thirty-six weeks | baby five

My blood pressure has been all over the place with no real rhyme or reason to it, but everything else looks fine, so apparently no one cares?  Whatever.  I've had numbers between 120/80 to 160/95 over the last two weeks.  But more blood work came back just fine.  My family was all hoping I'd be induced this coming Friday (the 29th) but that isn't looking likely at all.  Maybe this will be the first time I actually make it to 39 weeks?  Whatever the case, I'm meeting baby girl in 16 days or less.  It is still pretty surreal.

how far along:  36 weeks + 3 days (compare to 36 weeks with Ryann, Elsie and Thea)

size of baby:  A ripe papaya.  She is likely nearing 19 inches and 6 pounds.

weight gain: +29 pounds.  I hadn't gained any weight in a few weeks, and then BAM.  Christmas happened.  Oh well.

maternity clothes: Definitely.

symptoms:  Restless legs, back pain, constipation, headaches, and now we can add swelling to the list.  I've had a few days of horrible swelling, but overall it isn't too bad.  But it is definitely pitting now which is awesome if I try to wear real shoes.

exercise:  Nothing really.  But now that I'm nearing the 37 week mark, I'm thinking I need to increase the walking again, encourage little miss to join us on the outside.  :)

cravings/aversions:  Truthfully nothing really.  Maybe white cheese dip still.  I really need to just eat some before I have this baby so I can say I did.  I'm pretty sure the dairy will make me feel like crap though.

movement:  She has actually slowed down over the last week.  Still a fair amount of movement in the evenings and middle of the night (which I'm sure will carry over after she is born, fantastic) but during the day I have to really concentrate on it.

sleep:  With all of the things on my to-do list and Christmas stuff, I didn't sleep much in the last week in general.  But overall I'm sleeping fine.

gender:  Girl

looking forward to:  Meeting this baby girl!  We're basically at that waiting stage point and I'm antsy.  It doesn't feel like it is going to happen any time soon, but it could!  Also call me Scrooge but I'm looking forward to taking down the Christmas decorations and getting my house back in order.  I love the decorations and the festiveness, but it always feels soooo good to get it down!

worries:  I'm a little anxious about changing up the family dynamic again.  I think Thea will be a good big sister, but she also plays the baby of the family pretty well, and as always, it breaks my heart to think of completely rocking her world.  I'm pretty sure Ryann and Elsie will be mostly unphased, and in general just enjoy the extra screen time they get when she is born.  HA.

best moment this week:  The wall paper and custom name sign we ordered arrived!  And they're on the wall and I'm in love.  And it was Christmas and I got a new computer and a new diaper bag and I've checked a few more things off my to-do list.  Just keep nesting, just keep nesting... :)

With the new wallpaper in the nursery and the belly in front of the Christmas tree.

thirty-four weeks | baby five

I think it is safe to say I'm in the home stretch!  An induction date of January 12th has been set if she doesn't decide to come on her own (or get evicted) before then.  Exactly one month or less to go!

To be honest though, I'll be surprised if we make it to the 12th.  Last Monday I was sitting at the counter (waiting shamelessly for my husband to bring me Sheridans, because PREGNANT), when all of the sudden I got a head rush, followed by a headache and nausea.  It was bizarre and I could tell something was off.  I asked Chris to take my blood pressure when he got home, and it was 150/90.  We rechecked in the morning and it was the same.  That evening it was down to 140/80, but Wednesday morning when we checked it was 160/95.  At that point I figured I better at least be seen to rule out pre-eclampsia.  But Wednesday wasn't convenient so I said I couldn't make it in until Thursday.  When the nurse called back she didn't seem amused, and said my doctor wanted me to head to triage in labor and delivery at some point to be evaluated.  I felt like that escalated quickly!  I didn't want to end up stuck in KC in the dark or driving back late at night so I convinced them (basically refused to come) to let me come in Thursday morning.  Wednesday evening my pressure was better and Thursday morning it was a normal 120/80.  I still went in and had labs drawn, but everything checked out just fine.  It was definitely bizarre.  I felt like an idiot for calling, but it was the right thing to do.

I had another doctor's appointment today, and for the most part all still looks well.  My blood pressure was 135/80, and I'm measuring two weeks ahead which seems to be freaking my doctor out for some reason (I've measure ahead with every pregnancy and not had large babies, stop trying to scare me!).  But otherwise, everything is fine.  She wants us to keep monitoring my blood pressure at home and call if I have any other crazy symptoms, or it gets to 150/90 again.

how far along:  34 weeks + 2 days (compare to 34 weeks with Ryann, Elsie and Thea)

size of baby:  A Savoy Cabbage.  This app and it's weird foods.  Baby girl should be around 18 inches and in the neighborhood of five pounds.

weight gain: +27 pounds.

maternity clothes: Yes.  A decent portion of my maternity shirts don't fully cover my belly.  Fail.

symptoms:  Restless legs, back pain, constipation, headaches, and a long list of other random crap that is annoying.  Really overall I feel 'fine', just pregnant.  I'm not miserable by any means, but I don't know very many people who could claim the last six weeks of pregnancy comfortable.

exercise:  Since my blood pressure has been weird I've been trying to take it easy.  So basically I feel like a lazy lump.  But on the days where my step count is under 7,000 my back hurts less and I have few to no braxton hicks.

cravings/aversions:  Light foods, nothing too greasy.  I can't eat very much before I'm uncomfortably full. 

movement:  I cannot begin to describe the amount of movement from this kid.  I posted a video on instagram of her shenanigans.  She is constantly moving all over the place.  Which leads me to believe she can't be as gigantic as my OB is making her out to be, she clearly has plenty of room to move around.  At church on Sunday she was moving and kicking throughout the entire hour.  It is just now starting to become slightly painful at times, but for the the most part it is just funny.

sleep:  Some nights are fine, some nights are more restless, but I'm not finding myself awake for hours at night so I'll take it.

gender:  Girl

looking forward to: The little blood pressure incident prompted me to start getting my butt in gear and I've been making lots of lists and crossing things off.  Thea made the transition to her new room and new bed over the weekend, and now there are itty bitty baby clothes hanging in the nursery closet.  I can't wait for the wall paper and custom sign I ordered to be delivered so we can get baby girl's room all set up!

worries:  That this girl actually will be a giant.  I think I'm in the minority, but I love my teeny tiny newborns.  And they come out pretty easy.

best moment this week:  Thea successfully switching to the new bed just feels pretty huge.  It wasn't seamless, but she is doing a great job!  Also the girls desperately want to know what baby sister's name will be, and just their excitement over all of it is fun.  A swaddle with her name on it was delivered yesterday so I think we'll share with them in the next couple of days!

thirty-two weeks | baby five

I really can't believe I'm already 32+ weeks.  Saw my doctor yesterday for a regular check-up yesterday.  All is looking well.  I'm measuring a week ahead, but she also noted it was difficult to really find the top of my uterus because baby girl was so high up.  She seemed surprised, but girlfriend is still head down so I'll take it!  My blood pressure still looks good.  For now we have scheduled an induction for 39 weeks, which by her calendar is January 12th.  Less than seven weeks until I'll have a newborn in my arms.  And reality is she could come in as little as 4.5 weeks.  Oh man...

how far along:  32 weeks + 3 days (compare to 32 weeks with Ryann, Elsie and Thea)

size of baby:  A Florida pomelo? I don't know what that is.  Possibly close to 18 inches long and about four pounds.

weight gain: +26 pounds the last time I checked over the weekend.

maternity clothes: Yes, and I swear I don't have any comfortable pants at all.

symptoms:  Restless legs, exhaustion and occasionally hormonal.  But none of that has been too bad.  My back muscles have just been getting incredibly tight.  Overall I can't complain too much, but I do long to remember what it feels like to not be pregnant.  Lol.

exercise:  Walking walking walking.  Not as much as I'd like because I haven't been sleeping as well so I can't always get up before the kids to get on the treadmill.  Still managing 90,000-100,000 steps a week.

cravings/aversions:  Something that I don't have to cook myself?  But nothing too heavy.  Food is just irritating.  Not a lot sounds good, and having to make anything really drives me nuts.

movement:  She is pretty much insane.

sleep:  I had a few really really rough nights.  So I took benadryl a couple of nights.  Last night and the night before I woke up once to go to the bathroom, but managed to quickly fall back asleep.  So that is nice.  But I usually have a headache in the middle of the night when I wake up which is just annoying.

gender:  Girl

looking forward to:  Lots of things.  I'd say there are more things that I am anxious to get accomplished than actually looking forward to.  I want to get Christmas gifts wrapped and cards made and mailed.  I need to finish organizing the big girls' room and buy a mattress for Thea's new bed.  I need to order the wall paper for the nursery and I can't wait to get that set up.  But to be perfectly honest I fantasize about when I can crawl in my bed and lie completely on my stomach.  No joke.  Ask Christopher.  I talk about it all the time.  I'm 100% a stomach sleeper and I miss it so so much towards the end of pregnancy.

worries:  I've started to worry a bit about the whole labor and delivery process.  Overall, I assume it will go pretty much as it has with the last three girls, and that isn't a big deal at all.  I'm more worried about something throwing me a curve ball, needing a c-section, something popping up that I'm not at all prepared for.  But I'm sure we'll survive.

best moment this week:  Chris's aunt gave me the blanket she crocheted for baby girl and it is so pretty.  I love it.  A little sneak peak...

Also we haven't told the girls the name we've chosen yet, and it is driving Ryann crazy.  Ryann said something about baby sister this morning, and then she followed up with "Ugh! I can't keep calling her baby sister!  I need to call her by HER NAME."  Lol, poor girl.  I'm waiting until the Trendy Timber sign I ordered comes in.  Do a little reveal.  But on the bright side I know Ryann likes the name so she'll be happy.  :)

my photo from 31 weeks

thea says

Me:  "Do you see the moon up there?"
Thea:  "Yeah, I wike it.  It's pitty awesome."

Me:  "What do you want to wear today?"
Thea:  "I want to wear a pitty dress!  I want to pin and twirl in it!"

Me:  "I love you Thea!"
Thea:  "I love you so much mama."
Me:  "I love YOU so much!"
Thea:  "Thanks mama."
Me:  "You're so sweet."
Thea:  "I not sweet.  I toot (cute)!"

Thea:  "Hey!  I've got a gweat idea!"

I've had most of those in a note on my phone since September.  To be perfectly honest I still can't understand what Thea says half the time.  She isn't 2.5 yet so I shouldn't be all that worried, but she talks so much that her inability to enunciate words is relatively prominent.  The other morning Chris and I were chatting before he left for work while Thea was sitting in her high chair with her breakfast.  She kept repeating the same thing, and I swear it sounded like "I want Sarah."  I wasn't sure who or what she was talking about, I thought maybe the dinosaur vitamins that we had a while back and the triceratops perhaps?  So I kind of nodded, brushed her off, etc.  I was getting frustrated that she wasn't eating her breakfast, we needed to get dressed and get moving.  Just as Chris was walking out the door, I finally got it.  "SYRUP!  You want some syrup for your waffle."  "Yes.  I want 'sarah'." It sounded so much like she was saying Sarah.  I gave her some syrup and the kid proceeded to chow down on her breakfast.  Mom fail.

A couple of other great phrases that Thea has picked up include "Just weave me awone!" and "Just don't talk to me wight now!"  Thank you, older sisters, for teaching her those.  Oy.

Overall Thea has become quite the stubborn, intense (for lack of a better word) child the last few weeks.  Tuesday night we had quite the 45 minute battle at bedtime, because she wanted to sleep in the Elsa dress-up costume.  Now normally I don't really care what my kids wear or sleep in, but in this case the sleeves were scratchy, and the cape could actually be a hazard, so it just wasn't going to happen.  There was lots of screaming, flailing, trying to climb out of her crib, ripping off her pajamas, etc. etc. etc...  It was rough.  Finally when she was somewhat calm she decided I needed to change her diaper.  The dang thing was dry, but at that point I did not want to set her off again so I changed the stupid thing.  The kid then rolls over and tells me she is going to sleep right there on the floor.  I may or may not have proceeded to tell her that was a bad idea because sometimes at night bugs come out and they would crawl all over her, but they don't crawl in the crib.  Mean mom much?  But it worked.  "I be safe in my cwib?" "Yes, your crib is safe." "The bug crawl on da floor, but not in my cwib?" "Yep, not in your crib." I felt like a jerk, but she got in her crib and went to bed after that.  You do what you gotta do?  Let's just hope she doesn't start having nightmares about bugs...

thirty weeks | baby five

 

Reality? I'm likely giving birth in eight weeks or less.  To our fourth child.  Is that not insane?  I'm in denial.  Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited, but we've still got Thanksgiving, my Dad's birthday, Christmas, and a million other things happening before baby and then all the sudden, BOOM.  It is going to be baby time.

I had my 30 week check-up yesterday.  All is well, I've been feeling good, my blood pressure was good (114/78), I got my rhogam injection, baby sounded great and is head down, and I was in and out of the office in about 25 minutes total.  Not too shabby.  I'm now on bi-weekly appointments.  The end of this pregnancy is going to fly by no doubt!

how far along:  30 weeks + 3 days (compare to 30 weeks with Ryann, Elsie and Thea)

size of baby:  A summer cantaloupe.  Likely around 17 inches long and near 3.5 pounds. 

weight gain: +24 pounds.  Hoping I can I slow the weight gain down as I finish out this pregnancy, but let's be real, Thanksgiving + Christmas...

maternity clothes: Yes.

symptoms:  For the most part it has just been restless legs and exhaustion, but yesterday and today my back has been hurting quite a bit.  It is frustrating, but I guess not unexpected.  I scheduled a prenatal massage in hopes that it will help, because I'm not quite ready to slow down and take it easy just yet.

exercise:  Still just walking, which is pretty much what I intend to do for the rest of the pregnancy.  I look back at my pregnancy with Elsie and seriously can't believe how much I was able to work out.  I know I do a lot more chasing kids around and stairs and such than I did during that pregnancy, but still.

cravings/aversions:  Nothing in particular.  Actually I've been dreaming about white cheese dip from El Mez for nearly two months, however I don't want to eat any other food from there and I have a feeling it would make me feel sick, so I'm trying to convince myself it isn't worth it.

movement:  I've gone from feeling regular movement to OMG she is trying to bust out of my stomach all the time in a matter of two weeks.  There are periods where she is just not still at all and I swear it is like a cartoon when an animal swallows something, and then it proceeds to toss him around from the inside.  Does that make sense?  Anyway, definitely not lacking any movement these days.

sleep:  I'm definitely needing more and more sleep to function well.

gender:  Girl

looking forward to:  Setting up her nursery.  We decided on a name, that I may or may not share before she is born, and we've slowly started towards getting all the rooms switched around.  I'm hoping once we actually make a room for her that it feels a little more real!

worries: In the last few weeks Thea has become quite the handful.  Stubborn and persistent and just a touch difficult to deal with at times!  She is a runner and does not listen to me in public and I'm terrified that when I have a baby in my arms she is going to bolt and there won't be a thing I can do about it.

best moment this week:  I can't think of anything specific pregnancy related.  My mom and I worked on organizing the playroom and that was rather satisfying.  Unfortunately we then moved everything out of Ryann's room so we could paint and start the process of moving Elsie in, so the house is still in shambles per the usual.  I think that is just our life now.

A few more photos from the last two weeks... The snuggles, my 29 week belly (apparently I've been wearing red lately?), and with Whit, who is due just a few days after me!  Her first babe came almost right at 35 weeks, and I've never made it to 40 weeks, so it'll be fun to see who delivers first.

twenty-eight weeks | baby five

how far along:  28 weeks (compare to 28 weeks with Ryann, Elsie and Thea)

size of baby:  A coconut, roughly 16 inches and about 2.5 pounds. 

weight gain: +22 pounds.

maternity clothes: Yep, and some of them are bordering on too short.  LOVELY.

symptoms:  Pretty much I just get tired easily, and my legs are restless.  Same old same old.

exercise:  Walking walking walking!  I've been shooting to get in 100,000 steps a week.  Helps that I've started binge watching This is Us while I'm on the treadmill.

cravings/aversions:  No super strong cravings or aversions that aren't typical for me.  I'm not craving sweets be we have so much crap around the house right now.  Loving that it is consistently soup weather now!

movement:  Reading my old pregnancy posts I don't think she is as crazy in there as her sisters were, but the movement continues to get stronger and stronger.

sleep:  I could always use more.  I took a nap this afternoon and woke up thrilled to go to bed tonight.  Haha.

gender:  Girl

looking forward to:  Picking a name.  I want to order a personalized sign for the nursery this weekend, so I am determined to decide.

worries:  Late term loss is always in the back of my head.  Also a little scared of how I'm going to get in and out of places with three to four kids in tow.  It is hard enough getting Elsie and Thea out of preschool when they have a ton of crap to come home with them.  We just have to survive January through May and then Elsie will be in kindergarten next year.  I can do it, right?  Right...

best moment this week:  Thea has taken to 'talking' for baby sister.  She uses this funny little voice and pretends to be saying stuff for the baby, or she'll tell me "Baby sister said...."  I love it.  I just can't wait to see Thea hold her, I think my heart is just going to burst.  Assuming Thea doesn't suddenly change her mind and decide to hate babies.

Chris and I had planned to go the pregnant housewife and milkman route for Halloween this year (because I stupidly got rid of my pumpkin shirt from when I was pregnant with Elsie, why?!?!), and then I realized how awkward that was to try and explain to Ryann and Elsie.  So we threw these outfits on last minute and called it good.  The girls were thrilled that I was Pikachu.  Lol.

twenty-seven weeks | baby five

Somehow here we are in the third trimester.  Despite my obvious belly, I still don't feel 'very pregnant'.  It is so strange.  But less than three months and another little lady will be joining our bunch!

how far along:  27 weeks (compare to 27 weeks with Ryann, Elsie and Thea)

size of baby:  A banana.  Probably around 15 inches long and a little over two pounds. 

weight gain: +22 pounds.

maternity clothes: Yes.  Really I want to wear 'comfy clothes' most of the time, except I don't really even have any acceptable comfortable clothes.  The majority of my maternity stuff is from when I was pregnant with Elsie, when I was a solid 10 pounds or so lighter, so most of my workout clothes and lounge clothes worked a little better.  Now?  Not so much.  I don't want to buy anything, but at the same time, 10-12 weeks of not having anything I really want to wear also sounds like no fun.

symptoms: I'm tired, and overall I've got random aches and pains, but I really really shouldn't complain too much.  I've noticed a little bit of swelling, today I couldn't comfortably zip my tall boots.  Per the usual my most prominent symptom is restless legs.  I don't think it is as bad as it was with Thea, but I'm not sure.  It is pretty frustrating.

exercise:  I stopped trying to run, and haven't really been doing too much strength training, and somehow my body feels much better.  What can you do.  I hate watching the muscle tone disappear, but I was getting headaches while working out, and I don't particularly like being in pain, so I guess it is better this way.

cravings/aversions:  I still would prefer fruit and salads.  Or soup.  But I think that is just me in general, not necessarily pregnancy related.  I'm getting full a lot faster.

movement:  Lots and lots more movement all the time.  Chris can regularly feel her wiggling around, the girls don't have enough patience.  But they have all felt her move at least once.

sleep: Same old same old.  In theory I'm sleeping fine, but I still wake up exhausted.  I think I'm needing more sleep, but if I sleep in I don't get any alone time before the kids wake up and that just makes me irritable.  I need to not be needed first thing in the morning.  And I know that is coming to an end soon so I'm trying to enjoy it when I can.

gender:  Girl

looking forward to: Getting the girls rooms ready!  Really I only have a solid plan for the nursery, and part of it is dependent on picking a name, but I'm excited.

worries:  That something really bad will happen, or this child will somehow randomly have a giant head and not come out as easily.  You know, because those two things are close on the spectrum.  It is how my brain works, I can't help it!

best moment this week:  Name conversations have become pretty entertaining.  Especially when they include the girls.  We have two front runners but I can't commit to either.  So we keep throwing them out there.  Ryann suggests normal names, but most of them are pretty popular.  Elsie naturally throws in things like Cookie Pizza and Princess Pickles and Shimmer.  And Thea really really wants us to call her Ella.  Which is a lovely name, but rather popular and too much like Elsie.  I just think it is cute that she has randomly attached to a name.

Thea snuggling with my belly and last weekend at 26 weeks. :o)

twenty four weeks | baby five

 
how far along:  24 weeks 2 days (compare to 24 weeks with Ryann, Elsie and Thea)

size of baby:  An eggplant? 

weight gain: +19 pounds.  I can't get enough peanut m&ms...

maternity clothes: For sure.  The weather teased me there and actually felt like fall for a day or two, which expanded my wardrobe, but then it was back to 85+ degrees.

symptoms: I've actually been pretty tired the last week.  To the point that I fell asleep while the girls were playing and woke up a couple minutes later to Thea drawing with blue marker on the wall.  Fail.  Other than that, just noticing the belly more and more.

exercise:  Lots of walking.  About 100,000 steps a week.  And trying to do the occasional squats, push-ups and planks.

cravings/aversions:  I can't say I'm craving anything in particular, but I'm eating way too many sweets.

movement:  Some days I feel lots of movement, some days she is pretty quiet.  I'm hoping it is just in relation to the anterior placenta and how she is positioned at that particular time.  But the quiet days always increase my anxiety a bit.

sleep: I don't feel like I'm getting very restful sleep.  I'm not waking up in the middle of the night too much, but in the morning I definitely don't feel refreshed by any means.

gender:  Girl

looking forward to: Actually deciding on a name, and getting started on the great game of musical rooms.  Decisions in the design department aren't my forte right now either.  This weekend my parents are keeping the girls for a bit so Chris and I are venturing to IKEA and Home Goods.  Hoping I get a few things to start the room switching process!

worries:  Right now I pretty much focus on whether or not I'm feeling enough movement.  Her heartbeat is still nice and strong when I use the doppler, which I've tamed down to maybe once a week just to calm my nerves.  I know the rest of the pregnancy is going to go by really fast, and I don't want to wish it away, but I want her safely in my arms so bad.

best moment this week:  Viability week!  Baby girl has a chance.  :o)

And just another picture I took this past week because I actually got dressed in regular clothes on a weekday.

twenty-two weeks | baby five

I feel like I'm carrying this baby higher up than the other three.  I've always gotten pretty much the basketball belly, but I feel like there is just more going on in the rib area?  Who knows.  Also my phone just couldn't handle the overcast lighting for some reason.
 
how far along:  22 weeks (compare to 22 weeks with Ryann, Elsie and Thea)

size of baby:  An ear of corn.  At my ultrasound on Friday baby girl the tech guessed that she was already weighing 1lb 2oz!  That put her in roughly the 70th percentile.  I feel like she'll likely be my biggest baby yet, depending on when I deliver.  Maybe the first over 7 pounds?   I don't mind them small though.  Easier exit.  ;o) 

weight gain: +14.5 pounds.  And somehow I've evened out with the weight that I gained with Thea.  Granted I started off six pounds heavier but who cares... (fine. me, a little bit.)

maternity clothes: Yes.  But really I hate all clothes and don't want to leave the house because I just want to wear my baggiest most comfortable clothing.

symptoms: I've actually been pretty tired the last week.  To the point that I fell asleep while the girls were playing and woke up a couple minutes later to Thea drawing with blue marker on the wall.  Fail.  Other than that, just noticing the belly more and more.

exercise:  Nothing to write home about, but I make sure to keep my step count up and get in a few videos a week.

cravings/aversions:  Everything.  I want the weather to cool down so soup is more acceptable.

movement:  Thursday of last week I finally started to feel some significant movement.  It still isn't very consistent or as much as I'd like, but definitely there.  Chris actually felt a tap or two.

sleep: It could be better but I won't complain.

gender:  Girl

looking forward to:  Making it to viability week.  I have zero interest in having this baby before Christmas, but I feel like a small weight would be lifted off my shoulders if we could get past 24 weeks.  She'd have a chance.

worries:  I still just can't shake all the thoughts of ways she might not get to come home with us.  It isn't at the front of my mind, but still always there.

best moment this week: As I mentioned on Friday I had my ultrasound and it was so much fun.  We confirmed that she was indeed a girl, and then the tech took all her measurements and checked the organs, etc.  The cutest part by far was that baby girl had her little ankles crossed and seemed like she was just kicked back, relaxing.  And every time the tech would move the wand over her legs she'd jab me in the side.  Seriously, I couldn't get over how cute her little feet were.  The ultrasound went well and my doctor said baby looked fabulous and beautiful.  She struggled to find the heartbeat because little miss apparently would not stay in one position, so it was a good thing that I just had my ultrasound!  I was sent home with my lovely glucose drink for my next appointment.  Only two more 4 week appointments before I start going every two weeks.  This pregnancy is flying at the moment.

Can't wait to meet you baby girl.

twenty weeks | baby five

written September 3rd

Definitely thought I posted this when I wrote it.  Whoops.  I can't believe I'm already 20 weeks.  This pregnancy is flying by for sure.  And usually the last few weeks of pregnancy feel like an eternity, but with my due date being so close to the holidays and my history of being induced early, I have a feeling the rest of the pregnancy will fly by at an alarming rate!
 
how far along:  20 weeks (compare to 20 weeks with Ryann, Elsie and Thea)

size of baby:  A Belgian endive.  I don't even really know what that is let alone have a clue how big it is, but the app says roughly ten inches. 

weight gain: +12.5 pounds.  You better believe I'll hold on to that half pound thank you very much.

maternity clothes: Yep.  Looking forward to cooler weather and leggings and lots more stretchy things!  Lol.

symptoms: I can fall asleep at the drop of the hat, and I can physically tell I'm pregnant just because the belly can get in the way and my crotch hurts on the regular.  But overall I feel pretty darn good.  Going to enjoy this little sweet spot while I can!

exercise:  My knees were hurting pretty bad at the beginning of the week, but I did I think four videos this past week, along with hitting 10,000+ steps daily.  This morning I did intervals, it was only a total of about one mile running to two miles walking, but at least I haven't completely lost my ability to run.  My last 'run' in the workout I lasted four minutes, I'll take it.

cravings/aversions:  At the moment I can't wait to eat all the watermelon we have cut up in the fridge.  But mostly just food.  I like food.  A lot.

movement:  I'm feeling her a tiny bit here and there daily, but it is still barely enough to feel.  To the point that I question if I've felt movement and I've become more dependent on my doppler in the last few days than I had been.  I know my placenta is completely across the front and I know that makes a big difference.  But come on baby girl, help your mama out.

sleep: Surprisingly good.

gender:  Girl

looking forward to:  Elsie and Thea start preschool on Wednesday, and so begins my two mornings a week to try and get all the nesting done!  I'm actually pretty pumped about it.  I'm determined to get all the toys and things organized to a point that it isn't such a hassle when I tell the girls to clean up.  And I have to figure out how I'm going to fit all of Ryann and Elsie's stuff in one room.  Yikes.

worries:  That something will be wrong at our ultrasound.  Less than two weeks to go.

best moment this week: Reaching that official halfway point?

thea's ice cream birthday party

Leading up to Thea's birthday party, my mom was worried because we weren't 'doing' as much as we had for previous parties.  We didn't craft a lot of decorations or special favors.  There weren't any extensive backdrops made.  I kept it simple because I just didn't have the energy to come up with anything too complicated.  Also I originally planned to have the party at our house, just having the kids play in the backyard.  But the weeks prior the weather was miserably hot and I couldn't imagine asking everyone to hang out back there.  So we switched to a swimming party at my parent's house.  Naturally I think the high ended up being maybe 82?  It was beautiful in the shade.

Still, I'm glad we made the switch, and the laid back party was perfect, everyone seemed happy, I wasn't stressed, Thea gasped at every decoration and every present and ate plenty of ice cream and overall just had a great time.

We had the party at 3:30pm.  To eat there was an ice cream bar, a cake made by one friend Jennifer, and cookies made by my other friend Jennifer!  Those girls definitely know how to make adorable (and delicious) sweets.  We also had some cheddar squares and chex mix.  The pink bowls for toppings came from Hyvee, the jars for the syrups from the dollar store, and pretty much everything else we already had or I got on Amazon.

My parent's pool is wonderful for swimming with smaller kiddos.  The shallow end is more of a deck, maybe only 18 inches or so deep?  And the deep end doesn't even quite reach 6 feet.  It makes it much easier to keep track of little ones, and allows the adults to relax a little bit.  :)

I've already got my eyes set on a mermaid pool party for next summer.  Hopefully the little miss doesn't develop any strong opinions before then.  Wishful thinking I'm sure!!  Haha.

eighteen weeks | baby five

written August 25th
 
how far along:  18 weeks + 5 days (compare to 18 weeks with Ryann, Elsie and Thea)

size of baby:  A sweet potato. 

weight gain: Uhhhh........ +12 pounds.  I don't even know anymore.  I'm struggling to make good food choices.  But I don't really feel like I'm eating in complete excess either.  I don't know what to think.  Next week I'm going to try sticking to the Beachbody container system (allowing extra containers for pregnancy) and see if I can get my eating back on track.  This pregnancy is a short season in my life, and I have no intention of doing pregnancy again, so I'm trying not to dwell too much.  BUT, I also don't want to end up on delivery day with 40+ pounds gained.  Some women do and their body needs that and that is fine.  There is no way my body needs 40 pounds to safely carry this baby.  

maternity clothes:  Yes.  Regular shirts are quickly feeling too short and I'm not going to even try to squeeze into regular pants.  I need to find some different solutions for workout and lounge wear.  I don't remember hating my workout pants, but they have been folding over and it is driving me nuts.

symptoms: As the belly grows I'm starting to notice some issues bending to do things and getting up and down off the floor.  And I am still getting headaches here and there, I get tired, and have a bit of heartburn or reflux or something.  Overall though, I'm feeling pretty dang good right now.  I feel like we need to do ALL THE THINGS.  Cleaning the things, organize the things, cook the things, have fun, go out to eat, do it ALL like yesterday.  Before this burst of energy disappears and I go back to wanting to be a hermit.  Which means by like 8pm I'm so ready for bed.

exercise:  Thanks to the weight gain and sudden burst of energy, I'm trying to jump back into doing videos in the morning.  Being able to go on a walk after Ryann heads off to school is also helping.  I've done a Beachbody video  every day since Saturday.  I'm sore, but enjoying it.  And I'm just going to take a moment to say I think purchasing the Beachbody on demand, if you like working out at home, is a GREAT investment.  I wasn't thrilled with the gym options when we moved here, but missed the motivation of group classes and being surrounded by people.  I still have to mentally motivate myself to keep going, but there are so many different kinds of workouts to try, many topping at out 35 minutes, that you don't get bored.  I like the 21 Day Fix, Core de Force, Shift Shop, Cize, and some others that I can't remember.  The first two being my favorites.  I'm not a coach, nobody is giving me anything for promoting Beachbody, I just think you should consider it.  :)

cravings/aversions:  I just want all the food.

movement:  I'm pretty sure I started feeling movement last Wednesday (August 16th at 17w3d).  It isn't consistent at all, and barely noticable, but now I definitely know it is movement.  So exciting, this might start feeling real soon!

sleep:  Not too much to complain about in this department.

gender:  Girl

looking forward to:  Movement getting stronger and starting to work on moving all the girls around and redecorating a bit.  Moving everyone around is also stressing me out but whatever.  It's fine.

worries:  I'm still struggling a bit to connect to this pregnancy.  I've got the other three girls to keep me busy so that isn't much of a surprise, but I feel like I've got a wall up that I just can't break through.  It doesn't matter that we've talked about names or that I've started dreaming up how to freshen up the nursery.  I just can't make the connection.  Hopefully soon.

best moment this week:  Feeling movement is pretty great.  Also every time I tuck Thea in for nap or bedtime she smiles up at me and says "I gonna have a baby sister.  I gonna hug her and kiss her and hold her."  It is so flipping cute.  Hopefully she doesn't change her tune once baby is here, or you know, smother her or something.

And tossing in this photo I snapped of the belly at 17 weeks.  My size is highly dependent on what I've had to eat that day.  On this particular night it was Chipolte (a salad, but still).  No surprise I looked much further along than 17 weeks in my opinion!

thea's second birthday

Oh hey insomnia.  Guess I might as well blog right?

Celebrating Thea's birthday was simply just so much fun.  To begin with, Ryann and Elsie really understand birthday's and celebrating someone so they were so excited to shower Thea with love and really pumped her up.  And beyond that, Thea had quite possibly the best reaction to everything.  She spent the whole day squealing with delight about presents and treats and people and just everything.  It definitely made everything worth it.

Naturally the little stinker was up with the sun.  Christopher, Ryann and I went in her room, that we had filled with balloons the night before, and sang her happy birthday.  She was a bit stunned at first, but quickly came around just shrieking and throwing balloons in the air.  We had a giant Olaf balloon waiting downstairs for her as well and she loved it just as much.  Then her and I took off for a doughnut shop to pick out breakfast for everyone.

After breakfast we played a bit, then got ready for the day.  Ryann headed off to art camp (so lucky to have a neighbor who had kiddos in the same camp who generously took Ryann for me!) and the littles watched a show while I finished getting myself together.  We took photos for Thea's twenty-four month post and then it was off to the Discovery Center!  The girls absolutely love that place.  We don't go as often as we'd like, because despite sanitizer and hand washing, someone always winds up with at minimum a cold roughly two days later (this time it was Thea, boogers galore the day after her birthday party!).  Elsie and Thea had a lot of fun.  The spent a ton of time in the painting area, and also went about 20 minutes just loading and unloading a couple bags with fake vegetables.

We picked up Ryann from camp at noon and headed to Chili's for lunch.  It has become the one restaurant we can go to and I know that everyone will eat something.  This particular day I'm pretty sure Thea only ate chips and salsa (one of her favorites!) and french fries.  She also enjoys mac and cheese and pizza from there (typical) but she had her own little bowl of salsa and just couldn't stop with the chips.  I guess you do what you want on your birthday.

We went home for nap time, and I was apparently just as worn out as Thea was, because I passed out too.  Chris only works half days on Thursdays, so once Thea was up we gathered her presents and headed to my parents to open them.  Her favorite gift was probably a bunch of little plastic Disney princesses that I got from the check out lines at Walmart.  Figures!  We followed gifts up with swimming, dinner and cupcakes.  Thea pretty much smiled and giggled all day long.  It was great.

probably should have taken the family picture before she was covered in cupcake

Thea I'm sure you won't remember this birthday, but I won't forget it.  Your excitement over every little thing was just the best.  I can't wait to experience the holiday season with you this year!