It's 12 am on Saturday. That means that I am officially 17 weeks pregnant! For whatever reason, I really like that number. It's no longer "just a little bit pregnant" (ha ha, I know), it's not quite halfway there, but it's a nice, substantial number, in my mind at least.

Other baby news. I have gestational diabetes again, boo. I've talked about that at length in other entries, so I'm sure you can guess how I feel about it. To recap, I feel displeased but resolved to accept it. I'm trying to schedule an appointment with a group to manage the diabetes, but they're not so good at returning phone calls. I'm also trying to schedule an anatomy scan with the Perinatal Diagnostic Center at Emory, but somehow the only person capable of making appointments in the office is out of town this week. I'm not kidding. One way or another, we will schedule this scan for sometime in the next three weeks or so. That's when we find out if we're having a boy or a girl, and of course more importantly they will check and make sure everything seems to be okay physically with the baby.

Good news: I think I'm found a doula. A doula is a birth attendant, not a doctor or midwife, but a professional labor support person to help guide the woman through childbirth. I was not very open to the idea of having a doula for Nora's birth, but knowing what I know now I'm downright enthusiastic about it. I'm involved in the local birth community here in Atlanta, which means that many of my friends are passionate, intelligent activists. I've learned a lot over the past couple of years, plus I have seen dozens of friends go through pregnancy and birth, something I had a lot less experience with 3-4 years ago. I have a friend who is a doula and we have talked briefly about me hiring her for my birth. In the next week or two, we'll get together and discuss it further, and if everything goes well, I will hire her. I'm feeling great about that!

One last thing about my pregnancy. I cried during an "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires" commercial. It was the one with scenes from Bambi. This must be a pregnancy symptom, right?

The first week of preschool was exciting for all of us! Predictably, Nora loves it and didn't have any problem adjusting. The first day, she was so excited about some blocks that she barely stopped to say goodbye to me. She loves everything about it: her teachers, the other students, playing outside, and even the little symbol (hers is a flower) where she hangs her lunchbox every day. I don't exactly know what to do with myself during the day, but I have cleaned parts of my house that haven't been truly clean in... a while... I am also scheduling various appointments while she's in school.

I'm not sure what to think about her ballet class. I signed her up for a class at the Y as opposed to one as a studio because I thought it might be more laid-back for a child her age. I didn't want anything rigid. This class isn't exactly rigid, but Nora is still having trouble paying attention, especially when the teacher is going over drier aspects of ballet, like positions, in the last 15 minutes or so. I'm not sure exactly what is going on. It's possible she's tired since she usually naps that time of day, her attention span might just run out towards the end of class, or maybe ballet just isn't what she expected it to be. Or maybe that's just Nora, being 3. Yesterday I was watching through the window and the three other little girls were, for the most part, listening and following directions, and Nora was rolling around on the floor and doing her own thing. I saw the teacher gently try to draw her in (over and over and over) and it was almost painful to watch. After class she told me she had been in "time out," which didn't really seem to concern her, I guess because she had no interest in following the class, anyway. So I guess this is what you get when you put a 3 year old in a "class." In October she'll start gymnastics. Maybe that will suit her more. It's a lot of jumping around and acrobatics, which she seems to love! At this point in her life she just wants to do it all, and I am determined to let her try anything she's interested in within reason and affordability.

She's been asking about the baby a little bit more recently. This morning when she woke up she said, concerned, "Will the new baby sleep with Baby Lucy and Baby Jenna?" (her dolls) I said no, those were her dolls, and she could share them if she wanted to, but she didn't have to, and Baby Lucy and Baby Jenna could still sleep with Nora if that's what she wanted. Later she was talking about how babies cry a lot, and it turned out that she thought that babies cried because they were in pain. So we've been trying to explain to her that babies can't talk, so crying is the only way they have to communicate. It doesn't always mean they're hurting. Then this afternoon she asked if we had any diapers in the house. I said no, since she stopped wearing one to bed a while back. (They're actually put up for now. but since they're all cloth they're technically still here.) She got very concerned and said, "But what will the baby wear? The baby won't know how to pee pee or poo poo on the potty." I assured her that we would get some before the baby came. She seems to ask about the baby in spurts. Sometimes days will go by and she won't mention it. She talks a lot about being a "big girl" these days, but sometimes she wants to be reassured that she's still our baby. I do think she's a little bit anxious about a new baby coming, but of course it's still a long way off. She is excited about being a sister, though, and I think she will be a great one.

Tomorrow we have a fun birthday party to attend. I'm not sure what the rest of the weekend holds. Probably grocery shopping, some lawn mowing, and some bathroom cleaning. The excitement never ends, ya'll.