Hello, third trimester

We are down to the final three months of pregnancy. I am currently 28 weeks along, and baby boy is growing on track. Alex and I are more accustomed to the idea of having a little lad now. We're garnering advice on raising a boy from others. Alex is on the search for vintage wool blazers with elbow patches for him so he can match his daddy. I'm swooning over things like this, this, and this. The littler love has dance parties in my belly seemingly all night long and often during the day. Sleep is harder to come by now due to his kicking about, but it's a good sign of a healthy pregnancy. I also started developing lower back aches from carrying the extra weight, so I'm doing prenatal yoga and exercising on a yoga ball after Serene is down for the night. This is helping tremendously with stretching out my body, relaxing, and sleeping more soundly at night. Alex and I used to take power walks several times a week during the first pregnancy, but this is nearly impossible now. I am so thankful for technology, because I found an aerobic workout video to do at home. The first time I did it, Alex walked in and got a good laugh at me swinging my arms and power walking in place with my belly hanging out. I'm planning to keep up with the exercise, which will hopefully contribute to a smooth (please, Lord) labor and delivery.

As we get closer to baby boy's due date, I'm thinking about how to prepare Serene to have another teeny human being in the house. She recently began comprehending there's a baby in my belly and greets him with affection, but she has also developed an extreme case of separation anxiety over the last month or two. She is especially clingy around crowds of people (i.e. on Sundays when we're at church), and wants only Alex or me. In fact, while Alex snapped the pictures above, she was hugging my legs, waiting to be held. We're counting on this being just a phase that she will grow out of (soon). I'm curious about how she will react once we bring her brother home. I've heard about having a special box of toys, crafts, and snacks dedicated for her when I nurse the littler love. I've also heard about not attributing my future inability to give her my full attention to the baby, but rather, to my own tiredness, or the like. In any case, she loves her baby dolls and "takes care" of them, so here's to praying she feels the same with a real baby. Any other tips on transitioning her would be greatly appreciated!