24 Weeks

19 Weeks along

This past Sunday, I hit 24 weeks along in my pregnancy. It's going by much more quickly than the last three pregnancies, which is both exciting and terrifying. I'm excited to have another boy to love on, but I'm terrified of the last few weeks of the pregnancy that are right around the corner. The last few weeks are always the most stressful because that's when we lost Alma.

I'm also starting to doubt my ability of taking care of three children here. I've felt consistently nauseous and tired and some days it's been hard to take care of two boys let alone three. The second trimester has been a lot easier than the first, but A and K definitely give me a run for my money with their energy (especially since Aidan's suddenly turned into a three-nager haha) and I don't know how it's all going to pan out with me not sleeping through the night. One of my biggest struggles as a parent has been balancing time between my kids (even Alma) and making sure I have enough one-on-one time with each of them. It's hard to split my attention three different ways, so I know it will take even more effort splitting it four ways.

However, every time I get a moment to myself to rub my belly and look around my living space, imagining a newborn snuggled in my arms or asleep in the bouncer, I feel such a deep, abiding peace that this baby is meant to be here and it will all be okay. It's such a sacred privilege to carry a child, and I want to give it the honor it deserves by treasuring the tender mercies that come every single day. Yes, it's hard and scary and exhausting, but it's also a quiet joy and I'm grateful. Whatever comes, I know Heavenly Father is right there with me.

22 Weeks

22 Weeks

Update:
How far along: 24 weeks + 2 days
Gender: Boy!
Maternity clothes: The past three times I always just winged it because we had almost no money for extra clothes. I was planning to do the same this time around, but I've gotten bigger faster and it's just so much more comfortable to wear maternity clothes. I've bought a couple of things and have been rotating through them and my regular clothes, but I also don't want stretch out my regular clothes. So, if anyone has any recommendations for good quality but not expensive maternity clothes, I'm looking! :)
Sleep: I go to bed exhausted almost every night, so I've actually been sleeping pretty well. Since the boys take a nap at the same time (yes!), sometimes I'm able to squeeze in a nap too. No crazy dreams yet. And since I wised up and stopped drinking so much water right before bedtime, I'm not up 3-4 times a night going to the bathroom anymore.
Movement: This baby moves so much, and I love it SO MUCH. The second trimester is especially the best because his kicking and moving doesn't hurt yet. I never ever get tired of feeling him move.
Cravings: Chick-fil-A, Panera (aka soups and salads!), smoothies, baked goods, macaroni salad (but only a few bites), hummus and pita chips or pita bread, muffins, snacky foods.
Aversions: Pizza, Chinese food, burgers, spaghetti (hmmm, this seems to be a common theme), and sometimes chocolate (heartburn!). Actually, I probably have zero excitement for any of the food I just mentioned because they all give me heartburn.
Missing anything: Working out hard core...or even working out at all...so I finally started doing strengthening exercises again this week. I'm committed! It helps with the aches and pains soooooo much. I also miss fitting comfortably into my clothes.
Hardest part: Picking a name! Guys, if Jayze and I were having a girl the only hard part would be picking which one. We probably have five girl names picked out already (middle too!). It's been difficult (to say the least!) going through names and trying to find one we both like.
Best moment of the week: Today I took Aidan and Kimball with me to the doctor's appointment (they were so busy!), and we all got to hear the baby's heartbeat. They stopped getting into stuff the moment they heard it and were kind of like, "What the heck?" but it was cute. I never get tired of hearing that sound. Someone should invent some sort of bracelet or app or something that allows you to listen to the heartbeat any time you want.

22 Weeks

It's been a blur of a pregnancy so far. We're grateful we're having another baby and I keep getting more and more and more excited about having another boy. It's going to be wonderful having a baby in the house again.