23 Weeks Pregnant

Heads up about Disney posts…we are going out of town over the weekend so they will resume Monday and next week will be a ton of awesome Disney magic so get crunk 😉

Baby Growth: Leo is 11 inches long and weighs over a pound (about the size of a mango). He or she can feel when I dance…I mean I’m not a big dancer but I may have to bust out the Frozen soundtrack with the kids this week! We should start to be able to see the movement on the outside of my tummy…which is always fun. Also I need to start running the vacuum and letting the kids make a lot of loud noises b/c whatever loud sounds Leo adjusts to now, they say, won’t bother him or her after birth.

My Symptoms: I spent a good bit at the start of this week prepping for the BIG move for Kye from his current room to his new room upstairs. When we built our house this was always the plan! When baby #3 came along Kye would move up so the baby could have a room downstairs. When #4 comes, Britt will move up too! Even though I’ve been mentally prepared for this for years, having the time come was still difficult emotionally. It was also a good bit more work than I had thought. I mean you think “he’s just moving rooms” but that actually means moving all of his stuff. I am super mega hardcore about making transitions easy and positive experiences for the kids so I did NOT let Kye see my sadness about his big move. He was BEYOND thrilled and moved a ton of the stuff himself!!! He asked me to take pictures of him to send to all of the family 🙂 We stacked up everything we could on Friday so Saturday morning when Jordan came to help Zach move the furniture that all the small stuff would be out of the way!

The last night having him across the hall. Zach and I both felt emotional about it but it all went great! We moved him first thing Saturday morning so he napped in there that afternoon and it has been a very, very easy transition for us all. It does make me really, really excited for Leo to arrive. Passing that empty room all the time makes me eager to fill it up with baby things and to have a sweet little one to love on 🙂 Up next is Britt’s move to the big girl bed from the crib…crossing fingers that goes as smoothly!

This week I’ve really noticed my belly being in the way. I know I’m pregnant but in the day-to-day rush of life i don’t think about it all that much. Until I go to bend over the sink to pluck my eyebrows…ouch! We have high sinks and I’m short so I can’t bend easily to get close enough to see them to pluck them and they were looking rough there for awhile haha. I got a good bit of cleaning done one morning and didn’t even notice that my belly was all wet!!! And when Zach went to spray tan me last night he had to bend over to get the underside of my belly haha. It’s def getting to that point that there is NO mistaking I’m pregnant!

I will go ahead and get the TMI update out of the way now…so you are warned to SKIP this paragraph if you don’t want to know this. I have been noticing a good bit of discharge issues lately. Like it will feel like I’m peeing my pants but it’s not pee. Gross, yes. But it’s really, really annoying b/c I have to drop everything and RACE to the bathroom all the time. So I decided the time had come to bust out the panty liners. I wore them for two days and then the evening of night two I noticed that my privates hurt. Very tender and sore when I walked. I looked “down there” but I mean who ever looks at that junk? Not me! So I had no clue what I was even looking at haha. I had Zach check and he said it was swollen pretty bad. I don’t know if maybe I have an issue with the panty liner? Maybe they were a scented kind and that irritated me? Or maybe just wearing them rubbed me the wrong way? It was NOT a fun experience having a painful private though! I ended up putting a lot of Vaseline down there and it’s getting better. But I’m not sure what to do moving forward??? Try the panty liners again??? Or don’t?

If I stand up too fast then I do get sharp, quick pains under my belly. I didn’t have ANY headaches this week! And Zach and I FINALLY did one night of relaxation from Bradley. Obviously we need to do it every night but at least it’s a start. I slacked a bit on my exercises because I’ve been prepping all week to get ready for our little trip this weekend with Zach’s family. Which also meant a lot of bending over and a lot of back pain. I ended up moving the utensil storage thing from the dishwasher to the counter just so I wouldn’t have to keep bending over to load it every time the kids and I ate. Lazy? Yes. But at this point my mind revolves around ways to save my back! Even though my back is bothering me, I do feel like I have a bit more energy. I cooked several nights this week which isn’t a usual occurrence these days!  

Emotionally I have had a few rough spots this week. I ended up coming to Zach and crying and sharing with him how lonely I felt. March Madness has ruled our house here lately and I just missed spending time together and didn’t feel like he wanted to spend time with me. Being with kids all day long can be isolating and lonely and looking ahead and knowing what the future holds with a newborn: that life will REALLY be over for awhile! That makes it even more lonely b/c I know this time is the only time i have to really enjoy myself and enjoy my time with Zach! Thankfully he was very receptive to my feelings and I think it meant a lot to him to hear me say I missed him! We reconnected Saturday night which was super thoughtful of him and have done a lot better job throughout this week at making each other a priority. 

Another emotional feeling is kinda frustration. I know a first time pregnancy is hard. I know life as a first time mom is crazy hard too. But each pregnancy is actually more difficult than the first one. And adding more children when you have children is more difficult each time as well. Yet I feel like people don’t get that? This pregnancy is much more difficult on me than the past (hello back pain! hello foot issues I never had! hello having NO BREAK since Britt isn’t in school yet!) yet I feel like I do more by myself and have less help than I have in the past too. Same for Zach. Life is more stressful for him too b/c he’s adding a third kid and that’s another mouth to feed and another family member to provide for! And when this baby comes we are gonna have more of an adjustment than we did when Kye and Britt were born. I try super, super hard to be mega supportive of mama’s who give birth to their second, third, etc babies bc I do feel like society as a whole just doesn’t give those babies, or their parents, the attention and help they deserve! I mean after Britt was born we had to literally ask people to bring us food b/c hardly anyone volunteered to help! That’s sad! I am trying to be realistic about it all and am planning to freeze meals in advance and also to go ahead and PLAN for the help I’ll need. I even thought I might try to buy a couple food gift cards for us each month so when that time comes we’ll have them and it won’t hurt our budget having to eat out. While I hate asking for help, I’d rather go ahead and make the plans now for it than have a break down like I did after having Britt and be sobbing asking for it in the moment! 

Finally on the emotional front I know many of you follow Danielle’s blog and have heard about her brother’s sudden passing earlier this week. I know all moms share the pain of her brother’s wife. While it’s so sad to think about Danielle losing her brother and her parents losing their son…my heart is just truly broken for this mama who is grieving the death of her husband while having four children to care for. Including a precious six month old who will never know her Daddy. I think as a mom it’s a fear we all share. We fear losing our children and we fear losing our husbands. We have been praying without ceasing for this family and if I hear word of a way to help them, I will be sure to pass it along. 

Weight: I weighed myself Sunday morning and was at +4 lbs over all. Weighed myself this morning and am now at +6! I gained 2 pounds in less than a week? Not good!!! But I feel like there isn’t much I can do to prevent that??? I’m drinking water, being plenty active, and eating well. I can’t let a number stress me out!

Gender: I will be TOTALLY SHOCKED if we hear “it’s a girl.” I picture a boy in my mind all the time and my stomach 100% looks the exact same as it did with Kye.

Maternity Clothes: It’s funny how differently I’m carrying this pregnancy compared to last time. I’m putting on the same dresses I wore while pregnant with Britt but they do not fit me the same way they did then. While it can be frustrating to often have to try on multiple things before finding something that works, it’s also kinda fun to create new looks from the clothes I have! I did try to wear a maternity top this week but it flared out at the bottom and that drives me insane. I won’t wear shirts that are borderline too short or that flare out like that! 

I did go through and try on my bathing suits for the trip this weekend. I actually have two maternity bathing suit tops but when I tried them on they were NOT cute. My boobs with Britt were NOT this big and I really need support in that area! I tried to look at Target for a new suit because Casey had some luck there but I couldn’t find a single thing. Thankfully it worked out where I could go for a couple hours solo around town one afternoon while Zach kept the kids. It’s impossible to do legit shopping with a two year old! I walked our entire mall and went to several other places and was pretty discouraged by the lack of selection. I did enjoy the chance to park at the pregnancy parking spot though!

Finally I ended up at TJMaxx. I liked their prices much better than other places I had been (I’m not going to pay over $100 for a bathing suit I’m hoping to only be wearing this summer!!!) so I grabbed a ton of different sizes and hit the dressing room. I really wanted one pieces but they don’t sell maternity ones so it was a guessing game. I found this one and one other one for only $25 each! They are both a size 14. Def not a size I’m used to seeing…BUT they both have a good bit of room in them for growth. The chest is plenty big and there is room in the crotch for when I’m bigger in the belly and it stretches. I’m crossing fingers they will work the duration of my pregnancy as well as the days of postpartum after.

I also went into Victoria’s Secret and had them size me. She said I’m still a 36 C which I told her has to be wrong b/c my 36 C bra started being painful quite awhile ago. I showed her my current 36 D bra and told her I’m nervous about that lasting too much longer in size. I had to buy a new one b/c it’s my only bra that big and the strap is broken 🙁 Sad. So I ended up trying a 38 D and like that it has room to grow. I went with that and am hoping it works for a long time too! It’s another way that this pregnancy is so like Kye’s….my boobs are WAY bigger this time than they were with Britt!

Movement: Doing great! It was so cute to see the little jump at the appointment Monday 🙂 

Sleep: I haven’t been able to get in the bed as early as I’d like to this week but I have slept well. I only got up once in the night to pee which is good. And I’m sleeping well on my left side!

Cravings: As part of our reconnecting night Saturday Zach surprised me with Aligatu for dinner!!! Gah y’all it was SO amazing. I ate it super super slowly so I could really enjoy each bite. We always laugh at how they give the soups to us in a Bug Light carrying case b/c it’s the only time you’ll see alcohol related stuff in our home!!! Zach didn’t even like it being in our trash can haha. 

I have really been craving water which probably means I’m not drinking enough of it. If I do have something sweet I really only want sugary candy and one little roll of smarties or a single thing of fun dip hits the spot! I do have a craving for sweet tea and haven’t had it for quite awhile. Courtney and I went to dinner this week which was super fun! We actually ate Mexican which I would never normally suggest but chips have been on my craving list and I did enjoy my nachos! 

What I Miss: Being pain free with my back and the CUTENESS of my last pregnancy. I mean seriously y’all I felt confident while pregnant. It wasn’t that way my first pregnancy and it’s not that way this time either. I thought maybe I felt so unattractive during my first pregnancy because I gained a good bit more weight and because I wore a lot of maternity clothes…but I haven’t gained much this time and I’m not really into the maternity clothes thing yet but still I just feel UGLY. Like I know I am not “cute pregnant” and it stinks b/c you really just don’t have any control over that!!! I can’t make my stomach be different than it is haha. People still comment saying I don’t look pregnant and at this point, it ain’t no compliment. I know they don’t think I look pregnant due to the fact that I have gained ALL THE WAY AROUND so I do just look like a muffin top mama. Not cool! So I do miss feeling cute and looking cute like I did last time around and I hope that next pregnancy I can feel that way again (esp b/c it may be my last!)

Best Moment of the Week: Of course hearing that sweet heartbeat was wonderful 🙂  Britt being there was so precious! I think it helped her feel more connected to Leo for sure. This week she was drawing a picture and I always ask her what she’s drawing and she said “the baby!”

Van life has BEGUN! It was TOUGH writing what I’m pretty sure was the biggest check I’ve ever written. But I really have embraced the whole “soccer mom” thing and I truly do LOVE my van! I also like having this whole process finished and now we can get focused on the next thing 😉

Having Saturday night with Zach was very special to me. It meant a lot to me that he listened to my feelings and didn’t brush them off as “pregnancy hormones” and instead made me feel special! I took Britt to run errands Wednesday morning and it was so frustrating. I mean I love her and she’s precious but it’s TOUGH to get stuff done with her with me! It ended up working out where I could go back out that afternoon JUST ME and I didn’t realize how badly I needed that. I truly just enjoyed myself. I listened to my music in the car. I browsed the mall and didn’t feel rushed. I read through cards to buy for people and could actually think about what the words said. It was true ME TIME and I really didn’t realize it but that’s something I need more of. It truly renewed my spirit and I came back home in a much better place with everyone! 

Also this week I took some maternity pictures for Casey! It’s hard to believe she’s already 30 weeks pregnant. I don’t think I have EVER been so excited for someone else’s baby other than my own. I can’t wait to see Branch and hold him and to see Casey as a mom and Jordan as a dad. It’s truly SUCH an exciting time! I’m excited that our babies are so close in age but I also hope I am able to really truly be there for Casey when she gives birth. I am just SO EXCITED!!! Not just for them but for me too! haha! I was a little nervous about taking these pictures for them because, as you know, I am NOT a photographer. At all. By any means. But she knew that going in and they all turned out really good! Here is a sneak peak at one of my favorites! 

This week has also been BEAUTIFUL weather! I did lay out a little bit to get a base tan started and really enjoyed it. My tummy got a little burned but otherwise it was a nice break. I read majority of Preschoolwise and hope to finish it soon. So many good tips for the stage Britt is about to enter and the stage Kye is quickly leaving!

 Questions/Concerns:

• Nervous for the sleeping situation this weekend! Anytime you travel away from home and are pregnant it’s a concern! Hopefully the van is a copregmfortable ride there as well 🙂
• Colt has had hand foot and mouth this past week so we’re all a little nervous about that on the trip too. Hopefully Payton didn’t get it and hopefully none of us do either! I called Southern OB and they said just to avoid contact as much as possible!
• I saw something about the “pulse ox” test floating around Facebook. I haven’t had a chance to read the article yet but need to and want to know more about that. 

Goals for this Week: Enjoy Kye’s spring break! Get rolling on the shower Courtney and I are co-hosting for Casey. Get rolling with decorating Kye’s room as well as transitioning Britt to the big girl bed. Get back in a good routine with bradley exercises!

Belly Pictures: Just a little “insider info” I put my hands on my hips for a REASON. My reason used to always be b/c it makes your arms look thinner…my reason during this pregnancy is b/c I have intense love handles and massive amount of back fat. Gross. Putting my hands there makes me appear to have more of a “basketball” belly than I actually have. Trust me. This junk is PURE football shaped!!!

Notes from Past Pregnancies: You can see my post from Britt’s pregnancy here! There are also links to posts from Kye’s pregnancy at the bottom 🙂 It’s interesting that both pregnancy #1 and this time this week I felt sad about not getting quality time with Zach. 🙂 That has to make him feel pretty good about himself huh?