Baby #3: 37 weeks - the last leg

This morning I'm 37w4d pregnant. And I feel every bit of it. I have weekly doctors appointments now and they've confirmed my feeling. On Monday, the doc did another sono to see how Baby Nicky was positioned.....still frank breech (booty down, head up). He's literally been in the same position since 32 weeks. He's likely not going anywhere at this point.

I have a c-section scheduled for Monday, July 20. We will meet our boy on OR BEFORE that day. Now, all pregnant moms live with a dellusion, spoken or otherwise, that they will deliver early. Because their moms did, or because their babies are big, or because this is their 2nd, 3rd, etc and their bodies are just ready, or you know, because they "just know". I am aware that I'm dellusional people, but I honestly believe we will be meeting our baby boy before the 20th. 

At my 36 week appointment I was 1 cm dilated. This is no big deal. Unless you are me. If you're me, it's a big, weird deal. Historically speaking, at the start of my weekly appointments, I get my hopes up that I'm "progressing" and at each of the 4, I have made little to no progress. This time I had managed my own expectations. I, at no point, expected to dilate or efface. Well, Monday, at 37 weeks, I was dilated to a 2 and having very regular contractions. I should tell you that when my body reaches a 4, it's done. BUT to get to a 4, it usually takes hours of petocin and the doc breaking my water. For both pregnancies, I went from a 4 to a 10 within 30 minutes. No lie. So, to be a 2, at 37 weeks.....now sh*ts about to get real.

My doc, being conservative knowing how my body does labor, instructed me to call if I had contractions for an hour that were 10 minutes apart (as opposed to the usual 5 minutes). She doesn't want to risk the baby getting down in the birth canal booty first. I have almost called 2 nights now. I would say that when it comes down to a choice of whether to call the doc or not, I always err on the side of not calling. I could not tell you why that is. I think I don't want to be the guy that calls every time I feel the baby move "funny" so I just don't call.....like ever. Well I was very close on Monday and Tuesday night. But as soon as I told myself, ok, after the next one, I'll call.....they would spread out. And I would be able to fall asleep. 

So, here I am. Still pregnant. Waiting. Anxiously waiting. 

My plan was to work until the Friday before my due date. That is 2 weeks from Friday. At this point, I will for sure not be working past next Friday. Ya'll....that's 1 week from now. 

I recently was approved to hire someone to work for me. I was promoted to Senior Analyst and am now in the process of building my department :) While I could not be more thrilled, the pressure of trying to train someone new in the short amount of time I have is nerve wracking. I, in no way, wonder why I feel like I'm in labor at night. It's like my body trying to loosen up and breathe! I take a lot of pride in my job and thankfully because of that, I have made it very easy for someone to come in behind me and pick up where I've left off (probably a fatal flaw ;)). For this reason, after almost a week of training my new hire, I feel much better about the prospect of leaving before I had planned. I think my team will still miss me....but be able to get by while I tend to FAR more important things ;)

So, that's it. I have an appointment on Monday at 11:30. I expect that if I have progressed any farther, my doctor won't let me leave the hospital still pregnant. I'm good with that. 

I'll keep you all posted :)

In the meantime, I would really appreciate prayers for a smooth delivery and healthy baby boy....just if you think about it. Oh, and while you're praying, maybe throw in something about a quick recovery? thanks ;)

37 weeks - this must be a good angle, because I look way bigger than that in real life...

This is last Thursday, we were trying to be patriotic ;)

36 weeks

Baby #3: 34 weeks - Zzzzzzz

Ya'll we are half way through June. And only 6 weeks from my due date. This is crazy.

Well it happened. Summer got here. It's flight was delayed, what with all the rain, but it finally arrived. With a vengeance. It's been hot. Not "Mia pregnancy hot" where we had the record heat for like 99 days.....but it's no longer warm. It's freaking hot. I have reached the point where I'm just tired. All. The. Time. I want to workout (and by that I mean, I want to minimize how huge my ass is getting), but finding the energy is hard. I actually haven't done a real, legit workout since Wednesday of last week. That's weird for me. Like SUPER weird. Now, granted, I've been busy.....but I'm always busy. So, to not make time to workout is weird. I don't like it.

Dan has finally returned from the land of "don't breathe on anyone and for sure don't sleep in my bed" and rejoined our lives. He was struck down with strep that lasted (I kid you not....) 2 freaking weeks. The second week, his strep virus invited an upper respiratory infection to join the party. It was awesome. For all of us. I'm sure that in no part plays into me being tired. Ha.

Bella is now walking again. She's limping some, but she is definitely bi-pedal. And back to her mobile,  into everything self. It's been great. And again, prob in no way contributing to my tiredness. Oh, and in case you were wondering (because why wouldn't you wonder about *my* toddler's sleeping patterns), the child refuses to sleep past (or even until) 6AM. So, yea.....again, not sure why I'm so tired. It's a mystery really.

Surprisingly, the only one in my house who is not making me tired, is Mia. And she's really the one I expect to be giving me a run for my money!

After writing all this down, I'm not even sure it's the 3rd trimester bringing me down as much as it is just my life. Did you know being a mom was tiring?? I feel like someone should have warned me about that ;)

Onto the other reason I'm tired....Baby Nicky. I just had my 34 week appointment today. He's still breech. He could still turn, but we are getting closer to having to make a 'Plan B'. I was told not to think about it and to just wait because he has plenty of time.....yea. That's going really well for me. I for sure haven't thought about it at least once EVERY day since 32 weeks. And for sure haven't played out EVERY scenario for birthing this child in my head since 32 weeks. And I DEFINITELY haven't bounced between freaking out and being 100% at peace like 1 million times since 2 weeks ago. For sure. Because that's totally not me. Wait.....yes it is. And yes I have. And how can you tell someone not to think about something *that* big? I mean people have c-sections every day. But not me. I don't. I have late babies that are medically forced from my vagina....but c-sections?? Nope. So, yes I've thought about it. And am currently thinking about it. And will continue to think about it until 2 weeks from now when my doctor tells me if he's turned or not. And then if he hasn't I'll keep thinking about it until 39 weeks when I go in to have him cut out of my uterus.

It's not a big deal in the "this is the first time anyone has ever had a c-section" sense. But for me, it's the first time in my pregnancies that I am faced with the unknown. I have told people before that there is no appealing way to produce a child from the inside of your body. There are a lot of pros and cons for both vaginal and c-section deliveries (I have a list if you want to see it). But for me, the one BIG con is that I don't know what it feels like. And you can't tell me.....just like I can't tell you what it feels like to recover from a vaginal delivery in a way that seems real to you. And yes, I'm aware that I WILL recover from either method of delivery. And all that really matters is that the baby is healthy. I know. And that's all I really want too.....but I'll prob still worry until he gets here, if that's ok with you ;)

So. That's it. I'm tired. And a little worried about the unknown. And I'll probably survive being both. Even at the same time.

My next appointment is in 2 weeks and I hope to God I don't have anything news worthy to share with you before then ;)

lots of firsts this month! First popsicles of the season :)

First time Bella sat through a show by herself

Nicky's first hashtag ;)

Mia's first REAL dance class :) She rocked it!

Mia's first haircut!! Only 3 1/2 years in ;)

First time 34 weeks (well prob more like 33w5d) preggo with baby #3 :)

In case you couldnt tell we are REALLY into popsicles. And Mommy is really into kids eating them outside ;)

Hope everyone has a great week :) This face is one of the 3 that make me smile pretty consistently ;) Can't wait to see Baby Nicky's face in just a few short weeks!

Baby #3: 32 weeks - Nursery Reveal!

Well, we did it. We finished Baby Boy's nursery. Let me just tell you, once Dan and I get started on something......we GET. STARTED. I think this took us a total of 2 weekends to complete.

We still need a rug in the room and a few things to hang on the walls, but other than that, the bed is made, clothes are put away, and we even have our first pack of newborn diapers. I know it hasn't been that long, but I totally forgot how tiny they are!

So, without further ado......the nursery:

We kept everything pretty neutral in his room. I wanted it to be "boy" without being over the top. I think we accomplished just that :)

Once we got the daybed in his room, we had to do some rearranging.....we decided to move the "changing table" (actually the dresser that was already in the guest room which happened to go with the furniture perfectly!) in front of the window. It is not nearly as blinding as this picture would lead you to believe ;)

And as a special surprise, Baby Boy now has a NAME!!! Dan actually chose it, but we are both in love with it now. His full name will be Dominick Michael, but we intend to call him "Nicky". So, Baby Nicky it is!

And here is a pano of the entire room.....

We decorated his bathroom too, and while it is still "jungle" themed, it is way more colorful than his room. Normally I would drag the colors of his room into the bathroom, but I really wanted it to be bright and fun :)

So, there it is.....and here I am - 32 weeks:

I had my 32 week appointment on Monday where I got to see this guy:

Top is his face and bottom are his feet....in case that wasn't blaringly obvious ;) (I literally had to cross my eyes and blur my vision at first to see the face.....). They say he is weighing in at 4lbs at this appointment and he is in the 45% for weight. Measuring right at 32 weeks.

Doc says everything is looking good....except he is breech. Now, it's still early and he could still turn. So I'll stop there. He could still turn. He WILL still turn :) We won't discuss the "what next" of that scenario until 36 weeks. But I'm praying by then, there won't be a "scenario" to discuss. Other than that, I'm feeling huge. Just call me Large Marge! I'm still getting in about 5-6 workouts a week and managed to run a mile and a half yesterday!! Now, I use the term "run" very loosely, but it was faster than a walk.....and it was a constant jogging-like motion for 20 minutes. So - that was my Win for the week ;)

My next appointment is in a week and a half and hopefully I will have good news to report!

Baby #3: 31 weeks - My truth.

Brace yourself, this is real talk.....

Here's the thing. I like the person I am. I think I'm a good mom. I think I could be a better wife, but I also feel like I make an effort pretty regularly to show my husband that I love him without actually saying it. I am not a great aunt, despite wanting to be and having an amazing SIL who is a shining example of what a "great" aunt is. I strive to be a good friend, though often I feel like I miss the mark there too. I eat too much chocolate and drink too much wine. I prioritize working out at night over family time occasionally, and that's generally related to my unhealthy self image. I am on fb and instagram too much and I often find myself thinking in captions - or even worse - hashtags *GASP*. I take on more than I can handle at work.....and then I b!tch that I'm undervalued.

In short. I'm a woman. And I'm human.

Sometimes I forget that it's ok to be both of those things. And sometimes I let that get me down.

Surely I'm not the only one who wants to be good at everything. All the time. I want to make memories with my kids daily. I want my husband to rave about how lucky he is to have such an attentive wife. I want to have girls' night with my friends bi-weekly.....while simultaneously not missing moments with my kids. I want to not feel guilty about needing time away....and taking it. I want to learn to say 'No' at work when I have too much on my plate, without feeling that my job will be at stake (because, in truth, I know it won't). I want my nieces to want to call and tell me about cool things that are happening with them because they know that I care...and they know because of some meaningful conversation we've had or special outing we've been on. I want to put my phone down when my kids are around and focus JUST on them. I want to not care how many people 'like' my fb posts or read my blog. But I can't......because I'm a woman. And I'm human.

What I really REALLY want......is to just be ok with it. And not just *SAY* I'm ok with it.

I'm 31 weeks pregnant. And I feel it. I had a good run with the "I'm feeling great and can't wait to go run 3 miles tonight when I get home while pushing a double stroller and walking the dog with freshly baked paleo cookies in the oven and dinner already waiting for us in the crock pot" posts. But now, I'm pregnant. And I'm over it. All of it. I still could not be more thrilled to meet this baby boy and if him playing kickball with my organs is any indication of his wanting to meet me, then I will assume the feeling is mutual.

Now my focus has changed. Shit's about to go down in my house in about 8.5 weeks (hopefully), and this momma needs to get her reality in check. For the first time in my life I am trying to learn to just be OK with being OK at everything. Because at this point in time.....there is not anything I'm exceeding at. For real. What I am trying to do now is set realistic goals. I am trying to be real. I am going to stop scouring pinterest for blogs written by "Super-Moms" and just focus on the little things. You know, like when you make a "To-Do List" and then you add "Create to-do list" on the list just so that you can mark something off immediately....yea, that. I am trying to do that.

For now, my one goal is - PATIENCE. I am trying to be more patient with my kids. I don't get a ton of time with them during the week, and this week, I have been lacking in the patience department for the few hours I have at home with them at night. It's no secret that Bella broke her leg a few weeks ago. Well, for me, this meant adapting to having a child who could walk, no longer be able to walk. She could crawl, but really preferrred to be carried. All. The. Time. The night before our appointment to get this huge hinderance removed, she takes off running....cast on. In my mind, once the cast comes off, I'll be chasing this kid around. I literally could not have been more wrong. She now has a leg free from restraint, but due to the limited mobility for the last 3 weeks, she can't/won't/doesn't want to put any pressure on it. Back to carrying "Her Highness" around. Over it. I should be sympathetic, because that's what mom's are supposed to do. I have a huge amount of mom-guilt for wanting my child to suck it up and walk on the DAMN thing already! But I do. I want her to walk. And I know she'll get there, and I know I wouldn't take off running on a newly uncasted leg either. My patience, you see, is lacking. Severely.

Let's add to that. Mia makes requests for dinner almost nightly. I genuinely try to appease if at all possible. So far, of the 4 nights I've made her what she requested, she's thrown it up twice (voluntary gag reflex) and just flat not eaten it once. We are at 25%  for the week. Over it.

I can sit here and casually gab about how "over it" I am. But in reality, when I am "over it", I don't express myself gracefully. So.....that's it. That's what I'm working on. Patience. That's my baby step. Once I have gotten my patience in check, I will both decide what the second thing on my list is, and try to work on it until I'm satisfied that it's fulfilled.

Baby steps.

Speaking of babies. I have one. Growing inside me. He's intense, this one, with the kicking and punching of the organs. But he's already pretty cool. And because he's so cool. We decided to finish his nursery. We are getting the last piece for his room today! Then I'll post pics :) I have really had so much fun decorating for our little man. Such a dramatic difference than when I was setting up the girls stuff! In fact, there's not a single ruffle in his whole space. Imagine that ;)

So that's it. That's my truth. And here's my belly - 31w5d of little dude in there. I get a sono on Monday and can't wait to see how big he's measuring!

Baby #3: 28 weeks - Bella's Boo Boo

What. A. Week.

Today I'm 28w5d pregnant. Things had been going smoothly. I was even starting to think maybe they were going a little too smoothly. Thankfully *sarcastic font* reality has set in.

On Sunday, the weather was perfect. Dan was mowing the lawn and I decided I would cement my nomination for Mother of the Year by taking my two little darlings for a walk to the park. Bella's finally at an age where she's able to climb up by herself (a must for this super preggo mama) and even go down the slide on her booty (as opposed to the previously preferred method of diving head first). Mia has been able to maneuver for some time....now she is quite the gymnast when it comes to climbing up and shimmying down the ladders and climbing walls (still scares the crap out of me watching her though....). We got to the park, the kids were happy, it was sunny. All was right with the world.

Then, I had a brilliant idea.

See, we had moved from the school playground to a park playground located directly behind it. The equipment was bigger and mostly not geared towards the littles. Mia was still able to withstand her rockstar status, but Bella was more limited as to what she could do. Well since this gear was a little bigger, I figured (you know, just to MAKE SURE the committee knew I was serious about my nomination) I would take Bella down the '"big girl" slide one time before we headed back to the house. It was, in theory, a perfect idea. Halfway down, however, something happened.

Bella's leg slid off my big mama thigh and got stuck between my leg and the side of the slide and twisted up and back some. It seemed like it was only for a split second, but I knew it hurt her. At the time, I had no idea how badly though....

When we reached the bottom of the slide there were already tears streaming from her face....mind you, the child can produce tears more quickly than my husband can fall asleep once his head hits the pillow.....it's a feat. Trust me. Knowing this, I can't gauge her pain level based on tears alone. Now the screaming.....the screaming had me a little concerned. I quickly examined her leg. No marks on ankle or knee. No bruising. No swelling. But so much screaming. So. Much. Screaming. I had done everything in the mom handbook and still.....screaming. I loaded the kids up and headed back to the house. Now, this park is not across the street. We walked a good 10-15 minutes to get there. So Mia and I listened to our poor baby scream the whole way home.

My nomination is slipping.

Once we got home, I picked her up and was able to console her and get her to calm down. She seemed hesitant about being put down though, I only assumed she was tired....and that her leg was still sore from the incident. I explained to Dan what happened and then I put her down for a nap. She was asleep immediately.....no crying. *Phew* Surely it was ok.

She woke up a couple hours later and I went in to check on her. I noticed she wasn't standing in her crib like she normally would be. I assumed her leg was still a little sore. I brought her downstairs and decided maybe I should test it out.....see the extent of the "damage". She wouldn't stand on it at all. And walking - not having it. Crying though.....there was crying for sure. I told Dan I thought I should take her to the ER to get it looked at.

Nomination.....hanging by a thread.

I went to the E-Care close to our house that I was pretty sure would have an x-ray machine. We waited patiently for her name to be called, all the while, she was laughing and making me feel a fool for even being there. When we were called back, they wanted to get her weight, she stood, but was still favoring "the" leg. When the doctor came in, after examining her, she was sure it was just a sprain, but *just in case* she wanted us to get x-rays.

We went to the x-ray room. I had already called Dan to inform him that my nomination was BACK ON! It was a sprain and we'd meet them at the snowcone place. Fast forward 5 minutes. Nurse comes in and tells me we will need to move to the next room where their "casting" stuff is. Confused. I ask "so it's just a sprain right? And you're going to wrap it for her?"

No. No it's not. It's a fracture. A spiral tibial fracture of her right leg.

Nomination. Dead.

They told me I'd need to see a specialist ASAP and that she would likely be in a cast for 4-6 weeks, but not to worry because these kinds of injuries rarely have lasting effects on their growth long term. Great. Bella, nevermind you can't walk (the thing you love more than cereal and do all of the hours of the day tht you're not sleeping), you will not be damaged later in life. While, as a mother, that is encouraging.....to my 18 mo old, she could care less.

We suffered through the frustration and pain the first two days. We saw a specialist on Tuesday who put her in a more useable (although still very 18 mo old un-friendly) cast, and informed us we would come back in 3 weeks after we got another x-ray. At that point, he will either remove the cast entirely, or if it's not totally healed, he will put her in more of a walking cast, so she can at least get around better for the duration. We, of course, are praying for full healing.

So, that's it. The whole shebang. On my birthday week and my 28th week of pregnancy with my 3rd child, I broke my baby's leg. It's been traumatic for us all. But my tough little girl is proving again, how amazing and adaptable she is.

She's back at school today (4 days post incident) and she seems to be doing well.

It's that point in my parenting life where I am forced to make a decision about what kind of parent I am going to be. Do you coddle your baby and make sure they want for nothing? Or do you let them figure it out.....and know that despite their frustration, they will be ok? That the hard times are temporary and that "this too shall pass"......I think both kinds of parents are important. And lucky for our Boo, she has both. Her mom is hard on her (within reason) and makes her do for herself - tries to distract from the temporary handicap and highlight what she's still capable of doing, but daddy is there to cuddle and sympathize with her....and make everything better.

Turns out, we're all going to make it through this. Contrary to our initial reaction.

So.....there you have it. The committee has been notified to withdraw my nomination. I guess I'll just try again next year. Maybe I can make it a full 2 years before I break my next baby.

In the room at the ER waiting for our results....pretzels help ease the tension.

It's official - broken. Ice cream is in order.

Just got the new cast on....and she's so relieved Daddy came to see her :)

Day 2 with the new cast. Like a champ. This kid is awesome :)

Baby #3: 27 weeks - Let's talk about this baby....

Today I'm 27w2d pregnant. Last week we FINALLY made some decisions about the nursery for baby boy. I think I've said it before....but this is W-E-I-R-D for us. Ususally, going into the third trimester, furniture and bedding is bought and room is baby-ready, sitting like a shrine to the new family member for months. Obviously, this is not the case.

Initially when we found out we were having another, I had the BRILLIANT idea of putting the girls both in Mia's room and then putting baby3 in Bella's room (these two rooms share a bathroom and would leave us a guest room (already furnished with most comfortable bed ever created) for....you know....guests. Also for mommy's when daddy's snore too loud. And for daddy's when babies cry too many nights in a row, or they are sick and don't want to take mommy down with the ship. Regardless, it's a room THAT WE USE very regularly, despite our lack of frequent "guests". When I was 5 weeks pregnant, this plan was flawless. Nevermind that Bella wasn't sleeping through the night and Mia was sleeping in our bed. I knew for sure that they would both be sleeping in their rooms and would easily transition to sleeping together. I mean, how fun would nightly sister sleep-overs be?!? (*said the woman who never had a "sister sleepover"* - not projecting at all ;)) Well here we are, 22 weeks later. 6 months post *brilliant* idea.

Let me give you a little glimpse into my daughters' nightly routines.....

Bella:
Bella, now sleeping through the night, goes into her room with me around 6:45. We sit in her rocker and we read a series of books (generally the same ones). Once we are through the books, we rock for another minute and then I stand up, lay her down in her crib, cover her up, turn on her sleep sheep, say "Love you, Boo." and walk out. End of story. I don't generally hear from her again until 6:30 the next morning.

Mia:
We go into Mia's room at 8PM. Mia picks out a book from her collection (there are usually 3 she picks from despite having over 20 to choose from). She collects (loudly) her 18 animals from her couch, and arranges them in her bed. She then forms the 4 blankets she sleeps with into her "house".....not to be touched by the likes of me - God forbid. We eventually sit next to each other on the bed and by her lamp light, we read a book (really it's just a story from a big book). Once I'm done reading, she "reads" me the same story. Or she turns the same pages and tells me that it's "Fiddle-I-Fee" (which I can only assume they read her at school since she has it memorized and I've never heard of it). Once she's done, I put the book away and lay with her for a few minutes, during which time she proceeds to ask me 1 million questions about 1 million different topics - none of which bear any sort of resemblance to anything that was done that day. After the Q&A portion of the evening, I tell her I am going downstairs and she, without missing a beat, asks "can I play in my bed for a little bit?" to which I answer "Yes, but what can you not do?", and she replies "not get out of my bed". I go downstairs and she plays (LOUDLY) for close to an hour some nights. There are nights when she changes pj's up to 3 times before she goes to sleep and often times, the animals she carefully selected, are back on the couch in the morning, with only a select few left in her bed.

Yea, I don't see anything wrong with throwing Balky and Larry into a room together, do you? (please tell me you got my "Perfect Strangers" reference....anyone?)

So one night as my skin started to get itchy thinking about the fact that we had literally done NOTHING to prepare for this baby. At this point, we had been waiting for things to settle with the girls before we jammed them in a room together. Well things settled, we were both sleeping - a lot - and I just ba-roke down. I told Dan that I just couldn't do it. I liked sleep TOO much *tears in my eyes* to risk it by throwing those two in a room together. He agreed wholeheartedly. We REALLY like sleep in our house. And we haven't gotten much in the last 18 months. It was really a no brainer.

So, at least that decision was made. Onto the next. We decided that instead of buying baby boy new furniture, we would give him Bella's antique gray furniture and buy her something white - which will honestly look way better in her room than her current furniture. We found a beautiful set and got it all ordered. Next up....bedding. Now, I had bought some bedding when we thought baby boy would be in Bella's room. I made sure it tied in with her wall color so we wouldst have to paint. This was also when our son had a name circa 18 wks. Now both of those things were out the window. I needed new bedding for the new wall color in the new room. Here's the thing.....boy bedding is hard. Kind of like boy names. We are not sports people, so I didn't want basketballs and baseballs all over his room, and our other options seemed to be boats and cars or animals.....or some pattern theme (ie plaid or that zigzag pattern that's everywhere that I can't think of the name of). Ugh. I didn't love any of my options. What I FINALLY decided on was a simple white quilt with 3 jungle animals embroidered on it.

I love it. It's simple and clean. It will tie in our dark mocha colored room with his gray furniture and it's boy - without being over the top.

I spent more than I wanted to on it, but so goes life. In the grand scheme of things I realize it doesn't matter what color the sheets on his bed are, but for me, right now.....it just does.

So it's official. Our baby has bedding.....again. He may or may not have a name too.....we're working on that part ;) Like I have posted before, I'm not sure if we'll share the name before his big arrival or not, but I feel fairly certain that we've at least settled on something. And I love it also :)

That's really as far as we've gotten. We are currently waiting on Bella's furniture to be delivered so that we can make the big transition and get started pulling the room together. I will definitely post pics as it progresses.

As far as how I'm feeling.....I can really sum it up in two words: tired and hungry. At any point in the day, I am generally feeling one of the two. Mostly the latter. I have reached a point in my pregnancy where running two miles and lunch and then doing strength training at night is no longer ok. I knew that despite my inner super hero, I would not be able to keep up at that pace indefinitely. I am having a lot of lower back pain. I am sure some of it is due to working out, but mostly it's the HUGE pumpkin I have hanging out on the inside of my stomach lining. Seriously, I feel enormous - in my stomach at least. I managed to slide on a pair of pre pregnancy jeans this morning and despite my better judgement, am keeping them up with the help of a (less than useful) belly band. It was one of those mornings where I just needed a win. This was it. I'm good for the day now ;) To date I've put on about 16 lbs. I have my 28 week appointment on Monday where they will be doing the glucose testing. I don't see any reason it would come back positive for gestational diabetes, but just in case, I'm gonna lay off the ice cream this week (even easier in light of the Blue Bell heart break).

And in case you didn't read that right....I said 28 WEEK APPOINTMENT. Ya'll.....I'm about to be in the home stretch. I'm about to have 3 kids. I'm not sure if you've done the math, but that is exactly one more kid than arms or hands on my body. 3. Tres. Three kids.

Sorry....sometimes I still don't believe it. I mean, wasn't I JUST in college sitting around cracking cheap beers at noon and making poor life decisions that involved only thinking of myself? Now I am solely responsible for two, soon to be THREE, tiny humans. It's weird. And awesome. And there's really not a thing I would change about my life at the moment......except maybe the back pain and intermittent hemorrhoids...but that's neither here nor there ;)

I haven't taken a pic this week, but I'll make the next post a picture catch up post.....I dont know if it's me being all hormonally sentimental or my kids just laying on the adorable SUPER thick, but I have lots of cute new photos to share.....I think it's only fair they have their own post.

Baby #3: 25 weeks - Jones Family Vacay 2015

Today I am 25w1d pregnant. I am currently sitting at home on my couch catching up on "The Good Wife" episodes I have missed. It's a rare day where all of the housework is done, there is not a stitch of unclean laundry in the house, groceries are bought and put away, dinner is thawing on the counter, and I have already worked out. It's like the unicorn of all days.

This past weekend was our first trip as a family of 4. We ventured to San Antonio to visit Sea World and of course, stay on the River Walk. We spent 2 days prepping - packing clothes and snacks, getting videos together for Mia, and toys for Bella. We loaded up and were on the road at 5AM. Our plan was to wake the kids and leave while it was still dark outside, hoping they would sleep for a few hours before we had to dig into our bag 'o tricks (because we both knew we did not have 5 hrs worth of entertainment packed in our vehicle....). Mission: Accomplished. the kids slept until a little after 7. We stopped in Waco and had breakfast at Cracker Barrel. It was the perfect time actually because there was no one in the restaurant, so our little Bella (aka. "Sister-Screams-A-Lot") didn't ruin anyone's meal. Also, we discovered that those little peg games were enough to keep them both entertained long enough for Dan and I to scarf down our breakfast - well between handing our children whatever was on our plates, to keep them appeased, despite the same ingredients being on EVERY plate on the table. We made it back out to the car with minimal drama and strapped the kids in for the long haul.

The plan was to head straight to the zoo when we arrived. We weren't going to be able to check in to our hotel until later that afternoon, so we needed something to kill some time and let the kids stretch their legs. Not to mention, with Mia asking every 30 seconds of our 5 hour car trip where we were going and if we were AT Sea World yet, we had to have something in our back pockets to divert from the fact that while we were, in fact, in San Antonio - the home of Sea World - it would still be one more day before we could see the fish....I should mention that for the week leading up to this trip, Dan and I had been on the forecast watch. The forecast never changed - Rain - both days. I had packed rain jackets for the kids, and our strollers have very good canopies, so we knew they would be ok, and we packed umbrellas for ourselves - just in case.

When we arrived to the zoo, it was around 10:00. It had just finished a torrential downpour and we were relieved to know our first plan wasn't completely ruined. We, of course, got amazing parking, as people don't tend to venture to the zoo when it's raining. We got the kids out - and realized it was super chilly. I changed them into pants and threw their rain slickers on, and it was that moment I realized that I hadn't brought anything warm for myself to wear. I was in cropped jeans and a tank top. I was already freezing and we had just gotten out of the car. Dan and I looked at each other, and made the decision just to power through. Surely I could find something in the gift shop that would suffice.

We got into the zoo in record time seeing as how there was NO line and we already had purchased tickets (non-refundable, so we were GOING to the zoo! Rain or Shine!). We made a quick pit stop at the gift shop for the preggo and toddler to use the head and after looking around, I determined that rather than pay $30 for a hoodie with "San Antonio Zoo" plastered on the front along with the pictures of animated lions and tigers, I would just suck it up. Luckily, I have a weird thing with scarves. I wear them regularly as accessories because I'm terrible at buying jewelry. I had brought a large scarf that I fashioned as sort of a shawl to keep my arms warmer at least - and we headed out. The first couple exhibits - bears, lions, tigers - were a complete bust because the animals were in the shelter of their cages (not visible to us) to keep out of the recent rain. But then we came across a butterfly exhibit. Dan waited outside with our strollers and I took the kids in. It was AMAZING! never seen so many butterflies in my life. Some were the size of Mia's head! She was in awe. I'm shocked I was able to get her out at all! I could tell Bella was enjoying them flying around her too...she kept pointing and smiling. It was great. And of course I got ZERO pictures. Mom fail.

When we left the butterflies, we worked our way around the rest of the zoo. There was nothing overly impressive aside from the huge rhino and a crazy scary anaconda snake that about scared the cr@p out of me! But the weather held off so it was cool, cloud covered and we basically had the zoo to ourselves. After a couple hours, we stopped for lunch. Again, we were lucky the zoo was empty. Eating with the two of these kids in public is proving more and more challenging. We can never seem to order anything they like, and Mia likes to talk and not eat while Bella prefers screaming at nothing and throwing things from the table. Good. Times. All the while, Dan and I shovel mediocre, WAY OVER PRICED food down our throats pretending that "it's all just part of the experience". And I guess it is.

After lunch we hit the Carousel - huge hit - then made our way through the rest of the zoo. Let me remind you....my kids nap. Like, they are BIG nappers. Naps are necessary. We knew this busy weekend we would be pushing some boundaries, but we figured the risk was worth the reward. By about 1:30, the kids were over it. Mia was on meltdown - 900+ and Bella was over being in the stroller - and being held - and walking - yea....figure that one out. We made it back to the car and the kids were out before we backed out of our parking spot. We got to the hotel for them to tell us that our room wouldnt be ready for at least an hour. No problem. We wanted to walk the River Walk some anyway. Problem here is that I was 24w5d pregnant and had been on my feet for a good while either pushing a stroller, carrying a toddler or lifting Mia to see whatever exhibit we were at. I was hurting.

We walked around the area for a bit, found a cute cafe to get some ice cream - Bella had fallen asleep at this point, so we were trying to stretch out what we were pretty sure would be her only "nap" that day to spare the rest of our evening. We got a call about an hour or so later that the room was ready, so we headed back. Once we got settled, it was about 4. We had sort of determined at that point that we wouldn't be dining out for dinner. 2 food outings with the 2 of them in one day was quite enough.. we ordered pizza and had it delivered to the room. Bella was passed out by 6:15. Dan followed shortly after. Mia and I followed suit around 7:30.

Bella was up and at 'em bright and early at 5:30 the next morning. Mia woke up around 6:30. We all got ready and headed down for breakfast not long after that. Once we got back up to the room, Dan and I made a judgement call. We had both joked about just leaving after Sea World - the kids were going to be in no position to do anything that night - and neither were we. And ultimately we decided it was the way to go. So we packed up and loaded the car before we headed to Sea World.

The weather, again, was super questionable. In fact, it was raining on the way there. Again, the weather was way cooler than I had planned (for my own wardrobe at least - I had thankfully packed appropriately for the kids!) so this time I was sure I would need some sort of sweat shirt. We got to Sea World a little before 10, and headed in. Our first stop - gift shop. And what did I get? A $30 sweatshirt with "Sea World San Antonio" plastered on the front with big animated whales accompanying it. For whatever reason it seemed more appropriate to overpay for clothing there than at the zoo.

Lucky for us, it didn't rain the whole time we were there. Mia got her face painted, we saw the Pet Stars show, Shamu and other whales show, the baluga whales and dolphins, got dip 'n dots, and then we headed to our "Lunch with Shamu". This was an extra thing that Dan and I thought would be cool for the kids. They set up a buffet right outside of the training tanks for the whales! We were literally so close we could touch them. It was awesome! Unfortunately, again, the kids were over being awake and pleasant, so we had to cut lunch a little short to head out. We ended up leaving Sea World around 2:30 after our fun filled day and the kids were out as soon as their little booties hit their car seats.

The drive home was relatively uneventful. The kids slept for the first 3 hours, then we stopped for food and they did pretty good the rest of the way home. Once home, Dan and I had the car unloaded and bags unpacked, kids bathed and in bed in less than an hour. I believe there is a chance that my husband's OCD has transferred to my person. We all crashed out early - who am I kidding - it was late for the kids and Dan's and my "usual" bedtime ;) Everyone slept until after 7AM on Sunday, which is a rare occurence.

It was a short, but very eventful and SUPER FUN weekend. I am so glad we got to share the experience with our kids. I know that Mia will remember it forever. I love that she goes to bed talking about the Baluga whales and keeps saying "I.Am.A.ROBOT. Sea World. Is. My. Life" *in her robot voice*. She had such a great time. And Bella, well Bella may have been a little young for the experience, but I know there were parts that she really enjoyed ;)

Sunday we spent catching up on cleaning and yard work and the kids got to visit their grandparents and Mia told them all about the whales and dolphins and butterflies.

This will be our first and last trip as a family of 4. There were lots of chaotic parts. Lots of parts that could have been different, but not a single part I would undo. I realize now, more than ever, how fleeting these moments are. I tried to soak it all in, and I know for sure it was a weekend I'll never forget :)

Dan left town last night and won't be back until Friday evening. I am on my own. For some reason, that doesn't seem as daunting as it once did. I guess that feeling of peace just comes with time. I remember blogging before Bella got here, how at some point, I would find my "calm". Ladies and gentlemen.....I think it's arrived. I love hanging out with my kids. They challenge me, and frustrate me, and make me laugh, and make me feel alive.

As far as how I'm feeling?? I feel thankful. I'm thankful for the amazing husband I was blessed with. I think sometimes it takes doing something super chaotic and stressful with your spouse to make you realize what a good team you make. He also challenges me, frustrates me, makes me laugh....and makes me feel alive. I'm thankful for his willingness to be silly with our kids, but also to be firm. I'm thankful that our kids miss him when he's gone because he brings something to the table that I just can't. And finally, I'm thankful for my kids - the 2 outside and the 1 I have yet to meet.

Looking at the "Cheetah Cats" - Mia's words

Mia has this new thing....anytime we say "Smile, Mia!", she sticks her tongue out....

Bella's having a good time, despite her face in this pic ;)

Leaving the zoo.....worn out Boo.

Mia's being a monkey....and a flamingo. So well rounded :)

THIS was the forecast.....

Pulling up to Sea World.....can you just FEEL the excitement? ;)

see what I mean??

You can see a little glimpse of the awesome sweatshirt I am now the proud owner of....

Getting her face painted!

she's so proud

there were these bubble machines lining the sidewalks of Sea World - totally worth the price of admission - at least in the kids' minds :)

super failed attempt at a family selfie....waiting for the Pet Star show to start!

Mia wanted to sit with daddy, but Bella insisted on her own chair. Go figure.

Watching the whales

Mia opted out of this fam-ie (see what I did there??)

This is what my kids look like when they are on the verge of being "over it".....

This was at "Dining with Shamu" - so cool to be so close!

waving bye to us on our way out.

Leaving Sea World - do you see a theme with her leaving places?? 

This is a birthday gift for her cousin - we're not sure she really "gets" that though ;)