Dane and the more I keep trying to help him understand what's going to happen. ("Dane, one day soon Mommy's going to go to the hospital and the baby is going to come out and then you will get to hold him!") He really seems to be warming up to the idea--he went from flat-out denial a few months ago ("No! I'm the baby!") to now talking about holding the baby and saying he's "fankful" for the baby in his prayers (which he's only really started saying this week and they KILL ME because of the cuteness!). I know it's all going to rock his world no matter what we do, but he will hopefully be okay. I hate hearing about big siblings who wouldn't touch their baby sibling for months and months because they hated them so much, and I hope Dane is a little happier about the baby than that... but I know there's not much you can do other than being really patient!

We sure do love this little guy. I'm pretty sure we're going to love his little brother (he who shall not be named, apparently, based on our inability to even have a conversation about picking his name yet) just as much too. I can't wait for that moment where I get to hold him--that's what I keep daydreaming about these days. We're in it for the long haul!