26 Weeks

26 Weeks

How big is baby? BabyCenter says he is about the length of a green onion (1 2/3lbs and 14in long).

Total weight gain? Probably gained another pound or two if I had to guess.

What is baby up to? Still moving around a lot. 

Started showing? Every week I think "Man, I feel huge! Surely it'll slow down!" but sure enough, the next week I say the same thing all over again. 

Maternity clothes? Well yea. I finally bought a maternity swimsuit today. I've been wearing a regular swimsuit I bought last summer for right after I had the boys that had the gathered stomach (ya know, the kind that is supposed to camouflage a flabby tubby?) and it worked for a while but now that I'm rather large, it just ain't cutting it. Luckily, I found one for pretty cheap at a mall in Tampa today. 

Stretch marks? No new ones.

Sleep? I sleep pretty well in our bed which is memory foam but springs aren't quite so kind to my hips and lower back. I guess I'm spoiled by our bed.

Best moment this week? Zach and I went to Tampa for the weekend. I guess you could call it a "Babymoon". His parents kept the boys while we were gone. We made the 2 hour drive Friday after he got off work and it was POURING down rain so we went straight to the hotel. We didn't even stop to eat. By the time we got to the room, we dreaded getting out in the rain to go eat so we ended up ordering pizza. Saturday we ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel, got pedicures (Zach was such a trooper!), watched movies in the hotel room, and then went to the Tampa Bay Rays' baseball game. They were playing the Baltimore Orioles and afterwards Kacey Musgraves had a concert on the field. We got the stadium pretty early thinking we'd get to walk around and enjoy the sights and sounds of the park but their stadium is less than impressive. We've been to several parks around the country and this one was sadly at the bottom of the list. We still had a good time and enjoyed each other's company. We also met several people (workers) who had either gone to Auburn or had kids who went to Auburn. All of the workers were super friendly, unlike most parks you go to, so that was a plus. The field is also indoors so we were in the a/c the whole time which was AWESOME for these two hot natured folks. We only made it about halfway through the concert after the game before we were both about to pass out. Sunday we slept late (until about 9am) and then grabbed an early lunch. Before we headed home we went to a large mall and walked around a bit. We're not huge shoppers but we love to people watch and that was a good place to people watch for sure. We headed home and it poured down rain on us the whole trip which wasn't fun but we made it safely and we were so excited to see the boys. I'm pretty sure we were more excited than they were but that's okay. We, well at least I, had such a great time. Zach and I don't get to just be a couple very often without also having to be Mommy and Daddy so it was nice to focus on each other and just hang out. 

Miss anything? Being able to take medicine without having to worry about whether its safe during pregnancy or not lol. I've got a stupid cold but I hate taking meds while I'm pregnant so I'm just miserable. Sudafed would be nice but I took it once during my last pregnancy and it literally made me feel like I was going to have a panic attack. That elevated BP wasn't fun while pregnant. I think I'll just deal with the headache and stopped up ears.

Feeling movement? Constantly. Doctor has me doing kick counts this month (I think its customary with  all of their patients) and the directions say to count movements for an hour but if you feel 10 movements in less than an hour you can stop. If you haven't felt 10 movements in that hour then you have to start over and do it for another hour. Most nights I have only had to do it for 10-15 min. Of course one night I forgot and waited until after 10pm to start. He is usually pretty active while I'm trying to go to sleep so I wasn't too worried. After 45 min I had only counted about 5 movements. We didn't make it to 10 movements in the hour but I was so sleepy I decided to roll over and just go to sleep. I had been feeling him a ton all day long so I wasn't worried. Next thing I know he starts spazzing out and moving around like crazy. I think I counted 10 movements in like 10 minutes. Little punk was just trying to keep me up later. Last night I counted 10 movements in 6 minutes. Boy likes to jive.

Food cravings? Ice cream. I'm always up for ice cream. Who cares if I'm lactose sensitive lol. Its worth the stomach ache.

Food aversions? Nothing really. 

Symptoms? My belly is only measuring about 2 weeks ahead (when laying down) but when I stand up, it all just falls out front lol. My stomach muscles are GONE and there is nothing holding homeboy in. When I do a lot of walking or standing I can really feel it down low. Last weekend I purchased a Belly Bandit and have been wearing it when I do more standing/walking than normal and I think it really helps. When I take it off it feels like my belly falls at least a couple of inches. I'm also starting to have some restless legs when trying to sit still like in the car. I just feel like I'm not getting very good circulation and it makes me uncomfortable.  I've been pretty wiped out lately too. I just knew my iron was low because I was getting so exhausted just doing simple tasks. I got pretty anemic with the boys' pregnancy and have felt very similar to that over the last few weeks but the doctor checked my levels at my appointment last week and said they're normal. He said its just normal pregnancy fatigue. I think its a combination of chasing two toddlers, 3 dogs, and this stupid cold I've had. 

Anything making me queasy or nauseous? The last few days I've been coughing a lot from this blasted cold which makes me gag lol. I panic if I don't have some water close by. Other than that its not too bad.

Signs of labor? None.

Rings on or off? Still just wearing my engagement ring because wearing all three irritates my finger.

Mood? Decent. I'm always pretty short tempered and impatient and pregnancy usually makes it worse but its not too terribly bad. At least I don't think so.

Looking forward to anything? Our friends Jim, Kendell, and their little girl Ella who we got to know while living in New Jersey are coming to visit us next week from St. Louis. We haven't seen them since this time last year so we're really looking forward to it.

25 Weeks vs. 26 Weeks

26 Weeks (Twins) vs. 26 Weeks (singleton)

25 Weeks Update

25 Weeks

How big is baby? According to my BabyCenter app, baby boy is measuring about 13 1/2 inches in length and weighs about 1 1/2lbs (about the size of a rutabaga).

Total weight gain? I think about 30lbs. More than I would have liked to have gained at this point but oh well. When I was pregnant with Smith and Sanford, I literally HAD to eat every 2-3 hours throughout the day and usually had to eat at least one snack during the night. I ate constantly and only gained 40lbs in 37 weeks. This time, I don't really feel like I'm eating anymore than I was pre-pregnancy but I guess with one baby, he's not eating me alive so my body holds on to a lot of what I do eat. 

What is baby up to? Still kicking constantly. He gets pretty feisty every time I eat, every time I drink cold water, every time I sit still, and every night when I'm trying to go to sleep. Boy is a firecracker.

Started showing? My belly feels H U G E. I've had a few people recently ask when I'm due and when I tell them "November 1st" they're like "You're kidding!". Gee thanks people! 

Maternity clothes? Oh yea. And its so wretchedly hot down here, the less clothing the better lol. I had to buy some more tank tops yesterday because even just wearing jean shorts and t-shirts is too much coverage. 

Stretch marks? No new ones but my skin is beginning to feel like its stretching so gotta get more strict about lotion application. I don't need anymore tiger stripes.

Sleep? Still not too bad. Once I actually fall asleep I usually do pretty well. Its just the initial getting comfortable stage that's tough. I pulled out my Snoogle this week and it has helped a ton. Its even better when Zach leaves for work. I spread out and literally have pillows everywhere. I always feel bad because I feel like the pillows are crowding him.

Best moment this week? Our bed is F I N A L L Y off the floor!!! The day the movers came to load up our furniture in Houston, I was sitting at the foot of our bed talking to one of the movers about some stuff. I had forgotten that a few months prior, the girls (BooBoo and Charli) were wrestling in our room and one of them slammed into the footboard and cracked it. They play hard. While I was sitting there, I put my feet up onto the footboard and put weight on it and it just broke right in half. The mover guy was like "Uhhhh you're going to remember that YOU did that right?" lol I guess he was afraid I would blame them for it being broken and try to get a new frame out of them. So, long story short, we've put off getting a new frame until this week. We decided to just rig up our old frame since everything else is still fine. So Zach cut the legs off of the footboard and screwed them to a new board. It's not the prettiest thing ever (simply because the new board is raw wood and the bed is stained dark) but hey! It was a lot cheaper than buying a new frame so I'll take it. And the comforter is long enough to cover it anyways lol.

Miss anything? I hate not being able to take good cold medicine while pregnant. I know I can take some stuff but I don't like to take it lol. Sudafed works wonders but when I'm pregnant, it makes me feel terrible. I remember I took it once when I was pregnant with the boys and I thought my heart was going to beat right out of my chest. It can raise blood pressure and even though I didn't have any BP issues with that pregnancy, it still made me feel like crap so I refuse to take it now. Afrin would be nice now too since everyone in the house has allergies/colds. 

Movement? Oh yea.

Food cravings? Not really anything. I have, thankfully, started craving water more. I drank SO much water when I was pregnant with the boys and up until this last week, drinking water almost grossed me out. I still prefer it to be ice cold but now I'm  choosing it over other things. I've also found my pregnancy love for strawberry lemonade. Wendy's is still the best!

Food aversions? Not really anything that I can think of. 

Symptoms? When I do a lot of walking, I get that really heavy feeling down low and where all of my ligaments and such are stretching, it feels like I got hit between the legs with a softball. I can attest that that is very accurate description since I have actually been hit between the legs with a softball a time or two in my lifetime. Sorry for the visual. Once again, just trying to be real.

Anything making me queasy or nauseous? Our guest bathroom bath tub wouldn't drain and so being the good wife I am, instead of making my weak-stomached husband :) mess with it, I tried to clean it out. THAT made me queasy. (No worries though. The plumber came today and fixed it so PTL the boys can take a regular bath again.) Smelly trashcans. BooBoo's bad breath. 

Signs of labor? Nope. Hoping and praying that my body can carry this child to the full 40 weeks.

Rings, on or off? As I've mentioned before, I haven't worn my rings much at all for the last several months because they cause a rash underneath. I've worn my engagement ring a few times after I cleaned it and coated the underside with clear fingernail polish and it didn't bother me. I got brave yesterday and decided to wear my wedding bands too. Bad call. I am now the no-so-proud owner of a bumpy rash my left ring finger. I think it is because we were outside most of the afternoon so I was sweating and the sweat mixed with the wideness of my rings made my skin freak out. Looks like I'll be sticking to wearing just my engagement ring for a while. 

Mood? Better now that things have calmed down a little at home. 

Looking forward to anything? Zach's parents are coming down this week and are going to keep the boys for a couple of days while he and I go to Tampa for the weekend. We haven't gotten to have a full night, let alone a full weekend just to ourselves without the boys since they were born. When I asked him what he wanted to do this weekend his reply was "Not a darn thing!" lol. And I'm perfectly fine with that. I think we're going to go to a Rays' game but other than that, we don't have much of anything planned. I'm hoping to sleep late ;)

 24 Weeks vs. 25 Weeks

Still popping out more and more with every week that passes.

25 Weeks (Twins) vs. 25 Weeks (Singleton)

24 Weeks

To say that this last week has been rough is an understatement. I'm not usually one to be negative, especially about my life and kids but I also like to keep it real. This week has been trying. Two weeks ago today, Smith woke up with a fairly high fever. I want to say it was about 102.5 or so. I alternated Motrin and Tylenol all day which definitely kept it under control but he had a fever for 2 or 3 days. No other symptoms, just fever. We did lots of cuddling while Brother kept himself entertained. I am so thankful that my boys have each other to play with but can also keep themselves occupied if need be. By the weekend he was just about back to his normal self. Fast forward to the following Wednesday and Sanford woke up with a high fever. I thought, "oh its just the same little fever virus that Smith had. It'll be gone in a few days. No biggie." He was fussy and puny the rest of the week. By Sunday he seemed to be feeling better and I hadn't noticed any fever since Thursday afternoon so I figured we were in the clear. We went to church and he did fine but by that afternoon he was fussy again. No, not fussy, S C R E A M I N G. We ended up going to an urgent care that afternoon thinking he could possibly have an ear infection. I'm not one to take them to the pediatrician just because they have a fever for a couple of days but this just wasn't normal and I hated for it to go on any longer than it had to. He's always been my happy go lucky baby. Even when teething, neither of the boys was that pitiful. The PA looked in his ears and saw a "slight bulge" but no puss or redness and didn't feel like it was severe enough for an antibiotic. Although he had a slight fever (100.5), he had not had a fever for days so we decided it was probably just teething since he's cutting two of his top molars. I've been giving the occasionally Motrin and/or Tylenol but this child has been so stinking grumpy. 
On top of the excessive meltdowns, the dogs have been being terrible. They have had countless "accidents" in the house, been super hyper, and just overall TERRIBLE. I am not one who would ever consider getting rid of my pet(s) because its not convenient but the last several days have made me reconsider that commitment. Y'all, its bad! 
I feel so bad for Zach because he is slammed at work and being the only person from his company on this job, it all falls on him. He works so hard to make sure he does his job and does it well. Then he comes home exhausted and has a million things to do at home; cut the grass, clean the pool, build a fence, etc. And he does all of that on top of listening to me gripe and complain. I may not be good at showing it but he really is the best husband and daddy and I am so thankful for him. 
Over the last week I have had several meltdowns (but not as many as Sanford). Today Sanford was 100x better which I was so thankful. Hopefully those stinking teeth will cut on through so my baby (and myself) can have some relief. 

Okay, pity party is over for now. On to the bumpdate.

24 Weeks 2 Days

How big is baby? Baby center says baby is roughly the size of an ear of corn.

Total weight gain? LoL I added this because I was weighing pretty regularly but I haven't weighed in weeks. I know its bad so I just try not to think about it. 

What is baby up to? Practicing Kung Fu. I don't think Smith and Sanford had enough room to move around a ton and plus, they stretched out his playground so he has plenty of room to move.

Started showing? My belly seems so stinkin' big. The same ladies at church who commented on on my belly last week were commenting on my belly this past Sunday again. I'm definitely more rounded this go round.

Maternity clothes? A must. 

Stretch marks? No new ones. I'm still hoping to avoid new ones altogether.

Sleep? Its been better the last few nights. I had been getting hot most nights which I think was making me not sleep as well. The house we're renting here doesn't seem to be insulated very well because even though we keep the A/C set on about 73 (that's about as warm as either of us can stand it), our power bill is outrageous. Zach decided to put foam insulation in some of the windows to try to cut down on the heat coming through. Y'all, this SW FL heat is no joke. If it were up to him he would put it in all of the windows in the house but I am not having that. He put it in our bedroom window since we have blinds up and don't really need the extra light and I swear it has been 10* cooler in there. And the ghettoness is minimal since we have blinds cover it. Another plus is it keeps our room pitch black which makes daytime naps awesome :) Tomorrow Zach is planning to cover the sliding glass doors in the master bath because A) its probably the hottest room in the house and B) because the doors lead out to a terribly ugly little walkway area that goes to the backyard. It ain't pretty. 

Best moment this week? I got some good deals on baby stuff! I got the (big) boys a bunch of clothes at Once Upon A Child for only $60. It included several name brand collared shirts for church (Polo, Old Navy, Gymboree, etc), a few pairs of cute dressy shorts (also name brand - GAP, Children's Place, etc), and a bunch of pairs of comfy shorts for them to lounge around the house in since its 100* and a whole outfit is usually out of the question. We also bought a ton of diapers from Target since they had a huge sale going on. We bought close to 3,000 diapers and 3,200 wipes for about 2/3 what we usually would pay. An added bonus was I found a cute baby blanket for Baby Boy that I've been eyeing for months but just couldn't justify spending $25 on it. I got it for $12.50. Score.

Miss anything? Probably mostly just my energy. Chasing the boys and dogs around all day paired with this FL heat wears on me. It definitely makes me even more grateful that we lived in NJ during the winter for my last pregnancy. I'm too hot natured to be pregnant in the summer. We'll have to keep that in mind for next time lol.

Movement? Constantly. 

Food cravings? Sweets. I was thinking tonight about how theres not really anything particular that I can think of that I crave. Just as long as its sweet and unhealthy. Emphasis on the unhealthy. 

Food aversions? It sort of depends on my mood. We have eaten BBQ several times lately and I enjoyed it so I guess I can take that off of the "aversion" list. I'm trying to avoid acidic stuff simply because my heartburn and indigestion has been pretty bad these last few weeks. I absolutely LOVE orange juice but have been trying not to drink it much because its the worst on my heartburn. 

Symptoms? Sciatica which is a constant for me anyways but pregnancy always makes it worse. Especially if I do a lot of walking. I think just the fact that my stomach muscles are still so stretched out makes it harder on my back in general to hold the weight of a baby. My whole GI tract is all out of whack which makes me just feel like doodoo (pun intended). We'll just leave it at that.

Anything making me queasy/nauseous? I'm pretty sensitive to rank smells. Like I've mentioned before, stinky diapers are a lot stinkier these days, smelly trash/trashcans smell worse, etc. Just anything gross that usually wouldn't bother me bothers me now. Thankfully Zach's stomach has gotten stronger since my last pregnancy so he can step in and handle situations more often when I don't have the stomach to. 

Signs of labor? None. Just already feeling that heavy feeling down low. Thanks to the boys I'm carrying a lot lower a lot sooner this time. 

Rings, on or off? I haven't been wearing them for a while because they always break my fingers out but I (finally) cleaned my engagement ring and coated the underside with clear fingernail polish and wore it yesterday for the first time in months and guess what! No rash! Hopefully I can start wearing them again. At least when I leave the house. 

Mood? Like I mentioned up top, the last week has been rough. It's included several embarrassingly tearful phone calls to Zach and to my mom but like always, I know this is just a phase and things can ALWAYS be worse. I have so much to be thankful for and shouldn't be complaining. 

Looking forward to anything? Next weekend Zach is taking me to Tampa for the weekend. Zach's parents are coming down for a few days so we're taking the opportunity to get away for a bit.  I'm a little sad to be leaving the boys but I know they will be in good hands and we need the break. Not having family around makes it difficult for us to have times to just be a couple so when we get a chance we have to take it. Plus, this will most likely be the last time we get to take a trip before Baby Boy gets here. I guess we can call it a babymoon. It IS rather embarrassing that the boys are 15 months old (on Friday) and I have never spent the night away from them. I'm looking forward to having some one on one time with my sweet hubby but going to miss my buddies. 

23 Weeks vs. 24 Weeks

So I always see/hear people say "My belly has really popped this last week or two." I'm over here saying "My belly 'pops' every single week!" This gut is going to be outrageous.

24 Weeks (Twins) vs. 24 Weeks (Singleton)

Sunday evening cuddles with my sickly boy. We did a lot of this over the last week.

More cuddles and pitifulness.

I had to bring some muscle to push all those stinking diapers.

\

We barely got them all into my truck.

Of course I had to the stereotypical couponer picture and make it all "pretty" (even though I didn't really use any coupons).

23 weeks

Its hard to believe we are already more than half way with this sweet baby boy. He is already so loved and he doesn't even have a name yet lol. 

I'm going to be really honest with y'all here, I was sort of hoping for a girl. When we first found out we were expecting again, I was hoping it'd be a girl. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE having my boys and wouldn't change a single thing about either one of them. Well, maybe I would have them magically potty trained now at 14 months. But other than that, they're perfect. But I think it is natural for women to want a little girl. Early on I truly believed this one would be a girl. This pregnancy has been so different from when I was pregnant with the boys. I've had less indigestion and heartburn, I wasn't quite as wiped out in the beginning as I was with the boys. And overall, I have just felt different. I thought surely since this time was so different that it would be a girl. Fast forward to about 2 weeks before we had our gender reveal. Zach and I both changed our minds and thought "its another boy". As Zach was nervously opening the envelope that would tell us girl or boy, I said "We both know its another boy so I don't know why you're acting nervous" lol. Sure enough, BOY! And although I was initially a little disappointed, this little boy is going to be loved so stinking much by his mommy, daddy, and big bothers. Every time I feel him move, I fall deeper and deeper in love with him. I think he's going to be feisty because he is constantly moving. Zach has even gotten to feel him a few times. It literally startles me sometimes by how violent his movements are. I love it!

23 Weeks

How big is baby? My BabyCenter app says he weighs as much as a large mango. 2 weeks ago at my appointment, he weighed about 14oz so I think its safe to say he weighs more than a lb now. 

Total weight gain? Haven't weighed this week but I'm sure I've gained some….or a lot ;) (That ice cream is just so good!)

What is baby up to? Practicing his kung fu. I thought Smith moved around a lot in there but this kid takes the cake.

Started showing? I feel like I've really popped this week. Even more than I already had. A couple of ladies at church this morning said "Oh! Aren't you just so cute! You've really popped out this last week!" lol Thanks ladies…I was already feeling massive. 

Maternity clothes? Of course. I tried to wear a non-maternity maxi skirt to church today and boy was I miserable. Since it wasn't maternity, it either wanted to sit above my belly or below but nowhere in between. It looked stupid above my belly but when it was below I was self conscious that my shirt wasn't coming down far enough to cover me completely. Plus, it made the skirt too long and I ended up tripping all over it. It was a good idea but the execution just wasn't up to par. I'll definitely be retiring that outfit for a while. 

Stretch marks? No new ones.

Sleep? I'm starting to have more and more trouble. My carpal tunnel still isn't miserable which is good but I wake up several times a night. Plus, this darn sciatic nerve has been bothering me a lot this week. I had a lot of sciatic nerve pain with the boys (I've had issues with it since 9th grade -about 12 years ago) and it eased up after I had them but never went away completely. Pregnancy just magnifies it. Fun stuff.  It helps if I wear comfy shoes though. I even bough some Birkenstock sandals today in hopes that they will be more supportive than my flat sandals I've been wearing a lot. Zach said I'm "bringing sexy back". 

Best moment this week? Zach has gotten to feel baby boy kick several times and I love the look on his face. He's going to hate me for saying this but its a different kind of smile he gives me and I just love it. 

Miss anything? Umm I guess maybe my energy. This little guy is starting to kick my butt. This pregnancy is so close to the last one that I know my body hasn't had time to heal and so I'm afraid this time is going to kick my butt as much or more than the boys did. But, I am so thankful for this blessing and I don't mind taking a nap every now and then ;)

Movement? Umm YES! I don't remember being able to see movement on the outside until later with the boys. But I've been able to watch this dude kick from the outside for at least a week or more. Seriously, maybe 5 minutes ago I was sitting here typing and I swear he made my belly flinch a good inch outwards. It was insane. Now I'm laying in the bed with my shirt pulled up so I can watch the movements more easily. I love those jabs. It is seriously the coolest thing ever.

Food cravings? Sweets. Ice cream is always a favorite. I did good today, we had BBQ for lunch and it was super good. It just didn't sound appetizing beforehand. I also had Taco Bell yesterday but it didn't do anything for me. It actually made me gag on the first bite. I ate it though because my sweet husband brought it home for lunch after he had been at work all morning on July 4th. Diet Sunkist too. It is just so good.

Food aversions? Same (the thought of BBQ, Chinese, and Taco Bell)

Symptoms? I've been feeling nauseated more often lately. Stinky diapers make me gag, weird smells make me gag, and I've had more heartburn. Mostly at night though. I feel like a hot box 90% of the time too. This SW Florida heat and humidity doesn't help either. 

Anything making me queasy or nauseous? ^^^^ Stinky diapers, smelly trash, harsh smells such as gasoline and air fresheners. The heat and humidity makes me nauseous some too. 

Signs of labor? Nope. 

Wedding rings, on or off? Still off :( Stupid rash!

Mood? I'm definitely more snippy. I don't know what it is about being pregnant that makes me like that but its bad. It is probably just a mixture of not feeling 100% and hormones. That's what I'm going to go with at least.

Looking forward to? Of course I'm looking forward to meeting this little dude! 

22 Weeks vs. 23 Weeks

 

 I feel so much bigger this week than I did last week but looking at these pictures, there doesn't seem to be that big of a size difference.

23 Weeks (Twins) vs. 23 Weeks (Singleton)

Boy do I look worn out in the picture on the left. Going back and reading the blog post that goes along with this picture, I was obviously feeling a whole lot worse than I am this time. I'm still amazed at how different each pregnancy can be. 

Beyond blessed!