16 weeks - Month 4!

Happy Friday, y'all!!!!
I missed posting last week at 15 weeks due to Thanksgiving.. whoops!!!
SO, here we are at week 16.
We had a really lovely couple of weeks... Thanksgiving break was super nice.
We had the best meal at my brother Matt & sister in law, Danielle's house. A really sweet day.
I'm still dealing with nausea which is a bummer.
BUT...the baby is looking good and is now an AVOCADO!
Moving right along... now that we finally have a plan for the nursery, it's all starting to come together (in my mind) and we'll set everything up after January. WOO!

Check out that bump!

There he is. In all his blob like quality. 

How far along? 16 weeks today. 

Total weight gain/loss: Well, I did it. I weighed myself after 3 weeks of not. And - I GAINED 5 POUNDS. I wish I was kidding. That brings my total weight gain to 8.2 pounds. I guess Thanksgiving really caught up with me ;) I did make it back to the gym (once) so hopefully that can continue and I can keep this weight gain at bay..but honestly? I think my body just gains weight during pregnancy. With my first two, I gained A LOT and it seems this pregnancy is going to be the same way. It's fine. I'll lose it. 

Maternity clothes? I need shirts. I'm wearing all non-maternity and I don't want to ruin my entire wardrobe lol

Stretch marks? Bio Oil is my drug of choice.. 

Sleep: I' waking up a bunch (potty / vivid dreams / etc) but I'm mostly able to fall back asleep. I think the B6 and Unisom I'm still taking help.

Best moment this week: I had a doctor's appt on Monday and he did a quick ultrasound - I sure do love seeing this little guy and hearing his heartbeat (176!) 

Have you told family and friends: Yup! With more and more finding out along the way.

Movement: Nada yet but I can't wait until I can!!

Food cravings:  Sadly nothing exciting yet. I guess bagels and Mocha Iced Coffee? But not even those really. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: I'm still dealing with nausea. Not ALL the time but at least 50% of the day. It stinks. Hoping this ends soon. Like right now? The thought of lunch makes me wants to puke.

Gender prediction: I still think it's a girl..hahahah. JK we know (via DNA) it's a BOY!

Labor Signs: No.

Belly Button in or out? In! 

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: I'd say 50/50. Haha. I'm feeling good and excited for Hannukah and all the fun things coming up but it's hard feeling like poo much of the day.

Weekly Wisdom: I feel best when I'm outside and when I'm playing Mario Party with my favs, Dada, Layla & Benny. 

Milestones: The doctor and I discussed scheduling my c-section a bit. He said they'll schedule roughly 3 months out which would be February. I mentioned that I'm really hoping he can perform the surgery and that I'm 39 weeks which would put the date at May 10th. He thinks we can make that work!!! So I'm hoping that's the case and our little dude has a tentative birthday of 5/10/19. :) 

Week 14.

HAPPY FRIDAY FRIENDS!!

14 weeks. 

moving right along, yah? 

we had our first snow yesterday (in NOVEMBER) so the kids were home from school (and again today...) - pretty silly but I made my way to the office. 

tons to update on but work is busy and I'm tired and we have a crazy weekend coming soooo... short and sweet, week 14. 

•How far along?: 14 weeks TODAY!

•How big is baby?: My babe is a peach. Per my app, "Baby's probably thumb sucking and wiggling his toes in there!" - pretty awesome. 

•Weight gain: I chickened out and didn't weigh in today... whoops! 

•Stretch marks?: Bio Oil - save me from the stretch marks!

•Maternity clothes?: I mean - I don't know who I'm kidding. I keep trying to squeeze into non-maternity pants and it's a struggle as soon as I eat. Right now I'm in my work out clothes (non maternity) and they are OK but I don't think I'll last much longer. 

•Sleep?: I'm so sleepy. My energy is slowly inching back but still just tired. By bedtime, it's lights out for me. 

•Food cravings?: Mocha Iced Coffee. That's about it. 

•Gender?: I know it's a boy but I keep thinking it's a mistake which it's not because it was literally a DNA test...hahaha - I'll learn to wrap my head around another crazy boy!!

•Movement?: Not yet!

•Labor signs?: Nope...

•Belly button in or out?: In.

•What I miss: I miss - the gym. Energy. And feeling remotely skinny from time to time, haha. 

•Milestone: I have started collecting baby goodies. My dear friends Adrienne & Jen dropped off awesome things like a swing, a seat and a Rock & Play - it's starting to feel a little more real. PLUS - I finally have a plan for the nursery (not decorating yet) - but that I'm moving our guestroom to the office - and our current guest room will now be for baby. It's all exciting. Next up...choosing a name!!

13 weeks.

Happiest Friday, friends. 

I can finally publish all of these blog entries I've written the past few weeks. 

This has been an exciting week in our house. 

We got the results back from our Panarama Blood Test - and everything came back "Low Risk" which is exactly what we want. It was a huge relief - part of the test also includes gender. SO, I called on Wednesday morning - after getting the results, I passed the phone on to Josh who ran into Jaime's office (my best friend that works with us) and they found out the gender together. After that, Josh called our favorite local bakery and they quickly whipped up 8 cupcakes with the filling inside of either blue or pink, depending on gender. 

We went to dinner at McGerks (my family, parents, my brother Matt, sister in law Danielle, nieces Ava & Marley and my brother in law's cousin, Adam, visiting from California) and promptly opened up the cupcakes where we discovered our sweet baby is a......

BOY!!

How could I be SO wrong?! I knew the sex of both kids right away but this one, I was totally wrong. SO - after Benny cheered "I KNEW IT!" and Layla cried for 20 minutes and the shock wore off, we celebrated the fact that we'll be adding another boy to our crew. Between the dog, cats, Josh & Benny... Layla & I are way out-numbered :) 

I am so excited. I swore it was a girl but now I'm sure it's meant to be... a sweet baby boy to wrestle Benny for the rest of his life. 

We also celebrated Friendsgiving (I'll write about that later) and had a big Midterm election (uhhhh) and it's been a good week. I'm hoping to start feeling better soon but Josh's mama visits today which means I can squeeze in some extra sleep which is always nice. 

•How far along?: 13 weeks!

•How big is baby?: Helloooo LEMON! And I think we're in the 2nd trimester? Pretty cool.  

•Weight gain: I gained 1 pound the past 2 weeks for a total weight gain of 3.2 pounds. 

•Stretch marks?: Bio Oil all day, er'day. 

•Maternity clothes?: I am in regular pants today and by 9:30 AM, I had them totally unbuttoned. I think I need to go shopping for a few staple maternity pieces.

•Sleep?: Not too bad this week - Benny wasn't feeling great so Josh & Benny slept on the sofa all week (to avoid Layla & Benny sharing a bed) - which allowed me a king sized bed to myself. Other then London cuddling / snoring on me, it was a solid week overall. I'm just tired. Like, all the time. By 7 PM, my energy is gone.

•Food cravings?: Eh nothing in particular. I eat bagels like they are going out of style.

•Gender?: I STILL cannot believe it's a BOY!!!!

•Movement?: Not yet - I am really looking forward to this part.

•Labor signs?: Nope...

•Belly button in or out?: In.

•What I miss: Now that the secret is out - I feel better. I really want to feel good and I miss having energy but I'm excited too. BUT - I do miss the gym.

•Milestone: 13 weeks = 2nd trimester! That's big. AND we now know it's a baby BOY. 

12 weeks!

Happy Friday, friends!!

I've now hit the 12 week mark - pretty exciting!

We had a good week (except I am really feeling awful, nausea / energy wise) - but it was Halloween and we celebrated with ALLLLLL the candy & trick or treating.

I had an appointment with the doctor I'd like to deliver on Tuesday - he was great and very kind. I had a quick ultrasound and he confirmed everything looked great. The heart-rate was 167. I will officially be having another C-Section at 39 weeks (looking like roughly 5/10/19) - I also had the blood-work done. It's similar to an amniocentesis but without the risk. It will test for the 5 main chromosome issues and hopefully everything will come up negative. As I'm now in "advanced maternal age" being 35, this test was extra important for me and I'm so glad it's offered. He said I can call the office Monday or Tuesday for the results! As a fun perk, they can also tell the gender from this test. I'm going to have them put it in an envelope and take it to a bakery for cupcakes with the filling in either pink or blue :)

This morning, I had my 12 week ultrasound. I brought my mom & Josh and it was so much fun. The technician was INCREDIBLE - so kind and patient and explained every thing she showed us. The baby is now a BABY - like, legs / hands / arms, head - I mean, it's crazy in such a short time how it becomes so human! Per my app, the baby is now a Plum and about 2 inches but per my ultrasound, she estimated 3 inches :) They measure the folds in the baby's neck which tend to be thicker if Downs Syndrome is present. These measurements all appeared great so that's good news. Overall, a nice and easy morning, Thank God.

Moving along.... technically speaking  - only 27 weeks to go :)

•How far along?: 12 weeks!

•How big is baby?: We are now officially a plum - yum! I know some consider this the start of the 2nd trimester but I'm waiting until we get our testing back from my bloodwork before announcing baby # 3 to the world. 

•Weight gain: I chickened out / forgot to weigh myself this morning. Whoops.

•Stretch marks?: Applying bio-oil and hoping for the best. 

•Maternity clothes?: I wore regular jeans the other day and wanted to take them off by 11 AM - I think it's official. Maternity jeans for the win. Regular shirts for now. 

•Sleep?: Off & on. Waking up a bunch. To pee. Or for no reason. Layla was up at 4 AM this morning and then woke up Benny and then I was up and it's just rough. I'm tired. Like, all the time. 

•Food cravings?: This week was rough with food. Nothing smells or tastes particularly good. I'm trying. I had a big salad today for lunch and that was good but now I feel like poo. 

•Gender?: I'm SO sure it's a girl - I swear I'll pee my pants if it's a boy. 

•Movement?: Not yet but at my ultrasound this morning, that little babe was hopping and dancing ALL around. I can't wait to feel those sweet moves. 

•Labor signs?: Nope...

•Belly button in or out?: In.

•What I miss: I just miss feeling good. I miss energy. I miss wanting food. 

•Milestone: 12 weeks feels good. The ultrasound this morning was good. I had the Panarama blood test earlier this week and I've now heard the heartbeat 3 times - all exciting. I look forward to announcing our pregnancy to the world this week :) 

11 weeks!

11 weeks and currently full and chips and queso. YUM. 
Feeling alllll the nausea combined with all the nerves. 
I keep reading sad statistics about "advanced maternal age" (hello,35) and I'm trying to just take it day by day and enjoy this pregnancy. 
My best friend, Melanie, is due in February and I'm so thrilled to be on this journey with her. She's so pretty and happy and it's just so fun doing this together. 
OK... onward and upward, see you at week 12!!

check out that belly and unwashed hair! 

•How far along?: 11 weeks!

•How big is baby?: We are now officially a LIME! 

•Weight gain: Ok - I did it - I weighed myself. I'm officially up 2.4 pounds from the beginning of this pregnancy. Not as bad as I was anticipating. I'm supposed to gain 3-5 pounds in the first trimester so hopefully I'll be right on track. As a reminder, I'm starting this pregnancy 28 pounds heavier then I started with Layla. And 18 pounds heavier then I started with Benny. NOT IDEAL. 

•Stretch marks?: Applying bio-oil and praying to the stretch mark lords.  

•Maternity clothes?: I'm inching my way out of clothes. I've been wearing the same maternity pants for 3 days (haha) and they're good. Size medium and feel good. I'm wearing a button up shirt too and it is on the struggle bus! 

•Sleep?: I'm sleeping better this week thanks to my kiddos feeling better then last week. Still crazy vivid dreams. 

•Food cravings?: My appetite is back in full force. No real cravings yet. I'm trying to load up on veggies and proteins. 

•Gender?: I still think it's a girl.

•Movement?: Nope...

•Labor signs?: Nope...

•Belly button in or out?: In.

•What I miss: I miss the gym. I'm hoping I'll be done with the nausea soon and I can get my booty back there soon.

•Milestone: This upcoming week, I have two appointments (regular baby check up and ultrasound) so that's exciting. We'll be having a Panarama blood test done to check on the baby and make sure all is okay. I'm excited / nervous / terrified for that but hoping for solid results and then we can officially announce baby # 3 to the world! 

10 weeks!

10 weeks!! 

I don't know why... but in my head, this seems like a big accomplishment. Like, we are 1/4th the way there. And I barely blinked? 

I'm looking forward to feeling better (sooooon, hopefully) and some much needed sleep. Layla has been MEGA sick all week with a killer cough that keeps her (and I) up all night. Luckily, the cough syrup her doc prescribed seemed to help last night but I'm just TIRED. 

My next appt is 10/30 with an ultrasound on 11/2. I'm ready to announce on social media so the secret is out. 

•How far along?: 10 weeks..inching towards the 2nd trimester. 

•How big is baby?: Per my app, the baby is a strawberry :) 

•Weight gain: UH. For the second week in a row, I've chickened out on weighing myself. I know I'm gaining rapidly. I don't know what to do - I'm not eating super unhealthy, but very carb heavy to help with the nausea. I want to get back in the gym so bad. 

•Stretch marks?: I started applying the bio oil to help avoid these. 

•Maternity clothes?: Im really close to this. I tried on the maternity jeans this morning and they're too big but that time is coming - fast. 

•Sleep?: so tired. I'm having insane, vivid, wild dreams that wake me up abruptly. 

•Food cravings?: I've started introducing some protein back in my diet this week - I'm hungry but not, nothing seems good. 

•Gender?: I still think it's a girl.

•Movement?: Nope...

•Labor signs?: Nope...

•Belly button in or out?: In.

•What I miss: I miss a normal schedule - I miss feeling good - and oddly enough, I miss planning our next vacation (haha)

•Milestone: Week 10 feels good. Like I'm moving along. 

WEEK 9

I can OFFICIALLY call this week 9 as I had my first doctor's appointment on Tuesday. I'm going to a new office / hospital this time around so I didn't know what to expect. The appt was (generally speaking) quite boring, minus the ultrasound to determine I'm 4 days further along then thought (yah!) - we got to hear the heartbeat (174 bpm) and it was the sweetest sound in the land. 

I'm still quite sick - I go between extreme nausea & extreme hunger. My moods are all over the place and I'm without energy. BUT...

This week, we told the kids. We decided after the appt on Tuesday it was good a time as any so we decided to put together a scavenger hunt... I wrote up poems and printed out the letters spelling out BABY - we picked them up from school on Tuesday and they were off to the races!! It was, BY FAR, one of my most favorite moments as a parent. The joy and excitment on their faces was magical - the questions since then have been non-stop...including "Is it a boy or girl? What should we name it? Where will it sleep? When will it be here? How big is it? What will it eat? How long until it can talk? Can I hold it? Can I feed it? Can I change it's diaper?" - I mean, the best. We are pretty excited !!

•How far along?: I'm officially 9 weeks today. 

•How big is baby?: The baby is a CHERRY! 

•Weight gain: I don't know. This is a problem. My eating has become solely carb-based (think bagels, pretzels, cereal, repeat...) - I just can't seem to find anything healthy that sounds good. I'm trying to really balance and I'm just avoiding the scale along the way. Its been nearly 3 weeks since the gym but I'm hoping to get back there soon.

•Stretch marks?: I really need to start applying my Bio Oil.

•Maternity clothes?: I'm quickly approaching this but for now, still in regular clothes.

•Sleep?: Tired but sleeping fairly good at night - I'm taking Unisom & B6 to combat the nausea.

•Food cravings?: Nada. I just don't want to eat. 

•Gender?: I still think it's a girl.

•Movement?: Nope...

•Labor signs?: Nope...

•Belly button in or out?: In.

•What I miss: I just miss energy and the gym and eating food and feeling good. I miss looking forward to events over the weekends / during the week - right now, I just want to hide under the covers and sleep.

•Milestone: Telling the kids was a BIG milestone. They were so excited and it's really making this all feel very real. 

Week 6/7...and feeling veryyyyy sick.

This has been my roughest week to date. 
I am feeling constant nausea. All day. Everyday. Even during the night. 
I am lacking all the energy needed to do simple tasks, like shower. 
It's been tricky to navigate and I'm really, really looking forward to this weekend....naps have never sounded so good. 

•How far along?: I'm thinking between guess between 6 and 7 weeks. My mom was able to take my blood on my birthday - my numbers came in great. 23,365. At that time my mom estimated 6-7 weeks which means I could be further along? But we'll find out at my first doc appt which is in about 10 days.

•How big is baby?: Sweet pea. 

•Weight gain: I gained 1 pound despite eating nothing but pretzels for every single meal.

•Stretch marks?: I ordered Bio Oil and it came yesterday - looking forward to this part. It feels good on your belly :)

•Maternity clothes?: Not yet - I'm sure this is coming soon.

•Sleep?: So tired but sleeping decently. I was advised to try Unisom for the nausea which helped with me sleeping through the night. I wake up a bunch but I'm able to fall back asleep fairly easy.

•Food cravings?: NOTHING. I'm eating pretzels. And bagels. And more pretzels. I even gave up coffee for a few days but that didn't go over well.

•Gender?: I still think it's a girl.

•Movement?: Nope...

•Labor signs?: Nope...

•Belly button in or out?: In.

•What I miss: Feeling good and going to the gym. 

•Milestone: Full blown nausea. :(

35 years old. and 5/6 weeks knocked up.

Today I am 35. 

I am pregnant. 

And other then close friends & family, no one knows (including my kiddos). 

It's a very strange feeling to keep this secret - I just want to shout it from the rooftops! 

I am feeling good (ish), excited, terrified, happy. 

I am having a birthday dinner tomorrow night with 18 of my closest friends and family and I can't wait to see everyone and celebrate surrounded by the love of my favorite people. 

xo
Courtney

•How far along?: I'm thinking between guess between 5 and 6 weeks. These are the days I miss my mama being a lab technician - I'm really looking forward to our first doc appt. 

•How big is baby?: Appleseed! 

•Weight gain: As strange as it is, I lost 1 pound this week. 

•Stretch marks?: I will order Bio Oil soon - add this to my ever growing to-do list. 

•Maternity clothes?: Still wearing normal clothes. But I will admit by the end of the day, the bloat is uncomfortable.

•Sleep?: SO TIRED. Very low energy. The insomnia is slowly getting better but between Benny having Strep Throat and Layla being sick last weekend, I'm (over)due for a solid night of sleep. 

•Food cravings?: I am getting pangs of nausea / queasiness every now & again. I'm finding I'm just not hungry. It's weird. 

•Gender?: I still think it's a girl.

•Movement?: Nope...

•Labor signs?: Nope...

•Belly button in or out?: In.

•What I miss: I mean - our whole world is about to change. I'm having constant thoughts / doubts / excitement but at the end, I can't wait to see this little new face slide into our home as though it's always been there. 

•Milestone: Is it a milestone that nausea is starting? lol - in both of other pregnancies, it started around 6 weeks so it seems we're right on time. 

And then there were 5...........

Well, well, well.
Turns out, the best things in life are the LEAST expected!

On Tuesday, 9/11/18 -- on a quiet morning in my office surrounded by Josh & my best friend Jaime, I took a pregnancy test and assumed I was just experiencing insomnia for another reason.

NOPE.

In a flash, I watched a pregnancy test turn positive and I stumbled out of the bathroom bewildered and wide-eyed holding the test. My mind raced with thoughts of time, the house, money... but also DANCED with thoughts of Layla & Benny finally get the baby they have BEGGED us for all these years... baby snuggles, baby smells...and the amazing / exhausting / insane ride we're about to go on. 

Looks like... we are about to be a party of 5 :) I have my first doctor appointment in early October... after that is when we'll tell the kiddos!

Between 4 and 5 weeks

•How far along?: At this point, I'd guess between 4 and 5 weeks. Not quite sure - I took two pregnancy tests (one on 9/11 and one on 9/13 - both positive!)

•How big is baby?: Poppy Seed! 

•Weight gain: This is my biggest...hurdle. I am the heaviest I have ever been. To put it into perspective - when I got pregnant with Layla, I was roughly 30 pounds less. And with Benny, 20 pounds less. This is not good. BUT -- I will be fine and I will work hard to keep the weight gain to a minimum. 

•Stretch marks?: Oh my... can't believe I have to think about this again. I suppose I'll need to start Bio Oil ASAP! It worked the first two times so fingers crossed!

•Maternity clothes?: Not yet....and I don't have any as I gave them all away. Whoops. 

•Sleep?: Not great. Insomnia was my first indication that there may be a baby brewing. 

•Food cravings?: Truthfully, my appetite hasn't been normal this week. But I did just chow down on a cheeseburger. 

•Gender?: I think it's a girl.

•Movement?: Nope...

•Labor signs?: Nope...

•Belly button in or out?: In.

•What I miss: Nothing. For so long I wished & hoped for this moment and thought it would never happen... so despite the cramping, I'm staying optimistic that this will result in a happy & healthy pregnancy. Also, my best friend Melanie is due roughly 3 months prior to this baby's due date... how amazing to go on this journey together? 

•Milestone: WE ARE HAVING BABY # 3!!!!!!!