Pregnancy Update: Pregnancy Number 3 (baby number four) // Week 18

[How Far Along]

18 weeks as of yesterday (I know it's not an exact science but I like having a day of the week to look forward to, to mark my countdown as "officially" moving on, so...) Hello, month #5.

[Baby is the size of]

A can of soda or - if you're eating well (and I do believe I am) - a sweet potato. num num

[Weight Gain]

Up two pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. I'm extremely pleased with how well my body is handling this baby. My first go-round produced 11 pounds 3 ounces of twins at 36 weeks gestation. That's a lot of baby. And I'm sure you remember the jaw-dropping weight of baby girl, Ayara, because it was 12 pounds 3 ounces, also at 36 weeks delivered. I sincerely believe that my mind and my body are working in harmony to grow a smaller baby. Fine by me.

[Movement]

I've felt the baby move on-and-off since Memorial Day weekend.Last week after Taylen lunged at me from the couch - planting his knee on top of the baby - I felt nervous not getting any movement. I made a last-minute appointment at the clinic and they were kind + found baby's heartbeat right away putting my anxious mama heart at immediate ease. 

[Sleep/Symptoms]

Sleep is textbook prenatal-style: exhausted, often fall asleep as soon as I lie down, sometimes can't sleep due to restless legs and arms (usually means I'm too too tired), and on and on. Bob's great about challenging me to a game of basketball, or motivating me to take an evening walk so rest comes easier. The number of times I wake in the night to pee remains ridiculous.

[Maternity Clothing]

Love it. Seriously. I enjoy the maternity pieces I've got, and I also enjoy the giant bump in non-maternity wares, too. 

[Craving]

Fresh and crispy still: grapes of all colors, carrots, apples, chopped salad, cucumbers... even oranges.

[Best Moment this week]

Watching Taylen, Dayr, and Ayara kiss the baby bump and say (although I may have coached them) "I cant wait to meet you", the smiles on their faces lets me know that they mean it.

[Looking forward to]
A scheduled doctor's appointment next Tuesday, 19 weeks, and setting up the "half-way" ultrasound at that time. Also, hopefully sharing some appointment attendance with Bob, its much more fun that way :)

Preggo Update Week 15

[How Far Along]

I started this post at 12 weeks pregnant, then a few weeks went by, I entered the SECOND TRIMESTER and here I am, three weeks after I started: currently 15 weeks preggo, 25 to go!

[Baby is the size of]

Somewhere between a corn dog and a soda pop.

[Weight Gain]

Still holding tight at my pre-pregnancy weight. For now. My experience with 2nd trimester in the past has meant a few (okay, many!) extra pounds. New doctor's goal is <35 - I think I can do that.

[Movement]

Felt the baby move for the FIRST time while celebrating Memorial Day weekend! Sunday, May 25th to be exact. Flutters in my lower abdomen. An impromptu ultrasound yesterday confirmed that baby was right where I expected he/she is.

[Sleep/Symptoms]

Nausea has lessened its blow, but last week a binge snack fest on some of Bob's delicious breakfast potatoes left me emptying said potatoes back into the sink drain. I puked so hard all the blood vessels around my eyes popped. Bob said it was "cute", sort of like freckles. I guess it wasn't so bad. Nausea this time around is far from anything I've ever experienced before, making it extra hard to make boy/girl predictions.

Also, seems like every few days I wake up with a kink in my neck that makes me hold my head funny. Due to a bit more tossing + turning, maybe? I don't know. So far no real cause for concern.

[Maternity Clothing]

I was able to snag a great pair of maternity crops from Goodwill for under $2.00, score! And have been loving my PinkBlush tank, NOM preggo tops, and some new (soon-to-be-shared) pieces from Sono Vaso maternity, too. Dressing up a pregnant belly is much more fun than just getting dressed when you have an unpregnant-but-it-looks-pregnant belly. In my opinion.

[Craving]

Fresh and crunchy: carrots, cucumber, apples, a berry pecan salad with feta to be a bit more specific.

[Best Moment this week]

Feeling the baby move for the first time + seeing he/she on the ultrasound. Oh, also meeting the new OB :)

[Looking forward to]
Staying active and wearing myself out at the end of every day!

hiking near the Boardman river ^^

Mother's Day, three generations of estrogen :)

PREGNANCY // PREGNANCY NUMBER THREE UPDATE: WEEK 9

 

[How Far Along]

9 weeks, only four more until second trimester aka my favorite, breezy time!

 

[Baby is the size of]

A fun-size candy bar you don't have any of those in your pocket, do you?

 

 

[Weight Gain]

Holding steady at my pre-preg weight for now.

 

 

[Movement]

No baby movements yet.

 

[Sleep/Symptoms]

Just like last week, nausea is in full swing. Funny story for you: I made the kids lunch, not myself very hungry, and sat down with them to pray. I curled myself up on the wooden table bench and held their little hands in my own. No sooner did Taylen finish the most beautiful bring-you-to-tears lunchtime prayer "thank you for my beautiful family..." did I feel an overwhelming need to vomit. Fortunately the first of this pregnancy. I bolted to the kitchen sink, wretched, and grabbed a slop bucket from the cupboard. I heard Dayr ask his sibs "What is mommy doing?" Taylen announced "I have to poop!" and raced off to the bathroom. I felt a little prairie doggish myself soooo I sat across the tiny, tiny bathroom from my son, nearly knee-to-knee while he pooped and I did the same, while puking into a bucket on my lap. Tears running down my face from the pressure I couldn't help but laugh a little when I wretched again in the bucket and Taylen, without thinking, imitated my noises back to me. I wiped his butt in between hurls and after it was all over I felt starved.  It was my hilarious moment for the week, and just another reason I love that boy. All of them, actually. They just make everything better.

 

 

[Maternity Clothing]

Yes, please. I love the roundness of a growing baby belly. For me it's comforting and beautiful. This week I'm playing with some new pieces from Belly Dance Maternity. Like the above-pictured NOM brand striped tank. It's made of pillowy-soft cotton that, even on my most irritable days, doesn't irritate my skin (or my mood!). If you've ever been preggo you know that's a win/win.  It's long enough that it'll last all nine months, cute enough that it'll last far beyond pregnancy days, and comfortable enough to wear while nursing I am sure. I typically wear a size XL and that's what this is. Often times those are snug on me, but not this piece. It feels a lot like wearing nothing, which feels pretty darn good to me. I guess what I'm trying to say is this is my new go-to piece. This morning it's cool enough to pair with jeans and a sweater, but I am looking forward to sporting this sleeveless with shorts in the (hopefully) near future, too!

 

[Craving]

Carbs. I can't. stop. thinking about the next town over's ooey, gooey Parmesan bread sticks. Roman Wheel, looks it up, they're the best in the world. I just know it.  

 

 

[Best Moment this week]

See sleep/symptoms above ^

 

[Looking forward to]

Knocking some more off my Spring Bucket List!

    You might also like: pregnancy number three  update: week 4, week 5,  update: week 8, the announcement

PREGNANCY // PREGNANCY NUMBER THREE UPDATE: WEEK 8

[How Far Along]

8 weeks, ya'll!
 

[Baby is the size of]

A Jellybean! Pre-pregnancy I loved them, now they sound ga-ross!

 

[Weight Gain]

Lost a pound, which is great for a preggo my height + size + BMI.

 

[Movement]

No baby movements yet.

 

[Sleep/Symptoms]

Nausea is in full swing, especially today. Being that yesterday was the day I was co-hosting one of my best girl's baby showers I chalked it up to too much "junk", but nothing seems to help. I made a smoothie from the greek yogurt + blueberries the kids didn't finish for breakfast, mucho spinach, orange and banana. Something I typically love to sip on; even that is hard to get down today.

 

[Maternity Clothing]

Brought to you this week by PinkBlush Maternity! They sent the adorable floral empire-waist tank I'm sporting in this week's photos. It's trendy yet classy, fitted in the bust and flowy on the bump - just the way I like it! The fabric is 100% cotton and I plan to hang dry it so it'll last through all Spring and Summer. I'm loving floral trends and this tank is no exception. It's fabulously soft and something that can easily be paired with flats (see photos above) and a cardigan, or any number of other wears. I imagine I'll be enjoying the sleevelessness of this come summer with it's hot and humid ways. I'm also crushin' on this printed maxi + their classic 3/4 sleeve tunic that looks like it'll be flattering after baby comes, too.

[Craving]

Ice water. Honestly everything else sounds awful.

 

[Best Moment this week]

Executing a baby shower while preggo. Not an easy task but so, so fun to do!

 

[Looking forward to]

Ayara's second Birthday tomorrow!

PREGNANCY // DIY FORTUNE COOKIES + THE ANNOUNCEMENT

When we found out on March 16th that we are going to be welcoming a littlest Hebel into our family one of my first thoughts was "How can we announce this pregnancy, pregnancy number three / baby number four, in a way that's fun? When we found out we were pregnant with the twins in Nevada we were so stoked we called everyone that same day. When we realized Ayara was on her way, just five short months after the boys were born, we were in a tiny bit of shock (even though she was definitely planned!) and called everyone with that news, too.

 

We don't know how many babies or pregnancies we'll be blessed with, it's time to have a little fun with this one! To tell my mom I tried to place a sprinkle in her hand. At that time baby was the size of a candy sprinkle, she and I love sweets - it seemed cute. She was so anxious about my putting it in her hand, however, that I almost gave up! When we told her the sprinkle was the size of the baby in my belly she said "Are you crappin' me?". Words I never want to forget.

 

That all happened with my mom on March 24th, the eve of my Birthday and the day before baby's first ultrasound. We decided that we wanted to share the news with whomever was coming the next day, my Birthday, to an impromptu Birthday Potluck. I googled pregnancy announcements, played around on pinterest a while and became inspired to try homemade paper fortune cookies. I'm so glad I did! They're super easy to make and obviously totally adorbs.

 

 

In attendance at the Potluck was: my dad + his wife, my brother + his gf, some of our close friends: Meredith, the Klein's (about 36 weeks pregnant, too!), and that's about it. Some of the greatest and most loved people in our lives. It all seemed surreal. We made giant sub sandwiches (I'm craving Subway BIG time) and I attempted a "tie dye" cake. It was buko fun.

 

The ultrasound in the morning revealed one baby with a strong heartbeat. What a huge blessing! I was measuring right where I should be at that time: 6 weeks, and everything looked great! 

 

To make you need: cardstock, a circle to trace (cup, bowl, protractor, etc.), pencil to mark, fortunes for inside and a hot glue gun (with glue).

• Cut out a circle and gently fold in half, but don't crease yet
• Crease just the center inch of the fold
• Unfold and refold so the crease is perpendicular to the new fold
• Push in the crease until paper starts to bend and fold
• Reopen and place fortune inside
• Gently close and glue shut using one drop of hot glue
• Hold for a moment while it dries

That's it! Get creative in the ways you use these, they're adorable and so so fun!

PS- I back-posted some preggo updates, if you're interested:

Preggo Week Number 4

+

Preggo Week Number 5

xo

PREGNANCY // GUESS WHAT?!

 

 

I'm at a loss for what to say that could

possibly convey my excitement, so for now:

littlest Hebel is on his/her way!

Arriving November, 2014!

no, this is not an (early) April Fools 

PREGNANCY // PREGNANCY NUMBER THREE (BABY NUMBER FOUR): UPDATE WEEK 5

[How Far Along]

Currently 5 weeks pregnant. I have diastasis recti from carrying twins, and then a baby with polyhydramnios just five months after that delivery SO I have the gift of forever appearing about six months preggo. It'll be interesting to see when the new baby starts to show. Whatever though... I love my bump!!
 

[Baby is the size of]

An apple seed - so tiny!

 

 

[Weight Gain]

None so far. Hoping for less than 20.

 

[Movement]

No baby movements yet.

 

[Sleep/Symptoms]

I'm a big ball of emotions. Current gripes: I miss my iPhone, I hate my hair, and I don't look good in anything. My poor husband!

 

 

[Maternity Clothing]

My clothes feel tight, should that be happening already? Also I have some fun reviews/features lined up for you- stay tuned! I'm stoked to share my maternity wears.

 

 

[Craving]

Last week was broccoli, this week pineapple.

 

 

[Best Moment this week]

Taking the first "belly shot" ... think I love my bump? see "How Far Along" above.

 

 

[Looking forward to]

Having that first ultrasound - will it be one baby, two, three? I can't wait to see!