28 Weeks Pregnant

The baby moves a ton! He jumps around my belly all day long. He has been putting a lot of pressure on the right side of my belly which has been causing me to have these pains that kind of feel like side aches. When I bend over or to the side, the pain goes away, but when I stand normally, it's there. I talked to Dr. Ward about it at my last appointment and he said that my little guy is probably just putting a lot of stress on the same muscle over and over and it's getting sore. I do feel like he's been in the same position for weeks now and I hope he moves soon so that I can get some relief!

I am about 4 pounds heavier than I was at this point of my pregnancies with both Eli and Oliver. I am frustrated because I really don't understand why. I am not eating any more or any unhealthier than I did with the others and if anything, I'm exercising more. I truly feel like my weight gain is out of my control and I hate it. I can honestly say that I'm trying my hardest (aside from actually dieting, which I know I shouldn't do while I'm pregnant). I'm just trying to not focus on it too much. My biggest concern is that if I gain more this time that I'm going to get stretch marks. I'm pretty proud of the fact that I didn't get a single one during my first 2 pregnancies, so I'm going to be really ticked off if the extra 5 or 10 pounds that I gain this time causes them.

This past week, I've started having little twinges in my cervix. I thought they were contractions, but when I talked to Dr. Ward about them, I realized that they're not really contractions. They only last a few seconds and then go away. He told me that true contractions are in my belly and they last about 40 seconds or so. They have a beginning, a peak, and an ending. I haven't had any of those yet, just these strange twinges. Dr. Ward thinks it could be a nerve thing?

I don't think it's really hit me yet that we are going to have another baby soon. It doesn't seem real. I think I've been more disconnected with this baby and pregnancy than I have with the others. Maybe it's because of how busy I am with Eli and Oliver? I don't know if it's going to seem real until he's actually here.

Because of Adam's recent job change, we've also had to change insurance carriers. Unfortunately, Dr. Ward doesn't take my new insurance, so I'm forced to find a new doctor. I've been really bummed about it because he was my OB for Oliver and for this whole pregnancy so far too. I really like him a lot and I feel stressed about finding someone else that I like as much. Plus, it's been super convenient to have all of my appointments just a mile away at Lakeview Hospital. I've asked around for recommendations and have picked someone at The Avenue's Women's Clinic downtown. Hopefully I'll like her and that everything will be fine.

28 weeks pregnant with Eli and Oliver.

Romantic Little Getaway to Moab, UT

As soon as Adam accepted his new job, I had the idea pop into my head that we needed to take one last getaway together before he started working crazy hours. We made a last minute decision to head down to Moab for a little camping and hiking. I had never been before and it had always been on my bucket list. I booked a campground, which turned out to be quite difficult because there was a huge event going on it town that 40,000 people were in town for.

We left at about 1:00 pm on Friday afternoon and had plans to drive straight to Arches to hike. The drive was beautiful and pretty uneventful (or so we thought) until we started asking wondering out loud to each other when we were going to be there. It sure seemed like we had been driving for a long time. I looked at the map as soon as we had cell phone service and was horrified that we had been driving 65 miles in the wrong direction! We took I-70 West instead of East and like dummies, didn't realize it for a really long time. To be fair, I was reading at the intersection and wasn't paying attention to where Adam was going, and he had his headphones in and was listening to a podcast. When we realized our mistake, we laughed and just turned around. It was so unlike us! We're usually so good with directions, so we just had to laugh at ourselves.

We ended up arriving in Moab so late that we had no time to hike or see anything (it was dark). So instead, we went out to dinner at a yummy Mexican restaurant. We pigged out on a huge dish of guacamole with chips and a giant burrito. We were so full afterwards that we could barely walk. We walked up and down Main Street for awhile and popped into different art galleries and souvenir shops. Then we went to our KOA to set up our tent. We talked and snuggled for awhile and then we got ready for bed and watched a few episodes of The Office on our portable DVD player before we fell asleep. It was a really fun night.

We got up at 6:30 the next morning as soon as it got light and the campground started to get noisy. We wanted to head straight to Delicate Arch before it got too crowded.

It turned out perfectly and was such a good decision because by the time we got up to the arch, we practically had the place to ourselves. It was so incredible to see such an iconic landmark and not have it be swarming with people. The hike was a little more than 3 miles round trip and wasn't too bad at all. I kept getting comments from fellow hikers about how impressed they were that a pregnant lady could hike, but honestly, I felt great.

The rest of our day was spent exploring the rest of Arches, Canyonlands, and Dead Horse Point. We tried to cram as much as we could into one day because that was all we had there! We had to get home to our boys because it was Easter the next day and we wanted to be with them and go to church.

It was such a fun trip! I was so happy to be able to spend so much time with my man while seeing God's beautiful creations at the same time. Life can get so busy and crazy, especially with two little boys, and it was wonderful to have some time with each other without any distractions. Every marriage needs that once in awhile. We couldn't stop talking about how beautiful everything was and how much we love the Southwest. We're definitely planning another trip to Moab in the future!

26 Weeks Pregnant

This pregnancy is rolling right along like it has with my other boys, but I swear, it's going by even faster. We have a lot to get done before baby boy is born and we haven't even started any of it! Adam got a new job this week working at a small law firm downtown. He doesn't start for another week and a half. We're really excited about it, although I'm feeling anxious about the lifestyle change it's going to bring. He is going to be working a lot more (like 11-12 hour days every day) which means I'll be responsible for even more of the child care and home duties. It's fine because we know what we're getting ourselves into, but it will definitely take some getting used to.

I have really packed on the the weight this past week or two and it's freaking me out. I'm already about 4 or 5 pounds heavier than I was at this point in my pregnancies with Eli and Oliver. I know I talk about my weight all the time, but honestly, it's scary! Weight gain is not fun, even when you know it's for a good cause. I feel like I can't do much about it so I try to exercise faithfully so that I can at least stay in shape. I can still run 3 miles without stopping and without being sore the next day, so I don't think that's too bad.

One difference that I've noticed this week that I never really felt with my other babies is that I feel like I can't breathe sometimes. When I'm lying down, sometimes I feel like the baby is sitting so high and getting so big that he's taking over all of my space, lungs included. It makes me feel kind of claustrophobic. I've heard other women complain about this but have never really experienced it until now.

We've been talking about names a little more lately. We have a list of 4 or 5 that we like, but none that we LOVE. Naming boys is so hard! I feel like all of the boy names are really boring. I can't believe this is the 3rd time that I have to name a boy! Ugh. It's probably my least favorite part of having a baby. Naming a child is such a big responsibility and I don't want to screw it up. I'm also afraid that I'm not going to like it after it's a done deal and then it will be too late. Adam and I definitely want to go to the hospital more prepared this time because with Oliver, we really had no idea and spent our whole stay stressing out about Oliver's name. It took the fun away from being with our new baby. We don't want to repeat that experience again!

 26 weeks pregnant with Eli and Oliver.

Oliver: 23 Months Old

Dear Oliver,

This month, you have really had both a verbal and physical growth spurt. You've made improvements in your talking more than ever before. You are speaking full, recognizable phrases now and you're getting a lot easier to understand. I understand you more often than not which is really nice for both of us. Throwing tantrums of frustration because you can't get your point across are becoming much less frequent. You continue to parrot everything we say, but you're also forming your own ideas and putting them into sentences. I'm so proud of how much improvement you've made the past few weeks and can't wait to hear even more of what you have to say. It's so fun to finally be able to hear what's going on inside that precious little mind of yours!

You are Mr. Sassy Pants. You have more attitude than ever before. Lately, when you don't get what you want or when you want attention, you shriek at the top of your lungs. It really grates on my nerves and I do not let you get away with it. Every time you do it, I march you to your room and put you in time out for a minute or two. You always say sorry when you come out, but there's no promise of not doing it again. Sometimes you'll do it again within just a few minutes of your last punishment and we have to start the whole process over. I do not want you to act like a little brat, so I'm trying my hardest to be firm with you!

You are cutting your 2 year molars right now. It has not been fun for you. I felt your gums a few days ago and felt 3 of the 4 cutting through. I'm sure the 4th isn't far behind. We've been pumping you full of ibuprofen and giving you lots of snuggles. You've been super crabby and not like yourself at all. The littlest things will set you off and you'll start screaming a tantruming for no reason. Sometimes we can't even figure out what's wrong. You've been so unreasonable and uncharacteristically ornery. Hopefully these darn teeth can make their way through as quickly as possible so that you can have some relief. 

I took you to Kansas to visit Jessica, Scooter, and your cousins this month. It was so nice for us to have some time alone together, just the two of us. I had 22 months with Eli before you were born, but before this trip, hadn't had any time alone with you. I think the 5 days we were together were really good for us. We totally bonded. You were a total angel baby on the trip. You sat quietly on my lap on the airplane while you played with toys and read books with me. I have to say that I felt super claustrophobic with you, my big belly, all of the stuff to entertain you, and sweatshirts, blankets, etc all on my lap. 

While we were in Kansas, you went through a major growth spurt. You would not stop eating while we were there. You were seriously a bottomless pit. You ate every single thing I offered you every single time I offered it. It was awesome! During the 5 days we were gone, you gained a pound and a half. It was crazy! I was so thrilled! You've slowed down a lot since we got home, but you're still eating pretty well. One thing that you've started to do though is to refuse to eat in your high chair. You want to sit at the table with Eli but it's frustrating because you get up and down from your chair constantly. I don't know how to restrain you! If I put you in the high chair, you scream and cry until I let you out.

You said the smartest thing last week. While we were driving down 500 West in Bountiful, you looked out the window and in the clearest voice said "Jamba Juice!" I looked up and saw that we were in fact by Jamba Juice but you couldn't even see the sign, the entrance, the parking lot to it, or anything. The entrance was on the opposite side of the building. You knew we were near it because you're so good with space and direction. I could hardly believe it! You are so smart!

Oliver, you continue to be a fun, spunky, delightful little person. I'm so grateful that you're my son and love every single bit of you. You are an awesome little man. I can't wait to see what kind of man you're going to grow into.

xoxo,
Mama

23 Month Stats:
Weight: 27.6 lbs (48th percentile) 
Height: 34 inches (44th percentile)
Head Circumference: 19 1/4 inches (58th percentile)

24 Weeks Pregnant

I always feel pretty excited when I make it to 24 weeks because if the baby were born now, he would probably survive. Yes, it would be horrible to have a preemie and I'm sure he would have tons of complications, but at least he would have a chance of survival at this point. I always breathe a little sigh of relief when I get to this point.

My pregnancy is going so well that I feel guilty sometimes. I can't believe that I've made it through 3 pregnancies (this far) with no complications at all. There are so many women that have so many problems and I don't know why I haven't had any. I feel blessed, obviously, and always remember to thank my Heavenly Father every day for these miraculous babies! 

I still forget that I'm pregnant a lot of the time. I don't think I am that big but then I'll see a picture of myself and be like, whoa mama! I'm a lot bigger than I thought! I have gained about 18 lbs so far. I was freaking out a few weeks ago because I had 2 weeks straight where I gained 2.5 lbs in one week and 2.5 lbs the next. I couldn't figure out why or what I was doing differently and I was super depressed. I hate feeling like my weight is completely out of my control! The good news is that I only gained 1 lb last week and have barely gained any this week, so hopefully it will all even out. Weight gain is always the hardest part of pregnancy for me. Waaaah, I know. I'm pretty lucky if that's all I have to complain about!

The baby is very active. His movements are getting stronger, although from my previous pregnancies, I know they'll get a lot stronger still. I love letting the boys lay next to me and try to feel him. They get this little twinkle in their eyes and giggle when they feel him. It's so much fun. Like all of my babies, this one moves the most at night but once I go to sleep, he never wakes me up. I am sleeping really well and am so grateful for that because, man! Eli and Oliver sure wear me out during the day. Maybe they're the reason I'm sleeping so well! I probably take a nap 4 or 5 times a week. I tend to take longer ones on the weekend (thanks, Adam!) and shorter ones during the week. Thankfully, Eli has preschool 3 times a week so I always try to nap on those days.

All in all, I'm feeling amazing both emotionally and physically. I haven't really felt emotional this pregnancy and can count the number of times I've cried on one hand. I have my s*** together, man! I'm a seasoned pro by now. We need to get a minivan soon and switch the boys into the same room so that the baby can have his own nursery. We'll probably do those things in the next month or so. I'm dreading the second more than I can say.....

24 weeks pregnant with Eli and Oliver.