Monday, September 11, 2017

32 weeks


How far along are you?: 32 weeks

Baby is: according to my app, the size of a Florida Pomelo. But! I have no idea what that is ;) Roughly 18 inches and 4+ pounds, baby is measuring just a day or two over 32 weeks - right on track! 

Movement: If this baby isn't moving around, its hiccups are causing (let's be honest, annoying!) rhythms in my belly. I do feel like this baby is rarely still, and when it's moving you can both feel it and see it! My skin has been stretched so thin there's not much between this world and our babe. 

Weight gain: Currently clocking in at a whopping 146, having gained 24 pounds! I have already surpassed my total weight gain with Uriah (by 1 pound) and still have 8 weeks to go! Yikes! I did a little blog back tracking and discovered I'd gained 24 pounds with Ezra at 34 weeks, gaining I think 28 total, so assuming I can stay away from extra doughnuts at church, I shouldn't be too far off from my "goal". 

Stretch marks?: Oh they're still there, don't you worry ;) Trying to keep my skin exfoliated and moisturized to prevent new ones but I'm sure I'm in for some more damage before this pregnancy is over! 

Maternity clothes?: Give me all the side rouched tops and dresses and stretchy waistbands! I have a feeling I'll be out growing even some of my maternity items soon!  

Currently craving: Still nothing too specific - my appetite has really gone down hill the last few weeks. Honey Nut Cheerios always sound good though ;) 

Aversions?: The smell of pizza sauce (only while making the pizza, not while eating it!) and the smell of store bought salsa. 

Sleep: I'm back to making a "midnight" bathroom run, and I still wake up feeling tired, but I'm getting good sleep at night. I've been cat napping or getting some intentional rest in during Uriah and Ezra's nap time which has been pretty necessary these last few weeks - every aspect of this pregnancy has been draining and I am exhausted

Feeling: Everything. Really! Contractions, cramping, pain and pressure, back aches, leg cramps, every emotion on the spectrum (I'm so sorry, Stephen!), tired, swollen and puffy, impatient... you name it! This has hands down been my hardest pregnancy - physically, mentally, emotionally - and at 32 weeks it is really starting to weigh me down. Sadly, it has made us question whether or not we could do this again - it has been hard on us all. To say I still have (roughly) 8 more weeks of this makes me cringe and want to cry, I don't think I can handle this for another 8 weeks! We are just praying the time passes swiftly (and with minimal meltdowns!)

Working on: Stephen is currently in the kids' room working on putting their new dresser together! This has been a purchase I've been wanting to make since we found out I was pregnant! We needed something bigger to put all three kids' clothes in (oh my gosh, we're going to have THREE kids!) so he is hard at work getting it set up so I can start nesting - finally! We're also still working on names! Picking one of each is hard! So is not knowing if this babe will be our last - will we get another chance to use the names we love?!

Thinking about & anticipating: The arrival of this babe. I have a ways to go, guys, I know. And I want this babe to be healthy, so I'm not actually wanting this baby to show up before 37 weeks, but oh! my! gosh! Feeling like this pregnancy has really been dragged out and I just keep going back and forth on when and how this baby will make its debut... Will I have to be induced? (I was with Uriah and set to be with Ezra) Will my water break again? Will my parents be in town? Will Stephen be in town?! Will I be able to walk myself down to the hospital? Will he/she come fast and furious? Though exciting, the unpredictability of birth has always drove me a little nuts. I spend far too much of my day thinking about just how and when things will "go down". 

Recent baby purchase: The above mentioned dresser, along with some pacifiers and pacifier clips. I have long lists of things we still need - for baby and for mom - and probably an even longer list of things I just want ;) I have been eager to start getting things and the house ready for this babe but have made myself hold out because I felt like it was too early. Slowly making a dent in those lists, though! 

What are you most looking forward to?: Watching Uriah meet this baby! Ezra too of course, but Uriah is so much more aware this time around than he was last time and he is genuinely excited about it! I just know he will be the best helper with baby and the sweetest big brother to such a little one. Watching him love on our friend's babies makes me so eager for him to meet his baby! 

Favorite moment this week?: Our ultrasound today! We have (not so) patiently been waiting until I hit 32 weeks to do our growth ultrasound. With a two vessel umbilical cord, the main concern is growth, or a lack thereof. We are very happy to report, though, that baby is measuring right on track! The doctor finally moved his due date up to the one I have been using ;) and the baby is still measuring 1-4 days big depending on body part, so right on schedule! It was fun to take a peak at this little one (still no gender peaks!) and very reassuring to know that we have nothing to worry about. It's heart looked great and the kidneys are of no concern anymore, either. What a sigh of relief! Baby has dropped and is head down and looking to be around 7.5 pounds at full term. 

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

August

Look at me almost all caught up on the blog! High five, Allison! I'll get around to posting Stephen's Africa pictures eventually but since I'll need his help captioning them we'll all just have to wait until he's done working nights and then done traveling for interviews and by then we'll have a newborn so... We'll see ;) For now, August! 

 ^^ Our travels from Alaska left us pretty exhausted, but happy to be home! ^^
 ^^ First things first, FRIENDS! ^^
 ^^ Another morning, another picture and video to send to daddy - counting down he days until he returned! ^^
 ^^ If you ask Ezra who her best friend is, she will say "Callum!" These two cuties helping "Mi Nicki" make smoothies ^^
 ^^ We ventured out to our "green spot" one afternoon to get some pre-dinner wiggles out and we found quite the mushroom treasure! Uriah was so eager to collect them all and bring them home "to study" - I love that he has an adventurous soul with a scientist brain! ^^
 ^^ Bike rides in the empty parking lot next door - urban living ;) ^^
 ^^ So, Stephen tried to surprise us and come home four days early, but completely by accident I found out about his plans...! I was so disappointed that I found out and thought seriously about just going along with it, but I knew it would come out eventually and I didn't want him to be disappointed that I had "faked" my surprise, so I decided to turn the tables! I thought I'd have to dig through his e-mail to find his flight change information but it turns out my mom was in on his secret ;) The kids and I stayed up late and surprised him at the airport before he could come home and surprise us! Truthfully, he wasn't all that surprised - there was too much evidence against him he had been worried I'd find out anyway. But either way...! HE CAME HOME!! I sorta fell apart in baggage claim, and just continued to unravel for the next few days. I don't think I'd realized how hard it had been to be without him and I'd just been holding on by a thread while it was all snowballing up. I was so relieved to have him back! ^^
 ^^ The kids weren't excited about it at all ;) ^^
 ^^ Momma and her babies! We were away in Alaska while they hatched, but got to spend the next couple of weeks watching them grow, get fed and learn to fly before taking off! ^^
 ^^ Just being a pregnant lady... ^^
 ^^ Family trip to the San Fransisco Zoo! We bought a membership while my parents were in town so we showed Stephen around our new stomping grounds ;) ^^
 ^^ She is definitely TWO these days - difficult, whiny and exhausting. But she's still just as cute and sweet so it evens out. ...For the most part ;) ^^
 ^^ Matching grey sweaters and Dip 'n Dots at the zoo ^^
 ^^ Dad life ^^
 ^^ Saturday morning trip to the Sunnyvale farmers market! It would be significantly easier to drive there, but taking the train is half the fun for the kids - they love it! ^^ 
 ^^ Snacking on our usual farmer's market purchases while listening to the local music - fruit, bread and sugary almonds ^^
 ^^ We usually end the morning outside a coffee shop with a big courtyard for the kids to run around in. On this trip, we found chalk! ^^
 ^^ Still so giddy that he's HOME! Also, those orange dahlias he bought me...! ^^
 ^^ Tried out DateBox and spent the evening making ice cream, learning how to waltz and playing an "I know you better" card game. Ps, I won! Also, I don't know how to let Stephen lead... ^^
 ^^ We made an impromptu trip to Big Basin for a night of camping. Truthfully, I was a little miserable. The braxton hicks contractions had just started kicking in that week and sleeping virtually on the dirt didn't help with my hip pain, and neither did the hike the next morning...! It was beautiful, though, and I am happy we went. The kids loved it - stick collecting, tree climbing, fort building, marshmallow roasting, stories around the fire, hiking and exploring... It was right up their alley! And Stephen's! I was happy to be able to make the quick trip before Disneyland, work and baby! ^^
 ^^ This kid and his sweet soul... Ezra wasn't in the mood to have mom brush her hair but she let Uriah pamper her for a solid ten minutes. ^^
 ^^ 30 weeks and a Sunday at church before Stephen started working nights ^^
 ^^ Cookies and potty training. Good combination ;) ^^
 ^^ Family time in the mornings after dad gets home and before he goes to bed. These people are everything to me - I can't believe there will be another little one squeezed in there soon...! ^^
 ^^ Jungle James at the Woodside library! Both Uriah and Ezra were super eager to touch all the critters and be able to tell dad about them when he woke up - bearded dragon, tortoises, blue tongued skink, snakes (that I can't remember) and a Burmese python ^^
^^ A trip to the children's library with friends for school books + snail hunting and park playing - perfect way to end the month! ^^