tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88730938516834682032024-03-13T21:34:48.199-05:00The Domestic WannabeAshleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.comBlogger1425125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-65094163587681679162019-02-01T13:36:00.000-06:002019-02-01T13:36:22.829-06:00arden rae - twelve months<i>seriously been writing this update for a couple weeks now and just never finished...</i> <br />
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Pass the tissues, she's one! I'm pretty much still in complete denial. I'm not sure when I'll believe that she is actually a year old, but it isn't happening yet.<br />
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Even though I'm trying to hold on to her baby-ness as long as possible, Arden is turning more in to a little tiny person. She blows me kisses when I say I love you, she can point to her ears and feet, she signs more, eat and all done. She is truly starting to understand the world around her, and is working on making a little place for herself.<br />
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Arden had her well child visit on January 16th. She started crying when the nurse measured her head, was still upset during the exam, and completely lost it when she had to have a blood draw and four vaccines. Man I hate the one year appointment! The good news? She's growing!! She weighed 16lbs8oz landing her in the 7th percentile. 7th!!! You know you've had a shrimp when 7th percentile sounds absolutely huge. Her length was somewhere between 26.5 inches and 27.5 inches. The nurse measured her twice at 26.5 inches, which is what she measured at 9 months as well. While the pediatrician was in the room he marked her length on the paper on the table and measured with a measuring tape, getting 27.5. So.... somewhere in there. 27.5 inches is 4th percentile. Small, but still maintaining a curve. I've since started the weaning process, so out of curiosity I attempted to weigh her at home this morning. My method showed 17 pounds, so I'd say we're doing just fine.<br />
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I attribute most of Arden's weight gain to mac n cheese. But also? She doesn't spit up anymore! I thought the day would never come. In hindsight I think it was a bigger issue than I made it out to be when she was under seven months or so, however I'm still not sure there is a whole lot that could have been done about it. She actually spit up a little bit on her birthday and it surprised both her and I, and that is when I realized I hadn't noticed her spitting up in probably a month. It is so wonderful to not be constantly covered in sour milk, or scouring things to wipe up puddles when were out and about.<br />
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For the most part Arden is wearing 6-12 month sized clothes. The ones marked 9 months fit fine, except leggings are starting to get a touch short. 12 month ones also work, but are a little baggy. And at the same time she was in a 3-6 month onesie and sweater last weekend and it wasn't excessively small on her. Ha. It is things like that, that show me just how small she still is. And when we encounter other babies her age. She is wearing a size 3 diaper and who knows what size shoe. We uh, don't often leave the house in real clothes, and when she does, she has some '6-12 month' fleece booties on.<br />
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We have started moving towards weaning a bit. I'm in no rush to cut her off completely, but up until about a ten days ago, we were still nursing 5+ times a day. I love keeping some of her tiny baby qualities around but I can part with a couple of middle of the day nursing sessions and not be sad about it. So far she still isn't real pleased about drinking anything out of a cup. We've tried a variety of cups and a variety of liquids, and she usually just ends up pissed and pushing it away, or just plays with it. She is becoming more and more picky about what foods she'll eat as well. Mac n cheese is still a hands down clear favorite. I have yet to find an amount of mac and cheese that she'll say all done to. She also likes spaghetti, a variety of fruits, pancakes, waffles, breads, crackers, and squeeze pouches. Not a fan of most veggies, meat, anything too healthy.<br />
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Arden is generally still maintaining her 'best sleeper in the family' status. We had a couple weeks of her sleeping 11+ hours through the night, but in the last week or so she has been waking up. The first couple of nights she was sick and running a fever, so I wasn't all that surprised. Now I'm not exactly sure what is waking her up. She is still congested with a cough. She might be getting more teeth (her 5th and 6th popped through without me even noticing!). We've cut nursing sessions so maybe she is making up for it. Who knows. She has slept better the two nights we've given her motrin before bed, so maybe it is some sort of pain waking her up. She is also on the verge of dropping the morning nap. Both yesterday and today she wouldn't fall asleep for it. Yesterday she only napped about 80 minutes in the afternoon where she was usually napping a total of 3 hours or more between the two naps. Today she has been asleep for 2.25 hours thus far, so hopefully if we move to the one nap schedule permanently she can stretch that nap toward the longer end. She goes to bed between 8 and 8:30pm and is usually up for the day between 7:30 and 8am.<br />
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Developmentally I'd say Arden is still behind in gross motor skills, and I'm pretty sure the other girls had slightly better communication skills, but she is definitely making progress! She has gotten fairly good at cruising, and doesn't need a ton of support to walk around with my hands. And in the last week she has figured out how to walk with a push toy, and also tries to push various pieces of furniture around the house. She does not stand unassisted, but she also refuses to try. If I attempt to stand her up she turns into a limp noodle. I still wouldn't be surprised if she was closer to 15 months when she finally started walking, but I also would love to see her standing on the beach when we go in March. We'll see!<br />
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As far as words go, Arden really only says hi, Elsie and Thea. She also kind of says tickle, cheers (important skills clearly, being able to cheers), go and Jayhawk. Maybe some other random things She waves when you say hello or goodbye, and though not always a good source of communication she does nod yes or no. And she points for things she wants. One afternoon I swear she plain as day said Daddy, but hasn't done it again. I think she calls both Chris and my dad 'dada' at the moment. Just in a more emphatic whisper voice when she is talking about Papa. It's cute.<br />
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I'm pretty sure Papa is Arden's favorite person to blow kisses to. I can't remember how it started, or who it started with, but when the kids blow him kisses Papa pretends to get knocked over by them, or at least jumps like they really hit him. Arden thinks this is the greatest and pretty much starts blowing him kisses as soon as she sees him. The other day he was at my house, in the kitchen talking to Thea. Arden and I had been upstairs. When I opened the door to the room and she heard his voice, she looked at me with a little grin on her face, and said 'muah' in the cutest little voice. She couldn't wait to hit him with a kiss.<br />
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I can't say Arden is a huge fan of toys. She is a huge fan of crawling around and looking for things that aren't hers and climbing the stairs and opening drawers and in general seeking out mischief. But most toys in general do not hold her interest. When the big girls are at school, she LOVES to play with all their tiny things if I'm in their room putting away clothes or picking up or anything of that nature. One afternoon she spent a solid twenty minutes trying to squish a tiny American Girl apple into an American girl pencil holder. Whatever floats your boat girl. She loves to crawl around with tiny things stashed in her hands too. Usually if I say, "Arden, what did you find?" she'll offer up whatever tiny bit of trash she is carrying. Occasionally she is attached to her discovery, and clutches it with both hands under her chin like a prized possession and grunts at me.<br />
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She has the cutest little scrunch nose cheese face that she gives to strangers when we're out and about. She'll wave from the cart like she is in a parade and makes all the older women around us melt. Unfortunately several of them take that as in invitation to get closer and even touch her and she usually bursts into tears. Whoops. Baby Shark and Shake it Off are her jams. <br />
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Arden my dear, you are such a gift. I am so incredibly grateful God gave me you. You've completed our family in the most perfect way, and this year has been a blast. I don't want you to grow up, but I can't wait to witness the person you become. Love you love you love you. Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-42386073459082063072019-01-23T15:03:00.000-06:002019-01-23T15:03:58.644-06:00arden rae | a birth story<i>Since it has been over a year I decided it was time to get Arden's birth story completed. It took me a while to get through this post. Partly because of lack of time, partly because honestly, I needed to process it. Arden arrived safely without any complications and that is what is important. But the birth didn't go as I had imagined, and I'm carrying a lot of regret and guilt over it. Doing my best to let it go, and simply love my sweet girl who is getting so big and growing so fast! </i><br />
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After my blood pressure leveled out I no longer needed an early induction, which was surprising, sad, and great all at the same time. I was hoping to meet my girl as soon as possible, but we enjoyed our last family days, and I also held on to a shred of hope that I might go into labor on my own and not make it to our scheduled elective induction. I felt slightly guilty for scheduling the elective induction, but the reality is having the childcare and Chris's days off and such planned out ahead of time was nice. So on January 12th, and 39 weeks exactly, we set off for the hospital to meet our baby girl. Here is my not so great recap of her birthday!<br />
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January 12th, 2018<br />
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I woke up around 3:30am needing to go to the bathroom. I was bummed, come on body, couldn't you let me sleep soundly the last hour before my alarm went off? I was worried I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, but it must not have taken long, because the next thing I knew my 4:30am alarm was going off. I laid in bed for a few minutes feeling baby girl move. This was it, the last morning I would ever wake up pregnant. EVER. I was trying to take it all in. Her movements. My belly. All of it. But we were planning to leave by 5:30am so I needed to get moving. I hopped in the shower to rinse off and attempted to shave my legs. Meh. Better than nothing. Then I put on some make-up and ran the straightner through my hair while putting together the last minute things in my bags. Of course I wound up running behind. But my dad came over to be with the big girls, I finished up getting ready, and by 5:40am we were on our way to Kansas City.<br />
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The highway was surprisingly busy in the 6am hour. Thankfully despite some rough weather the day before, the roads were clear and the drive wasn't bad at all. I was anxious, naturally. Just wondering how the day would go, what time she would be born, would I make it without an epidural, would my nurses suck or be great... etc. etc. etc. Just random things bouncing around in my head. Christopher and I chatted on and off, but I was mostly lost in my own thoughts.<br />
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We pulled into the parking garage of the hospital right at 6:40am. Man was it cold outside. And when I got out of the car my body was stiff from sitting. We grabbed the few things we were taking into labor & delivery, and I waddled my way into the lobby. It's a small trek up to labor & delivery, but we made it, checked in at the nurses station, and were in my room by 6:50. They brought me a gown to change into. Everything just felt so surreal. Seeing the bassinet with the sweet tiny baby items. I was having a baby. My last baby. All those little movements I was feeling in my belly, it was my daughter whom I would soon meet. Life is crazy.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">one last belly picture</span> </div>
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Anyway, I got changed and situated in the bed. My nurse came in, she was great. She was pregnant with her third girl, so we had a few things we could chat about. I answered all the intake questions, and it was time to start my IV. By 7:30am my doctor came in, and before we had even started pitocin she broke my water. Alrighty then, we weren't wasting any time! And clearly she needed to get to her office. Lol. At 8:00am the pitocin was turned on, and it didn't take long for the contractions to begin. By 8:30am they were coming every 3 to 4 minutes, and while I could definitely manage them, they were 'legit' contractions.<br />
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For the next couple hours I browsed instagram, chatted with my husband and photographer, and labored. I was handling the contractions alright. They were uncomfortable, but manageable. To be perfectly honest during the time the biggest issue was that I was annoyed by the leaking fluid, and I constantly felt like I needed to use the restroom. Because I did. I spent the last three+ weeks of pregnancy fighting constipation and the constant contractions were... complicating that. I spent a short chunk of time just laboring in the bathroom, trying to deal with it. When I came back into the room I decided to try and walk around to labor. Contractions picked up but I felt much more comfortable standing than I did lying in the bed. I continued on like that for a bit, but then I just couldn't get in a groove. The nurse checked me around 10:45am and I was 4cm. <br />
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<i>And here is where hindsight starts to kick in. </i> I should have tried laboring on a ball, or asked the nurse for ideas on how to cope. I never prepared for a natural birth, but secretly I wanted one, so I had no clue what I was doing. I should have asked for help. I should have asked everyone to stop talking to me. I should have turned on some music. But I didn't. I started feeling incredibly nauseous, and I wanted to lay down. But laying down was so uncomfortable. I was hot and sweaty and just wanted to puke. Based on some text messages with a friend I'm guessing I threw in the towel and asked for an epidural shortly after 11:30.<br />
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When I got in the bed for the epidural the contractions began to intensify even more. It was so hard to sit still through them. And when the doctor placed the catheter I could tell something wasn't right. It was uncomfortable on my right side. She asked if I was in pain. But it wasn't pain. I just knew it wasn't right. I was trying to explain it but the contractions were so uncomfortable. I couldn't get out the right words. She checked to see if she could get some medicine in. Then I felt even more sick. Apparently I went rather pale as well, and my blood pressure started dropping. I can't remember what exactly happened. I laid on my back for a bit, and I started feeling the epidural take on my right, but NOT FREAKING AT ALL on my left. I could feel everything. Again based on text messages, the epidural must have been placed around 12:15ish, by 12:30 I felt like it wasn't working properly. The nurse checked me and I was 7cm.<br />
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They had me lay on my left side to try and get the medicine to 'flow over there' but nothing was helping. I felt like I was dying, but at this point my right side was completely useless. I couldn't move or do anything. The nurse kept telling me that epidurals can't take away all the sensations, that there would still be uncomfortable pressure. Woman, this was not 'uncomfortable pressure'. It was if someone had drew a line straight down the middle of my body and the right side was good to go, the left was being beaten to death. I couldn't open my eyes, I couldn't focus, I couldn't do anything. It hurt so much and I had zero ability to deal with it. Again, these time references are vague but I think around 12:45pm I felt like I was ripping open, I'm going to assume this is the ring of fire reference. I felt completely out of control. I felt like I had to push right then and there. They checked me again, 10cm, and baby girl was right there.<br />
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We had to wait for my OB to run from her clinic to the hospital (they're connected). Naturally it felt like an eternity. They were telling me not to push. I was crying out "I can't do this," and the nurses kept reassuring me that I could. But I could feel my body trying to push. That kid wanted out. I honestly didn't see my doctor come in, I still wasn't opening my eyes. The nurses put me on my back and put my legs in the stirrups. I still couldn't move on my own at all. I was finally given the go ahead to push. Two short pushes later, sunny side up with a hand by her head, Arden was officially Earth side at 1:04pm.<br />
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I can't even begin to describe the amount of emotion that flooded through me after that. I was so grateful Arden was born, safely and healthy. Thrilled to be meeting my daughter. A small part of me mourned the daughter I never met. And a huge part of me was trying to soak in every single second. That was it. That was the last time I'll ever hold a brand new baby, one that I grew and protected in my body for nine months. It was too much to hold in, so it all came out in a flood of tears. I cradled Arden while the placenta was delivered and cried and cried. I was also uncontrollably shaking which was driving me mad at the time. I was ready to relax and study my girl, but my body couldn't do it just yet.<br />
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The rest of the day is fairly fuzzy in my brain, but while we were having some skin to skin time I realized my right side was still very much numb. I mentioned it and the nurse realized the epidural was never turned off. Fantastic. Insert large eye roll here, but I'll move on. They looked Arden over while we were snuggling, and shortly after we made our first attempt at nursing. She latched on like a champ. It felt like such a relief, she was in my arms and feeding and settling right in to place. At some point we ordered me some lunch. More snuggling, more nursing, repeat repeat.<br />
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Because of how the epidural situation went down and how everything progressed, I never had a catheter placed, therefore they needed me to use the restroom before I could be moved to the mother baby room. Except my right leg was still completely numb from the hip down. Not ideal but the nurse was excited because they had the opportunity to use some contraption they had recently received. I can't remember the name of it, but basically they were able to slide me over to stand on it supported, then close some sort of seat behind me. Then I was wheeled into the bathroom and they could push me all the way to the toilet, have me lean forward on the supports of the device, open the seat, and easily lower me on to the toilet. More information than anyone needed I'm sure, but I can see how beneficial it is to use instead of a wheel chair. No one else really had to lift me, or carry me or anything, because of how the seat functioned. Once that was taken care of we got loaded up and headed over to the mother baby room.<br />
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My right side remained almost completely numb just over four hours after delivery. It was frustrating and uncomfortable and I wasn't allowed to get out of bed on my own. But that was really the worst thing that happened throughout our entire stay in the hospital so I shouldn't complain. Oh except they told me I had a 'lazy uterus' that didn't shrink as quickly as they would have liked. The nurse said something to the affect that after four pregnancies it was just a little worn out. Ha. Making me feel old and useless. Whatever.<br />
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On Saturday my parents brought the girls up to meet their sister. That was a circus, but oh so amazing. Our family was complete and we were all together. Thea did great and didn't seem the least bit upset about me having the baby. The girls were incredibly cute... and incredibly wound up. We lasted about 45 minutes with them there before we'd had a little too much and needed a quiet room again. Sorry girls!<br />
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We had a few more visitors throughout our stay, but mostly spent a lot of time enjoying the quiet, nursing, and snuggling. It snowed while we were in the hospital, which made the drive home a little daunting, but nothing terrible.<br />
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It may not have been the birth I imagined in my head, but Arden, baby girl, I'd do it again in a heart beat to have you in my life. Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-12410211133372435512018-12-26T14:09:00.000-06:002018-12-26T14:09:51.879-06:00arden rae - eleven months<i>started writing this update on the 15th, going to try and not include anything since then!</i> <br />
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Less than a month until my little caboose is one. Fastest year yet!<br />
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Arden's personality has changed and developed so much in the last month. She is still a rather tolerant easy going girl, but this pint size baby can throw quite the tantrum if she isn't getting her way. She is angry if something gets taken away from her, if we close a door to somewhere she was hoping to go, or if she isn't getting the food she wants. There are some foods she LOVES to eat. I think those foods (cheese, mac n cheese, spaghetti, really varieties of noodles and breads) have contributed to a decent weight gain over the last few weeks. Nothing official but I think she is right about 16 pounds, which I think might land her somewhere between the 5th and 8th percentile. Quite the jump for our peanut! I look forward to having an accurate measurement at her one year well check.<br />
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When in public people generally guess that Arden is between six and eight months old based on her size. At this point it has almost become entertaining. I mean I'm terrible at judging ages of kids, adults, I just stink at it, so I'd be wrong no matter what. But strangers always look so shocked when I say she is actually ten or eleven months. Can't blame them at all, she is wearing mostly 6-9 month clothing, though the 6 month onesies still fit just fine. She is wearing a Carter's 6m in these photos. An exciting development is that shoes are now staying on her feet. Unless she throws them off on her on of course. Still wearing a size three diaper. Our tooth count is now at four, with the fourth one just barely peeking through the gums.<br />
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I'm getting a little nervous about weaning Arden. For the most part she does well with solids, but thus far has shown little interest in a cup. We've only put water in a straw cup and a regular sippy, and she will play with them. But doesn't really drink anything. Maybe in the next couple of weeks I'll try to put some breastmilk in there and see what happens. With the weight gain issues we've had I can't imagine weaning her without knowing she'll drink enough milk. I'm not in a huge rush to fully wean either, I'd be happy to continue nursing a few times a day. But right now we're still at five to six times a day and I'm sort of over that. <br />
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Her growth motor skills are also taking off. Arden figured out how to get into a seated position on her own about two weeks ago, and has been trouble ever since! :) She is pulling up on everything, has more or less mastered going up the stairs, tries to climb everything. She hasn't really figured out how to cruise along furniture but will transfer between places. But if she were moving along a bench or something of that nature she tries to turn and actually walk while only holding with one hand, which usually doesn't end well. Her preference is to grab my hands so she can actually 'walk' wherever she'd like to go.<br />
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I can't really decide if Arden has said her first word or not. She has three very distinct sounds that she uses for words, but they don't really sound like words. She 'says' hi, peek, and "tis tis tis" which is her version of tickle tickle tickle. If we were to count one of those, I would say her first word was tickle! So funny. She still rarely says mama or dada, and it doesn't really seem to be in context. But if I ask her where Daddy is, she definitely looks for Christopher. She gets really excited and 'talks' about the Christmas tree, and tries to say 'ho ho ho' for Santa. She also will try to meow for a cat, say woof for dog, and knows an owl says whoooo. I think she also makes an 'ah ah' sound for monkey but it is hard to tell. Arden LOVES to wave at people, she puts her arms up in the air when we say touchdown, and has very recently started blowing kisses. Sometimes she will also lay her head on the floor and pretend to snore. So cute. <br />
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Arden's favorite toys seem to be... anything that is not one of her toys. Typical. She makes a mad dash into her sisters' rooms and scours for all the choking hazards she can find. Hatchimals, LOL doll accessories, stickers, beads. She loves them all. Oy. She really enjoys putting things in a container and taking them back out over and over again. But her favorite thing to do right now is see what she can find that fits down the 'hole' in the living room. The spot where I believe you'd turn on the gas for fireplace? She'll find something, and start trucking it as fast as her little army crawl can take her to see what happens when she puts it in. I think we've lost a handful of small toys, and even a fat crayola marker to that hole. I'm hoping it loses appeal sometime soon!<br />
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Bath/shower time is also a huge hit. If Arden isn't trying to crawl into one of the girl's rooms, she is heading for the bathroom. She gets very jealous if the big girls are in the shower and she doesn't get to go in. She has even started to notice the sound of the water coming through the pipes, so if Chris takes the girls up to shower while I'm with her down stairs, she gets excited and tries to make it up to the bathroom. After a particularly messy spaghetti night we popped her in the kitchen sink to wash her off. When we got her out she was SO MAD. So mad.<br />
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I wish I could pause time. Arden, I love you sweet baby girl.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-81035532928366637832018-11-20T21:13:00.000-06:002018-11-20T21:13:52.678-06:00arden rae - ten monthsI've had intentions of getting a nine month post put together, as well as adding the photos and publishing Arden's birth story, but here we are at just over ten months and neither has happened. So I'll put the birth story on hold yet again and back date the nine months photos another day. TEN MONTHS OLD!<br />
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Knowing that Arden is my last baby has allowed me to relish in every bit of her tininess and just enjoy the stage she is in without really wishing it away. On the flip side, it makes the passing of time tug at my heartstrings so much more. I can't believe how far away her newborn days seem. And then I look at Ryann and can hardly believe that she ever was a baby and did I miss it all? These days are so fleeting and it chokes me up more than I care to admit. I understand all those sappy old ladies in the grocery store. It's not realistic to enjoy every single damn moment with your kiddos, but you have to absolutely cherish what you can because these moments are gone in a flash.<br />
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<i>wipes my tears</i><br />
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Arden! Sweet girl is growing and changing so much and becoming more and more fun every day. New challenges of course but so fun. At her nine month appointment she weighed in at 14 pounds 8 ounces (3rd percentile) and was 26.5 inches long (11th percentile!). While she is still a tiny little thing the pediatrician felt comfortable no longer having regular weight checks. She has continued to grow at a slow but mostly steady rate since 4.5 months so I'm just going to enjoy her looking like a tiny little baby for as long as I can. I tried to weigh her on my scale on Monday (the 12th) and my best guess is 15 pounds 2 ounces or so. I'll be thrilled if she hits 16 pounds by the time she turns one.<br />
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The only other points of conversation at her appointment included constipation (a serving of prunes every other day still can't keep the kid regular) as well as her gross motor skills. Arden has been much much slower to become mobile than the other girls which had (has, let's be real) me a bit worried. But just like her growth, her progress in that department, while slow, has been steady. She is now army crawling all over the place and loves to explore. She also really enjoys pulling up on things, but doesn't get herself into a seated position on her own yet, therefore she often doesn't realize many opportunities to try. She is thrilled when I offer her my hands to pull up with. And recently she has started to enjoy 'walking' while holding my hands. It is awkward and I can't say she completely grasps the concept just yet, but she has fun doing it!<br />
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While she still does fairly well being toted from activity to activity, Arden isn't quite as content to just sit in my lap or be held anymore. The desire to crawl gets her every time. Most recently when she was at dance with Elsie, Thea and I, I wound up letting her crawl on the floor of the small mall the studio is located in. Her sleeper was so gross and dirty by the time we left but she just was not at all happy when I was trying to hold her. <br />
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Arden's sleeping and nursing schedule has pretty much remained the same the last couple of months, though I think we are the verge of a change. She goes to bed around 8pm, has been waking about 4:45am to nurse, and then up for the day around 7:30. She takes two naps, at roughly 9:30am and 2:00pm, each lasting about 90 minutes, give or take. The afternoon nap is usually the longer of the two. In between all that sleeping she nurses about five times and eats lunch and dinner. Arden still very much loves purees as long as they aren't a straight green vegetable. She has also been doing fairly well with table foods. The only thing she has truly turned her nose up at are eggs. Why do none of my children like eggs?!? I'd be happy to scramble some nearly every morning if someone else would eat them. Spaghetti is a very clear favorite. Well the noodles anyway. She ate some meatball if I put it in her mouth, but steered clear of it when picking food up off her own tray. She also seems to really like carrots.<br />
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We have had one instance where after eating some cinnamon and brown sugar bread, little red spots popped up around her mouth. Nothing drastic or too concerning, but I did notice. And cinnamon is possibly a cause of a similar reaction in Elsie. So who knows, maybe I have kids with a cinnamon allergy? It's strange. Otherwise no real ill reactions to any foods including strawberries and peanut butter so that's good. We've started offering her a straw cup with water in it, but she mostly just plays with it and throws it on the floor. I know she has managed to get water out of it a time or two, but not very much. I'm looking forward to offering her the full blown Thanksgiving meal. Her third tooth just starting popping through maybe ten days ago? But it isn't visible unless you're really looking.<br />
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Most recently, Arden has been, I guess, startling us? For fun. She does this little growl with a sudden jerky motion and just laughs and laughs when I act like she scared me. I think the entertainment is mutual, I have no problem playing along because her giggle is so sweet. One day I took Ryann, Elsie and Arden to Target. We were just walking along, Arden in the cart, and she looked at a random stranger and let out a big growly rawr. The man was taken back at first, and then laughed. I was surprised she clearly directed it at a stranger. <br />
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She also really enjoys when I make animal noises. She gets a big grin on her face if I meow like a cat or bark like a dog. I think she tries to meow but who the heck knows what she is doing. I need to go through our books and pull out more that have animals in them because she'll only sit still for one if there are parts to touch or plenty of animal noises for me to make. Arden does like to help me turn the pages, she uses just her little index finger to slip between the pages and flip it over. So cute!<br />
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Arden hasn't said any words yet, but babbles up a storm. She is beginning to point at things and show a bit of recognition of items when we ask her to locate them. Just a bit. She says mama and dada but not with any sort of meaning. Mostly says mamamamamama when she is upset and da da da da on repeat. Lately it sounds like she is saying 'yeeeah yeeeah yeeeah' a lot which can be rather entertaining.<br />
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Another thing Arden has really picked up in the last couple of weeks is 'dancing'. When we're playing music sometimes she'll go absolutely nuts. Waving her arms, shaking her head, clapping her hands, just kind of bouncing all over the place. She sometimes puts her play phone up to her ear, or rather just kind of holds it up against her head. She loves pulling a pile of toys out of a container. It doesn't really matter what toys or what container as long as she can dump it piece by piece all over the floor. Recently we were in the playroom and she pulled several things off the shelf, moved on to the play kitchen and managed to open the cabinets and empty it's contents, and then crawled off to another space to explore. Can't exactly say she is the clean one of the bunch any more.<br />
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We celebrated Arden's first Halloween in the past month. She was dressed as a bunny to fit in with the girls' enchanted forest theme. She left the ears on so I'll call it a win. We didn't take her trick or treating, just left her home with my parents to pass out candy. But she seemed to be getting a kick out of the kids coming up to the door. Until she got overly tired of course.<br />
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Overall Arden is just a joy. We have our moments, but mostly she is just an easy going happy baby and I am so incredibly grateful for that.<br />
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Arden Rae I love you so very very much! Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-41367635051405032542018-09-17T15:44:00.002-05:002018-09-17T15:44:42.785-05:00arden rae - eight monthsMAKE IT STOP. I truly look forward to being in the big kid stage of life and seeing what our family can do without a baby and irrational toddlers in tow. BUT, writing these posts make me teary. Arden is such a sweet little baby and I simply can't soak her in enough. Her precious little hands, her squishy little feet. I'm trying to burn them into my mind forever.<br />
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I was reading over last month's post to see what I needed to update for this month, and that already seems like ages ago! Arden has changed so much in about five weeks, as has our schedule. We're falling in to a routine and it shows in my stress levels. Lol. <br />
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Arden had a fantastic weight gain at our last appointment. For her little self anyway! We saw the pediatrician on August 28th, and she weighed 13 pounds 10.7 ounces (2.7th percentile). Nearly a pound of weight gain in four weeks, the most she has gained since she was two months old! Since then she has stopped waking twice at night, and while she is loving solids, her digestive system is struggling to keep up. Arden hasn't been miserably constipated, but you can tell she is trying to go and just can't. So we haven't pushed too much food. In my attempts to weigh her this morning, I got 14 pounds 4.8 ounces. If I'm doing my math right she JUST maintained a half ounce per day gain, which is the minimum they want to see from her. Fingers crossed we can keep it up. She was also 25 inches long on the 28th, which is also 3rd percentile.<br />
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We can finally use the 9 month and 6-12 month sized clothes without them looking totally ridiculous. It is making me actually get her dressed more often, because there is a short window of time left that I can stick her in the summer stuff from that size. Arden is still wearing a size two diaper, but I did stick a couple of size three's on her, and they aren't awful. I tried to put her in a cute pair of 0-6 month Pediped shoes I had that were Elsie or Ryann's or something, but they look so clunky and ridiculous. I'm thinking moccasins will be the only route we can go when the weather cools off.<br />
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Arden generally nurses six times a day. When she wakes in the morning, after her first nap, before and after her second nap, before bed, and once in the middle of the night. She is up for the day between 6:45-7:15am, goes down for a nap around 9:30am, and then her second nap of the day is dependent on how long she slept for the first nap. Usually her morning nap is 45 min to an hour, and the second nap is two hours, give or take. Her and Thea's afternoon naps have been lining up for the most part and it is absolutely glorious. Bed time is between 7:15 and 8pm, depending on how her naps were, what activities we have, and how irrational the other children are being.<br />
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This girl is definitely showing food preferences already. We started with avocado, and then worked our way through all the vegetables. Over the last month we added in pears and prunes, and she most definitely loves pears most of all. She now gags on pureed green beans and will not eat more than a few bites. She has gotten the hang of getting puffs into her mouth most of the time, so I really want to incorporate some more whole foods this month. Gotta add some more calorie dense foods to the mix! She has had water in a sippy cup and it startles her every time. I guess just because she is used to her liquid being warm?<br />
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She is still pretty content just laying on the floor and playing with toys, with little interest in moving around. But she is becoming more and more mobile. She uses a combination of log rolling and the WEIRDEST crawl to get around the room. It is so incredibly inefficient and looks like she is trying to swim. But if she really wants something she can make it there! She tries to get to her hands and knees and sort of rocks, but she just hangs out like she has no idea what to do. She is fairly sturdy sitting up, but I don't think I'll feel comfortable just leaving her on a hard surface or anything until she is getting to the position on her own. She'll make attempts to go from seated to laying down to get a toy, and it only ends well about a third of the time. She does enjoy pulling to stand with my hands, but she isn't at all sturdy once she is up.<br />
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Arden cut her first two teeth over the last month! It wasn't long after we switched her to the crib, so between those two things sleep was pretty brutal for a while. And she was just down right sad sometimes. Her top gums look a little puffy like another tooth might be thinking of coming in, but nothing to see there yet.<br />
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Girlfriend is definitely a mamas girl. If I hand her off to someone, she either cries, or watches me like a hawk to make sure I don't leave the room. And then she pitches a little fit if I do. She is constantly my accessory, being toted around on my hip. To the point that honestly I sometimes forget that I am holding her. She just hangs out, watching the world go by from the safety of my arms.<br />
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She likes when I sing to her, especially Itsy Bitsy Spider. We try to read books on occasion, but she just gets pissed when I move her hands to turn the pages. Toys that she can shake and make noise seem to be her favorites. Her sisters are great fun until they try to make her 'cozy' with pillows and blankets, or take their toys out of her reach. She gets a kick out of Daddy playing peek a boo, and hates when he takes her out of the shower. Most of the time she is a champ in the car, and generally makes a decent dinner date.<br />
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Arden girl, I love you something fierce.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-5591537182754373142018-08-25T20:19:00.000-05:002018-08-25T20:19:09.785-05:00arden rae - seven months<i>written August 16th</i> <br />
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STOP GROWING! Or rather, just stop getting older child, please? Gah. It is so incredibly fun to watch Arden grow and change and learn, but it kills me a little bit every day to know I'll never have another baby, I'll never be in this stage again. I just love it so much! Well most of it anyway.<br />
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Arden is such a sweet, tiny little thing. Our last weight check was August 1st, and she tipped the scales at 12 pounds 11 ounces. Ha. If I had to guess, based on the rate she has been gaining weight, I'd say she is at most 13 pounds 3 ounces. Reality is the most she has ever gained is roughly three ounces a week, but her spit up has slowed down considerably in the last few weeks, and she has also been sleeping like crap, so I'm hopeful that maybe her gained picked up a little bit. We're going to do one more weight check at the breastfeeding clinic around August 24th, and then we are following up with our pediatrician on August 28th to establish some sort of a 'game plan'. Mostly, I'm over the constant weight checks, and she has managed to maintain the first percentile for about two months now, so I'm hopeful that if nothing else, we can feel comfortable with checking in once a month tops. And decide if there is any testing we need to pursue or just go with she is a small kid!<br />
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Currently Arden is still in the 3-6 month clothing. I keep hoping that she'll suddenly grow out of them, and I know she will eventually, but I've got more than a handful of rompers I purchased specifically for her that I doubt she'll ever get to wear. Such a bummer. And not that we have any shortage of clothes, but I like to buy some coordinating things, and I just never know what size to get for her if I'm looking forward. She is also still in a size two diaper, and never wears shoes. We did move from the extra small zipadee zip to just the small. Progress! Ha.<br />
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Sleep got a little more interesting in the last two weeks. Arden has finally figure out this whole rolling thing. Which is great, except twice she managed to flip face down in the rock 'n play, so we were forced to make a quick switch to the crib. I admit it has gone better than expected. The first three nights bedtime was tough. She would cry a fair amount when I laid her down, but really only the first two nights did I feel like she was truly upset. Since then it has been more of a complaining cry. The real bummer is that she just isn't sleeping as well. She is waking up twice at night instead of just once. And naps are usually 90 minutes tops, but generally just an hour. So nothing horrible, but I had it so good before. Ha. She is also at the age where she is really on the verge of dropping that third nap. Some days if her first two naps are longer we skip it, or if we're out and about and she doesn't fall asleep, a third nap just doesn't happen. But she still shows some tired signs right about two hours after she last woke up.<br />
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Between the changing up of naps and trying to incorporate solids and not losing any nursing sessions, I feel like the days are sort of a hot mess. But hopefully we get it all figured out soon. Arden is becoming more and more interested in solids and food in general. So far she has tried avocado, pureed chicken (which she absolutely HATED), sweet potatoes, sweet peas and green beans. She has also had puffs for about a week now. The first couple of days trying those was rather comical. Arden clearly liked them, opening her mouth wide and excitedly, but once the puff was in her mouth she just didn't know what to do with it and her faces were hilarious. She is getting the hang of it though! We need to add another meal, I'm just being lazy about it. I very much look forward to being able to just give her little bits and pieces of our meals. I'm just not quite comfortable with it yet.<br />
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Despite swearing I saw one starting to come in, Arden still doesn't have any teeth. She drools like a maniac so I think they're coming, but really I have no idea. The other three all got their first tooth between 7 and 8 months, so we've got to be close, right? These girls are by no means carbon copies of each other, and Arden is veering furthest from our norm, but overall they have all been pretty similar as well. She is just tiny and has little desire to move, probably because I carry her all the time, and if something is out of reach there is usually two or three sets of little hands willing to push a toy in her direction. <br />
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Arden is getting stronger and better at sitting every day. And thankfully since the rest of her growth motor skills haven't taken off yet, I might actually get one of those babies who just sits there and looks cute for a little bit. All three older girls were crawling by seven months. Arden is managing to scoot her body around here and there, and can sometimes figure out how to roll to get what she wants, but overall she stays put and I love it. Now that the big girls are back in school I'm hoping to do some cleaning and purging, and hopefully by the time Arden really is on the move the playroom will be mostly safe.<br />
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Overall Arden is very easy going, but she is starting to be more and more of a mama's girl. If she is tired she is anti strangers. And she also throws the most ridiculous little fits if something isn't going her way. Mainly if she drops a toy, a toy is out of reach, or something gets taken from her. She tolerates a lot from her sisters, but they can definitely overwhelm her, and I foresee her being pretty vocal if they are bothering her. At the moment they think it is no big deal if they take something from her, but girlfriend has a good grip, the hair pulling is going to happen. I just know it.<br />
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I just love you sweet little girl! Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-91400372628797057512018-08-09T15:01:00.000-05:002018-08-09T15:01:27.447-05:00thea saysI'm so horrible about writing down the funny things that Thea says, and even more horrible about getting them up on the blog. But here are a few!<br />
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<i>one day when Thea had been running a fever and jumped in my bed</i><br />
Me: "Get your fever outta my bed."<br />
Thea: "My fever not in your bed. It under my armpit."<br />
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Thea: "I'm gonna get married. I gonna get a new dress like you. And you gonna get a new dress. And... <i>rambles things that I can't really understand so I just smile and nod</i>"<br />
Me: "Oh that sounds like a blast."<br />
Thea: "Nah. It a party."<br />
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<i>at 9:22am when she had slept until 8am</i><br />
Thea: "Mom, I want to go to bed."<br />
Me: "You want to go to bed? Already?"<br />
Thea: "Yeah. Beds my favorite." <i>me too girl, me too</i><br />
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For the longest time, whenever we'd ask Thea to do something or try something that she didn't really want to do, she'd say "I'm no so sure about dat." <br />
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One day I was wearing a shirt that had a little twist in the front, and when I would bend over it kind of puffed out a bit. While Thea was eating lunch, I walked to her and bent over to help her with something on her plate. She looked up at me, and with a very confused face said, "Wait. Where Baby Arden go???" I replied "She is in the rock 'n play." Thea looked at me again, gently put her hand on my shirt, and proceeded to push it back until she was able to to press her hand on my stomach. Then she let out a little sigh, and still with slightly concerned eyes said "Oh. Ok. She in the rock n play." Like she thought somehow Arden had gotten back in to my stomach. Too funny sweet girl. Too funny.<br />
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Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-72638637904508632032018-07-25T10:00:00.002-05:002018-07-25T10:00:50.327-05:00arden rae - six monthsExcuse me while I go cry in the corner. Halfway through my last baby's first year. I absolutely love watching her grow and I'm excited for a life with older kids (and maybe a little more sleep?) but the thought of her growing and never having another baby puts a lump in my throat.<br />
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But I couldn't have asked for a better last baby. Just look at that sweet little girl! Arden loves to observe and take in the world around her. She is generally a happy babe, and only gets upset when she is tired. Last week Chris and I took her out to dinner with us, and after I nursed her she didn't make a peep the entire time. Just sat in her car seat or my lap and watched us eat while waving a toy around. She's a winner. I can tell she is starting to pick up a touch of stranger danger, but for the most part she is willing to let anyone hold her. A lot of the time Arden keeps a pretty stone cold face, but she has the funniest little smirk she gives out when someone is trying to get a smile out of her. Like, "People, I think you're kind of funny, but I won't give you the satisfaction of a full on smile." I just love this kid to pieces.<br />
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Arden is still our pint size little babe. At her six month well check she weighed in at 12lbs 5oz (1st percentile) and measured 24.5 inches long (4th percentile). She has managed to maintain the 1st percentile for about six weeks now, so hopefully she's found her curve and will just be a small little kid. No big deal. But we're still not to a point that anyone is comfortable enough to let her go the full period between well checks, so we'll be back at the breastfeeding clinics for weight checks every few weeks. Her head circumference was 42.5cm, which actually put it in the 56th percentile. This is only funny to me because Thea's head was regularly on the small side, and apparently Arden's is large for her size, but they both look the same to me. Haha.<br />
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We're hoping that Arden's spit up will continue to lessen allowing her to hold on to more calories. And that with the addition of some solid foods will help fatten her up. So far we've only given her mashed avocado mixed with a little bit of breast milk. The first few days she really didn't eat much of it, and was gagging a lot, but day four and five she actually began to open her mouth and want more and managed to put down nearly 1/8th of an avocado each day. Surely that will start to help the weight gain a little bit!<br />
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Eczema continues to be our other biggest battle. I feel like Arden is sticky A LOT, because we are trying to keep it from flaring, but with limited success. If we miss an application or if I have Arden outside for a period of time it gets bad fast. It is so frustrating. I shouldn't complain, I know that other people deal with much worse. It has just been difficult to get the other girls outside because I worry about Arden getting to hot or sweaty, and in general it is just annoying to always need to be putting stuff on her skin. But in the grand scheme of life I guess I'll take a happy healthy girl with eczema over some of the alternatives.<br />
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Miss Arden is no longer the unicorn sleep champion, but I can't hate on it too much. I was waking her to eat if she hadn't woken me by 4am, but now she generally wakes up by herself some time between 2 and 4am. There still isn't any bit of a consistent schedule to her sleep habits as far as the clock is concerned, but that has more to do with us being on the go than it does her. I also think she is starting to get her bottom teeth which might be contributing to some night waking. She falls asleep on her own in the rock 'n play for naps, and will fall asleep on her own at night if she doesn't fall asleep nursing. <br />
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We tried to switch over to the crib again, but she struggles to settle in there, and doesn't stay asleep, and just does a lot more crying. She was able to fall asleep in the crib while she was swaddled, but then she was nearly rolling over. And she doesn't settle in the zipadee zip in the crib. By seven months though, I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and work through the tears. I keep hoping that she'll start being more efficient at rolling and sleep on her belly and all will be well. Just not the case yet. At least she is sleeping in the zipadee zip in the rock 'n play? Making a little bit of progress. She is taking three naps a day, each of them between 1-2 hours.<br />
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Arden can now sit up for short periods unassisted. Really she can last several minutes if she doesn't get too distracted, but she isn't sturdy enough for me to just plop her down and trust her to stay upright. She definitely prefers to be sitting though. When on her back or doing tummy time her interest in being mobile is minimal. She can roll belly to back, and back to belly, but very rarely does it. I'm toeing the line between appreciating the fact that I don't think she'll be crawling any time soon, to being overly worried about her inability to move around. But with a death trap of a home full of LOL dolls, hatchimals, little legos and other various choking hazards, we're just going to appreciate her inability to move.<br />
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She actually likes to be in a standing position now. I was so worried because she didn't have any interest in supporting her weight on her legs, but that quickly changed. When she is seated, I can help pull her up to standing position fairly easily, without her wobbling around too much. She doesn't jump around in her jumper yet, but she is starting to bounce a little more. We're going very slow and steady with this gross motor stuff.<br />
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Arden made her first trip to Omaha in the last month. Maybe not as big of an adventure as Disney World or Georgia, but she is still doing a fair amount of traveling! She was great in the car on the way there. Slept for about half the drive, I nursed her, and then she just played with her toy for another hour or so without fussing at all. We didn't fair quite as well on the way home, and she pretty upset for the last 25 minutes of the drive. But overall I'd call it a success. While in Omaha we visited family and made a stop at the zoo. It was toasty but Arden did great, snoozed a bit in the stroller, and just looked around and did her baby thing.<br />
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Arden, don't hate me when I smother you with hugs and kisses and try to keep you my tiny baby forever. I love you so much.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-22352026731285647682018-06-22T11:51:00.000-05:002018-06-22T11:51:09.217-05:00arden rae - five months<i>written June 15th</i> <br />
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One of these days I'll write something other than Arden's monthly posts not likely, but for now I'm dong my best to just keep up with those!<br />
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Five months old and still as cute as ever! Seriously. Arden is so adorable and so sweet. She is a pretty easy going baby, and is relatively quick to flash anyone and everyone a smile. So far she doesn't care too much about who as holding her. Though she does have a thing for just snuggling in with me. If I'm standing of course. Why do babies care if you're sitting or standing while they're being held? Still baffles me.<br />
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At Arden's four month appointment our pediatrician asked for her to be seen at the breastfeeding clinic for a weight check when she was five months old. That day she started to have bright green poop diapers, and when it continued for a week, he had us to go the clinic early. The mystery green poop cleared up, but we've been going back weekly for weight checks to make sure Arden isn't falling off the growth charts. The first week she lost an ounce, but has since gained seven. At today's check she weighed in at 11 pounds 8 ounces, putting her in the 1st percentile. She by no means looks underfed, and aside from the spitting up we can't really put a finger on why she isn't gaining weight, other than she needs more calories than she is currently getting. So I'm not supposed to let her sleep through the night without feeding her.<br />
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FREAKING FIGURES. I finally get a relatively good sleeper and I can't just let her be! She actually has been waking up on her own once a night probably five times a week, so I don't exactly set an alarm all the time. If she falls off the charts I'll figure something else out, but for now I just do my best to make sure she has the opportunity to nurse six times a day, and eat as much guacamole as I can. :) Speaking of my relatively good sleeper, Arden still wins by a landslide at being able to put herself to sleep on occasion. Today she has gone down for both naps completely awake, and fallen asleep on her own. She is still swaddled in an Ollie and sleeping in the Rock n Play, but I'm telling myself that next week we're going to attempt the crib transition again. I want to do that first, and then get her from the Ollie to a zipadee zip. Arden is usually taking three naps a day, with one of them being 2-3 hours long, the others 40 minutes to an hour. She goes to bed between 7:30 and 8pm, and is up for the day between 6 and 7am.<br />
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Arden tends to favor quietly (or not so quietly) observing the world around her from the comfort of someone's lap over working on her gross motor skills. On May 23rd she did manage to roll from back to belly for the first time. She has done it maybe twice since then. But usually she just lays around. She has basically made zero attempts to roll from belly to back. If I pull her to a standing position she is reluctant to bare weight on her legs, and often picks up the right one like a flamingo. And she is nowhere close to sitting unsupported. But she is definitely gaining better control of her arms and hands. I love to watch her grab on to things, her little eyes get a bit wider, amazed that she actually made her arms work! And though I'm sure she really isn't, there have a been a few times in the last couple of days where I swear she has waved. I don't know that anyone ever waves at her, so I'm not sure why she'd be doing it. But it has looked so much like a little wave!<br />
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With better control of her hands comes the ability to pull hair. Man oh man, Elsie and Thea are quickly seeing what it is like to be on the receiving end of hair pulling! Thea just loves to get right up in Arden's face, mostly kissing her and loving on her, but naturally Arden just grabs fist fulls of hair and holds on tight. I am constantly reminding them that if you get in her face she WILL pull your hair. Because it's there and why not. Arden has also started pinching and scratching the back of my arms while I'm carrying her around or nursing her. It hasn't gotten too bad yet, but it is in the near future, I can tell.<br />
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The screeching still remains Arden's favorite form of vocalization, but in the last week or so she has started babbling consonants here and there and I love it. Of course she sounds like she says dada sometimes. Never mama. Oh well. The point is that she babbles and it is just the sweetest thing. The big girls are already speculating on what her first word might be. I'm sure you've still got several months to wait, sorry kiddos.<br />
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Arden had another big adventure this month, taking her first trip to Georgia! All things considered she did relatively well and again tolerated a fair amount of missed naps and being toted from place to place often. I was worried that she would hate the beach or it would be way too windy for her, but the weather was relatively calm while we were there.<br />
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Baby girl, you are so loved.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-43175792532974283222018-05-17T14:16:00.001-05:002018-05-17T14:16:53.953-05:00arden - four monthsWell that month definitely flew by. Arden Rae is already four months old!<br />
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Arden's four month well check was Monday, and it went, well enough. She got two vaccines which she hated, but was soothed with just some snuggles, and the rotavirus oral vaccine, which I'm hoping she didn't spit up too much of. But the main take away from this appointment was that the little miss is dropping on the growth charts. Arden weighed in at 11lbs 7oz (4th percentile) and was 23.8 in long (21st) percentile. I can't find her print out from our weight check that was done at like 10 days, but at 4 days old she was in the 29th percentile for weight, so in my head that isn't THAT far of a drop, even though I know it kind of is. <br />
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There are so many variables that are contributing to whether or not her slow weight gain is actually an issue. She spits up. All the time. Right after a feeding. An hour after a feeding. As soon as she wakes up. Hell, during a feeding. But she isn't really upset about it so thus far it hasn't been an issue. A laundry issue, and a we always smell like sour milk issue, but not seemingly a health issue. She has also developed some eczema. It was noticeable shortly after I finished my Whole30 (so reintroduced a variety of foods), but became awful when the weather warmed up and especially when we went to Disney World. So that could be food sensitivity or intolerance, or simply environmental. But there is also the fact that my sister is only 4 foot 11. Both Chris and I lean towards the short or average end. It is possible that she'll just be small, or have a huge growth spurt somewhere along the lines. So far, overall, she is still gaining weight and growing so we'll just keep on keeping on.<br />
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Right now Arden is in 3-6 month or 6 month clothing and size two diapers. We did put one 6 month sleeper from Carter's on her, that must be marked wrong or something, because it was almost ridiculously huge. Still haven't really ventured into her wearing shoes. And since it went from being winter to summer in a matter of minutes there isn't much of a reason to keep her feet covered, except for maybe sun protection. But we have a pretty large pile of cute shoes so maybe I should throw some on just for kicks. I have actually been putting her in real clothes most days (I should use the term real very lightly, I've been doing just one piece rompers. Two piece outfits happen almost never) so it wouldn't be ridiculous to put on a pair of shoes.<br />
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We had a good run of Arden sleeping 10-11 hours at night, but in the last two weeks those nights are few and far between. She still isn't a terrible sleeper by any means, usually only waking once in an 11-12 hour stretch, but I can tell we're going through some sleep changes. I won't do any formal sleep training until six months, so I'm hoping we can hang on to decent sleep until that point. We haven't transitioned out of the rock 'n play or the swaddle, so I'm guessing it is going to take some sleep training to make it happen. Arden has mostly been taking three naps a day, sometimes four if a couple of them are pretty short. Really she has no schedule and I just let her do her thing. For the most part it is working well enough for us. She is usually up for about max two hours before she is ready to sleep again.<br />
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Arden still has yet to roll in either direction, but she does roll to her sides now. And naturally she is rather adorable when she lays on her side. She can get her head and sometimes her chest pretty high while doing tummy time, but for the most part she just gives up and rubs her face all over the floor. Her head and neck are pretty strong, but overall I don't think she is as sturdy as the other girls were at this age. She is gaining more and more control over her hands and arms and has been reaching out for toys, and starting to swat the ones on her play mats. She has also been grabbing her toes which just makes babies seem so much older.<br />
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The sound track to my day now includes this really awesome high pitched screeching noise. It is rather lovely. Ha. It can be cute, for sure, and was definitely funny the first day or so. But occasionally I actually want to hear what the other girls are saying or try to have a conversation with someone and Arden is just LOUD! :) Another habit she has picked up, is rubbing/scratching her head when she is tired or nursing. We've been putting the little newborn mitts on her to keep her from completely destroying her face, but she has still managed to get a good slice in her scalp here and there.<br />
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Her smile is so sweet, and she is fairly quick to give it out. She intently watches her sisters move about the house, I'm sure trying to discern what on Earth they are doing most of the time. They're crazy. She likes to be carried facing out so she can see what is going on. She smiles when I sing to her. Bottles still aren't her thing. Really she is just a content little baby, who hangs out and goes along for the ride.<br />
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Arden's big adventure this past month was to Disney World! Go big or go home right? She had her first airplane ride, first big trip, first time at Disney World, all before turning four months old. I was worried that the trip would be miserable because she doesn't love being worn, but all things considered she did really well. There was a fair amount of crying when she'd get tired and not really want to be in the carrier, and we had to stop several times to nurse, but she slept well at night and spent a good deal of time just hanging out. She got to ride the Teacups, Peter Pan's Flight, Dumbo, the Little Mermaid ride, A Nemo ride, Frozen Ever After, Jungle Cruise, go on a safari, probably a couple more I'm forgetting, and watched a few shows. We never made it back into the park in the evenings because I always felt bad about strapping her in anymore, but ultimately we were very happy with how she (and the other girls!) handled the trip and the straight up exhaustion. We'll definitely have to go back when Arden can enjoy it too.<br />
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Best baby, I love you so. Thanks for putting up with your crazy family, and being so easy going. Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-45428354483819375872018-05-10T14:46:00.000-05:002018-05-10T14:46:38.854-05:00arden - three months<i>Wrote the whole post by April 19th, edited the photos, but apparently never put the two together and posted? Whoops. Getting it up before she is four months old in two days!</i> <br />
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This month didn't fly by as fast as the first two, but still. Three months old! Can someone please slow down time? All of my girls are growing up so fast, I can't stand it.<br />
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Little Miss Arden is still the petite girl of our bunch. Obviously my scale methods are never all that accurate, but by my estimation she is 10 pounds 9 ounces. So she gained maybe half a pound over the last month? Still growing and changing daily, but I'm hoping her growth curve hasn't flattened out too much. The older girls were between 12.5 and 14 pounds by this point. Measuring length on my own just isn't worth it. She is wearing 0-3 month clothing, occasionally something in the 3-6 month range, and a size one diaper.<br />
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My sweet little magical unicorn baby has still been a relatively fabulous sleeper for me. For a few weeks she mostly slept 10 to 11 hours straight at night. There were a handful of days that she napped so well that I was waking her just to make sure we fit 4-5 nursing sessions in a day. The last couple of days haven't been quite as good, but still I have the opportunity to get a decent amount of sleep myself. Bed time and wake time still vary quite a bit, adjusting for how well she naps throughout the day. Arden is usually asleep for the night between 8:45-10pm, and up for the day between 7:30-8:30am. She has only woken once a night a handful of times over the last month, but that time has been completely sporadic. One night she was up at 12:45am, we've seen 2:00, 3:00 and 4:00am, and once 5:30am. Each night it took about 45 minutes to feed her and get her back to sleep, but even the night she woke at 12:45am, she still slept until 7:45am.<br />
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We sort of attempted to transition to the crib, and at first it was pretty promising. I started with naps, and the first day she took nearly a three hour nap in the crib. I was so impressed. The rest of the day they were pretty short and I think I let her take a nap in the rock n play, but overall, not bad. That continued for a few days, and I think we had almost a week straight where she napped only in the crib, but was still in the rock n play at night. Then for a few days she just stopped napping well in the crib, she got over tired and I got frustrated. Annnd now shes back to being in the rock n play 90% of the time. I still try to lay her in the crib for at least a nap or two a day, so the space isn't so foreign. We also moved the rock n play to her room at night without any issue, so we're making progress towards spending the night in her crib? Maybe?<br />
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Arden usually nurses about five times a day, with a sixth little top off feed, or really, an I'm tired of standing and bouncing and what not before bed so let's take the easy route to get you to sleep. But she rarely lasts long during that feed, and totally uses me as a human pacifier. Whatever, I'm over it. We have also done a little work on her falling asleep on her own. She has been successful in both the rock n play and the crib, but definitely not consistent. She does the best in the morning, and ok mid afternoon. But by late afternoon or the evening she just screams if I set her down.<br />
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Girlfriend has been really finding her voice over the past month. She spends a lot of time cooing in general, and definitely seems to respond when you are talking to her. I love it so much, and so do her big sisters. They get a kick out of having a 'conversation' with Arden. Elsie uses the funniest highest pitch voice ever when she talks to Arden, but it gets her to smile and coo so I guess she likes it. :) But by far the best noise I heard all month was a sweet little giggle! I didn't believe it at first, as I felt it was too early for her to be doing any form of laughing, but it really is a little giggle. It is tough to get, and if you try too hard she just spits up. But man, baby giggles, I love them.<br />
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Gross motor skills wise, Arden's head and neck control continues to get better, but that is about it. No rolling over yet. She seems like she might be gaining some control of her arms and hands, but it isn't obvious. She often spends some time just staring at her hands though, watching her little fingers move. One afternoon while she was flailing around she scratched her face, so I pulled the little mitts of the sleeper over her hands. I swear she stared at them like "what the heck?!? where did they go?!?" It was rather cute. <br />
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We seem to have made it out of flu season unharmed (granted it is still 40 degrees outside. Get your act together mother nature). But Arden seems to have picked up a cold that one of the girls brought home from preschool. Her poor little stuffy nose. Really that seems to be her only symptom, but it makes it difficult for her to nurse effectively. And we now know that Arden strongly dislikes the nose frida. Sorry girl. We're also dealing with some eczema. I'm not sure if it has to do with anything I'm eating, just the weather, her being a baby, what. But it's a bummer. We're constantly slathering the kid in cream from head to toe. Arden also has some pretty bad looking spots on her neck, my best guess is from her spitting up and being in the car seat. It just looks so raw and sad. I need to figure out a way to protect her little neck from rubbing on the straps too much.<br />
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Love you Miss Arden. Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-7340547797684700082018-04-14T21:34:00.000-05:002018-04-14T21:34:09.387-05:00elsie jo is fiveReally she turned five two months ago, but who is counting, right? Miss Elsie Jo is now a whole hand old. Suddenly she is so grown up and getting ready for kindergarten! Her emotions still get the best of her at times (so do mine, let's be honest), but she can be so sweet with her sisters. She gets lots of praise from her teachers at school for being an excellent friend and always willing to learn. She has started reading a bit here and there, loves to try and do math, and still really loves to draw, craft and create.<br />
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Elsie participates in dance, soccer and gymnastics. She never can seem to pick a favorite, and she does a great job at each one. I think she really likes dance and soccer, because she gets to do both with several of her friends. Not that she has a problem making friends. Sometimes she is shy, but for the most part Elsie just loves to have other kiddos to play with and is happy to befriend whoever is around.<br />
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To celebrate Elsie's birthday we started off with donuts, opened some presents, took a trip to Kansas City to visit the doll hair salon at American Girl, ate some Panda Express in the food court, opened more presents, had a gymnastics class, and got some Chilis To-Go for dinner (because we had a three week old at the time and we always have a Thea, so public is... fun...). I think she had a great day!<br />
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Elsie really is a character, and loves to make people laugh. And her genuine laugh is one of my favorites. She is constantly setting up toys in a big circle to play with. She'll get out all the Playmobil structures we have (castles, barn, etc) and put them all around her. And then the Playmobils, her Hatchimals, LOL Dolls, etc, will play amongst them. When she gets going she can entertain herself for over an hour just playing. She doesn't like if I'm around while she is playing on her own. I guess it embarrasses her? At first I thought she was trying to sneak some sweets by me, but it wasn't the case. She just doesn't want me around when she is pretending. If only she could learn to pick up her massive set up of toys when she is done playing. That sure would be something.<br />
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One thing I really love about Elsie, is that she doesn't give up too easily. Sure she can get frustrated trying new things, but she really has held tight to the concept that if she tries her best she can do hard things. The way she phrases things to herself makes me believe that they do a great job instilling that at her preschool, but I'm sure part of it is just her nature. She isn't as near as much of a perfectionist as Ryann is.<br />
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For some reason she can never remember her middle name. Her favorites include tacos, ice cream, watching dumb toy videos on YouTube, all the colors of the rainbow (but mostly red), dates with Daddy on Thursdays and doing 'work' with Papa. Unikittys are her jam, and Target about blew her mind when the dollar section included mermaid unikittys. Elsie also love love LOVES her baby Arden. She tells me a million times a day how cute Arden is, she absolutely loves when she gets her to smile, and overall she is just so sweet with Arden. A complete 180 from when Thea was born and Elsie didn't care about her one bit. Girl is growing up on me!<br />
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Elsie girl, I can't wait to see how you change over the next year. I love you so much!Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-33766644272559478362018-04-08T19:12:00.000-05:002018-04-08T19:12:16.941-05:00elsie's fifth birthday fiestaJust before Miss Elsie Jo turned five we hosted a little fiesta themed birthday party at our home to celebrate. Which really just meant chips, queso, tacos and sweets. Plus sombrerros. But hey. I had a three week old and it was snowing. You do what you can. Ha.<br />
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Originally Elsie asked me for a 'unikitty hatchimal taco party'. I wasn't exactly sure how to pull that off, so I nudged her towards her love of tacos and we settled on a fiesta. I ordered some random fiesta decor off Amazon, my mom picked up some cacti from Home Depot, and we rolled with it.<br />
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Our taco meal consisted of your average beef with store bought taco seasoning, along with some slow cooker cilantro lime chicken we made following <a href="https://belleofthekitchen.com/2016/08/30/slow-cooker-cilantro-lime-chicken-tacos/" target="_blank">this recipe</a>. Chris made a giant batch of guacamole that naturally we forgot was in the fridge until over halfway through the party. Chips, queso and a couple kinds of salsa as well as some fresh cut fruit and veggies rounded out the meal. The sweets included cookies made by the oh so talented Jenny, <a href="https://www.iheartnaptime.net/churro-cupcakes/" target="_blank">churro cupcakes</a> my mom made, and a chocolate cake by Hyvee for good measure.<br />
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With Elsie's birthday being in February, it has always been tough to come up with activities for a bunch of kiddos in our home. Next year we might try to do the party elsewhere (because families keep expanding and I think we had upwards of 16 children plus adults even after some couldn't make it!), but this year I stupidly got brave and decided to let the kids paint pots to go along with the cacti we got as favors. Thankfully all of my mom friends are champs and helped out and somehow the only children who ended up with paint on them were mine. Figures. But the kids did a great job and the pots turned out pretty cute! Sending them home with a live cactus that actually hurts when you touch it might have been a jerk move, but it just seemed so fitting.<br />
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Elsie loved having all her friends over to play, and was genuinely excited but each one of the gifts she received. That girl my still have a short fuse, but she loves hard and adores all her little friends. Thanks to everyone who came to help celebrate her birthday, she had a blast!<br />
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Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-37440121974399429182018-03-22T11:10:00.000-05:002018-03-22T11:10:29.196-05:00arden - two months<i>written March 15th</i><br />
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My baby is already two months old. That is just ridiculous. I feel like I anticipated her arrival for so long, and then boom, two months have gone by.<br />
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We had Arden's two month well visit yesterday and I was surprised by her size. I expected her to be near 11 pounds, but the sweet girl weighed in at 10 pounds and 2 ounces, and measured at just a hair over 22 inches long. So despite being the largest at birth, she was the smallest of all our girls at two months (see Ryann, Elsie and Thea at two months). Her weight fell into the 18th percentile, her length into the 27th. I discussed the amount she spits up with the pediatrician, along with her baby acne, both of which were deemed a non issue (what I expected, they are both just, unfortunate). Overall she looks very healthy, and just suggested that if I can handle it, to maybe stay away from dairy until she is closer to five months old. Arden didn't appreciate the shots in the slightest, but we survived and hopefully won't have to go back to the doctor until her four month appointment.<br />
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Arden is pretty much in all 0-3 month clothes. The Could Island brand (from Target) newborn sleepers lasted the longest. Width wise she still had PLENTY of room, but she just outgrew the limbs. I felt like we were going to plow through the 0-3 month size, but she must have grown quick in the first few weeks and then slowed down. She is wearing a size one diaper, and I haven't put any shoes on her at all so I'm not sure where we'd be at in those.<br />
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I suppose I shouldn't be shocked that Arden is the smallest of the four right now, she eats the least and sleeps the most. She is my little dream baby, I can hardly stand it. Arden has been giving me at minimum a six hour stretch for well over a week. Maybe even two. The last three nights she has slept nine to ten hours straight. I have no clue why. I have done nothing differently. She sleeps in an <a href="https://theollieworld.com/" target="_blank">Ollie Swaddle</a> in the rock 'n play in our room. I'd love to try her in something flat, or in her crib, but um... I also am really enjoying this whole sleeping thing. I've been able to work out in the mornings and often even shower. Right now she is going to bed sometime between 9 and 10pm, and waking up anywhere between 5-7:30am. If she wakes before 6:00am she has gone right back to sleep and will sleep another three hours. After 6 it is a bit more unpredictable, but then she'll take a three hour morning nap if we're at home. The evenings are a little dicey, but she still isn't super crabby. I look forward to her going to bed a little earlier, but again, I'm getting to sleep so I'm not going to complain.<br />
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<a href="https://www.zozubaby.com/" target="_blank">bow</a> | <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/LittlePretties28?ref=pr_faveshops" target="_blank">bracelet</a></div>
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Something else that Arden has done that none of the rest of the girls seemed able to, is fall asleep on her own. It has only happened a handful of times, but we're going to keep practicing over the next couple of weeks. It takes a bit to get her drowsy (swaddled and bouncing and pacing and such), but she has managed at that point, to go from a fairly alert state to asleep. My hope is that we can get the hang of putting herself to sleep a bit more, and then work on the transition to the crib. I go back and forth on when to move her out of our room. With her sleeping decently at night right now, I don't need the convenience of her being next to me. At the same time the new recommendations are something silly like having them in your room for the first year. That ain't gonna happen. Chris has been sleeping on the couch since she came home from the hospital so that neither of them disturb each other.<br />
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She, in general, is just a more content baby than any of the rest ever were. It is night and day from Thea. She will fairly easily go 4 hours between feedings during the day. I regularly have to wake her from her first nap to make sure we get in a decent number of nursing sessions. For about the last week, I'd say she nursed 5-6 times a day. We've tried a bottle once (at six weeks) and it didn't really go over well. I bought a Tommee Tippee bottle and hope to give that a go sometime soon. Maybe a different bottle will change her mind? Fingers crossed, because it would be nice to actually be able to have a date night, or date afternoon, or do anything where I don't feel like I have to be around her just in case she decides she is hungry. Oh, we're also four for four on pacifier hating kids. I don't mind it a bit when they're older, but when they're babies I sure wish they'd at least tolerate it!<br />
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Arden's eyes definitely seem to have a blue hue to them. But her hair still looks fairly dark compared to the other three! I'm trying to wrap my brain around possibly having a brunette. Ha! I'm sure there is still time for that to change. Kiddo has a ton of baby acne, or really the pediatrician called it something else, but her poor face just looks miserable. And it is incredibly dry all the time, despite lots of aquaphor. I'm anxious for that to clear up. Her bottom lip is also split right down the middle, and it just won't heal up. I'm not sure if it causes her any pain but it sure looks uncomfortable.<br />
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In the last month we celebrated Arden's first holiday, Valentine's day. But between running to class parties for the other kids (in which I didn't take her because germs) and her sleeping, I only took one measly picture. Sorry fourth born! I promise I love you so very much. I'm so glad that flu season is nearing the end, and now that she has had her vaccines maybe we'll get out a bit more. At one point I realized the poor kid hadn't left the house in like six days. Not that she notices or cares, but it is kind of crazy to think about. And so far she has been pretty great when we do go places so it isn't like it should be scary to go. Unless you consider Thea in the equation. She is my wild card. I kind of want to put her on a leash.<br />
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Arden enjoys her bath time, and seems fascinated with her sisters. Or terrified of them. One of the two. Ha. She lights up when she hears her Daddy's voice. Tummy time isn't so much her favorite. She gasps and gags if we go outside and it is the slightest bit windy.<br />
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Sweet girl, I can't get enough of you. I love you Arden!Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-58913273281181886182018-03-09T14:28:00.000-06:002018-03-09T14:28:27.755-06:00thea + ardenI get so many questions about how Thea is adjusting to Arden coming home. And truly, I couldn't be happier with how she has handled the transition. She hasn't lashed out, and the bulk of her behavior can be attributed to the fact that she A) is 2.5, and B) has some strong willed older sisters whose mannerisms are rubbing off on her. She tells me Arden is going to be her best friend and she loves to 'gently' rub her head. If Arden spits up, Thea wants to be the one to wipe it off (sorry about that Arden, I know her spit wiping skills aren't the best). When I ask Thea if she wants Arden to join us for bedtime, or Daddy to take her, she usually wants Arden in her room. She has already asked if Arden can sleep in her bed with her. I'm so proud of Thea and just love watching their relationship form.<br />
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<i>photos taken February 8th, Arden was 3 weeks 6 days</i><br />
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And a couple more photos of Arden because she is cute and I have them...<br />
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Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-24910618764216796772018-02-28T21:48:00.000-06:002018-02-28T21:48:17.814-06:00arden - one month<i>I wrote this whole post, and I thought saved it to my drafts. Finally came to add the photos and everything but the first snippet is gone. I could definitely cry right now. It is hard to come by time to write! So I'm rewriting it, as best as I can.</i><br />
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Damn you time. Just like that a month has flown by. I must have known I'd have another baby after Thea. While I can't wait to see what each new day brings, I'm definitely mourning every day that goes by. Arden looks more like a 'real baby' than a newborn already!<br />
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Because her weight gain was great at our follow up weight check (up to 7lbs 7oz) Arden didn't have a one month appointment. Based on our ever inaccurate guess with our home scale, she was right around nine pounds at one month. She is definitely filling out more and more, maybe just not quite as fast as Thea did. HA. Her limbs are too long for a lot of her newborn sleepers, especially if I try to put the mitts over her hands. But 0-3 and 3 month clothes are so dang baggy. We just opened up size one diapers because she has been leaking out of the newborns. But it seems to be a brand issue more than anything. All of my kids have used Pampers but they don't seem to be working for Arden!<br />
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For the most part nursing is going fantastically. She nurses roughly every 2.5-3 hours throughout the day. Sometimes she is fussy between then, but I try to keep from feeding her too much because she spits up so much. So so so so much. But she seems to be gaining weight just fine and isn't screaming all the time or anything, so I guess we'll just roll with it. We haven't tried a bottle yet, but I'm not having high hopes of it going well. Just like all the other girls she isn't amused by the pacifier. When I try to put it in her mouth she starts gagging and acting like I'm killing her. Better get on the bottle thing before it is too late...<br />
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Sleep has been (knock on wood) not too shabby. Much like our other children, it is hard for Arden to settle in for a nap during the day. There isn't any just snuggling to sleep, and holding her or having her on my chest doesn't necessarily keep her asleep. However when she wakes up to nurse in the middle of the night she goes back to sleep with little to no effort. And by some miracle the sweet girl has already been giving me a few 5.5-7 hour stretches at night. I don't know where this magical child came from, but I think I'll keep her. I had hoped maybe I'd actually start a child on a flat surface so we wouldn't have the dreaded rock 'n play to crib transition, but if I lay her down flat she either just plain wakes up immediately, or spits up, wakes up, and gets the hiccups. So we're sticking with what works at the moment and she is swaddled in the rock 'n play next to my bed.<br />
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I'm going to try not to constantly compare Arden to Thea, but my gosh, Arden is a much easier baby. Not only was sleep pretty awful with Thea, and she was fussy much more often, she also screamed bloody murder every time she was in the car seat. Sure Arden can be fussy, but she tolerates being in the car seat really well, and over all is just calmer and more easy going. Between that and me getting a reasonable amount of sleep, (and a lot of help from my parents) this whole baby thing just seems so much easier. It is glorious. Without the help of my parents I no doubt would not be fairing near as well, but they are keeping me sane and us well fed. :) So very grateful for them!<br />
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In her first couple weeks of life, Chris compared Arden to a sloth, and the description was hilariously accurate. She was fairly alert from the beginning, but all of her movements were so slow. When she would turn her head or move her eyes, it was at a snails pace. Once he called her a sloth I couldn't help but laugh watching her while she was awake.<br />
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Arden must have been born in the wrong month. That baby doesn't like to be cold in the slightest. When I'm having a hard time getting her to settle in for a nap, I stand in front of a space heater in our bathroom and sway. It is like her kryptonite. She often cries when someone with cold hands touches her. She also seems fairly content when getting a bath, until you take her out and she gets chilly. Sometimes we snuggle with big fluffy blankets and she really seems to like it. I mean, whats not to love about big fluffy blankets but still.<br />
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Her sisters most definitely adore her. I think Elsie says "Arden is sooo cute," at minimum ten times a day. Ryann and Thea tell me she is cute too. They have all been fairly helpful with her too, if I ask them to grab a diaper or a burp cloth, things of that nature. They also enjoy holding her, however everyone has become a wee bit nervous about getting spit up on. Elsie was holding her one afternoon and Arden spit up all over Elsie's hand. I thought Elsie was going to throw her for a second! She recovered quickly though.<br />
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Arden, sweet sweet baby girl, I am so thankful God sent you to me. My heart needed you so much. Me, your dad, your sisters, we are so happy you are a part of our family. We love you so very much.<br />
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<br />Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-18638767524358446902018-02-07T13:52:00.000-06:002018-02-07T13:52:36.583-06:00miss arden rae<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Miss Arden Rae</i></span></div>
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7 pounds 2 ounces | 20 inches</div>
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January 12th, 2018 | 1:04pm</div>
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I apologize for not sharing sooner, I know most people who still occasionally read the blog also follow me on instagram (the blog killer of the universe). But some of you do not, so here you go! Miss Arden Rae was born on January 12th at 39 weeks after a successful elective induction. I'm working on writing out her birth story, but until then, labor was mostly uneventful, delivery was intense but uncomplicated, and I couldn't be more in love with our new precious little one.<br />
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I first came across the name Arden from a sweet little girl in Elsie's dance class when we lived in Kansas City. It was different, but not absurd. We considered it when I was pregnant with Thea, but obviously opted for Thea instead. During this pregnancy we toyed with several names, Gemma, Harlow, Genevieve, Penelope... but ultimately we loved Arden the most, and I love the fact that it currently isn't anywhere close to the social security top 100. Her middle name, Rae, is after my mother.<br />
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With as much help as my mother has provided over the years, and even more so now as we have brought home baby number four, I think she earned a namesake. :) Both she and my father have been amazing, taking and picking up children from here and there, cooking, watching the big girls, helping with lots of tasks. I feel like we've almost seamlessly transitioned to a family of six, all because they have been so helpful. We've had other family and friends lend a hand or a meal as well, and truly it has made such a positive impact on this post partum period. I'm so grateful.<br />
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The girls are all very much in love with their baby sister. Thea acts as if she has always been a part of the family, and while there have been a few trying moments, they have been very very few. She has been incredibly helpful when I ask for something (a diaper, wipes, burp cloths), and has basically continued on like nothing has changed. And honestly any poor behavior she has can easily be chalked up to the fact that she is two and has old sisters who don't always model the best behavior. As in, she has the eye roll and the "uggghhh MOM" down. Oy.<br />
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Arden has been such a sweet little baby. Evenings are the fussiest, and so far no dice on her just laying down and falling asleep on her own. Typical of our children. What on Earth do I do to ruin them from the get go? She has given me a few nights with amazing stretches of sleep in her three weeks of life, and nurses like a champ. And spits up like a champ too, also typical of our babies. But more on her in less than a week when she'll already be a month old. Hold me. Time is going way too fast. <br />
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It's crazy to look at our family pictures now, and know this is it. This is my family. No more wondering and waiting how our puzzle will be put together. It is complete.<br />
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photo by <a href="http://adriennemaplesphotography.com/" target="_blank">Adrienne Maples</a></div>
Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-23527458464048241052018-01-10T15:10:00.000-06:002018-01-10T15:10:53.950-06:00thirty-eight weeks | baby five<div style="text-align: center;">
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Yesterday morning I had my very last OB appointment EVER. EVVVVVEEERRRR. That is the plan anyway. All looked well, 2cm dilated, 40% effaced, and we're a go for an induction on Friday morning. My doctor said something to the effect that I know what I'm doing, and the more I thought about it, the more this situation is completely foreign to me. I've never had an elective induction, they've all been medically necessary. Constant monitoring was needed for both baby and I. I was pretty much chained to the bed. This time? Not so much.<br />
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Also, last Thursday night around 11pm I started having relatively regular real contractions. They weren't incredibly painful, but definitely not just Braxton Hicks. They were coming roughly every 5-7 minutes. And I didn't have a damn clue what I was supposed to do. I've never had a contraction outside of the hospital. How the heck was I supposed to know if it was real labor? I ended up wandering the house, gathering up some last minute things I hadn't put with my bags (my camera, a pillow, the boppy, etc). Then I straightened my hair and put on a little make-up, lol. Just passing the time. The contractions were much less painful when I was up and moving around. Finally around 2:30am I finished a cup of water and decided to lay down for a bit. I managed to fall asleep, and when I woke up there weren't really any contractions to speak of. I'm going to chalk it up to being dehydrated because I'd been sick, but it sure kicked my butt into gear as far as making sure all my stuff was easy to grab and go.<br />
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<b>how far along</b>: 38 weeks + 3 days (compare to 38 weeks with <a href="http://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2010/03/bump-check-38-weeks.html" target="_blank">Ryann</a>, and <a href="http://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2013/02/thirty-eight-weeks.html" target="_blank">Elsie</a>. I never made it to 38 weeks with Thea!)<br />
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<b>size of baby</b>: A spaghetti squash. Possibly 19.5 inches long and over seven pounds. I can't wait to see how much she weighs. I'm betting on 7lbs 6oz as a birth weight. But I'll likely be completely wrong.<br />
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<b>weight gain</b>: +25 pounds. I had a touch of a stomach virus last Wednesday and Thursday, and it pretty much killed my appetite until about yesterday. <br />
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<b>maternity clothes</b>: Most maternity clothes can't contain the belly.<br />
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<b>symptoms</b>: I've developed a bit of a waddle thanks to all the headbutts to the cervix. And my skin is stupidly dry despite drinking as much water as I can tolerate and using body oil and body butter daily. My back gets sore, my pelvis gets sore, but for the most part, I'm doing alright.<br />
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<b>exercise</b>: Lugging around this belly.<br />
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<b>cravings/aversions</b>: I NEED WHITE CHEESE DIP. That is all. <br />
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<b>movement</b>: We seem to be on an every other day trend of her being a complete crazy baby in there, to barely any movement at all. There is no middle ground.<br />
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<b>sleep</b>: I was dehydrated thanks to the stomach bug so I slept through the night a couple of times.<br />
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<b>gender</b>: Girl<br />
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<b>looking forward to</b>: Her birth, obviously. And watching all the girls meet her. And also sleeping on my stomach again. I can't wait to lay on my stomach.<br />
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<b>worries</b>: I just need her in my arms. Then I'll stop worrying about her so much. I am worried about how Thea is going to handle a baby coming home. Or really, how I'm going to handle Thea not being the baby anymore. The girl has NEVER cried when I've dropped her off at MMO. In the beginning she'd affirm that "Mommy always comes back?", and when I'd tell her yes, she'd happily go in. She runs into the church nursery no problem now. But today of all days, the last day I'll be dropping her off at MMO for quite some time, she kicked and screamed and cried for me. I felt terrible and I had no idea why she was acting like that. I was in tears before I made it into my car. Kind of put a damper on my last kid free morning for the next who knows how long. I just felt so guilty. The girl has plenty of people to love her and she has fun at 'school', but still. #momguilt<br />
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<b>best moment this week</b>: All my bags are packed and ready. The house is freshly cleaned and mostly (ish) organized. For the most part I feel ready. It's a good feeling.<br />
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We're ready for you sister! Time to come out and play!</div>
Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-18643393113479932452018-01-02T15:39:00.000-06:002018-01-02T15:39:16.665-06:00thirty-seven weeks | baby five<div style="text-align: center;">
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Somehow over the last few days my blood pressure seems to have completely gone back to normal. We're surprised, my doctor is surprised, it is a mystery. In theory that is a good thing, but I sure was hoping to meet baby girl sooner rather than later! Everything checked out just fine at my appointment. My doctor did struggle to find baby's heartbeat at first, and the silence in the room was painful. It was maybe a total of two minutes? But I think my heart stopped. She did find it, and at first she thought it was tough to find because girlfriend was really low, but after she checked me decided that wasn't the case. Baby is likely sunny side up. Turn around girlie, I'd like you facing the appropriate way for delivery please! At least she is head down though, I'll take that.<br />
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<b>how far along</b>: 37 weeks + 2 days (compare to 37 weeks with <a href="http://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2010/03/bump-check-37-weeks.html" target="_blank">Ryann</a>, <a href="http://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2013/02/thirty-seven-weeks.html" target="_blank">Elsie</a> and <a href="http://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2015/07/thirty-seven-weeks.html" target="_blank">Thea</a>)<br />
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<b>size of baby</b>: A honeydew melon. Around 6 pounds and 19 inches long.<br />
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<b>weight gain</b>: +29 pounds. Going to see if I can hold steady for the next 10 days! <br />
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<b>maternity clothes</b>: Definitely.<br />
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<b>symptoms</b>: Restless legs, back pain, constipation, swelling, and now I've somehow managed to pull the ligaments or muscles at the bottom of my belly. Trying to lift my legs is near impossible. But really, it could be much much worse. I'd say I have a mild case of all of the above. Do I waddle a bit when I walk? Yes. But I'm not dying. :)<br />
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<b>exercise</b>: I walked on the treadmill yesterday and this morning. With the pain in my lower belly/pelvis area, I can't go more than 2.5mph. It is kind of pathetic. But it is better than nothing I hope.<br />
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<b>cravings/aversions</b>: I really like the girahdelli dark chocolate chips with a handful of mixed nuts. Still haven't gotten my white cheese dip fix. If I'm not having this kid until next week, maybe we can accomplish that.<br />
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<b>movement</b>: She just isn't moving as much. I hate it, but I still would probably get the amount of kicks in that I needed if I was counting.<br />
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<b>sleep</b>: Overall not too bad. We've just been staying up too late in general!<br />
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<b>gender</b>: Girl<br />
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<b>looking forward to</b>:
Baby's birth day. Also everyone being back in school come Monday morning, lol. I love my kids, but 2 glorious hours by myself in the house sounds fantastic.<br />
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<b>worries</b>: Every day that goes by I get a little bit more worried that something will happen to our sweet girl before she is born. A fairly irrational fear, I have no reason to believe anything will go wrong or that anything is wrong, but the anxiety is creeping back in. The little incident this morning with the heartbeat certainly didn't help. 10 days or less, 10 days or less...<br />
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<b>best moment this week</b>: Thea was sitting in my lap (or attempting to, not a lot of room there!) while I was reading her a book. Baby sister was moving around and pushing on her. Thea was giggling and saying "Stop it! Stop it sister! You tickling me!" It was adorable. Man I hope Thea doesn't hate me when we bring home this baby.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-24505970344366223842017-12-27T21:45:00.000-06:002017-12-27T21:45:58.694-06:00thirty-six weeks | baby five<div style="text-align: center;">
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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.<br />
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<b>how far along</b>: 36 weeks + 3 days (compare to 36 weeks with <a href="http://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2010/03/bump-check-36-weeks.html" target="_blank">Ryann</a>, <a href="http://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2013/01/thirty-six-weeks.html" target="_blank">Elsie</a> and <a href="http://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2015/07/thirty-six-weeks.html" target="_blank">Thea</a>)<br />
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<b>size of baby</b>: A ripe papaya. She is likely nearing 19 inches and 6 pounds.<br />
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<b>weight gain</b>: +29 pounds. I hadn't gained any weight in a few weeks, and then BAM. Christmas happened. Oh well.<br />
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<b>maternity clothes</b>: Definitely.<br />
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<b>symptoms</b>: 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.<br />
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<b>exercise</b>: 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. :)<br />
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<b>cravings/aversions</b>: 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.<br />
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<b>movement</b>: 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.<br />
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<b>sleep</b>: 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.<br />
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<b>gender</b>: Girl<br />
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<b>looking forward to</b>: 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!<br />
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<b>worries</b>: 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.<br />
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<b>best moment this week</b>: 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... :)<br />
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With the new wallpaper in the nursery and the belly in front of the Christmas tree.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-60073272268816904752017-12-12T21:41:00.002-06:002017-12-12T21:41:58.299-06:00thirty-four weeks | baby five<div style="text-align: center;">
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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!<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<b>how far along</b>: 34 weeks + 2 days (compare to 34 weeks with <a href="http://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2010/02/bump-check-34-weeks.html" target="_blank">Ryann</a>, <a href="http://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2013/01/thirty-four-weeks.html" target="_blank">Elsie</a> and <a href="http://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2015/07/thirty-four-weeks.html" target="_blank">Thea</a>)<br />
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<b>size of baby</b>: A Savoy Cabbage. This app and it's weird foods. Baby girl should be around 18 inches and in the neighborhood of five pounds.<br />
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<b>weight gain</b>:
+27
pounds.<br />
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<b>maternity clothes</b>: Yes. A decent portion of my maternity shirts don't fully cover my belly. Fail.<br />
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<b>symptoms</b>: 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.<br />
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<b>exercise</b>: 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.<br />
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<b>cravings/aversions</b>: Light foods, nothing too greasy. I can't eat very much before I'm uncomfortably full. <br />
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<b>movement</b>: 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.<br />
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<b>sleep</b>: 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.<br />
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<b>gender</b>: Girl<br />
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<b>looking forward to</b>: 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! <br />
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<b>worries</b>: 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.<br />
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<b>best moment this week</b>: 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!Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-79168787868661888952017-11-29T14:35:00.000-06:002017-11-29T14:35:25.169-06:00thirty-two weeks | baby five<div style="text-align: center;">
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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...<br />
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<b>how far along</b>: 32 weeks + 3 days (compare to 32 weeks with <a href="http://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2010/02/bump-check-32-weeks.html" target="_blank">Ryann</a>, <a href="http://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2012/12/thirty-two-weeks.html" target="_blank">Elsie</a> and <a href="https://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2015/06/thirty-two-weeks.html" target="_blank">Thea</a>)<br />
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<b>size of baby</b>: A Florida pomelo? I don't know what that is. Possibly close to 18 inches long and about four pounds.<br />
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<b>weight gain</b>:
+26
pounds the last time I checked over the weekend. <br />
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<b>maternity clothes</b>: Yes, and I swear I don't have any comfortable pants at all.<br />
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<b>symptoms</b>: 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.<br />
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<b>exercise</b>: 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.<br />
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<b>cravings/aversions</b>: 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. <br />
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<b>movement</b>: She is pretty much insane.<br />
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<b>sleep</b>: 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.<br />
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<b>gender</b>: Girl<br />
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<b>looking forward to</b>: 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.<br />
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<b>worries</b>: 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.<br />
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<b>best moment this week</b>: Chris's aunt gave me the blanket she crocheted for baby girl and it is so pretty. I love it. A little sneak peak...<br />
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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. :)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">my photo from 31 weeks</span></div>
Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-28357722539178080942017-11-17T07:00:00.000-06:002017-11-17T07:00:02.567-06:00thea saysMe: "Do you see the moon up there?"<br />
Thea: "Yeah, I wike it. It's pitty awesome."<br />
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Me: "What do you want to wear today?"<br />
Thea: "I want to wear a pitty dress! I want to pin and twirl in it!"<br />
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Me: "I love you Thea!"<br />
Thea: "I love you so much mama."<br />
Me: "I love YOU so much!"<br />
Thea: "Thanks mama."<br />
Me: "You're so sweet."<br />
Thea: "I not sweet. I toot (cute)!"<br />
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Thea: "Hey! I've got a gweat idea!"<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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...<br />
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Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-82112486618344308162017-11-15T15:02:00.000-06:002017-11-15T15:02:18.618-06:00thirty weeks | baby five<div style="text-align: center;">
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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.</div>
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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! </div>
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<b>how far along</b>: 30 weeks + 3 days (compare to 30 weeks with <a href="http://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2010/01/bump-check-30-weeks.html" target="_blank">Ryann</a>, <a href="http://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2012/12/thirty-weeks.html" target="_blank">Elsie</a> and <a href="https://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2015/06/thirty-weeks.html" target="_blank">Thea</a>)<br />
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<b>size of baby</b>: A summer cantaloupe. Likely around 17 inches long and near 3.5 pounds. <br />
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<b>weight gain</b>: +24
pounds. Hoping I can I slow the weight gain down as I finish out this pregnancy, but let's be real, Thanksgiving + Christmas...<br />
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<b>maternity clothes</b>: Yes.<br />
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<b>symptoms</b>: 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. <br />
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<b>exercise</b>: 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.<br />
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<b>cravings/aversions</b>: 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.<br />
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<b>movement</b>: 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.<br />
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<b>sleep</b>: I'm definitely needing more and more sleep to function well.<br />
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<b>gender</b>: Girl<br />
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<b>looking forward to</b>: 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!<br />
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<b>worries</b>: 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. <br />
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<b>best moment this week</b>: 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873093851683468203.post-25282200257133627622017-11-01T14:53:00.000-05:002017-11-01T14:53:48.671-05:00twenty-eight weeks | baby five<div style="text-align: left;">
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<b>how far along</b>: 28 weeks (compare to 28 weeks with <a href="http://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2010/01/bump-check-28-weeks.html" target="_blank">Ryann</a>, <a href="http://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2012/11/twenty-eight-weeks.html" target="_blank">Elsie</a> and <a href="https://thedomesticwannabe.blogspot.com/2015/05/twenty-eight-weeks.html" target="_blank">Thea</a>)<br />
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<b>size of baby</b>: A coconut, roughly 16 inches and about 2.5 pounds. <br />
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<b>weight gain</b>: +22
pounds.<br />
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<b>maternity clothes</b>: Yep, and some of them are bordering on too short. LOVELY.<br />
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<b>symptoms</b>: Pretty much I just get tired easily, and my legs are restless. Same old same old. <br />
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<b>exercise</b>: 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.<br />
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<b>cravings/aversions</b>: 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!<br />
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<b>movement</b>: 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.<br />
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<b>sleep</b>: I could always use more. I took a nap this afternoon and woke up thrilled to go to bed tonight. Haha.<br />
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<b>gender</b>: Girl<br />
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<b>looking forward to</b>: Picking a name. I want to order a personalized sign for the nursery this weekend, so I am determined to decide.<br />
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<b>worries</b>: 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...<br />
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<b>best moment this week</b>: 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.<br />
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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.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111076542551700221noreply@blogger.com0