Baby P#3: 39 weeks

{Visiting Kai's classroom}

How far along:  39 weeks 

How big is baby: we shall see soon I hope!

What have you been up to: "nesting" and waiting...

Maternity clothes: all day, every day

  

Sleep: I wake up at about 2-3am every morning and don't get back to sleep til 5-6am. It's so much fun!

Milestones:  reaching the point in pregnancy I was when I went into labor with Desmond nearly 3 years ago. 

Best Moments: snuggling with my boys and enjoying our last moments just the 4 of us before school and baby change everything, in really good ways. 

Worst Moment: anxiety over her arrival colliding with Malakai's first day of school.

Food cravings: chinese food, brownies

Food aversions: none

Symptoms: increased heartburn, breathlessness, contractions all the time

Movement: a little slower, she's running out of room!

Gender: girl

What I’m looking forward to: Meeting our girl, and Malakai's first day of school

What I’m nervous about/praying for: That I don't miss Kai's first day!

What I miss: being able to move at a regular speed, I feel so slow these days.

Next appointment: 39 week appointment was yesterday, I'm hoping not to make it to my due date appointment!

Weekly Wisdom: "Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."  -Philippians 4:6-7, The Message.

Baby P #3: 32 weeks

How far along:  32 weeks

How big is baby: comparable  to a squash, 15.2-16.7 inches, 2.5-3.8lbs

What have you been up to: nesting. we completed our registry at Target save a few online items, and the nursery is s-l-o-w-l-y coming together. 

Maternity clothes: yes, and despite borrowing a ton, I don't seem to have enough of the right types of clothing for how hot it has been.  

Sleep: never enough.

Milestones: baby girl has already "dropped" she is very low and I've still got 2 months to carry her around this way, oy! 

Best Moments:  my nephew Luke was born last Thursday! Kristi + I had prenatal appointments on the same day, July 3rd, so we ended up running into each other briefly. Her husband Nick was sick so she joked that of course Luke would be born that night, and he was! I already love being Auntie Shan so much! 

Then on the 7th Ben took the day off and we celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary all day!

Worst Moment: not having the energy and the stamina to keep up with my boys has taken its toll on me. 

Food cravings:  chocolate and frozen yogurt. 

Food aversions: same as usual, nothing spicy or greasy. Even mild spice these days is inducing heartburn. 

Symptoms: growing pains, tons of braxton hicks and near constant heartburn.  

Movement: quite a lot these days. It seems like she has really started getting more wiggly during the day. 

Gender: little sister!

What I’m looking forward to: getting our glider and completing the nursery.

What I’m nervous about/praying for: being able to juggle 3 children once sister is born. Just thinking about it is a little overwhelming. I'm praying for peace over that on a regular basis.

What I miss: breathing in deeply. little one is crowding my lungs and I'm still struggling with a sinus infection. 

Next appointment: I have 2 more PT appointments. I see Dr. M, my OB again in 2 weeks. 

Weekly Wisdom: pray more. I find myself worrying, or stressing and my first inclination is to vent to my husband instead of taking it to God in prayer. 

{PS check back here soon for a post featuring SwimZip!}

Baby P #3: 29-ish weeks

{just before my shower on Sunday, more on that to come!}

How far along:  29 weeks, 4 days

How big is baby: this week's food is an acorn squash, 15.2 -16.7 inches, 2.5-3.8lbs

What have you been up to: sorting through and finding places for all our amazing gifts from the shower that was thrown for us this past weekend. 

Maternity clothes: yes, I've already grown out of some!

Sleep: decent.

Milestones: nothing too notable related to baby's growth. 

Best Moment:  I have to say the baby shower, it was wonderful! I will post all the details as soon as I can. 

Worst Moment: back pains were not so great last week, but they've been better this week. I'll soon be rocking a very fashionable support belt due to my PT's recommendation. 

Food cravings:  quiche. I've been wanting it for so long and finally got some this weekend!

Food aversions: same as usual, nothing spicy or greasy. 

Symptoms: near constant heartburn again, back aches, and some leg cramps. 

Movement: little feet in my ribs every time I sit. She also has started wedging herself into my hip area on occasion and it's VERY uncomfortable. Today Malakai saw my belly ripple with movements from across the room, he was surprised and thrilled.

Gender: girl!

What I’m looking forward to: setting up the nursery.

What I’m nervous about/praying for: for my back pain to resolve or at least be more manageable over the next 4 weeks that I have left of PT. 

What I miss: being able to bend down or sit on the floor without struggling, being able to talk without losing my breath. 

Next appointment: beginning of next month.

Weekly Wisdom: Let yourself be pampered at your shower. I'm such a "doer" that the gals hosting had to keep telling me no when I tried to help set up or clean up. I couldn't help but want to be useful!

Baby P #3: 27 weeks

How far along:  27 weeks, 1 day

How big is baby: comparable to a rutabaga...I don't even know what that is but apparently it's approximately 13.6-14.8 inches and 1.5-2.2lbs

What have you been up to: projects, projects, projects. We've painted the house, I threw a baby shower for one of my bests, and I did some decorating and lots of cleaning. 

Maternity clothes: yeah yeah. maxi skirts are my favorite right now. 

Sleep: odd. some nights are great, others are difficult but I've definitely crossed into the weird dreams stage. 

Milestones: 3rd trimester, just 9-13 weeks to go!

Best Moment:  seeing my lovely friend Lindsey and her adorable first baby bump, and showering her with love and gifts to welcome her baby girl. 

Worst Moment: lots of parenting challenges, I blame sick and allergy ridden kiddos. For those of you who don't know, we live in the allergy capitol...literally. 

Food cravings:  desserts, all the desserts. I've been brushing my teeth right after dinner as motivation to not eat dessert, ha!

Food aversions: heartburn is still keeping me away from anything even mildly spicy or fried. Although, I've not really a fan of fried foods anyway. 

Symptoms: aches and pains that come with a growing belly and a weak back. I'm so thankful for physical therapy. I already feel like I'm on my way to being stronger for this labor + delivery. Allergies (hay fever) are far worse while pregnant, and heartburn is coming back with a vengeance. 

Movement: a lot more big ones, and she's moving more often. She used to only move when I'd sit or lay down but she's been bopping around in there while I've been on the go the last week. I love it. 

Gender: girl!

What I’m looking forward to: my friends are throwing me a baby shower later this month and I'm so excited to see so many family and friends!

What I’m nervous about/praying for: I'm not nervous about child birth but I'm definitely praying for it to go smoothly. 

What I miss: I found myself missing cocktails the other day, silly Pinterest with all your summer drinks! We rarely even drink, especially cocktails, but man they looked good!

Next appointment: next week for glucose blood draw, rhogam shot and whooping cough vaccine. joyous occasion indeed. 

Weekly Wisdom: don't forget about your ab muscles. That comes from my Physical Therapist. I've found my back is becoming stronger as I learn to focus my stretches and exercises and a big part of that is flexing ab muscles instead of ignoring them. 

Here are the boys joining in on our photoshoot...

 {airplane}

{it's blurry, but I love this picture of Kai. 

He's so sweetly disappointed

 about not getting to use the camera}

Baby P #3: 24 weeks + some days

 {with Kristi at her shower this past weekend, 24 weeks + 2 days and 31 weeks}

How far along:  23 weeks + 4 days

How big is baby: comparable to a canteloup 

What have you been up to: baby showers + birthday parties and making gifts for all of the above. 

Maternity clothes: Yes. I'm borrowing from 5 different friends right now which is such a blessings. It's nice to have options and to actually feel like I have clothing that fits (shout out to having so many friends my same size!)

Sleep: I want more of it. A lot more. 

Milestones: people commenting on my size. oh joy. 

Best Moment: My sister-in-law's baby shower on Saturday. 

Worst Moment: aches + pains. My back is really acting up, but I did just get approved by my insurance for 8 sessions of physical therapy! 

Food cravings:  desserts + fruit. 

Food aversions: none recently. 

Symptoms: itchy stretching skin (coconut oil to the rescue), some heartburn creeping back in despite meds, and the aforementioned aches + pains. 

Movement: pretty regular, she's been getting the hiccups daily. 

Gender: girl!

What I’m looking forward to: a low key week after a pretty busy one. Planning + prepping to do some painting over the upcoming long weekend. 

What I’m nervous about/praying for: I'm a little bit nervous about physical therapy. I've done it before but not while pregnant and I just REALLY want it to work and FAST!

What I miss:  being able to go, go go without ending the day in pain. 

Next appointment: this week I go in for PT and my next OB visit is a few weeks away. 

Weekly Wisdom: embrace the changes your body goes through during pregnancy. They are necessary and temporary. 

Vanessa (soon to be sister-in-law), Debbie (my mother in law), + Kristi (sister-in-law)

Baby P #3: 21-22 Weeks

{I need to get some better pictures taken before this phase of pregnancy is over!}

How far along:  21 weeks, 4 days

How big is baby: comparable to a pomegranate, approx. 10.5 inches, 12.7 ounces

What have you been up to: Cleaning, organizing, and planning. 

Maternity clothes: In order to wear most of my non-maternity tops, I have to wear a maternity tank underneath to make it long enough. 

Sleep: decent

Milestones: We registered for our shower. I went CRAZY on the girls' clothes. I know registering for clothes isn't super necessary but now what we like is on there for the completion discount after all is said + done :) 

I also finished my first handmade item for baby recently...

Best Moment: Feeling my little girl move more + more. 

Worst Moment: Desmond has been on a nap strike the past 2 weeks. Thankfully he actually went down on his own today without my having to take him on a sleep drive. 

Food cravings:  chocolate. I'm not usually big on candy but I can't stay out of the Easter treats. 

Food aversions: anything spicy or greasy. 

Symptoms: I'm having a lot of growing pains. 

Movement: She's most active at night or first thing in the morning but she gives me little nudges here and there throughout the day as well. 

Gender: girl!

What I’m looking forward to: finalizing her name. 

What I’m nervous about/praying for: I'm praying for rest and for my boys to transition out of this difficult stage. I'd love for Des to go back to napping on a regular basis! 

What I miss:  being able to get down on the floor or pick up my kids with ease. 

Next appointment: in 2 more weeks. 

Weekly Wisdom: you can do more than you give yourself credit for!

Baby P #3: 19 weeks

If you follow me on social media, you might already know the latest, but for those of you that just read updates here...our ultrasound was supposed to be this morning but was cancelled. That was the 2nd rotten thing to happen today. The 1st thing was that Malakai woke up hysterical at 4am and started throwing up shortly after for the next 3 hours (Des had been sick a few days earlier, we thought it was a food reaction, but clearly it was a stomach virus). I've never seen Malakai that sick, it was so sad. Ben + I discussed what we should do about our appointment and decided to ask his mom to still watch the boys, but at our place. She agreed and was about to head over, but we got a call from my OB's office saying that they had a tech call in sick and they might have another one and they could possibly get me in later this morning, but they would call me back to let us know... 

I was ready for whatever needed to happen. I thought worse case scenario, we'd get in tomorrow. Sadly there were no openings at any of their imaging offices until Monday afternoon. We were bummed, but it turned out to be better this way. Our original plan was for Malakai + Desmond to come to part of the ultrasound and then wait with his Grandma + Mima in the waiting room. With Kai sick that wouldn't have happened. God knows best, and I feel fine about the whole thing knowing the boys will likely still be able to come. I went from having 3 appointments today (including dental work) to none, but with my boy sick there is nowhere I'd rather be than taking care of him. 

We did really need groceries though, so Grandma still came over so I could get some shopping done. She generously handed my her Starbucks card to get myself a little treat while I was out, which was a definite "pick me up". I had my first "stranger comment" at the grocery store while bagging my groceries next to another mom and her boys she asked when I was due. She then asked if I knew boy or girl yet and I told her about this morning's cancellation. She was so sweet and sincerely bummed for me, it was an unexpected blessing to have a stranger be so concerned I truly felt God's love through her. We parted ways but after she left the next customer noticed her little boy had left his toy car, I offered to run it out since I was heading to my car but it's a BIG parking lot. I looked around for a while, then loaded my groceries and tried driving to find her and I did! I honked at her and waved the car out my window and she stopped and we met outside our cars, she was so thankful- I was just happy to return her kindness. It's funny how being on the giving end of a blessing can turn around a crummy day just as much as being on the receiving end. 

I picked up some essentials and found some goodies for the boys' Easter baskets and decor for Malakai's birthday party along the way. I also scored some coloring books to give the boys when I got home, they were so excited. When I got home Malakai assured me that he was "all the way better", now my biggest challenge is explaining to him that he can't eat for a while...

{this kid loves selfies}

Here is the latest on Baby P...

How far along:  19 weeks

How big is baby: comparable to a mango, approximately 6 inches long, 8.5 ounces

What have you been up to: getting everyone better, then taking care of sickies again...hope there's an end to this cycle. Regardless we have been enjoying the sunny spring weather!

Maternity clothes: I just went through another round of putting away clothes that don't fit and pulling out more maternity clothes. I'm running out of places to store my pre-pregnancy clothes!

{another photo by Kai}

Sleep: sporadic

Milestones: Ben felt baby move at 17 weeks, just after I posted the last update. 

Best Moment: how excited our friends + family are to find out more about our new little baby. It's fun to have so many people share in our anticipation! 

Worst Moment: Malakai + Desmond having a stomach virus

Food cravings:  pastries, specifically donuts. 

Food aversions: not as many as before, but I still avoid spicy and acidic foods due to heartburn. 

Symptoms: I went to the chiropractor earlier in the week and what I thought was sciatic pain is actually my hamstring, which explains why all the stretches I'd been doing weren't helping. He did an adjustment and it felt somewhat better, I'm trying some new stretches to get some relief. 

Movement: Baby started moving a lot more and for longer last night + earlier this morning. 

Gender: still a mystery!

What I’m looking forward to: our ultrasound, still! 

What I’m nervous about/praying for: I'm not nervous about anything, just praying for a healthy baby!

What I miss:  my appointment. haha, just kidding. I just miss having a healthy family honestly!

Next appointment: Monday's ultrasound

Weekly Wisdom: go with the flow, be flexible and let God bless you through the unexpected.