24 Weeks

How far along: 24 weeks

Weeks to due date: 16

Total weight gain: 17 pounds

Maternity clothes: Oh yes

Sleep: For the most part I’ve been sleeping pretty well. I’ve had some weird and bad dreams off and on but other than that sleep has been good. The kids have been going to bed late and waking up early all of a sudden so we are working through that.

Exercise: I didn’t get in any strength days this week but I did pull weeds 4 afternoons and I think that counts! I also got in 4 walks with the kids. I’d love to say this week will be better but we’ll be traveling for several days so we’ll see what happens. 

Here is the before... So embarrassing! Now you know why it has taken so many afternoons to pull the weeds! In my defense, my garden(where all my effort has gone) is looking really good! 

That's much better!

Best moment this week: I’ve been pulling weeds while Oliver naps and have been having Olivia do her quiet time in her little tent outside near me. One of the afternoons Olivia asked me to find her some earth worms. As I was finding them I would give them to her and each time she’d get so excited and say, “Oh thank you mommy!” It just made me laugh! It’s been kind of a tough week so it was nice to spend some afternoons working in the dirt and enjoying the little things like a freshly weeded flower bed and little girl who was excited about earth worms! 

Those are earth worms on the blanket right there =)

What I miss: Nothing comes to mind.

Movement: So much! And you can really see it now! Usually the baby moves most in the evenings so it’s fun to sit and watch my stomach dance. It’s especially fun since Andy can feel the baby kicking now and can see my stomach move. There’s nothing like seeing your husbands face light up when he feels those sweet kicks for the first time!

Food cravings: Chocolate!

Making me queasy: Stress. This week has been kind of tough and in the stressful moments I’ve literally felt sick to my stomach and in one instance I actually threw up. I was already not feeling very well one evening after a tough day when Oliver woke up crying inconsolably. Andy was working on calming him down and I was just lying there and kind of felt my heart start to race a little and got super nauseous and then headed for the bathroom and ya know…

Starting to show: Yeppers!

Gender:  We’ll find out in 16 weeks! We had our ultrasound about a week and a half ago but were strong and didn’t find out. I’m so so curious though!! 

Our little one!

 Happy or moody:  Surviving

Things I've been experiencing this week:  Well, like I’ve mentioned, it has been a little bit of a tough week. Olivia is not adjusting well to Andy’s long work days and the littlest things have been sending her into these awful tantrums. It has been tough to navigate and we are working through it. Today when the kids and I were on a walk I was thinking about how I’ve seen God use the difficult things in my life to teach me something. Whether it has been perseverance, grace, patience, or being able to help others through something similar, I’ve seen good come from the hard.  I’m trying to remember and hold on to that truth and not let a tough week shake me or define our summer.

What I'm looking forward to: The kids and I are going to SD to visit my family and to attend a family reunion. I’m looking forward to time with family and a little break from the busyness that comes with summer camp season.

Size of baby: An ear of corn. And apparently my uterus is the size of a soccer ball! No wonder I’m starting to feel big!

22 Weeks

How far along: 22 weeks

Weeks to due date: 18!

Total weight gain: 15 pounds

Maternity clothes: Gotta love em

Sleep: Pretty great this week!   

Exercise: I got in a few 2 mile walks but I’ll be starting the bikini body mommy pregnancy series this week! If you haven’t heard of BBM or checked out any of her free 90 day challenges or her membership series workouts you really should! Those have been my go to workouts since having my kids and they are fantastic!  

  

Best moment this week: Oliver has started giving me the best hugs. He wraps his arms and legs around me and squeezes me with his whole body. It’s so sweet! He’s usually on the move and doesn’t like to sit or cuddle so those big hugs are extra special!  

What I miss: I’ve really been missing running this week. I’ve enjoyed my walks pushing the kids in the stroller but I miss hitting the road by myself and putting on some miles. I already have 10k and 1/2 marathon goals for after baby is born!

Movement: So many cute little punches and kicks!

Food cravings: S’mores!

Making me queasy:  Bumpy golf cart rides and van rides definitely make me queasy. Andy has been working on building us a shed in the evenings and the kids and I usually play outside so we can still all be together. Sometimes when he needs to go to the shop we’ll tag along but boy it can be a bumpy ride!

Starting to show: I think I've really popped in the last week. Some days I feel huge and other days I feel pretty good. I think it’s obvious that I’m pregnant but a few people have told me that it's still hard to tell. I don't believe them! 

Gender:  We’ll find out in 18 weeks! Unless the ultrasound tech slips up at our ultrasound on Friday! I’m secretly hoping they do! I’m so curious!!

Happy or moody:  It has been kind of a tough week. I wouldn’t say I’ve been moody but it has definitely been a week where I’ve had to look for the good and choose joy when things aren’t going like I thought they would or when something unexpected comes up. We usually end up listening to a lot of music during these times because it seems to just keep my mind on better things and a joyful atmosphere in our home. Rend Collective is usually our go to! For those that don’t know, my husband works full time at a church camp and we are in full summer mode. That means longer work days and more opportunities for the unexpected. We’ve been here 6 years full time and so I know it usually takes a couple of weeks to adjust to the new schedule and then we seem to find a new normal again.

Things I've been experiencing this week:  I’ve had a lot of round ligament pain this week. I get a lot of sharp pain in my lower abdomen when I roll over at night or when I stand up too quick but I know it’s pretty normal.

I’ve also been trying to get up early before the kids wake up so that I can have some quiet time before the day starts. Olivia isn’t napping every day anymore and so I’m not always guaranteed time to myself in the afternoons. I’ve been having her do “quiet time” for about an hour during Oliver’s nap time but it’s definitely something we need to work on. Any tips would be appreciated!

What I'm looking forward to: Our ultrasound on Friday! I’m so excited to see our little one but I’m also so excited for our kids to see the baby! Olivia has been asking a lot of questions about the baby and giving my belly lots of hugs and kisses and even cheerios! You know, because the baby needs a snack too! Haha! I’m looking forward to seeing her reaction on Friday!

Size of baby:  Our baby is about the size of a spaghetti squash!

Baby #3 21 weeks

Hey friends! Here we are! Baby #3! I meant to start writing about this pregnancy sooner but have found myself here at 21 weeks realizing that the days are going quick and this baby will be here before we know it!

It has been a little bit of a tough journey so far. After having Oliver I dealt with low thyroid levels and low progesterone levels.  In short that means that I went through months of panic attacks, doctor appointments, and negative pregnancy tests after we started trying for #3. Luckily, I have an amazing chiropractor who has helped me find natural supplements to balance my levels and a great and mighty God that I leaned into for peace and comfort and now here we are, 21 weeks pregnant!

When I was about 6 weeks along we found ourselves in the ER because I was having such severe nausea, diarrhea(sorry, TMI), and cramping. They found that I had a cyst on one of my ovaries and a subchorionic hemorrhage which is a blood clot that forms between where the baby attaches and the uterus and can increase the risk of miscarriage. After that we went home with some anti-nausea medication and we waited.  

The anti-nausea medication ended up making me feel worse so I decided to find all of the natural remedies I could to help. I used peppermint and lemon oil in my water, drank peppermint and lemon & ginger tea, used ginger drops and also had a ginger supplement. I also tried to get as much rest and sleep as possible.  Even though I felt so sick and was afraid of what might happen I tried to just pray and trust that no matter the outcome I would be able to see how God was working through this situation. I think this was one of the first times that I fully surrendered my fear to God and that was so hard but so freeing.

We had another ultrasound at 7 weeks which showed that the baby was developing normally and that the hemorrhage wasn’t getting any worse. That brought some relief and it was so good to see our little peanut and see the heartbeat! After that we had another ultrasound at 10 weeks that showed the baby was right on track and that the hemorrhage was stable and had decreased to about 10% of the area which my OB said was good and gave her no concern. The baby did lots of flips during this appointment and that was so fun to see!

Around 12 weeks I finally started to feel well again. I gained some energy back and I could eat some of the foods that had been making me nauseous again and I finally started to enjoy this pregnancy! It was around 16 weeks that I felt those first little flutters and now they’ve turned to punches and kicks! I am so excited to meet this little one but until then here is my 21 week update!  

21 weeks

How far along: 21 weeks

Weeks to due date: 19!!

Total weight gain: 14 pounds! Yikes!

Maternity clothes: Oh yes! With this being my third pregnancy I definitely started showing earlier and have been fully enjoying my maternity clothes!

Sleep:  It depends on the night. Some nights have been great and other nights I spend rolling from one side to the other because my arms keep falling asleep.         

 

Exercise: I got in a couple of 2 mile walks last week but really need to get into regular strength and cardio workouts again. I’ve been having a lot of low back and hip pain this pregnancy and I know part of it is a lack of strength training. From weeks 6 to 10 I was advised not to work out and I kind of fell off the daily workout wagon. I’ve gotten some strength days in here and there and have gone on a lot of walks but nothing like before.     

  

Best moment this week: We’ve had a lot of guests lately which has been so fun! This weekend it was Andy’s brother Dan and his family. They have 6 children so we moved our two kiddos in our room and let their family take over the spare bedroom and the kid’s room. Even though it can be a little chaotic in our small house there is something about being cozy and spending time together that I really cherish! I also had the privilege of taking their family photos! All the kids have such great personalities and it was fun capturing them! Plus they all have the most gorgeous eyes and the youngest two are twins! It doesn’t much better than that! 

Those eyes!

What I miss: Nothing comes to mind.

Movement: Oh yes! So much and I love it! Feeling the baby move is one of the best parts of pregnancy!  

Food cravings: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!   

Making me queasy:  Not too much anymore. I have had some nasty heart burn though! Overall I’ve been feeling really good! The beginning of this pregnancy was really tough and I was so sick! It has been a relief to feel well again!

Starting to show: Yes, I am definitely pregnant! 

Gender:  We will know in 19 weeks!

Happy or moody:  Happy!

Things I've been experiencing this week: When we were in church on Sunday I could really feel the baby moving around and it made me so anxious to meet him/her! It amazes me how each baby just makes sense and fits right in to our family! I can’t wait to meet this little person that I know belongs in our family!

What I'm looking forward to: Our ultrasound! Even though we won’t be finding out the gender I’m so excited to see our little one again!

Size of baby:  A carrot