This past week has been a big one for us. Tuesday, I went to my new doctor in Cape Coral for the first time. I got to meet the doctor that I hope will be a good fit to deliver our third bundle of joy and I also got to have an ultrasound. Its always exciting seeing that heart beating and limbs jabbing. This was my first ultrasound since 7 weeks (Doppler at 12 weeks) and even though I had been feeling movement for 3 or 4 weeks, I'm still always a bit paranoid. Plus, we're used to going every single month for an anatomy scan so an ultrasound every few months just might not cut it. According to the doctor, everything looks great with Mommy and baby. Speaking of my new doctor, I loved him. After having a c-section with the boys since they were both breech, I would really like to VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). This doctor came highly recommended on a VBAC support page I am part of on Facebook. Although VBACs aren't really super popular in the SWFL area, this doctor as well as a few others in his group are very supportive as long as Mom is a good candidate. He told me that the doctors in his group as well as other groups who deliver at the nearby hospital are currently in the process of meeting and discussing ways to help safely achieve more VBACs here. After one meeting with him and also after a pretty good bit of research myself, I feel pretty confident that I am a good candidate to VBAC as long as this pregnancy keeps progressing well. We will discuss it further at my next appointment and so on.
Since Zach wasn't able to come to my appointment with me, I had the ultrasound tech put the gender revealing pictures in an envelope so he and I could open it together. When I made my appointment they told me to plan to be there for about 3 hours in order to meet with someone to talk about our insurance and any charges we will get, have my anatomy scan, meet with a nurse to go over my chart and fill in any gaps that there might be, and to meet with the doctor. I got there at 7:45am and walked out at 10:43am so I'd say they got that 3 hour window pretty dead on. Thankfully, Zach was able to take the boys to work with him the whole time so I didn't have to worry about keeping two busy bodies entertained for that long. I was even more grateful when I got there and realized I wouldn't have been able to fit the double stroller into the offices where I met the nurse and billing lady. Zach was able to temporarily move some of his office stuff to an empty room in the building he's working on that had air conditioning and plenty of open space for the boys to run around and play. I sent a couple of small toys and breakfast but other than that, they improvised. They played with an empty cardboard box, empty water bottles, paper, a shop vac (lol), and other random things in the room. They even took a cat nap in their stroller. I am beyond thankful for a husband who is willing to take on two toddlers at work so that I can go to my appointment without distraction. He is such a good daddy and the boys love him so much!
After my appointment I went straight to the job site to pick up the boys and of course, open that envelope! Early on in my pregnancy, everyone was telling me they thought it was a girl and I had kind of convinced myself that it was probably a girl too. After all, the pregnancy was so different than the boys. All of my symptoms have been a lot less intense (nausea, fatigue, pain, etc). But, over the last month or so, I started second guessing my prediction. Zach and I both have. So as we opened the envelope, I knew it was going to be a boy. We were so anxious to know what baby #3 would be. Zach practically ripped it out of my hand when I got there. We took a video to send to our immediate families with the result but I doubt I'll post it on here considering I look like an absolute moron lol. We are so excited to know that we are going to be having BABY BOY #3 due November 1st. Even though we don't have a name picked out yet, he is already so loved and we can't wait to meet him. He's got two big brothers who have no idea what is coming their way in just a few short months. Good thing they're already used to sharing.
Since I haven't posted in several months (sorry), I figured I would update everyone with a few pictures from along the way.
15 Weeks
(5-10-15)
(Awww! This was taken in Houston just a couple of days before we moved. Sad face.)
21 Weeks
22 Weeks (Today)
And just for kicks and giggles…
22 Weeks (twins) vs. 22 Weeks (singleton)
They say that with subsequent pregnancies, you generally show sooner and larger because "your body knows what to do the second time around". Well, I don't think it has anything to do with my body "knowing what to do" and more to do with my body still recuperating from being stretched to the max just 14 months ago. Either way you look at it, I'm rather large!
Here's the proof… IT'S A BOY!!!!
How big is baby?: My BabyCenter app says he's about the size of a spaghetti squash. When we went to the doctor on Tuesday, they estimate he weighed about 14oz. He was measuring about a week ahead. If he's anything like his brothers, he will probably be a pretty big guy.
Total weight gain: 25lbs ALREADY. I did so well when I was pregnant with the boys but this time around, I have craved sweets so much and I'm literally hungry all of the time. Hopefully I can get myself under control before I gain 100lbs lol.
What is baby up to?: Moving around constantly. I'm starting to wonder if this kid is going to be super hyper…err spirited.
Started showing?: We found out we were pregnant when I was 7 weeks pregnant. Seriously, by 8 weeks I felt like I couldn't conceal it much longer lol. Definitely by 12 weeks at the boys' first birthday party I was looking pretty pregnant. Everyone kept asking when we were planning to have another and I know it was definitely because I was already looking majorly pregnant.
Maternity clothes: I think I pulled out my maternity jeans when I was only about 8 or 9 weeks preggo. When I was pregnant with the boys, I was very hesitant to start wearing maternity clothes. I'm not sure why. It was like I didn't want to be that person who had to wear them earlier than most people. Now I realize how stupid that was because maternity clothes are the bomb.com. They are so comfy and hold everything in. Unfortunately I've had to go buy pretty much a whole new maternity wardrobe because all of my clothes from my last pregnancy were winter clothes (jeans, long sleeve shirts, sweaters). We were in New Jersey during the winter during my whole pregnancy with them so I needed warm clothes but this go 'round we're in SW Florida and even though I'm due late fall, there's no such thing as "fall" in SW Florida. I'm pretty sad I won't get to wear comfy long sleeve shirts this time. They're my favorite.
Stretch marks: None that are new. Just the old ones from last time. I'm hoping I'll escape any new ones.
Sleep: I sleep pretty well. I wake up a few times a night but usually can fall asleep within just a few minutes. I usually have to get up to pee right before I fall asleep and then again at around 3 or 4am. It's nothing major though. I have started having mild carpal tunnel over the last few weeks and while I wore wrist braces last time which helped a ton, this time they don't seem to do much. I'm actually more comfortable without them. Hopefully it won't get as bad this time.
Best moment this week: Finding out that we're expecting Baby Boy #3. I'm definitely going to be outnumbered but boys are soooooo sweet and I'm glad they will all 3 be close in age. I hope Smith and Sanford learn to love him as much as they love each other. I have no doubt that they will.
Miss anything: Can't think of anything. This time around has been so much easier than last time. Sometimes I enjoy reminiscing back to when I was pregnant with the boys and seeing what was going on at the same point as I'm at now. Man, I forgot how miserable I was so early on.
Movement: I started feeling little tiny flutters at around 17 weeks. At first it was more of a tightening feeling. Almost like what it feels like when once the baby(ies) is bigger and starts doing flips. The only way I can explain it is "tightening". By about 19 weeks I was feeling definite jabs. He is definitely active. I'm not sure if its because he is that much more active than his older brothers were or if he just has more room than they did. There has been many times that I will feel him up near my ribs on my left side and then literally 10 seconds later I feel him down at my bladder on the right side. They're hard jabs too so I don't think its just his feet in one place and arms in the other. Either way, I love feeling the movement. Its such a neat feeling knowing there is a tiny human growing inside of you.
Food cravings: Sweets! Sweets! Sweets! It's bad y'all! It's really bad. I discovered Nutella toward the end of my pregnancy with the boys and have been addicted ever since. Its awesome on a cinnamon raison bagel. Yum!
Food aversions: Same as last time. Chinese and BBQ don't sound too good but honestly, if you told me that's what we're having then I would eat it and enjoy it. Its just thinking about it that makes it not sound very good.
Symptoms: Nothing really yet. The occasional back pain, congestion and heartburn but nothing too bad. Tylenol will usually suffice for the back pain, the congestion isn't bad enough to rummage through the medicine cabinet for meds, and chocolate milk almost always cures the heart burn. If not, a big ol' swig of Mylanta washed down by chocolate milk. Now that is a winning combo.
Anything making me queasy or nauseous?: Not anymore. Early on, I had a little bit of nausea and bad smells got to me a little. Changing a stinky diaper wasn't fun for the first trimester. Wait, who am I kidding. Dirty diapers are NEVER fun.
Signs of labor: None. Praying it stays that way.
Wedding rings, on or off?: Off but not because of the pregnancy. They give me a really miserable rash. I hate not being able to wear them because I love them so much. I can literally wear them for 5 minutes and end up with a rash for a week.
Mood: I'm usually pretty moody anyways but I wouldn't say its been extra bad ;)
Looking forward to: Having three healthy, sweet, little boys. Being a mom is the most amazing thing and I am so thankful God has blessed us with a third little miracle. We are beyond excited for our little family to grow by one more.
Hopefully I can be better about keeping this blasted blog updated regularly. I was doing so well until the boys hit about 9 months old and I think once they started crawling, I just didn't feel like sitting down and focusing on it. Now they're walking! My babies are getting so big!
