Milestones

Each day with a child, whether a growing fetus or a child already in the world, is a gift and a chance for growth, learning, and love. This weekend has been a weekend of a few milestones in our family.

E has been babbling for several months now. She has perfected "da da" and "ba ba" and she also enjoys singing along with music of any kind. Up until this weekend she had said "ma ma", but only when she was upset or actively crying. And, even then it was more of a "muh muh mmmmmm muhhh" type sound. Friday night on the way back from dinner with B's family, she just out of the blue said "ma ma". Thinking it was a mistake, I smiled but didn't get too excited (after all, she was a little cranky and it was past bed time). But she kept saying it. Then she said it with laughter. It was a beautiful sound. I had forgotten how wonderful it is to hear those words.

As for the new baby, we hit the 34 week mark today! Hallelujah! It is a huge step for a pregnancy and makes me a little more comfortable with the idea of an early delivery. Here's what was in my email this morning:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds and is probably almost 18 inches
long. Her fat layers — which she'll need to regulate her body temperature once
she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her central nervous system
is still maturing and her lungs are well developed by now. If you've been
nervous about going into preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that 99 percent
of babies this age can survive outside the womb — and most have no major
long-term problems related to prematurity.