Baby Growth: This week Leo is weighing over 4 lbs (which we know from last week’s ultrasound he or she was already weighing roughly 4 lb 7 oz!) and has passed the 17 inch long mark!
My Symptoms: This past weekend we were supposed to go away just Zach and I for one night but canceled the trip when Carter was born because I knew I wanted to be able to be around for Casey and it worked out because Stacy also said with all my issues last week that I should stick close to home for the remainder of this pregnancy. I am pretty bummed that we can’t go on our trip. I REALLY was looking forward to the alone time with Zach and especially a chance just to RELAX on the BEACH!!!
I am, overall, feeling a TON better than last week. I do think it was all directly related to just over doing it. I had another pretty crazy week this week but did my best to keep chugging water and rest the best I could. I didn’t overly push myself, but I can tell when my body is just DONE. My fingers do get swollen and hurt and I will get the cramping again.
Everyone who I talk to who has had three pregnancies and/or has experienced a summer pregnancy tell me how awful it is. How come no one warned me? Haha! I didn’t think that it being summer would be that big of an issue? But it really is! My body just doesn’t handle the heat like it normally would due to pregnancy. And even the drs back that up and say they have more issues with the pre-term labor symptoms in the summer!
Even though we didn’t get to go on our trip we still went ahead with the plans we had in place for Kye to spend the night with Aunt Karen Friday night. Growing up Zach would spend a lot of time with Aunt Karen and it’s SO AWESOME that Kye is now old enough to be able to have that quality time with her. They were both so excited and seriously had an awesome time! It’s such a blessing to me that at this point I can just tell Kye to “have fun!” when he goes places because he’s able to make good choices on his own without us. I know he will still have plenty of mistakes he’ll make in the future, but for now I totally trust him and wasn’t the least bit worried while he was gone!
With Kye being away it gave Zach and I a chance to spend quality time with Britt. Which doesn’t ever happen! I mean BOTH of us being alone with one child?!?! It felt SO strange haha. I kept saying “wow, this was what only having one kid felt like.” Seriously y’all with one child have it EASY haha! Zach said “yup, now we’re about to multiply this by three!” haha. We really did have a great time with her! I am trying to find that balance of having fun yet still taking care of myself and Leo so I took her on a golf cart ride while Zach made her dinner and then we all three went to McDonald’s to take advantage of their mega cheap ice cream deal right now 🙂
On Saturday I continued with my rest and Zach was so sweet to take Britt with him for some solo time. Which was also great because usually it’s Zach and Kye getting time together and Britt is with me 🙂 I rested and got some things done that are tough to do with kids here. I also ran some errands and cooked for Casey and Jordan. I did several different things for them rather than just a meal so that way they could heat them up for breakfast and lunch! I know people often bring dinner but sometimes you wish you had easy, quick things to warm up ya know? Once Kye got home from Aunt Karen’s we went over to Casey and Jordan’s so they could meet Carter! It was so cute and went pretty much how I had expected. Kye was PRECIOUS and mega sweet and loving and Britt was more interested in the baby monitor than she was the actual baby 😉
During church Sunday I did feel a good bit of pressure. Like my privates HURT. I’m pretty sure I remember feeling that in the past pregnancies and just tried to continue to take it easy. Zach has seriously been amazing helping so, so much with everything! He had to leave Monday to go out of town until Thursday night. Y’all I had ALREADY been dreading him leaving this week but with all my issues the week prior I was so nervous. When I went in the bathroom after he’d left I found this note and it was the best way to start off a rough week! I’m so lucky to have such a sweet husband 🙂
This week was going to be rough not just because Zach wasn’t there to help in the evenings, or because I never can sleep very good with him gone, but especially because we had VBS at church!!! I never intended for Britt to go to VBS this year. Kye didn’t go until he was older and it’s every night from 6-8. She goes to bed at 7 so that’s a late night for four nights in a row!!! With me playing single mama I had no choice but to take her every night. Thankfully she LOVED it but it did make everything a little harder because she was just SO tired and thrown off 🙁
On top of VBS Kye also started golf camp this week! And we had to leave the house by 8:15 in the morning to get there on time (it’s two days a week). I felt bad b/c Britt literally would have kept on sleeping due to her late nights at VBS but I had to wake her so we could be on time for his camp. He’s LOVING it! The combo of VBS and golf camp was def not easy on me being 8 months pregnant but I really think I did a good job balancing it all and didn’t hardcore over due it. My house is not very clean but I put that on the back burner this week in order to focus on what HAD to be accomplished, ya know?
The first day of golf camp Britt and I rode around in a golf cart for an hour. Which was a tad insane haha. But the camp is too short to go home and the location of the camp is kinda in the middle of no where so I didn’t know what else to do! The second day of camp I got smart and dropped Kye off early then raced to town with Britt and we hit up Hobby Lobby for about 30 min before leaving to go pick him back up. It worked out great! Britt LOVES to shop and is a great partner for it! She gets excited about EVERYTHING. And we also created a game of shopping cart riding 😉 Not normally a thing I’d allow but she loved it and it was in the ac and it was something fun to do so I went for it haha!
Overall I handled the week pretty well. As the week went on, I did feel more exhausted and more of those “I’m overdoing it symptoms” but now Zach is home and I know I’ll be able to sleep better and get the rest I need more 🙂
I have noticed acid reflux has returned as well as being totally exhausted by about 2. Both are symptoms I remember from first trimester! I am hungry ALL the time now and could seriously just eat non-stop and never feel full!
I had a dark spot on my face burned off last week and it is completely healed now and is fully GONE! I feel SO much more confident now and with I had it burned off sooner!!! I have always edited it out of most of my pictures (it’s THAT dark) so you guys may not notice a change but if you know me in real life then you probably have noticed it before!
If you haven’t already seen this “I’m So Pregnant” video floating around…this 100% accurately portrays what it means to be 8 months pregnant!!! It has been in my head ALL week! Speaking of the part about the 10 pillows…I got up earlier than Zach one morning and walked in the bedroom to find him alllll cuddled up on my pregnancy pillow haha maybe he’s not hating the pillow overload as much anymore 😉
Weight: Totally forgot to weigh in! Speaking of pregnancy weight though oh my goodness Casey looks PHENOMENAL. While I secretly want to hate her for bouncing back SO quickly from having a baby, it is also very motivating for me too. I know she has age and it being her first baby on her side so I’m not very likely to get my figure back as fast but her looking so great is very inspiring!
Gender: I bought some cute little newborn girl headbands to take to the hospital just in case 🙂 I still fully think boy but really am just SO PUMPED to find out! I don’t have that hardcore hunch anymore so I think that moment is going to be so, so, SO exciting! I’ve already got the video camera charged and ready to go…I’m hoping I think to ask a nurse to film US when they tell us!!!
Maternity Clothes: Another great thing about Casey having her baby is that she’s helping ME remember stuff. She is living in nursing tanks and, duh, why aren’t I? I busted them out and SO much more comfortable than bras. Even my nursing bras just feel mega tight and I think it’s the belly being in the way. I’m hoping they all fit once Leo arrives! I also am trying to wear all my cute maternity stuff while I still can so I think I have upped my “cuteness” this week in how I’m dressing. Why save the clothes? Wear ’em!
Movement: The hiccups have picked up!!! I LOVE that feeling!!! It’s so cute to see Carter have the hiccups and think about Leo in there having them too 🙂
Sleep: I am so tired in the afternoons but then struggle to fall asleep. And I’m waking up a lot in the night. And I’m just HOT. I typically don’t like wearing shorts to bed..I just always love pj pants…but I broke down and bought a couple pairs of shorts to start wearing and I have to get up almost every night and turn down the AC.
Cravings: While the kids were at VBS one night Robyn and I went and got dinner and I HAD to have MEXICAN. Then the next night while they were at VBS again I went and got Taco Bell. I’d for sure say Mexican has been my biggest craving throughout this pregnancy. I mean I was alone and had tons of time and could have gotten anything I wanted and I chose Taco Bell?!?! haha!
Things Accomplished This Week: I have been a woman on FIRE. Seriously! Carter arriving made me realize how much I still have left to do to prepare for Leo and how many things I really needed to buy too! I’m all about stocking up on stuff so we won’t have to run to the store! I went back to the same shop where we bought Kye’s locker for his room (room reveals coming soon! Zach is ALMOST done with everything in their new rooms!) and found three suit cases for the nursery. Zach is making them into shelves which I’m pretty excited about 😉 This is one of the suitcases I bought!
Zach also finished the decal. It’s perfect. Like this room is seriously probably going to be my most favorite room we’ve EVER done! It’s coming together, so far, exactly how I had envisioned it! I ordered several of the things needed for the room…vintage travel postcards, a globe, etc. My goal was to have the nursery completed by the end of May which didn’t happen but it MUST be done by the end of June. I’m thinking of hosting the family for 4th of July and that’d be perfect timing to get everything completed that needs to be done 🙂 And it’d be a great excuse to clean the house really, really well one last time!
While the kids were at VBS one night I did my in-store Target registry completion. I got TONS of stuff! I also did my Amazon completion but still need to do my online Target one and also order the things from Amazon that weren’t included in the completion discount. I actually went to Target three times this week. #imsopregnant
Britt and I got a lot of stuff unpacked and organized in the nursery, I ordered prints of pictures I needed for the baby book as well as for other areas of the house, I started putting together gift bags for sibling presents for the kids when the baby comes, I dropped off their big sibling shirts to have made, I bought some cute things to wear at the hospital (another way Casey has inspired me!), and I went to Toys R Us and bought a TON of veggie things my kids like so I’ll have them on hand for times when I can’t prepare full healthy meals 🙂 I also froze 6 meals this week and started packing my stuff for the hospital!
What I Miss: I missed Zach a LOT this week. And I miss the idea of being able to leave town. I know that’s silly but I hate feeling STUCK.
Best Moments of the Week: Casey had asked me awhile back if I’d mind taking newborn pics of Carter. Y’all know my whole “I’m not a photographer” thing. I knew they wouldn’t hire someone to take any so I was down to do it but I was also SO NERVOUS. I studied a lot this week to try to learn a few tips to help in the process. I think other than wedding photography that newborn photography is the most intimidating thing! Mrs. Charlotte came and kept the kids for me yesterday and I spent the whole afternoon/evening with Casey and Carter (and Jordan some too once he got home from work!). I had SO much fun getting that quality time with Casey!!! I have missed her and need to take every chance I can to hang out now before we are both stuck at our houses on feeding duty 😉 While I was nervous about the whole experience…I felt a lot more confident after all my studying 😉 School nerd y’all I’m serious! I’m happy with the end result and am just so glad Casey likes them! Here’s one as a sneak peak 🙂
I am just totally in love with sweet Carter and am so proud of his AMAZING mama!!! She’s so awesome and now that she’s a parent our bond is even stronger than before 🙂 I enjoyed every second we were able to spend together this week and am already itching to get my hands back on that baby!!!
I’ve been pulling out all the big sibling books we have to read with the kids more often now that it’s getting closer to time! The books we have show the baby drinking from a bottle so I always say “our baby will mostly eat from Mommy.” Kye has never really thought about it before I guess? But this week he said “no way! hold on!” And he pointed to his nipples and said “the baby is going to eat from these?!?!?!” Haha I just always try to be honest but not make a big deal about things so I kept it casual and said God made cows to make milk for us to drink and God made mommies to make milk for the babies to drink. It satisfied him, at least for now 🙂
Both kids have been SO sweet to me all week and really, truly helpful!!! I’m so proud of them! One afternoon I was getting ready and Kye was just staring at me and he said “you look so pretty Mommy” and then when I got Britt up from nap she said “Mommy you look like a princess!” Totally made my day 🙂 Especially when you feel so gross and fat and hot it’s nice to have innocent children tell you that you look beautiful b/c you KNOW they aren’t lying haha!
Another BIG great thing about this week! Britt has stayed dry in her panties at every nap and has stayed dry every night in her panties too! She’s been staying pretty dry in the diapers but with me not being able to smell I couldn’t tell for sure so I just went for it with the panties (I put pull ups over the panties just in case) and she’s yet to have them be wet! I’m glad to hopefully be done with diapers completely with her so we’ll truly only be buying them for ONE kid!
Questions/Concerns: Seeing Casey with her ONE baby and how much work it all is really does have me a little nervous about how I will survive with THREE in the early days! I’m hoping/thinking Leo will come a little early so it’ll be summer still and therefore it’ll be easier to have help with the kids before they start school! Kye going with Aunt Karen and doing so well does ease my mind a bit because I think he could probably go play with friends or something if I need time with just Leo! Britt is going to be the trickier one 😉
Goals for the Week:
- Order rest of baby stuff I need
- Plan our yearly firestation visit
- Bradley!
- Finish packing hospital bags
- Keep knocking things off the “to do” list!
Belly Pics: Well I DID look cute but then I went to Casey’s and we went outside to take some pics of Carter and I totally became a sweaty mess haha once my hair dried out I had her still take my pics b/c I knew today I just wanted to chill and not get dressed at all so I could be very relaxed all day 😉
Notes from Past Pregnancies: Last pregnancy I did a combo post from week 32 and week 33 since I was in Hawaii! You can read it here! I look so, totally different this time around than last! I still have people at church telling me they didn’t realize I was pregnant. I truly think it’s b/c I’ve just gained EVERYWHERE rather than just my belly. Which I’m not complaining about. I lost my weight easier with Kye and I gained this same way so I’m hopeful that it’ll mean an easier time in the recovery phase 🙂
With both pregnancies I had my FIRST baby showers this week! Here’s the one from Kye! Knowing that makes me feel pretty ahead in the game with my nesting/stocking up because I’m already done with my showers and am just finishing up loose ends!
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I really don't like it when statements are made that people have it with one kid have it easy for a few reasons. First of all, when you only have one child that is all you know, so yes it can be/is hard. Second of all, that makes parents of one child who are having a hard time feel like they are doing something wrong, are a bad parent or many other negative things. I also happen to have 2 children and think both 1 and 2 have their hard times. To all of you mamas with 1 baby…it is hard!!!! Don't feel invalidated by comments like that!
I don't necessarily think Emily meant any harm with that statement. You are correct, every child has their hard times. It comes with having children. And as parents should know, adding children can make everything tougher in general. The LAST thing Emily would ever do is belittle parents. EVER. Hello, her page is called the Journey of Parenthood. She's here to help through her personal experiences. Her personal opinion is that one child is easier than three. I'm sure if one of your children were gone for the evening, you would think the exact same thing. I've not known one parent of multiple children who has not said that.