prego stats - week 32

How far along: 32 weeks, aka way too early to deliver a baby. DO YOU HEAR THAT BABY3? (explanation coming)

Total weight gain: 18lbs?

How big is baby: squash

Maternity Clothes: yes, and I'm getting really tired of them! as a result, I've gotten really creative lately and am trying to re-incorporate non-maternity pieces whenever possible. I have 1 pair of shorts and 1 pair of jeans that still fit (thank you, elastic + low-rise), and then summer dresses seem to work.

Sleep: not so much. Baby3 is kicking like you wouldn't believe and she seems the most active from 9pm-1am every day. Making sleep before 1am impossible. Guess it's good preparation!

Best moment this week: finding out I'm not in labour after a very scary false alarm where I thought my water broke! It was JUST LIKE WITH THE OTHER TWO, except it was a false alarm... If you recall, my other two never came about from my water fully breaking, nor from labour starting on it's own. In both cases, my water was just leaking (thus no contractions, continual fluid, or labour), so after many hours of this, the rest of my water was manually broken and I then rapidly went into labour. It's not safe to go longer than 24 hours with ruptured (partially or fully) membranes without labour beginning, which is why the remaining waters were broken. 

Movement: SO.MUCH. I can't even handle it. She's running out of room so her constant movements all evening are starting to truly hurt and be inconvenient. But I'm just happy she's still in there! By the looks of my stomach, she's still quite tiny (though over 4lbs, likely) so I'm glad for her to be cooking a little longer safe inside. But man the movement hurts!

Food cravings: sweet tooth is BACK.

Food aversions: nope!

Gender: girlfriend.

Labor signs: ha. yes. all false alarms though! and lots of Braxton Hicks!

Belly button in or out: out

What I miss: flexibility and movability. I'm pretty awkward these days :)
 

What I'm not loving: the kicking girl in my too-small womb!
 

What I’m looking forward to: meeting her, but not for another 4 weeks minimum!

What I'm loving: I've scored some awesome baby items lately for baby3 that I'm really excited about! After Lily was born and I already had most of my baby gear, I saw this Skip Hop play mat that I fell in love with. Sadly, I couldn't justify the $80 to buy it since I already had one. I didn't love the look of mine, which was tough since it lived on my living room floor for almost a year, but I'd make due. But today I found it on Kijiji for $30! That I will justify and love for the coming year! Isn't it cute!?

Pregnancy Sweet Spot (aka middle of the 2nd trimester)

Guys. Life is GREAT. At any given time, sure, there are things a prego in my shoes could complain or worry about. The leg and foot cramps have begun. Already. Any day now I'll be too big to carry both of my toddlers down the stairs at the same time, and then how the heck are we supposed to leave the house? But those thoughts can wait. Because pregnancy is so sweet right now.

Why?

Baby is starting to kick, but not in a painful, annoying, ruin-your-sleep kind of way. More like in a sweet, gentle, reminding-you-I'm here kind of way. And I love it! It wasn't too long ago I was in the ER with a friend (Brad was out of town) with severe cramps, sure I was miscarrying. Those kicks are signs of life for me and I am so thankful for every.single.one.

Nausea and vomiting are gone, and I haven't felt those wicked symptoms in weeks. I also haven't had to take the anti-pregnancy-nausea pills in months, which made me even more exhausted than I already was. I can enjoy food as a result, and cooking and baking too.

I'm showing and maybe even glowing. I don't know about the last part - but I've heard it once or twice. Probably more the glow you get when you haven't showered in a couple days and your kids are making you laugh and it's finally hot outside and you've been chasing the toddlers around. That glow, that's not at all related to pregnancy, is probably more the one I have, but I'll take the compliment :) And showing is great because people always give me their seats on the metro and I get a lot of smiles and kindness from the general population at large.

Our kids can see I'm pregnant and they're excited. Lily didn't know what the heck was happening when she was 4.5 months old and I ran to tell her the good news that she was going to be a big sister. Obviously.  But now she's 2.5 years old and well aware, she's even told us without a doubt that the baby is a girl! And even Oli understands a bit - at least much more than she did when I was pregnant with him! He kisses my tummy and says "baby!" a lot and cuddles it too.

I have some energy again, so I'm enjoying it. The 1st trimester and 3rd are often just such a blur of exhaustion, but the 2nd trimester really is grand. Some moms I know say they've never had more energy, and while I can't relate to that, I am feeling so much better than before that it seems that way. I'm loving taking the kids out in this nice weather and getting things done during some naptimes if I'm feeling extra empowered.

I'm realizing that my 3rd child is coming... soon! The 1st trimester is all about survival. I don't think much beyond the toilet bowl. I can't pretend I spend those early weeks dreaming of the baby who is being knit together in my womb. I'm thinking about what I ate last and how it's making me want to vomit. But now, I'm in a place where I can prepare, dream, and long for our third little sapling. I've begun buying some things we need (some cloth diapers in size 1, a car seat, etc), and I've started to prepare and get excited even for breastfeeding. I know September will fly by (and baby could come any time that month too!) and we have a busy summer ahead so he'she will be here before we know it!

it's a sweet sweet time and I'm savouring every last drop.

prego stats - week 14

After weeks of silence, today I'm catching up. You can read about week's 12 and 13 in one big post below, and I'll do this week separately, since it's still in real time. Guys, week 14 has been GOOD. My nausea is almost gone (still only slight bits but usually only in the morning or if my stomach is empty) and I'm feeling loads better and eating regularly now. I'm still tired like no tomorrow though. Thank goodness for naps!!

How far along: 14 weeks

Total weight gain: Not sure, maybe 5lbs? Will find out on Thursday at my appointment. 

How big is baby: lemon

Maternity Clothes: yep! or yoga gear or pjs...

Sleep: naps are my best friend. 2-3 hours daily or ELSE! (seriously "else" means going to bed shortly after the kids do...)

Best moment this week: Brad told me he was open to one of my FAV girl's names that he has previously refused... I am over the moon! And so hoping we have a girl now so we can use it :)

Movement: I thought I may have felt something this week! It's early, but they say when it's your 3rd or 4th baby you feel things sooner (and also know the feeling apart from gas, etc). So I don't know for sure, but I *may* have!

Food cravings: still sea food! I made salmon on Saturday (don't worry, I'm within my weekly allowances for it!) and last night I made the most delicious fish tacos! Here's a link to the recipe. We added tons of guacamole instead of sour cream and didn't add cheese. 

Food aversions: still meat a little bit...

Gender: too soon. we find out April 30th! vote on the sidebar!!

Labor signs: too early

Belly button in or out: OUT!

What I miss: energy...

What I'm not loving: fatigue

What I’m looking forward to: finding out the gender, hearing the heart beat on Thursday again.

What I'm loving: the 2nd trimester!

Milestone(s): see answer previous ;)

prego stats - week 12 + 13

So for weeks 12 + 13 I was in Florida and/or gearing up/down for the trip, so the blogs took a bit of a hit. I definitely fell behind in my weekly posts but before I turn 15 weeks (this Friday!) I want to update how things have been. This will be to the best of my recollection, because I can't say I remember every day since it was a 2 week spread...

How far along: 12 and 13 weeks

Total weight gain: not sure, but not much. probably 5lbs max? If that? But don't worry. I get bonkers heavy towards the end, it's just how my body seems to process pregnancy. It's nothing for a long time and then very sudden weight gain. Just as my stretch marks.

How big is baby: lime + medium shrimp (random)

Maternity Clothes: yep! can't wear normal pants comfortably anymore, so it's maternity or lululemon. In Florida I picked up the maternity clothes I'd ordered from the US Gap only to find out that two of the pairs of pants were huge! The one pair that I was SO excited about (floral skimmer jeans) were impossibly large and I sent them back. The Gap's sizing is definitely not the same as Old Navy's, though they have the same ownership! Weird. Because the same size pants from Old Navy (some bright blue skimmers) fit perfectly. Another pair, also from the Gap, were somewhere in between. They fit like boyfriend jeans though they're supposed to be skinnys, but I can make them work, so I kept them. 

Sleep: sleep has been good, though I can never get enough. Every day I nap for 2-3 hours. I know. Luxury right?! I'm so blessed. Lily and Oli nap at the same time, for the same amount of time (9:30am or 10am- 12pm or 12:30pm), so I always join them. If I don't nap at that time with them, I have been known to go to bed as early as 8pm. I seriously can't keep my eyes open!

Best moment this week: Florida with Oli was a nice break, and I never had to cook a meal - my parents did everything in the kitchen!

Movement: too early.

Food cravings: Sea food! While I was in Florida I was wanting fish and shellfish every night!! We bought fresh shrimp one night from a shop beside the ocean where it was caught and my dad made shrimp cream linguine and it was TO DIE FOR. Also sour things. I am loving olives and blueberries together, pickles, sour candies, and non-alcoholic margaritas. All that sour kick!

Food aversions: Still slightly averse to meat. Not that I can't eat it, but I don't desire it at all.

Gender: too early! We find out April 30th!

Labor signs: ha! no.

Belly button in or out: OUT. I knew this day would come. my pregnancy belly button is ALWAYS an outie. And it happens earlier with each pregnancy.

What I miss: real margaritas :) 

What I'm not loving: fatigue.

What I’m looking forward to: April 30th! 

What I'm loving: Lily asks if she can "hold the baby" and I say yes, and then she takes her two hands and puts them on either side of my belly and stays there for a minute. She literally holds the baby in my womb! What a sweet little thing.

Milestone(s): out of the 1st trimester! We'll see how our baby's doing on Thursday when I have an appointment, but we have every reason to believe the pregnancy is going smoothly.

peace out, 1st trimester!

I couldn't resist the baby peace sign!

This is my LAST week of my first trimester. I'm feeling loads better and will stop taking Diclectin soon (I've already begun taking less). I'm tired as anything and nap for 2 hours each day when the kids do, but that's enough to keep me alert and energized to parent intentionally the rest of the day. All of my taste buds seem back to normal, if not elevated. I am eating plenty these days and expect my weight will jump soon. Especially now that my sweet tooth and joy of baking has come back :)

I am so thankful for this baby and for this first trimester. We've had two scares already - once when we couldn't find the heart beat and again when I went to the ER with cramping at 11 weeks (more on that soon), but in both cases, baby and me were and are fine. What more can a Mama ask for? Jesus, your blessings are paramount. We are unworthy and you give abundantly.

6 months to go!

Not Pregnant to-do List

It's now been 5 months of trying to have a baby. Which pales in comparison to how long some wait to become parents, I know. But it's also 4 months longer than we waited for our first two pregnancies, so it's been tough.

In all, I've been less frustrated and sad with each passing month. Maybe some experience the opposite feelings, but for me the first month was devastating because I was convinced I was pregnant. The second month was quite hard too because I was expecting this pregnancy attempt to be brief like my first two pregnancy attempts were. Not so. But as the months have passed I've accepted more and more that we can't control these things, but that God can (and he is Good no matter what), and to trust him.

I think too, because it's taking a while to get pregnant, I'm now assuming we won't be pregnant with each passing month. I'm getting used to not being pregnant, whereas at the beginning I was not familiar with the wait.

One thing that's helping is I'm trying to enjoy not being pregnant for as long as God sees fit to have me this way. What are some things I can't do when pregnant? I should do them now and enjoy them fully! What are some symptoms I suffer when pregnant? I need to appreciate the lack of them in these days that I'm waiting to be pregnant. Have a look at the list I've compiled to help me do just that:

Not Pregnant to-do List:

Enjoy the mornings with Lily and Oli. Soon I’ll trade in smiling toddlers for a toilet bowl full of morning sickness.

Take the kids out and about most days. Soon I’ll trade in adventurous days for couch lounging and guilt that my kid’s haven’t seen the sun in days.

Bake sweets and enjoy eating them. Normally I have an aversion to sweets in my first trimester.

Eat low-sodium while I can. On that note, I often eat my weight in salted French fries when I’m pregnant.

Eat, Drink, and be Merry. Soon food will taste weird or awful and yummy drinks will be on the black list (I’m talking to you, Christmas ales, rich red wines, and good ol’ G&Ts!) and fatigue will override festiveness.

Stay up late and wake up early and live to tell the tale. Extreme fatigue is part of pregnancy that is doubled when I take meds to handle morning sickness, so I’ll try to savour the energy I have now.

Use my friend’s hot tub often. Hot water on the baby bump is ill advised but oh so relaxing.

Go out for all-you-can-eat sushi and take it seriously. As in really push the limits of the word “can”. Soon raw fish will be a no-no.

Guilt-free coffee guzzling. I’ve had coffee aversions in my 1^st trimester for both pregnancies, but after that, I always wish I could down several cups a day to combat the fatigue. I can now, so I must ;)

Back exercises and yoga. Speaking of mussles, my lower back muscles are in terrible shape after the almost- Irish twins. I’ve been told that strengthening my lower back will lessen pregnancy pain there, so I’ve got to find some exercises and get going!