Baby #3: 25 weeks

3.25.14: Twenty-five weeks pregnant!

LOL at Nate in the background.


Things to note from last week:

Cecelia did, in fact, get sick as I feared. She puked all over me on Tuesday morning and was generally miserable all day long. Which means Wednesday and Thursday were also messed up for routine and work, etc etc. So many disgusting diapers, laundry, scrubbing floors and couches and every other surface in our house, and then my paper-thin patience with this weather and sickness. But we made it through somehow and everyone seems well for now. PLEASE, let it stay that way!

I bought myself some tulips at the store just to pretend like it's really spring. They make me happy so therefore they are worth it.


I got my first video of this baby kicking away. Little show boater is always so active at night, especially. I love this part of pregnancy more than words. And this baby boy does not disappoint in the kicking department. I'll wake up at night and feel him moving. I notice him moving during my work day, while walking, while sitting, pretty much all of the time. Sometimes I actually feel a bit of panic when I don't feel him kicking me non-stop. Luckily he will ease my mind within a few minutes and I know he can't always be so active once he runs out of space. My active baby boy---will never forget how this feels.

(video of his kicks)



Friday I had my 24 week OB appointment and it was mostly uneventful, but fun to talk all about the baby (as always). He is measuring one week ahead which isn't that big of a deal, but it's never happened before with any of my other pregnancies. I knew he had a growth spurt in the last month just by how I'm feeling and my belly size, and sure enough I gained 6 more pounds last month bringing the total up to 17. Eesh. At first that seemed like a lot but I guess it's right on par for a 30-40 pound weight gain (was 43 with Truman and 34 with CC). I could absolutely reign in my appetite a bit and demonstrate a little more self control with food, I suppose. And since that appointment I have been back on the exercise band wagon, too. I wish I had kept track of the weight gain progress with CC's pregnancy but it was all on some app on my phone and I don't have it anymore. I'm guessing it was probably about 17 pounds at this point but who knows? Trying not to care too much.



Oh yes, I forgot that I have been writing at this blog for many, many years and have the ability to look back on my previous pregnancy ramblings to solidify things like weight gain progress. I see that with Cecelia at 26 weeks I had just gained 8 more pounds in the preceding 4 weeks and was freaking out about being up 20 big ones at that point. Interesting! I guess I'm not far off from that this time around, either. And with Truman's pregnancy I was up 18 pounds at this 25 week mark. So basically, all 3 of these pregnancies are the same for weight gain around the 25-26 week mark. I suppose the third trimester is when it starts to vary more for me. Why do I find this fascinating when I'm sure nobody else cares in the slightest what I gain and when?

Last weekend was a marathon solo parenting weekend for me. Nate left for St. Louis on Friday morning and didn't get home until midnight on Sunday night (Monday morning?). He was at a course for work all weekend and I geared myself up for three bedtimes alone and a lot of parenting hours to clock without my partner in crime. But truly, the weekend was awesome mostly due to my amazing in-laws helping out with dinners on Sat and Sun and they also came to Truman's swimming lessons Saturday with us. Having myself plus YaYa and PaPa there made Truman feel very proud and provided extra hands to keep Cecelia out of the water during his class. They are seriously the best. I texted Nate that I love his parents so much and definitely married well based on them alone. Ha!

(Ring Around the Rosie---YaYa is the best)


And PaPa is the best--have you ever read this book 'How to Babysit a Grandpa'? New favorite! Love it.

The kids blew me away with great behavior and were a ton of fun for most of the weekend. We were productive but also had plenty of time to play and laugh and bond over us missing daddy;) I have decided that I can tolerate weekends without Nate better than some weeknights---weekends are always the best no matter what, and weeknights are just exhausting after work/daycare and without a spread of a few days strung together to make it feel more relaxed. Not that I *want* to solo parent for a weekend again but I was just surprised by how painless it really was. It had been awhile since I did this weekend alone thing and maybe the kids are just at better ages now.

We did a LOT of puzzles and had fun treats like popsicles while daddy was away. Duh.


I also pulled out my nice camera and did not regret that choice with these sweet baby faces.





And even things like grocery shopping on a Saturday morning with both kids seemed unbelievably sweet/pleasant last weekend. Probably because these stinkers were doing things like holding hands in the grocery store. I mean, come on!


And finally, crafting makes me happy. Wine corks make me happy. Why not pair the two together and then take pretty pictures of my masterpiece to make me happy?


Best moment of the week: Truman requesting numerous hugs and kisses at bedtime on Saturday night. Then saying, 'I love you every time I see you, mommy.' I almost cried and cannot get over how sweet my boy is. A moment for the record books (blog) for sure. File this one under 'Things I Never Want to Forget....Especially When He is a Teenager and Thinks I'm Totally Lame.'

Another fantastic moment? My hour long prenatal massage on Sunday. After feeling very ragged with four rounds of illness in this house (Cecelia, Truman, me, and Cecelia again) and like my mental sanity is becoming questionable, I decided that it was high time to schedule a bit of mommy pampering. Once I realized that Nate was going to be gone all weekend long I scheduled an hour long massage at my hair salon and asked Lois if she would watch the kids during that time. This is where I mention my love for my in-laws again.

Like a lot of moms I know, I have a hard time doing nice things for myself and tend to put myself last after caring for others first. So guess what? My massage was MUCH needed and glorious---I believe it was the first one I've had since I was about 16 weeks pregnant with Cecelia. It was worth every (pretty) penny and I was almost snoring a few times. Laying face-down on the table with a belly hole cut out? Wonderful in itself. The massage was amazing, too, although she might have been a little rough because my upper back was incredibly sore the next day. Still amazing to be so relaxed and pampered for that hour. On a whim, after the massage was over, I decided to try out the steam shower they have in their dressing rooms. I wasn't really sure what it was---a dry sauna? An actual shower? Turns out it was a regular shower with added steam, and for someone like me who takes the hottest showers possible it was a DREAM. Now, add the luxury of showering without little hands pounding the shower curtain the entire time? Unbelievable. Plus there were all kinds of fun/fancy shower products to use. Blow drying and straightening my hair alone, without being rushed? Lotioning my horribly dry skin? Heavenly. All of it. I almost think the quiet/hot shower and getting ready after was just as enjoyable as the massage itself. I left there feeling rejuvenated while vowing to do this more often. Just like I did two years ago after my last 'spa day'. ;)


(plus they have my favorite Aveda tea there, so I was already happy from that little treat)

Another really cool thing about this past week (and then I will actually talk about the pregnancy a bit for this pregnancy post) was that Nate and I got to have the afternoon off work together on Monday! I believe this might have been our very first 'Nate and Julia' day without kids in forever, possibly. He was supposed to work the afternoon but his schedule got rearranged and my afternoon fell apart, too. The kids were at daycare, so we walked and got lunch together, followed by Starbucks, and then a bunch of random errands. As a couple. While talking as adults sans distractions. Talk about a great way to reconnect after a weekend apart! Much needed and appreciated. Yay for communicating with my cute husband!



(must include the lunch photo---drooling just looking at it)


One errand we ran was to pick up Truman's bike we got him for his birthday. And we decided to also get Cecelia a 'Strider' bike (no pedals, a balance bike...Google it!) for her birthday, too. Knowing our little spitfire, we figured that if Truman is riding around on his new bike we pretty much *had* to get her one, too or all hell would break loose. We also chose to get Truman a traditional bike with pedals and training wheels since he is....cautious and figured our wild child girl will do great with the balance bike. We let them try the bikes out in the 34 degree weather and so far so good! Now we will just wait for the temps to become more tolerable for some real fun, but it's wild to see our kids riding bikes. So.Freaking.Big.





(Yes, we still have some snow but do you see that there is grass, too??? This is a big deal because when I finished typing this post last night, I took Henry outside and found a fresh blanket of snow everywhere. Weeeeeee! Bye, grass!)

Back to this pregnancy and not just a weekly recap...here is my 25 week post from Truman's pregnancy. And here's Cecelia's 25 week post. Mostly I like to read back through these to remind myself what I should be saying right now. Just like with Cecelia's pregnancy, yes to the feeling like bending over is getting more difficult and the 'eating everything in sight' phase is totally in effect. And yes to TONS of hiccups in there. I forgot that we were in the midst of many home projects at this point last time, not fully moved into our house yet but working over here all of the time. Aw, memories. I admire my energy from last time and now think my select nursery projects this time around are really nothing compared to transforming an entire house 2 years ago. Although, side note about baby boy's nursery: it's really coming along and I love it so much already. Sometimes I will just sit in there and stare, dreaming of all I want to do. And dreaming of bringing our third and final baby home to this nursery. (tear).

Sneak peek: I'm collecting owls, I guess.


And the kids each painted a birdhouse for their baby brother. These turned out SO cute!


Apparently I had my first stranger notice Truman's pregnancy at this 25 week mark and thought I was 'really showing' now. Hahahaha. Whatever, Julia from 4+ years ago. I can't even with that belly shot. I shall provide the final paragraph of that original pregnancy post because I find it highly amusing. This was me at 25 weeks pregnant with Truman:

That's it... jumping back on the fitness train, and packing on the lbs marks my twenty-fifth week. I really love being pregnant you guys. At least right now, at this point in the process, I'm feeling incredibly happy and blessed and ready to pop out another 3 after this one. But I suppose I should bite my tongue until I experience the glory of labor and delivery, the frenzy of living with a newborn, and lack of sleep. Call me naive but I cannot wait:)

Everything and nothing has changed this time around. I still adore being pregnant and frequently want to cry over my love for the process. I still believe I could 'pop out another 3 after this one' in some ways, but in other ways I feel very at peace being finished with this stage of my life. I still get excited thinking about labor and delivery, life with a newborn, and the changes it will all bring. Even now as 'an old pro' I cannot wait, even though I know it will be hard as hell along with being more amazing than I could have imagined back then. I could have never imagined how life would change going from 0-1 kids and it's every bit as special and exciting going from 2-3. Every bit.