34 weeks | Baby #4

Six more weeks!! It's still so unbelievable to me, even though I look like this (very believably pregnant):


(non-maternity dress by Costco for $15, wish I would have bought ten more and hopefully they will work post partum).

I re-read all of my old 34 week posts several days ago and now I've forgotten all that I said back then, but I know those posts made me feel excited for what's to come and also thankful that I'm still feeling pretty darn good for this later stage of pregnancy. I remember that this is when I first spiked high blood pressure with Truman, I was feeling anxious about that happening again with Cecelia, and with Porter I was mostly worried about pre-term labor because of my very frequent, crampy BH contractions.

Currently: I am more out of breath doing basic activities than I've been in the recent past. I'm feeling slightly uncomfortable in my skin, if I'm being honest, just in seeing several pictures of me looking rather....pregnant 'all over' and definitely NOT just in my belly. Side view above is pretty kind but other angles not as much. I won't complain or elaborate but I can now tell that I've gained 25+ pounds and will likely gain more. It's all for a good cause of course, but I am starting to miss my non-pregnant body a bit. I know it will return and vow not to wish away these last weeks of pregnancy, but it is worth saying that every time my body morphs into a baby gestation factory it's a little shocking. End of whining.

Definitely having more Braxton Hicks contractions in the past week, especially when walking, standing up, when I have to pee, or seemingly for no reason at all. They are strong enough to catch my attention but not scary or anything. I feel him kicking my bladder directly many times a day and am peeing more than ever. I grunt when I pick something up from the floor and frequently sigh out of pure exhaustion during the most mundane tasks. I'm sleeping alright, I guess, and do love that when I wake up in the mornings I have the most energy and it only tanks from there. I can also feel him dropping lower and lower as I'm awake throughout the day, which is kind of nuts and probably a 'good' thing in some way.



HA, funny---I have nearly the same picture from Erin on the beach exactly three years ago with Porter. Still, so strange to have the same due date this time.


And yet! I really haven't hit the proverbial wall just yet. I absolutely ADORE feeling this baby kick me with all of his maniac ways, and spend ample amounts of time daydreaming about our fourth baby and what his personality will entail, how his birth will go down, if he will be a good sleeper (fat chance), a good nurser (hope so!), and how he will adjust to life in this wild family of ours. I think most fourth babies get a reputation for being easily forgotten, as if us haggard moms are such 'pros' that we don't even have time to think about these subsequent children. I have to say that is absolutely not true for this kid. Yes, we are pretty freaking busy, but who isn't? I'm not so busy that I don't have time to relish and enjoy this pregnancy for all that it's worth. If I do forget that I'm pregnant for a span of time, he will remind me by kicking my lungs and/or cervix with authority.

I realize I'm very lucky (blessed?) that I'm not in pain, that we haven't had any major complications with the pregnancy so far (besides bleeding horribly at 6 weeks and assuming a miscarriage), and that I'm still able to keep up with our everyday lives. Lots of balls in the air over here, and thankfully this pregnancy really has not slowed me down very much---I don't take that for granted, ever. I honestly feel so content and at peace with this pregnancy that it sort of makes me choke up if I allow it. I mean, it's for sure the calm before the storm and I know that having four kids in the midst of everything else happening this year will be crazy town. But it's going to be so awesome, too.

New favorite family picture from Cecelia's birthday, when we all went to Discovery World and had a great time. How will we fit one more baby into this selfie? And why is Truman so stinking tall?


We are seriously so excited to meet this kid! I plan to pull out the newborn and 0-3 boy clothes very soon, even though I'm not sure where I will keep them. I guess Porter will probably have to share his dresser and closet for a bit? There just isn't that much to buy/prepare for this time around, which makes it seem like we have SO much time before he arrives....but in reality, my due date is fast approaching. Eeeek! I'm continuing to mentally prepare for his birth and believe it will be wonderful no matter what, since it will bring this little boy into our lives.

Oh, Porter---melts my heart when he says he loves his brother. Note that baby boy moved to the right to give Ports some room. ;)


Non-Pregnancy news: we will have the house appraised next week and hope to break ground in 2-3 weeks. So basically, we will be in the HEART of the first stages of renovations when I give birth. Yay. Also, Nate's garage door completely popped a cable last week, so we had to get two new garage doors today. It was rather nerve wracking for us to pick a color of our new steel doors (bye bye, wood doors with horribly chipped paint from 60 years ago!). However, we chose the only gray available, added windows to match the feel of our previous garage doors, and we really like how they turned out. We will change the trim to white on the garage, will be getting a new dark gray roof, and painting siding/windows as well. Let the games begin!

Before:


After (well, really 'during'):


ALSO, we celebrated our TENTH wedding anniversary over the weekend. A whole decade, guys, and we still like each other a whole lot;) Cecelia then turned five on the next day which is equally mind boggling. We hosted our friends, Erin and Ben with their 3 kids, all weekend and had a supremely excellent visit with them. The weather was mostly perfect, lots of sunshine and time outdoors, and tons of activities were jammed into the 3 days they visited. It's been a whirlwind of a week and in my glory days, I would have blogged separately about all of this. Not so much anymore! ;) Well, Cecelia will get her own birthday post at some point, this I swear.

Sweet CC.


Weekend fun!!!














I could go on and on about the weekend and this pregnancy and all that is in store, but I won't. I'll just say that life is pretty good at 34 weeks pregnant with baby number four, after ten years of marriage, with our five year old daughter and two handsome boys, in a house that will undergo a major transformation, with friends and family that are seriously the bomb. The End.