35 Weeks!

I just can't believe we are already at 35 weeks. I think I say it every week but this pregnancy has absolutely flown by. I guess a combination of chasing the boys around all the time and not being as miserable as I was with my last pregnancy has just made it go by so fast. It feels like as soon as I post a weekly update I'm already getting ready to post the next one. Of course, when I don't update it until Wednesday, I guess that's to be expected.

I went through a period there for a little while where I was a little overwhelmed with knowing we were going to be adding a newborn to our family while we still have two "babies". I struggled with that for a while and can't help but feel a little guilty. But now, I am so beyond excited about adding this little guy to our family. I'm excited to have another itty bitty baby in the house. I'm excited to have another sweet boy to love with all of my heart. I'm excited to see Smith and Sanford be big brothers. I'm excited to see Zach hold a little squish. I'm excited for him to get peed on hahaha. I'm excited to breastfeed. I'm excited to just cuddle my baby boy as much as possible. I'm excited for him to actually let me since his big brothers won't sit still long enough to do much cuddling. Its definitely going to be a shock to them having to share Mommy and Daddy but I think they're going to be great. We've been talking about babies a lot and now every time they see a baby (or even a kid up to about the age of 7) on TV or the computer or even in a book, they say "bayyyy-beeeee!!!" They have grown up so much over the last couple of months. They're both so smart and they keep us laughing constantly. I hope and pray that I can be the mommy they need as well as the mommy that baby brother needs. Thankfully, at their age, I think they will be young enough to not really realize that Mommy is a little preoccupied with baby brother and will be okay with having someone else do a lot of the duties for the first few weeks. Life is definitely going to change a lot in the next month but we're all excited!

35 Weeks

How big is baby? BabyCenter says he is about 5lbs4oz and 18in long (about the size of a honeydew melon). As usual, I think its safe to say that he's probably bigger than that. I guess we'll find out in a few weeks. 

Total weight gain? I feel like my belly alone has gained 10lbs over the last week. I have a feeling I've probably put on a couple of pounds. 

What is baby up to? Moving around a lot. He's putting a lot of pressure on my bladder. Sometimes when I get up to go potty in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning, I literally have to carry my belly so that I don't feel like I'm going to pee on myself lol.

Started showing yet? A little. This morning when we went to the nursery after church to pick up the boys, the boys went two separate ways and since Zach loves to leave me to chase BOTH of them most of the time while he strolls towards the door, I decided today was a good time to let him chase both of them in opposite directions. So, while he wrangled them, I strolled leisurely down the hall. When I got to the end, I turned around to see if he had caught them yet and a woman said "you look like you're about to pop!" I smiled and said "No, I actually have another month." and she chuckled and said "Oh, no you don't." I wanted to say "I didn't realize you were a fortune teller." I just don't understand why people think it is okay to make a pregnant woman -who already feels like doodoo- feel like crap even more. I had already walked all over this huge church and my back and belly were killing me. I don't need you to tell me that I'm "huge" or "look like I'm about to pop". Believe me, my body tells me that enough. Stepping off my soapbox now.

Maternity clothes? Oh yea. And unfortunately they're not fitting any better than they have been. 

Stretch marks? Still don't think there's any new ones but honestly, I don't really pay any attention. Most women are freaking out about stretch marks but after having twins, its a lost cause. So, I'll just embrace mine.

Sleep? Other than having to get up to potty a couple of times a night, I've been sleeping pretty well. I've been waking up feeling pretty rested which is a nice change as well.

Best moment this week? This has been a pretty good week overall. Had a doctor appointment on Tuesday and we were only there for about 45 min (as opposed to 2 hours like the previous appointment), had my bi-weekly women's bible study on Thursday morning, got to walk around Target for about an hour and a half Thursday (although I only stayed that long because a monsoon rolled over and it was literally raining so hard I couldn't see my truck from the front door and I was parked in the closest parking spot). Thanks to my crafty sister-in-law and father-in-law we now have a beautiful hospital door hanger that I am literally obsessed with and can't wait to see in person! Between Mom and me, we got the fabric for the boys' Big/Little Brother shirts bought and I've been in full on nesting mode. My hospital bags are packed minus my last minute items such as my phone charger, makeup bag, etc. I got the car seat cover washed and put back on, I'm close to being done with the boys' brother gifts, I got the bassinets put on the pack-n-play so baby brother actually has somewhere to sleep when we come home, and I've just been doing random decluttering around the house. It feels so good to get things done. 

Miss anything? As usual, I'm missing my energy. This stupid SW Florida heat kills me. Just being outside for a few minutes about knocks me out sometimes lol. I'll be happy to see "winter". A high of lower than 90* and a low lower than 75* would be awesome right about now. We're actually having some cooler weather coming this week. The highest high is 89* and its even supposed to get down to 70* a few nights. Score!

Feeling movement yet? All. day. long. Oh, and all. night. long. This child is active. 

Food cravings? Easy stuff. If it takes a lot of effort, chances are I don't want it. Convenience is where it's at right now.

Food aversions? Mostly just trying to avoid stuff that will make my reflux worse. Other than that, nothing really grosses me out.

Symptoms? Just a lot of annoying pain. When I'm on my feet a lot, my back, hips, etc hurt pretty badly. I can also tell I'm beginning to retain more water so when I do a lot of walking or standing, my feet get a little puffy. Not so much that you can really tell by looking at them but I can definitely feel it. 

Anything making me queasy or nauseous? Not really. Just reflux. Mylanta is my friend.

Signs of labor? None thank The Lord. Praying this pregnancy echoes my last pregnancy and that I can make it to term.

Rings, on or off? The last couple of times I've tried to wear all three of my rings, my finger was too puffy so I had to settle for wearing just one. Stupid fluid retention. 

Mood? Its been pretty good I think. I've had a bit of an energy boost so that helps.

Looking forward to anything? Getting everything done and welcoming this sweet little angel into the family. Most people have trouble believing that they could love another child as much as their first. Lucky for us, we had two the first go 'round so we know that you can love your second (or third in our case) child just as much as your first. I'm so excited to meet this little guy but honestly, I'm not really in a hurry for this pregnancy to end. It has flown by so quickly and has been relatively easy. Pregnancy is such a cool thing and is so fleeting. I know it won't be long before I miss feeling these kicks and jabs in my ribs. So keep cooking little man. We're excited to meet you but take as long as you need.

35 Weeks (Twins) vs. 35 Weeks (Singleton)

Y'all, this belly needs its own zip code! I thought I was huge with the twins but the fact that I'm just as big this time with a singleton makes me say WHOA! Its crazy how different the size is effecting me this time. With the twins, it literally felt like the skin on my belly was ripping apart. It wasn't uncommon for me to be in tears because of it. This time, I don't have the ripping feeling so much as my back and belly just hurt all the time. My back is hating me for gaining 40lbs out front in just 8 months lol.

 34 Weeks vs. 35 Weeks

34 Weeks

Man, reality is really starting to sink in. In just over a month, we will be bringing home our sweet baby boy and life will get even more crazy than it already is. Zach's job here in Cape Coral will be finishing up right around the time I'm due which means we could be facing another move soon after he's born (And no, we don't know where we will be going after this job is over. Chances are, we probably won't know until a week or so before they expect Zach on site.). Plus, the holidays will be quickly closing in on us which means we will probably be doing a lot of traveling. Add a newborn baby, two 18 month olds, 3 labs, a tired mommy and daddy, and a minimum 12 hour trip home to that equation and you've got craziness. Why can't we ever do anything the easy way lol? But I guess that's what makes life interesting, right?

34 Weeks

How big is baby? According to BabyCenter he is about 4lbs12oz and almost 18in long (roughly the size of a cantaloupe) but he weighed about 4lbs13oz at my last ultrasound 2 weeks ago so I think its safe to say that he's grown. I had my 34 week appointment yesterday afternoon and when my doctor measured my belly, he just chuckled and said "well, looks like you've got a healthy baby in there." He seems to be finding it funny every time he measures my belly. I forgot to ask him how many weeks I'm measuring now but with that reaction I'm guessing I'm measuring 2-3 weeks ahead as usual. 

Total weight gain? At my doctor appointment two weeks ago, they were super busy and took me the other side of the office where a different nurse checked my vitals and weighed me on a different scale than usual. That scale said I had not gained any weight since my previous appointment but being a different scale, who knows how true that was. Yesterday, they weighed me on the usual scale and it said I had gained 8lbs in 2 weeks which I'm 95% sure isn't true. I just weighed on our home scale and even though I've already eaten breakfast and had a good bit to drink, it says I've gained about 3-4lbs since I last weighed but since I usually weigh first thing in the morning before I eat or drink anything, I don't know how accurate that is. Soooo anyways, we'll say that I've gained a total of about 43lbs. Yikes!

What is baby up to? Still very active. The doctor yesterday said he thinks he may have turned around. He was breech at my last appointment. I hadn't really noticed a huge difference in the way I felt but I have noticed the jabs are a little different than they had been. I was having a lot of discomfort in my ribs and a ton of hard kicks to my bladder but the last several days it seems like less pressure under my ribs and more jabs right around my belly button so who knows. I guess we won't know unless they have to do another ultrasound.

Started showing yet? Oh yea. According to most strangers I come in contact with, I am "too big". I've actually started telling people that I'm due "in a few weeks" when they ask. It sounds better than 5 weeks lol.

Maternity clothes? Well, yea. And most of my tops are juuuust about too short. I have to be pretty strategic with stretching my stretchy cotton tops over "the belly".

Stretch marks? I don't think there's any new ones but hey, what's a few more?

Sleep? Zach is convinced that our mattress is getting worn where we both sleep every night so instead of flipping it, we tried to swap sides of the bed the other night. BIG mistake! I have a chronically pinched/irritated left sciatic nerve which makes it really hard to lay on my left side so I always sleep on the right side of the bed. The night we tried swapping was miserable. I couldn't get comfortable to save my life. I think I finally fell asleep at about 3AM and woke up hurting. The very next night I insisted we swap back. I slept soooo much better. I do usually have to get up at least once or twice, sometimes three times in the night. I've also had some seriously bad restless legs for the last several weeks. I remember I had them bad with the boys too and it is so irritating. Just lately they've started not only bothering me at night but also during the day, mostly in the evening. It feels like I have a million little needles poking me and I have trouble sitting still.

Best moment this week? Zach's parents came down for the weekend which allowed he and I to get a little one on one time. Friday night we went to the movies to see the new Maze Runner movie and then Saturday we both got pedicures :) and grabbed lunch. 

Miss anything? Feeling good lol. But I know that in just a few weeks I will be feeling much better AND we will have another sweet little baby boy to love on.

Feeling movement yet? Constantly.

Food cravings? Nothing particular. Just sweets in general and anything easy. I don't have the energy or even the care to cook much so I'm usually going for super easy stuff. Think chicken and rice and cereal.

Food aversions? Nothing really. Just trying to avoid spicy stuff since I've had an increase in heartburn and reflux.

Symptoms? All of the annoying stuff. A lot of pain in my back, pubic bone and hips, legs, tailbone; restless legs, rib pain, peeing frequently, heartburn and reflux, round ligament pain, fatigue. You know, the usual. Some times its easy to focus on how tired I am and how much my body can hurt at times, but then I remember that it'll all be over soon and it won't be long before I long for these sweet movements I feel inside of me. Pregnancy is tough but it is all so worth it.

Anything making me queasy or nauseous? Not really. Just frequent heartburn and reflux.

Signs of labor? None. Praying it stays that way.

Rings, on or off? Off at home, on when I leave the house. I can tell I'm starting to retain more water and swell a little more. I put on all of my rings yesterday to wear to my doctor appointment but they were so tight I had to settle for wearing just my engagement ring. They were so tight, I had a little trouble getting them off lol.

Mood? These stupid pregnancy hormones still have me feeling all emotional and junk. I hate this part of pregnancy. The smallest things can make me cry and I over think everything.

Looking forward to anything? Meeting this sweet little boy and becoming a family of 5.

33 Weeks vs. 34 Weeks

34 Weeks (Twins) vs. 34 Weeks (Singleton)

33 Weeks!

33 Weeks

How big is baby? BabyCenter says he weighs "a little over 4lbs" but at my appointment last Tuesday (a week ago tomorrow), they did an ultrasound to measure him and he was 4lbs13oz. At the time he was measuring 2 weeks ahead (34 weeks at the time).

Total weight gain? I weighed this morning and I have gained 1 lb since the last time I weighed at home which means I've gained 41lbs. According to the scale at the doctor last Tuesday I had not gained any weight since my previous appointment. 

What is baby up to? He's constantly moving around a lot. The ultrasound showed that he is actually breech which explains why I am having a good bit of trouble breathing and having a lot of rib pain. His head is lodged in the left side of my rib cage. Sometimes I can push him away but usually he's so deep into them that I can't do much except just wait and hope he shifts soon.

Started showing yet? For sure. I am pretty self conscious because I am so much bigger than other woman who are due around the same time as me. Oh well, can't do anything about it. I guess he just has plenty of room to swim around in there.

Maternity clothes? Oh yea. And I've made the mistake of drying a lot of my tops on "high heat" so I'm pretty sure they've all shrunk PLUS I'm getting bigger and bigger. Sooo, if my shirt looks too short, just disregard it and know that I am fully aware that you can probably see the band on my maternity shorts.

Stretch marks? I may have a few news ones. I'm not sure. There's a few on my hips that are pinker than the others but I'm not sure if they're new or just old ones being stretched out again.

Sleep? I feel like every morning I wake up and I haven't moved at all all night. When I have to roll over, it usually wakes me up and it also usually makes me feel like I need to pee urgently because he shifts onto my bladder. Even though I've slept straight through the night most of this last week, I don't feel like I'm resting well. I wake up every day feeling like I only slept a few hours. Last night, though, I fell asleep at 10pm (a little earlier than usual) and didn't move until 2pm when I woke up and had to pee. Then I slept until Zach got up for work at 6am and was only awake enough to realize he was getting dressed and then let the dogs out. I don't even remember him coming to tell me bye. The boys slept until 8am and I woke up disoriented thinking Zach had forgotten to come back to tell me bye. That was some good sleep.

Best moment this week? Its been a bit of a tough week. Not because of anything that has happened but mostly just because my pregnancy hormones have been in full swing. I feel like I can cry at the drop of a hat, I'm extra sensitive so my feelings get hurt over stupid stuff, and I just want a good nap lol. I did start a new women's bible study on Thursday that I'm pretty excited about. Its geared toward stay at home moms and we'll meet every other Thursday. Our first get together was this past Thursday and the group I'm in I think is going to be really great. I left feeling super excited about our next meeting and wishing it was an every week thing.

Miss anything? Our Texas friends! It seems like we have missed so much lately. New babies, birthdays, get togethers. Even though we were only there for a short time, we made some really great friends that we are blessed to still have even though we are over 1,000 miles away. Hopefully we can get back to see everyone sooner rather than later.

Feeling movement yet? All the time. I'm hoping the amount of movement isn't an indication of how energetic this child will be because if it is then I better get some new running shoes. 

Food cravings? Nothing really. Just quick and easy things. The boys and I have had colds/allergies for the last couple of weeks so everything tastes a little funny to me due to the drainage. Things that I usually love don't taste right anymore. The pregnancy congestion was misery when I was pregnant with the boys and I was really hoping to avoid it this time around but it seems like it may never go away. 

Food aversions? Eh, nothing really.

Symptoms? I feel like such a complainer on this question. I really did feel like a million bucks until about 31 or 32 weeks. Then all of the sudden it was like my body just up and said "Nope. I'm done! Not doing it anymore!" The hip, pelvic, pubic, etc pain is pretty intense. Especially when I've been on my feet a lot. I mopped the playroom Saturday and afterwards I seriously thought my pelvis was going to shatter into a million pieces lol. I went straight to bed for the next hour or two (the boys were napping). Other than the pain, everything else is just minor. Rib pain, bladder jabs, congestion, itchy skin, fatigue, mood. Another thing that has happened in both pregnancies that I always forget about is numbness on the outside of my thighs and some of my toes. It doesn't really bother me but it is a somewhat bizarre sensation.

Anything making me queasy or nauseous? Not really. Just have random reflux. At night usually. 

Signs of labor? None thank goodness. 

Rings, on or off? I usually only wear my engagement ring when we go somewhere. Sundays I have been wearing all three of my rings and they haven't bothered me. They all still fit fine, I'm just afraid if I wear them too much they will start irritating my finger.

Mood? To be honest, its been pretty bad this week. I've had some serious pregnancy emotions going on. Just ask Zach. Anything and EVERYTHING can make me cry at the drop of a hat. Its been a pretty rough week emotionally for me. I'm ready for this crap to go away. Sooner rather than later please.

Looking forward to anything? At this exact moment, as I lay in bed with my feet propped up, I'm looking forward to getting a pedicure. This foot situation is serious! Other than that, just looking forward to the rest of the pregnancy and trying to enjoy it as much as possible. Its so easy to get to the third trimester and be so tired of being pregnant that you just wish it away but to be honest, pregnancy is such a cool experience. Feeling your child move around inside of you, although painful and uncomfortable at times, has got to be the neatest thing anyone can go through in life. With that being said, it'd be nice if little buddy would get out of my ribs! lol 

32 Weeks vs. 33 Weeks

33 Weeks (Twins) vs. 33 Weeks (Singleton)

This has been a trying week for me. I really try to keep this blog as real as possible because for me, this is like a journal that I can look back on in the years to come and reminisce on what life used to be like. I love looking back at the entries from when I was pregnant with the boys to see how I was feeling and what was going on in my head then. Some people probably think that I am too transparent but that's just who I am. I am an open book. My lack of a filter has gotten me into my fair amount of trouble in my life but I don't think its fair to sugar coat our lives because you never know when someone is reading it thinking their life is the pits but yours is perfect. Truth is, none of our lives are perfect. 

We talked in our life group a few weeks ago about how our social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc) are our A+ self but the truth is, the A+ part of our lives is nowhere near as common as our B, C, D, and even F parts of our lives. At some time or another, we've all had a messy house, misbehaved kids, financial issues, relationship issues, etc. Don't believe everything you see on someone's social media account because chances are, just outside of the picture is a complete mess. For example, my weekly picture I took tonight was taken with about a million toys just under my feet and I had to slide the recliner out of the way to get to a blank wall. We have groceries covering the kitchen counter that neither of us had the energy to put up after our trip to Sam's tonight, and I had to throw away leftovers that have been in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks so that I could fit the pizza box from Sam's because I was too lazy to transfer the leftovers into Ziploc bags. 

The good news is the sink is empty, I made our bed today (for the first time in months), the boys had baths today (because Smith threw up in his bed this morning. Don't worry, he's not sick. He just has an extremely sensitive gag reflex), and they both have clean sheets on their beds. Gotta look on the bright side, right? :)

So, the moral of the story is I am stinkin' blessed y'all! I have an amazing husband who works harder than anyone else I know to provide for our growing family, two beautiful little boys who love to read books and watch Peppa Pig and Baby Einstein, a roof over our heads, great friends and family, and another sweet little boy on the way who is going to add so much to our sweet little family. We can't wait to love on him and spoil him. 

32 Weeks…Whoa!

32 Weeks

How big is baby? BabyCenter claims he now weighs as much as a jicama. Ummm, yea. Whatever that means. Because every Southern girl knows what a jicama is. Insert big eyed emoji. Apparently the average jicama weighs about 3.75lbs and apparently he is roughly 16.7in long. So yea, those are some pretty exact measurements. But, since as of 2 weeks ago I was measuring 3 weeks ahead (which obviously doesn't mean the baby is measuring 3 weeks ahead, just my big ol' uterus is), I figure he's probably a little closer to the 35 week measurements now. If that's the case he weighs 5 1/4 lbs and is about 18in long. I have an ultrasound Tuesday and I believe they will do measurements on him then so I guess we'll see.

Total weight gain? 40lbs …I need this kid to start eating me alive like his brothers did because this is not cool. 

What is baby up to? Beating me up from the inside. My ribs are definitely stretching out which stinks because they had literally just stopped hurting from having the boys. My rib cage was so bent out of shape with them, I literally felt like I could feel them popping. Now I'm constantly bending from side to side to try to get them comfortable. 

Started showing yet? Nope. Not at all. Insert side-eye emoji. I went to Publix yesterday (by myself for once!) and had 3 separate people assume I was about to pop right then and there. They're always surprised when I tell them "Nope, still got another 7 weeks to go!" lol.

Maternity clothes? Oh yea. And I swear my tops are shrinking lol. They're getting shorter and shorter with every wear.

Stretch marks? I'm not sure if I have any new ones or if my old ones are just showing up a little more. I'm not too worried about it because the ones I got from the boys faded pretty quickly. Plus, I don't plan on wearing a bikini any time soon.

Sleep? Not so great lately. I have all but cut out caffeine but I still have trouble resting well. My restless legs have come back with a vengeance. It feels like I've got a million little needles poking me. And every time I roll over the chubster rolls over onto my bladder so I immediately have to get up to pee. He's seriously been trying to make me pee on myself all week. He's been super violent in there and is taking it all out on my bladder. Not cool little big man! This morning I woke up and I'm pretty sure I had not rolled over all night. I usually wake up to roll over and I don't remember waking at all. I also had to pee so bad that when I did finally get to my feet, I had to hurry to the potty because I seriously thought I was going to pee all over myself. Don't worry, I made it!

Best moment this week? Its been a pretty uneventful week but probably the fact that Mom was here last weekend and finally got me somewhat into the nesting spirit. Over the last few days I've pretty much gotten my hospital bag packed and gotten a ton of laundry done. While Mom was here, she did a ton of laundry, got all of the baby's stuff washed from NB up to 3 months (just incase he is a chunker when he's born),  blankets, hats, socks, etc. We got his makeshift nursery set up in our room since first of all, his "nursery" is also the guest room, and second, its on the other side of the house. So we got the pack-n-play set up (still got to attached the bassinet), got a plastic "dresser" thing with all of his essentials (gowns, onesies, swaddles, bibs, burp clothes, etc), and a cedar chest with all of the blankets and things that won't fit in the "dresser". That way it'll all be right here close instead of having to walk to the other side of the house to get it. Especially since we will have guests staying in that bedroom for a couple of weeks. Honestly, I am nowhere near as stressed out about having everything perfect this time. I think last time, being the first time, I obsessively nested starting at about 22 weeks. I got started pretty much as soon as we found out their genders. This time, 1) I don't have as much time to think about it, and 2) I've already been there done that and I know we've got pretty much everything we need so there's no point in worrying. 

Miss anything? I've been absolutely exhausted lately. Chasing the boys around wears me out. Most days I do the bare minimum and anything on top of that is just icing on the cake. I'm really trying to take in these last few weeks with my boys before they have to share Mommy with little brother. Although I'm super excited to be adding another sweet little boy, I can't help but feel a tiny bit bad that they'll have to share even more time with us. But, I just remember that kids are resilient and as long as we do the best we can and show them as much love as possible, they'll be okay. 

Feeling movement yet? Oh yea. Child is going cray-cray. Today in our LifeGroup, I learned not to push him out of my ribs because he will just take it out on my bladder. "Get back in my ribs little buddy!"

Food cravings? Ice cream, ice cold water, strawberry PopTarts.

Food aversions? Nothing really. It changes day to day. 

Symptoms? Typical pregnancy stuff. Back pain, pelvic pressure and pain, hip pain, round ligament pain, trouble breathing, trouble sleeping, restless legs, congestion, fatigue, etc lol. 

Anything making me queasy or nauseous? Not that I can think of.

Signs of labor? None so far. I'm just praying my body can make it to 39 weeks! 

Rings, on or off? I wore all three all day today with ZERO issues. Yay!!! First time in forever!

Mood? Impatient lol. I've also had a few days lately where I just feel like anything could make me cry for no reason. Stupid hormones!

Looking forward to anything? Meeting this baby boy! Smith and Sanford seem so big now. It's going to be so crazy having another itty bitty baby. I still can't believe we're so close.

31 Weeks vs. 32 Weeks

32 Weeks (Twins) vs. 32 Weeks (Singleton)

It cracks me up looking back at pictures from my last pregnancy. I feel like I always looked defeated and exhausted haha. Not that I look all chipper this go 'round or anything but last time, I don't think I realized just how worn out I looked and felt. This pregnancy I've had more energy but I think I've had more pain.