We are finally moving into the 30-something weeks of this pregnancy and out of the never ending 20-something weeks. At times I can't believe I have more than two months until my due date, and at other moments I start to panic that it's all going to come too fast and I'm not prepared. I remember starting to feel the crunch to get everything done suddenly at 32 weeks with the boys, so I'm assuming that will happen soon for me again. As of right now, my to-do list before baby arrives has remained almost untouched. Summer has been busy and it just hasn't seemed like we were rushed... until now!
This week the baby should be weighing in around 3 pounds and be about 16 inches long. I feel her movements really forcefully now and sometimes at night they've started waking me up. I love feeling those somersaults and jerking kicks... they are by far the best part of pregnancy!
I try not to complain about pregnancy, because it really is an amazing thing and I'm so lucky and fortunate to be able to have children... but man is it getting harder and harder on certain days to fake that I'm not feeling miserable and crabby. My symphysis pubis dysfunction (info on SPD here) is back with a vengeance this pregnancy. I experienced it to some degree during the last two months of my pregnancy with Jace and throughout more than half of my pregnancy with Lane... so I knew it would most likely come back, and be worse, this pregnancy. Unfortunately, it makes certain days really hard to focus on anything but the pain. I may feel minimal pain one day, and then the next I can hardly walk and feel like my pelvic bones are about to snap.
I had an appointment last week at the doctor and everything looked good health wise. My blood pressure was staying low, which is good since I've started experiencing quite a bit of swelling lately, especially in my legs and feet. My weight gain was at 43 pounds (likely 45 by now...) which gets a little discouraging but I knew this was my pregnancy pattern, so it just is what it is. I would like to gain less than 60 pounds this time around, for comfort if nothing else, but it looks like I'm probably on pace for about 60 again. My weight gain hasn't caused any issues with blood sugar levels or blood pressure so my doctor hasn't considered it an issue at all.
I will say this third pregnancy business is a bit different than the past pregnancies... I have so many symptoms I didn't have in my first two pregnancies. My doctor says with each pregnancy your body goes through your symptoms are going to be more intense because your body has been put through a lot. My veins in my legs are bulging this pregnancy, which I didn't experience before... and although it's not really causing pain, it definitely doesn't look pretty. I also have carpal tunnel in my right wrist, which I didn't experience in past pregnancies either. I don't know how some people have 6 kids! If things get that much more intense with each pregnancy I can only imagine what Michelle Duggar feels like! Maybe some peoples bodies are just more cut out for pregnancy than others.
I took the boys to the Zoo the other day and everywhere I turned I saw a baby girl staring back at me. It was one of the first moments that it's finally hit me that I get to experience the newborn stage again... and soon! I love being a "baby mom"... it's one of those things that has just always come naturally to me. I don't mind being a zombie and waking up 14 times a night... nursing all throughout the day... carrying a baby around on my chest at all times... I LOVE all of it. I love the stages my boys are in right now, and the fact that we're adding another kid into the mix right now could seem overwhelming but for the most part I'm just excited! I know things may be a little chaotic during our adjustment to 3 kids, but I'm just anxious for the fall to get here so this next chapter in our life can begin.
Having a baby shortly before Thanksgiving and the holiday season begins is all I know... so I have a lot of nostalgic feelings about having all these special newborn moments again this fall. I just keep thinking about all the time we'll spend as a family of 5 bundled up inside this winter in our basement with the boys running around screaming and playing and the baby snoozing on my chest. Having a baby right at the beginning of the cold season in Minnesota might not be ideal as far as leaving the house, but it's kind of nice to just hibernate and disappear from the world for a while after having a baby anyways. And yes, that's the true homebody in me speaking! :)
We've been asked a few times lately if we have settled on a baby name... to be honest we haven't really looked or discussed many names at all. Right after we found out we were having a girl a name came to me that I'd never thought about in the past and for some reason it just seemed right. When I picture our little girl I picture calling her this name. It's not super unique, but not super common, and it's a name that's been around forever. I'd still like to look a bit in the next few weeks and decide officially once she's actually here, but I'm pretty sure we'll be going with this name without really doing the whole searching and list making process.
One exciting thing we have coming up is a Baby Sprinkle on September 14th! When I told my sister in law we were pregnant she insisted on throwing a little celebration for me since we're back in Minnesota this time. I told her I didn't want to do something elaborate for my third baby (I had showers when I was pregnant with Jace)... but she made me promise if it was a girl and we needed to "start over" that I'd let her. And what do you know! It's a girl! It's fun to have something exciting to look forward to in the next couple of weeks to help time pass a little faster.
I have a love/hate relationship with the fact I still have 8-12 weeks left of this pregnancy. I'm trying to enjoy all of this, as this will be my last pregnancy, but I'm also feeling so READY to move on. What can I say, the selfish part of me misses sushi, chai lattes and normal clothing so badly some days... is that bad to admit?? I hope not! I'm feeling #blessed but also #tired and #hormonal. ;)
To My Baby Girl - Mommy is so excited to meet you! I can't wait to see what you look like (will you look like your brothers? will you have a ton of black hair like mommy did? will your eyes be blue like the boys or brown like mommys?) and smell your sweet baby smell and feel those soft little breaths against my neck as you curl up in the fetal position on my chest. I'd go through 90 months of pregnancy just to see you and have you arrive in my arms safely!
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