22 weeks | Baby #4

3.7.17 | 22w3d pregnant

Photo thoughts: Yep, I'm pregnant!

Size of baby: A coconut, a spaghetti squash, a papaya...something like that. I think I read baby is about a pound now

The Bump: Seems big but people are still shocked when I say I'm pregnant. I think bundling up in winter coats and layers really helps with this effect of hiding a pregnancy. Belly button is officially out in the evenings, ready to make a debut with any semi-fitted shirts. 

Cravings/Aversions: Still hungry all.of.the.time. Still enjoying sweets, peanut butter, sparkling waters as a treat, bulletproof coffee each morning, and yogurt. Also, Girl Scout cookies will be my demise. I have an OB appointment this week and I fear the scale. Also, Truman wanted me to make frosted brownies for his birthday treat at school, and then ALSO wanted me to make my homemade chocolate chip cookies for that Friday as a treat. Then we had cake for his party, so our dessert selections are out of control right now.

What I’m loving: The second trimester of pregnancy. Watching my oldest turn seven like it's no big deal to grow up and turn into a legit man-child. Visiting my mom and Memaw this week for Truman's birthday. Moving right along on house sketches for the addition. Also really enjoying my office job, although it's hard to keep it to 20 hours a week, always seems like I could stay longer but I don't want to burn out.

What I’m anticipating: Our house being in shambles during the renovation, getting bigger and more tired, and then birthing a baby. SO MANY CHANGES ON THE HORIZON.

Miss anything? Running, my old clothes, alcohol, and feeling excessively energetic and ready to tackle the world. Also, feeling more at peace and gaining perspective with each pregnancy, so I know this time is truly fleeting. 

Worries? Not really! Occasionally I worry that with all of the changes coming up for our family this year, someone is going to have a mental breakdown. But then I remember that all of these changes are amazing ones and we will just have to handle the stress that comes along with change. A new baby, new jobs, house construction...we've got this!

Differences between pregnancies? With Porter, we had just celebrated Truman's birthday (same), a name was picked (nope), I just had strep throat (NOPE), mom and Memaw just left after a visit (same), I was planning the nursery (um, nope), and we had just put bunk beds in Truman's room for Cecelia to share. People were noticing my bump and I was mostly loving being pregnant. Yep!

With Cecelia , I was craving pizza and diet soda, NOT drinking coffee, and we had our inspection on the house so I was getting all ready to decorate the heck out of it. This post made me want a Diet Dr. Pepper and I cannot believe I wasn't drinking coffee back then. The horror.

With Truman, I was freaking barely showing. We had just bought a camcorder (!) and we settled on a name. Seriously, 2009 was a long time ago! The only thing similar to this pregnancy is I wasn't staying asleep very well, and I'm pregnant with a boy. Everything else is incredibly different and I admit, I love reminiscing about the days of my first pregnancy. What a sweet, simple time! 

How I’m feeling: Pretty good overall, but definitely more tired, I have a cold so that blows, and feeing my body change with pregnancy is always...interesting. I'm embracing it for all that it's worth, though, knowing this is really the last time. Side note: Truman says we will have a fifth baby someday and we remind him that he can grow up and have his own family next!

Sleep: Meh, not as great anymore. I do have a cold so I can't breathe well, and then if I wake up I cannot get back to bed. Also, I feel like I sleep very lightly and am aware of every repositioning effort throughout the night. I took a nap on Sunday because Porter was up FOUR times Saturday night and I wondered how in the heck I'm going to live on broken sleep again. I'm telling myself it's very different when you wake for a sweet newborn who needs to nurse versus a loud two year old who knows better. And also, not being pregnant means better sleep. I'll just get used to it again, but I'm definitely not right now.

Movement: Yes, right now as we speak, he is kicking my bladder. You can see movement from the outside and he is getting hiccups occasionally. He feels like he's literally doing cartwheels in there, as I feel kicks or punches literally everywhere!

I also want to make this category about my own movement or activity level. This week I rediscovered my Bar Method Pregnancy Workout DVD. I love/hate it. So hard. So good. It's a far cry from the cardiovascular exercise that running is, but that's okay because I need to strengthen my bod and not just beat it to a pulp on the pavement. I've also gone for a few walks outside or on the treadmill, as Weeds is my favorite treadmill show right now and it's getting really good/horrible.

Milestones: First comment of, 'is this your first baby?' is always fun, especially when the questioner follows that up with wide eyes to my 'no, this is my fourth'. Veteran mom status! 

Names: I'll make this a topic until we decide;) We have a list and some are starred, but I'm feeling very 'meh' about them now. I don't know why, because we have some perfectly awesome choices. Requirements: cannot rhyme with the other kids, but it needs to coordinate with their names. I don't really want the same starting initial as their names if possible. We like names that aren't super common but aren't completely made up. Very partial to Thomas the Train names, like Porter:) I seem to be drawn to nicknames this time, and specifically a one syllable nickname seems adorable for our boy. I like a few really strange ones that somehow Nate hasn't totally vetoed, but I think I'll keep searching online and in my head/everyday life for The One. Plenty of time to decide, I know.

This boy wants a name ASAP, I can tell.

Best Moment of the Week: Celebrating Truman's birthday alllllll week long. It was also Dr. Seuss week at school, so not only did he get to be the start student for his birthday and do fun things each day with that, he also got to dress in strange clothing and participate in school spirit while being 'wacky'. Mom and Memaw both flew in for a short visit, we had a birthday party for T on Saturday that was a ton of fun, and it was a week full of gushing over our biggest guy. He is so helpful and smart, it's hard to describe...but he deserves a post of his own on this blog, soon!

Sibling Talk: Did I mention that Truman requests to kiss my belly goodbye every morning before he walks into school? He give me a hug and a kiss, then says, 'baby boy!' and I let him kiss my winter coated belly. Cecelia has told me many times that she is 'super excited' for the baby to be born. Porter mostly likes to call himself the baby, but he did get to hold a newborn this week and loved it. 'She is so tiny, Mommy,' is what he told me as he held our neighbor's sweet baby girl. He even ooh'd and ahhh'd over baby Cleo, kissed her forehead, then said, 'How am I going to play with my trains while I hold the baby?' Logistics of being a big brother!

21 weeks | Baby #4

2.26.17 | 21w1d

Photo thoughts: Objects in mirror appear bigger in real life.

Size of baby: The kids say he is an endive, old posts say a carrot or a banana. He's had a growth spurt, no matter which food he's become.

The Bump: Big at night, not so much in the morning. Kind of pointy. Belly button almost popped. 

Cravings/Aversions: Digging trail mix this week, Babybel cheese, La Croix, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch at night. 

Ideal meal, plus cheese and trail mix:

What I’m loving: All of this movement. Food. Thinking of names with Nate and the kids. We have about four solid choices, created from my original list of twenty names. You know I won't be sharing the actual name here once we decide, but possibly I'll share the rejected options;) We aren't there yet, but Nate did seem pretty agreeable to 2-3 of my ideas the other night, which made me incredibly happy. I was expecting him to be 'meh' about them all and I know once we decide, Truman will probably paste it to his forehead so everyone in the world will know this baby's name. He's still so excited, you guys. They all are.

Also, love my new blazer for work!


What I’m anticipating: The birth still seems like it's a million years away, but I've started thinking about how I will be experiencing the amazing-awful labor and delivery in about five months. This time I want to remain calm and relaxed, and not totally lose it at some point. Each birth has been better with this concept of remaining in control but it's so easy to let anxiety and pain overtake my labors. I mean, I'm all about the epidural, even if my last two haven't been as amazing as my first one. I just want to figure out a way to make my brain conquer the pain so that I don't freak out. My friend let me borrow her Hypnobabies CDs, so I might try those for an option. I always go into labor wondering why I didn't mentally prepare a little bit more. Might as well have a tool for coping with my fourth birth?

Miss anything? Alcohol, running, being fit. But honestly, I'm still feeling grateful and content at this stage of pregnancy and know that it's all so fleeting. It's going so fast. And I really love being pregnant.

At nearly midnight on Friday, after a neighborhood girls' night out.

Worries? Not really any. 

Differences between pregnancies? Truman's pregnancy had me freaking out about gaining 13 pounds, along with the fact that my OB wanted me to gain more than 30 total. Mission accomplished on that one, since I did gain a whopping 43 pounds with him by the end. We also settled on a name for Truman this week, I remember that like it was yesterday and yet it was seven years ago. T's birthday is this week so I'm already feeling sentimental about my oldest getting so....old, and now reading this post has me all teary yet again. I'm crying a lot lately, actually.

With Cecelia, I had gained 11 pounds but wasn't freaking out about it. My belly button was really close to popping (same as now!) and we had just bought our current home. We hadn't settled on a name and I was gearing up to decorate her nursery. With Porter,  had a ravenous appetite and was worried I'd gained 15 pounds but was only at 11 again. I referred to it being my last pregnancy several times and we had not only settled on his name, but I also painted the nursery already. Woah. Apparently I was an overachiever with my first pregnancy and also my first-last pregnancy ;) 

How I’m feeling: Good! I just weighed myself after those above paragraphs and I believe I'm up ten pounds, which is about right and also shocking it's not more. This week I've been trying to reign in the appetite but Girl Scout cookies and Costco make this ridiculously difficult. I've noticed the changes my body is making this week, basically adding curves all over compared to my non-pregs state. I mean, all of a sudden I have a butt and thighs and boobs, and clothes fit differently. This is expected and I'm not complaining, it's always just an adjustment to my new lovely lady lumps;) 

I'm doing really well with my energy levels during the day but will hit a major slump as soon as I sit on the couch in the evenings. I think combining the new job, along with the house renovations and this pregnancy makes it seem like time is FLYING BY and also gives me more energy to handle all of these transitions. For now. I am anticipating hitting the wall in a few more weeks, I'm guessing.

Sleep: Good, but if I get woken up anytime after 4 am, I'm up for the day. I cannot shut off my brain after 4am even though I'm exhausted. This happens about 1-2 times per week when PORTER decides he needs me to come and cover him up in the crib. Or if he lost a sock. Or if he dropped Duckie. I greatly enjoy going to bed at 9pm those nights, and sometimes I have to nap but not usually. 

Movement: THE BEST. So much movement, it's my favorite. I might be feeling some hiccups every now and then, too.

Boy or Girl: BOY! 

Milestones: Over half-way? A good start on name ideas? Buying a bigger bra?

Best Moment of the Week: Truman is filling out his 'star student' poster, since his birthday is this upcoming Wednesday. The number of times this child mentions his baby brother in utero seriously tugs as my heart daily. Also, we caved at bought the digital copy of Moana this morning, and I made chocolate chip pancakes to create an awesome Sunday morning. I've cleaned the house, we have grocery shopped, and we believe weekends are just unbeatable. Even when it does snow a few days after being 70 degrees. 

Sibling Talk: Porter --> "Let me see that baby. (I lift up my shirt). Hi, baby! You swimming? I'm a baby, too. I live in your tummy, too. Mommy has a baby in there, daddy has a baby in there, I have a baby in there...." Yeah, he's getting it but not quite. 

Fun week!

20 weeks | Baby #4

2.19.17 | 20w1d

Photo thoughts: The bump looks small to me here. Henry looks comfy. I wonder how long I can wear non-maternity joggers? And hello, sunshine!

Size of baby: A banana! And we know he is 13 oz according to the ultrasound, and measured 6 days ahead for overall size. This means nothing and I will not tell myself I'll go early this time...for now.

The Bump: Still fluctuating by the hour, sometimes seemingly small and others big. Belly button holding on for dear life but nearing outie status.

Cravings/Aversions: No aversions whatsoever. I'm loving all foods, some healthy and some really unhealthy. This week I made baked oatmeal and granola, and rediscovered my love for cucumbers with hummus. But also burgers, fries, Jimmy Johns, and cookies completely hit the spot throughout the week. Food tastes so amazing lately and I am a never-ending pit, it's hard to show any willpower.

What I’m loving: This sweet spot of pregnancy. Knowing baby is healthy. Knowing he is a boy. Feeling movement and feeling connected to this little guy. Plus, it's been abnormally warm here, with temps in the 60s for the past few days. Sunshine and warmth and fresh air will always make for the best days around here. I wish it would stick around until 'real spring' comes but alas, we know better. It's only February, after all.

What I’m anticipating: Now that the ultrasound is over and went extremely well, I don't have a huge event hanging over my head. It's time to look at the last half of this pregnancy and try to embrace it the best I can, since I have a feeling it's going to fly by....until the last few weeks when time stands still. ;) Non-pregnancy related, we met with the architect this week and have some plans to consider for our house addition. So we are anticipating major changes with our house, pinning up a storm, and trying to channel my energy into cleaning out the attic for good. The sketches look awesome and we are pumped to move forward with the house growth.

Miss anything? With the warmer weather, lots of runners have been jogging past our house and I'm eager to get back to my favorite hobby. I walked four times this week and notice that I get pretty short of breath if I walk quickly. Henry was also huffing and puffing on our latest excursion...two old bags trying to get active.

Worries? Nope, feeling immense relief after the ultrasound. 

Differences between pregnancies? Truman's pregnancy, Cecelia's pregnancy, and Porter's pregnancy all seem pretty similar to this one in different ways. I'd just started to feel pressure down there with Porter and was hungry all of the time, and headed to the ultrasound right after writing my 20 week post. With Truman and Cecelia we hadn't had our ultrasound yet and I was feeling pretty good overall. My belly was still crazy small with Truman but it's pretty similar for the other three pregnancies at this point. 

One, two, three, and four at twenty weeks: My how my hair has changed. 

How I’m feeling: Pregnant and happy. 

Sleep: I can go to bed before 9pm most nights and still feel tired in the mornings, but I am sleeping well and without complaint.

Movement: So much, it's the best. He was sleeping during the ultrasound at first, then the tech tried to get him to move around by bumping him with her wand. That made him mad and he started to do backflips in there for the rest of the time. She commented that he's kicking me in the cervix a whole lot and he likes to lay sideways, across my belly. I'm still loving all of this movement because it cannot be ignored, and if I forget I'm pregnant for a second he will remind me with his kicks.

Boy or Girl: BOY! We were shocked at first since everyone thought this was a girl. It didn't take long to feel like this is the way our family is meant to be, with two little boys at the end of the bunch. It seems like we know a lot of families with three boys and I think I'm being initiated into a special club of #boymoms. The noise, the dirt, the trucks and trains.....and the mother-son bond that is indescribable. Bring it on, again!

So who do you think he looks like? ;)

Milestones: Halfway through this pregnancy, big ultrasound completed. Also, had someone ask me if I'm pregnant when they didn't already know the answer. That's always a fun milestone. Pretty big week, indeed!

Best Moment of the Week: The ultrasound, of course. Comparing this one with a perinatologist to our 'usual' tech from the past, it wasn't all that different, honestly. They did do a vaginal portion of the ultrasound to really look at my cervix and placenta, but time-wise it wasn't that much longer or more detailed than before. The nice part was having the OB come in immediately after to give us our normal results, when usually it would take a day or so for my own OB to call and give me that report. The tech focused on the brain and heart but talked throughout the exam, so we weren't just sitting in silence wondering how everything looked. Modern technology is certainly amazing and Nate and I both loved getting this detailed look at our boy.

Sweetest babe, sucking his thumb (or at least, trying to)

Sibling Talk: Lots of comments from Truman about how much he loves his baby brother, and discussion about names. Cecelia has also come up to me and kissed my belly, showing her love for this baby. Porter mentioned teaching him to 'play trains' and has seemed extra snuggly this week, declaring that 'I'm still little,' and 'you are my best friend, Mama.' I'll take those hugs and sweet words any day and am happy to cuddle him for reassurance. I think he gets the idea of a new baby more than we initially thought and I don't want Porter to feel lost in the shuffle of four kids. I guess moms always feel like this before having another baby---concerned that the current 'baby' won't adjust well to the new role of big sibling. Whenever I start to worry about that, I remind myself that Porter is one-of-a-kind and a tough little dude. I don't think it's possible to forget about him as he's talking a mile a minute and making others laugh non-stop. Ah, the transition of a growing family, with four individual personalities needing attention and love. We are up for the challenge!

A note from Truman, on the back of the note I sent to school. Note the little baby curled up at the bottom. I mean, come on!