Week 34: A sprinkle of sunshine

This week has felt pretty pivotal in this pregnancy. My mother-in-law, Diane, came into town for a whirlwind weekend visit to celebrate this baby boy during our baby sprinkle! And it was fabulous.
We took her out for some Korean BBQ on Friday evening and caught up over kimchi and short ribs. We indulged in black forest and mocha cakes and tea for dessert and were nostalgic about her experiences raising not one or two, but three boys. (Bless her heart!) And we all just felt happy and excited about what the weekend would have in store.
Saturday morning arrived, and we created our plan for the day over coffee and eggs. We made a last-minute grocery run to pick up some provisions for the party. Anaïs was able to spend some quality time with Grandma, and together they made a delicious peach cobbler. Friends surprised me by dropping off accoutrements and decor for the festivities. My sister-in-law Ebony lives in Florida and planned this whole affair from a distance. Jesse and I seriously cannot thank her and Diane enough for all the work they put into this! It was everything we could have ever asked for and more.
There was iced tea and lemonade, sandwiches and fruit and veggie platters. There was ice cream. There were balloons, flowers and children running around laughing. There was just so much happiness in the air. The vibe of our entire apartment was pure joy. That’s the best way to describe it. We were gifted an amazing array of things for our little boy: clothes, car seat accessories, nursing supplies, receiving blankets and a few treats here and there. Simply put, this baby boy is so lucky to be surrounded by all of the awesome people we know in our lives. Having just a few family members nearby, Jesse and I have really learned to build a community of people to help us out. It really does take a village, and our village has been pretty fantastic. I’ve known for a long time that blood isn’t the only thing that makes a family, and I feel so fortunate to have people in our lives that feel the same way. We are incredibly impressed, blown away and genuinely touched by the outpour of love and support we have from both our family and friends.
As I made the rounds and talked to our friends, it really hit me: This baby is coming, and he’s coming soon. He could be here as early as three weeks from now and as late as six weeks from now. In any case, the countdown is on, and we are growing more and more excited by the day. It feels surreal how fast this pregnancy has flown so far, and it feels like it’s only moving faster. Reflecting back on how it was when I was pregnant with Anaïs, it felt like it took forever. Maybe it was because she was my first, and I anticipated every week or watched the clock too closely. This time around, I just let time take its course, and it’s made all the difference in the world.