37 Weeks

How far along are you?: 37 weeks

How big is baby?: About 19.1 inches long, about 6.1 pounds. The size of a cantaloupe

Weight gain/loss?: I weigh right about 150, so up 20 pounds.

Stretch marks?: No.

Maternity clothes?: Yep.

Sleep?: Pretty good. I just wake up to pee usually 2-5 times a night!

Best moment this week?: We tilled our garden. I'm getting so excited to get a garden started! We also blew up the birthing pool and it got me so excited.

Food cravings?: BLTs all the time. Even though the bread and tomatoes give me mad heartburn.

Gender?: It'll be a mystery until May!!

Movement?: Yep. Lots and lots of stretching movements, some painful.

Belly button?: Flat or popped inside-out these days!

Labor signs?: I've had lots of Braxton Hicks and prodromal labor it seems like.

What do I miss?: I don't really miss anything specific at the moment. But I am looking forward to regaining my stamina.

What I'm looking forward to this week?: I'm just excited because it's close to the end of this pregnancy and I'm starting to wonder how labor will start and what it will be like. Every birth is such a different story. I'm so excited to find out what story this birth will have. Our doula is also coming over this evening for an in-home visit. That makes it feel even more real!

What's different this time around?: I am so much more tired. And more emotional I feel like. And I have this instinct of protectiveness where I get really aggravated when the boys come too close and have to shove it down. They're just sooooo rough and they always jump on my belly. I think I've developed a survival mechanism!

How are Lincoln and Logan doing?:  They are pretty much the same. Excited, I don't know that it's super real yet. I'll be interested to watch how they change and grow with our family changing and growing.

Birthing during a pandemic: This particular week has been a bit of a struggle in this way. Daniel's hours are pretty low. He's doing a lot of training. And I think it's very stressful for him having his first *baby* during such unstable times. I've seen the stress kind of wearing on him. It's come with its own set of challenges. It's a lot more pressure on Danny to consider providing for an expanding family with so much uncertainty. <3

36 weeks

How far along are you?: 36 weeks and 2 days - it's really hard to keep up on these, clearly. I kept meaning to and kept meaning to...

How big is baby?: About 18.7 inches long, about 5.8 pounds. The size of romaine lettuce. Or, let's be real here, the size of a baby. Haha!

Weight gain/loss?: I weigh right about 150, so up 20 pounds.

Stretch marks?: No.

Maternity clothes?: Yep. They're starting to not fit anymore and I don't plan on buying more, so I may need to get creative!

Sleep?: Pretty good. I just wake up to pee usually 2-5 times a night!

Best moment this week?: Well, Danny's hours have been pretty drastically cut, so we've been getting a lot of time together as a family. And we got to plant some seedlings, the boys and I. Just trying to enjoy this season of togetherness as I've found it's constantly changing! I also just finished teaching my very last VIPKid class with my very most favorite student. It was so bittersweet. I will miss her so much!

Food cravings?: Nothing specific, but I've been loving buffalo chicken stuffed peppers with Frank's Red Hot and ranch.

Gender?: It'll be a mystery until May!!

Movement?: It's funny how I'd forgotten - near the end, the movements are less cute and little, more stretching and uncomfortable. But I am still loving watching my stomach morph.

Belly button?: Flat or popped inside-out these days!

Labor signs?: I've had a bit of cm here and there, lots of Braxton Hicks. But that's basically it.

What do I miss?: I miss eating what I'd like without getting heartburn, haha! It's been pretty rough on the heartburn side of things. I will be excited to not have swollen veins in my tailbone too. But I'm not really ready for this pregnancy to end either. I'm conflicted.

What I'm looking forward to this week?: I'm really excited to hit 37 weeks. After that, it just feels like, okay - any day baby wants to come is just fine now! And we are hopefully going to work on our garden together some more.

What's different this time around?: I am not ready for it to be over like I was with both the boys. Maybe that'll change. I'm also a lot more emotional I feel like. My hair is not super thick and grown in like it was with the boys. And I'm physically much more exhausted. But those factors could be because of genetics, or because I'm older. Who knows!

How are Lincoln and Logan doing?:  They're pretty excited, however I have noticed Logan playing the "baby" card more and more as the due date approaches. I think we will need to give each boy special time just them and us once the baby is born. As excited as they are, it's still a big transition that does present struggles.

Birthing during a pandemic: So I'm going to add this section here. Birthing during a pandemic with a global shut down, economies struggling, families without employment, rumors of food shortages to come and even further strife in the future, freedoms in the balance - this has been quite the rollercoaster, I must say. Pregnancy is a huge time of transition anyway. To be confronted with not only losing hours to the lockdowns, but also due to an oil bidding war has been strange and unexpected. If you'd told me at the beginning of my pregnancy that things would look like this at the end, it would have been a struggle to believe you.
I'm so grateful we already planned on a home birth with a midwife. Many women are flocking to midwives so they can avoid the stress and anxiety of ever-changing hospital policies and the fear of being separated from their babies right after birth. 
This is definitely a history time to be born. And it has amplified a lot of the usual concerns or fears that go along with pregnancy.
I have to admit, I will be thankful to know how this all turns out once it's settled. But I'm trying to take one day at a time. We thank God daily whenever Danny has a job to get up and go to. And we thank Him when we have good food to eat. And when we have time together. And just in every season.
This experience has definitely been teaching us to look for what we can be thankful in each day and each moment.

27 Weeks

How far along are you?: 27 weeks - oops! I've been meaning to post and meaning to post and keep putting it off and forgetting. Third child syndrome!

How big is baby?: About 14.5 inches, 2 pounds, the size of a bunch of bananas. Or a head of cauliflower.

Weight gain/loss?: I'm weighing about 142-145, up about 12-15 pounds from when I got pregnant. Depends on the day!

Stretch marks?: No.

Maternity clothes?: Yep.

Sleep?: Achy hips, lots of turning side to side. But overall, I'm sleeping pretty well! Still. Although I get very uncomfortable when Logan is in our bed now. I am also waking up super early to teach VIPKid, and I sometimes struggle to get back to sleep.

Best moment this week?: Hm, after this being the 6th week in a row of 60+ hours per week of work, it was really nice Danny only had to work a little on Monday (President's Day) and we all got to go to the basketball game for Linky's birthday together. 

Food cravings?: None really specific lately. I do have the sugar bug pretty bad though!

Gender?: It'll be a mystery until May!!

Movement?: So much movement now!! You can see huge pops from the outside.

Belly button?: It's stretched pretty far, haha!

Labor signs?: None at all!

What do I miss?: I miss Danny. But that's just because he's always working. Nothing specifically pertaining to pregnancy.

What I'm looking forward to this week?: I'm looking forward to hopefully getting diapers stripped and ready.

What's different this time around?: I think everything. This pregnancy is so much easier. 

How are Lincoln and Logan doing?:  Well, we've been struggling to get school going and done each day. I've been focusing a lot on opportunities to get the boys out and playing with other children because the doldrums will really set in on us otherwise. The winter, being indoors so much, and Danny being gone so much lately have been taking their toll. They're both very excited about the baby. But we are all ready for spring I think!

20 Weeks

How far along are you?: 20 weeks - we thought it was so neat we entered 2020 at 20 weeks!

How big is baby?: About 6 and a half inches, the size of a cantaloupe. But measuring top of head to tip of toe, 10 inches!

Weight gain/loss?: I'm weighing about 137, up about 7 pounds from when I got pregnant.

Stretch marks?: No.

Maternity clothes?: Yep.

Sleep?: Achy hips, lots of turning side to side. But overall, I'm sleeping pretty well!

Best moment this week?: Danny got to feel the baby (whom Logi has honorarily named "Gummy Bear") kick super hard! And has been able to feel the baby frequently since then! I'm feeling incredibly strong kicks daily now. 

Food cravings?: I got to eat See's Candy, which I totally wanted from the very start of this pregnancy! Someone brought Pastor Frank a box, and he graciously shared! I indulged in one maple nut chocolate, and it was delicious!!!

Gender?: It'll be a mystery until May!!

Movement?: So much movement now!!

Belly button?: It's stretched pretty far, haha!

Labor signs?: None at all!

What do I miss?: Nothing, although I was getting super food bored this week. I got a pizza with feta and veggies from Papa Murphy's yesterday though since I thought Danny wouldn't be home until late, and it was so flavorful, it really scratched the itch!

What I'm looking forward to this week?: Being a homebody. Hopefully having a slow weekend with the family. We've been gone so much, it's just nice to be home for a little while.

What's different this time around?: I am much more positive and emotionally stable I think.

How are Lincoln and Logan doing?:  We've been combating mass spiritual attacks on our family and specifically on Lincoln this week. We chose to read the Bible through in a year, and ever since then, it's been pretty constant. But we are continuing to call upon Jesus and trust him to be power and peace for us.

19 Weeks

How far along are you?: 19 weeks, almost half way!

How big is baby?: About 6 inches, the size of a mango.

Weight gain/loss?: I'm up 7-10 pounds depending on the day and time of day.

Stretch marks?: Nope!

Maternity clothes?: Yep. I keep having to spot treat stains on the lower half of my belly because I'm at that stage where I can't see the bottom half and I wind up running it into foods in the kitchen!

Sleep?: I get really bad hip pain and have to turn from side to side a lot. I'm such a back sleeper. But it hasn't been bad, and I've been getting to bed earlier and able to wake up earlier.

Best moment this week?: Getting to go to Danny's parents' and celebrating Logi's birthday. Bringing out his cake was such a highlight! His face was priceless, he was so thankful and sweet!

Food cravings?: I've still been having dreams about eating In-n-out, and See's candies. But not much aside from that.

Gender?: Mystery 'til May!

Movement?: Yes, getting more and more. I usually feel the baby move daily.

Belly button?: Kind of flat these days!

Labor signs?: Nope.

What do I miss?: Nothing.

What I'm looking forward to this week?: Christmas and plugging away toward 20 weeks!!

How are Lincoln and Logan?: They are doing well - Danny's dad is so, so, so incredibly good with Lincoln. He spent a lot of time with Linky and helping with keeping him on track. So thankful for that. Logan has been struggling with contentment this week, so we are working on that. But he sure loved his birthday and he loves being five!

18 Weeks

How far along are you?: 18 weeks! It's funny to read how terrified I was with Lincoln at this point in the pregnancy. This time, I'm so enjoying every little moment of pregnancy and also I'm excited for when the baby is here without having to wish away the pregnancy.

How big is baby?: About 5 inches and a half inches, the size of a sweet potato. Last week was the size of a pomegranate, so this week at the grocery store, I showed the boys a pomegranate and a sweet potato. They really wanted to buy a pomegranate, so we did! I think tonight we will bust it open and show the boys how to eat a pomegranate!

Weight gain/loss?: I'm up 10 pounds. It's so weird having an actual healthy pregnancy, I'm not really sure what's normal. I guess my body is doing it this way and I feel great and I'm eating healthy, so it must be normal for me! ;)

Stretch marks?: Nope!

Maternity clothes?: Yes, and  they're so comfy and cute! I got just a few shirts to rotate and my one pair of jeans, haha! Luckily, I don't leave home much so there isn't a need for a lot of variety.

Sleep?: I've been struggling to get to sleep at a reasonable hour, but enjoying the quiet house. I sleep pretty well once I'm asleep and usually wake up once or twice to use the bathroom. But I wake up sore a lot and with a headache. I got a mattress topper this week, it comes in a couple of days. We will see how it works!

Best moment this week?: I can feel the baby moving from the outside some days! The baby got the hiccups about 4 times in two days and I could feel the movements from the outside! I also felt one distinctive kick. I don't always feel the baby move, mostly just pressure and I can tell where the baby is. This baby seems really docile and relaxed, ha!

Food cravings?: I was craving chocolate milk yesterday, so I bought a carton or organic chocolate milk, but I haven't had any because the craving subsided by the time I got home. I might have some today though. I've also been venturing into yogurt because I know it's good for me and little one. I got vanilla Tillamook yogurt and put a few chocolate chips and frozen blueberries in and it was actually pretty good when disguised properly! But pretty sugary yogurt, so it might have been canceled out. Better than ice cream, I guess!

Gender?: Mystery 'til May! Danny is so convinced it's a girl! And Joy suspects it's a girl too. I personally have no idea.

Movement?: Yes, but not always. Makes me so, so glad!

Belly button?: Kind of flat these days!

Labor signs?: Nope.

What do I miss?: Truly, I miss nothing. I'm so thankful to be on this journey. My friend Ashley had her baby this week, and it was so cool to be reminded a person is at the end of pregnancy. I'm just remembering how much I love pregnancy and babies and raising littler ones. I'd gotten so spoiled raising older children and the independence they have, but I am remember I really do love the early stages.

What I'm looking forward to this week?: Well, it's technically next week that we go to Christmas at my in-laws', but we will be there Monday through Sunday and I am so looking forward to it! I'm also looking forward to the break from school. We just kind of all need it I think.

How are Lincoln and Logan?: They are doing well - Lincoln got through his phonogram test without a meltdown today for the first time in weeks and Logan has been so happy lately. Logan came out today after hitting his face on the bath tub and walked right up to my stomach and said "Baby, big brubbuh got hurt on the baftub!" It had me melting! And Lincoln has been reading to the baby and saying, "Oh, don't do things like this, baby!" It's seriously so sweet.

17 Weeks

How far along are you?: 17 weeks

How big is baby?: About 5 inches, the size of a pomegranate.

Weight gain/loss?: Up to 136 -- I think I was about 130 when I got pregnant, gained 8 pounds the first few weeks, then lost all 8 pounds again with all the nausea, even though I only threw up once!

Stretch marks?: No.

Maternity clothes?: I bought maternity jeans at about 7 weeks because all mine were worsening my nausea and I couldn't handle it. I found a low elastic band, so I have ONE pair of jeans, haha! I bought one maternity sweater on e-bay, and I bought a maternity shirt from Walmart super cheap last week. I placed an order on H&M for some cheap maternity clothes on cyber monday and got a good collection of shirts for just $50. They should arrive in the mail today! Luckily, in general, my typical week only consists of one outing, to church.

Sleep?: I have been struggling to get to sleep at a reasonable hour and struggling to wake up when the boys do. Today, I got up at 8 after going to sleep around midnight or so. I was wiped out! Hopefully I can get to bed earlier tonight. I was waking up super sore in my mid back, but the chiropractor seems to be helping that.

Best moment this week?: Our midwife decided not to attend our birth, which initially had me stressed. But I was able to keep calm and manage the crisis. The next day, we found a midwife with whom I *really* connected, she was offering phenomenal care from even before I hired her and helping me troubleshoot migraines, giving me oils and Rescue Remedy to keep, checked my iron levels to see if I should get a prenatal with a higher level - on the spot during the interview! She's just amazing, and I'm so grateful we wound up with her on our birth team!

Food cravings?: I finally got to fulfill my craving from the beginning of my pregnancy for snow crab on Friday at Danny's work party for Christmas!! Other than that, I've wanted Olive Garden soup, salad, and breadsticks for months now. But the closest Olive Garden is three hours away, haha! I've been gorging on greens and chocolate peanut butter banana smoothies (snooch, as the boys call it!). I ate that alllll the time when I was pregnant with Logi!

Gender?: It'll be a mystery until May!!

Movement?: So I've been a little disconcerted this pregnancy because with Linky, I felt flutters around 12 weeks, and with Logi I felt flutters starting at 9.5 weeks. With this little babe, I'm fairly certain I have an anterior placenta making movements harder to feel. I felt the first small movement of pressure, oddly when I was standing up at 15 weeks 5 days (I've always felt the babies move best when lying flat on my back, but can't feel a thing when I do that with this baby! This baby I feel most when I'm on my feet!). Ever since, I've felt small pressure in my upper right side of my uterus. And I've felt a couple of tiny but distinctive "kicks". But only about 3 or so.

Belly button?: It's stretched pretty far, haha!

Labor signs?: None at all!

What do I miss?: Well, I wanted a Montana Mule when we went out to dinner - not because I like alcohol, but because I love the huckleberry+ginger beer flavor! But it wasn't a deep loss. That's just all I can think of missing. Mostly, I'm just so enjoying being pregnant!

What I'm looking forward to this week?: Just doing advent activities with the little boys. I'm also supposed to get my Bradley Method book in the mail, so I'm looking forward to reading that with Danny! He's so excited about the baby, and he's on board to read the book with me and prepare for our birth. <3

What's different this time around?: I think I'm enjoying pregnancy much more this time. It may or may not be my last pregnancy, I don't really know. I secretly hope it isn't. Okay, just kidding - it's no secret! I also have less fear that I won't be able to handle adding another baby. I also have a much deeper appreciation for getting to be a stay at home mama, which I think I'd previously taken for granted. It's also wonderful to have support. I'm so much happier and I feel so thankful that Daniel is such a loving, involved dad and husband.

How are Lincoln and Logan doing?:  This week was rough for Lincoln and me. But today has been much better. Logan has experienced a strange regression where he often pretends to be a baby already. Lincoln and Logan are both so excited for the baby and love learning about how the baby is developing and growing. They found out last week that the baby can hear now, and they've been singing songs to the baby and talking to the baby. Lincoln tells the baby Jesus will take care of it and always keep it safe which is so sweet. And Logan sing Ooki Na Kuri No Kino Shita De to the baby all the time. It's very sweet.