*sniff* Can't wait to hear all the details. *happy sigh* You know, this may be the first time in this forum that we've congratulated someone for
gaining weight!
I know that you and baby will be so much healthier and happier as a result of all your hard work.
Of course, I have book recommendations!
I think
The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine, is
FANTASTIC and one of the best. It's also fun to read! Thankfully, a new edition was just released last year. If you like it, she has tons more as your child grows older.
The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trealease has
tons of great advice on how to raise a child that reads well and loves reading as much as we do...of course, the number 1 thing you can do is to model how much fun reading is, and I know you've done that since before conception!
(did you know that your baby not only can differentiate between voices while in utero, but can even hear the changes in your voice enough to recognize a story after he/she is born? I thought that was amazing!)
This is probably something you'd want to read later on in your pregnancy, but all the moms (all but one have at least 2 kids) in my Newcomer's club swear by
Good Night, Sleep Tight by Kim West as the best book for helping your newborn get to sleep. They say that some books say you should let the kiddo cry it out and others say you should comfort them immediately, but this one is a good combination of both methods and it works well without making you worried you'll be up for the rest of your life or making you stay up crying with your child because you want to comfort him/her.
Okay, enough of that!
I'm just SOOO happy for you, Jessie. Your baby is one lucky kiddo to have you for his/her mom.