Category Archives: pregnancy

the night i tried to eat my way into labor…

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date nights. we’ve never been good about making them happen regularly, but with so much family close by, it’s certainly a lot easier-thanks Grandma! last night we went out to a nice dinner for the first time in FOREVER. nice meaning-price, deliciousness, and the fact that we savored several courses. my clothes were busting at the seams before we went, but i seriously thought brian might have to cut me out of my outfit after we ate. a {possibly intoxicated} man at the table next to us inquired about how i possibly had room for my large plate of food, and also wondered if i was carrying more than one baby. nope. just one. along with some spinach and artichoke dip, bread, blue cheese salad, steak, vegetables and potato pancakes. if anyone ever went into labor from stuffing themselves full, it would have surely happened to me last night. but i’m here, still pregnant and actually still very full. unlike my husband who left the restaurant complaining that he was ‘stuffed all the way up into his throat’, and then proceeded to come home and start eating again.

the latest

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:: we’ve spent lots of time hanging at home-baking, organizing baby stuff, and relaxing

:: brian has been working 6 or 7 days a week in preparation for slowing down in april. i don’t like it. not one bit.

:: adalaide is OBSESSED with her doll. she lays on it, kisses it, and pokes the eyes. it’s quite cute, but also slightly worrisome as i’ll never be able to leave her and the baby in the same room alone.

:: adalaide is saying “dada” {first official word} “mama” and “nigh-night”

:: after 3 1/2 years finley watched her first real movie-the little mermaid. she is hooked!

:: i’m starting to get a little nervous about adding another baby into the mix. we always assumed adalaide would be walking by the time the baby came, and since she most likely won’t be i’m wondering what life will be like with two babies on my hip. there are moments {like at fred meyer when i have to pee while holding ada, while swatting away finley’s hand before she sticks it in the sanitary disposal thing, while pulling up my maternity jeans with one hand} that i seriously think, oh man what’s it gonna be like with 3! I know we’ll just make it work, and pretty soon i won’t know any different. But i know it’s going to be a big adjustment, and i’m a little nervous.

that being said,

:: I am so stinkin’ excited to meet this baby. i snuggled a tiny newborn last night and it made it so real/exciting that we’ll be holding our own girl in a few weeks. i cannot wait.

:: also, in case you are wondering why my head is cut off in all my photos, it’s not me trying to be artistic. it’s very tricky to take a picture with the self timer. perhaps i need to solicit my husband for help next time…

second trimester

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after being pretty sick during my 1st trimester, i was so grateful to have an uneventful couple months. i felt good, slept well, and enjoyed feeling baby girl move MUCH sooner {14 or 15 weeks}  than my other pregnancies. we decided on her name, and also agreed to keep it a secret.

let me just preface this by saying…i really don’t like to complain about pregnancy woes. it sort of feels like complaining that i have to park my nice big car in the far end of the parking lot. it doesn’t feel right to complain about things that i am extremely grateful for. i love, love, LOVE being pregnant. have i mentioned that even as a young girl, i was petrified i wouldn’t be able to have kids? weird, i know. my point is, i definitely don’t take it for granted, and i really truly love it.

But, i’d be lying if i didn’t admit that the last few weeks have been hard. all the sudden i feel like i am way more pregnant than i actually am. I’m experiencing all that lovely crotch/back pain that usually comes along at the very end of a pregnancy. i’m no professional, but i’m pretty certain this baby is as low as can possibly be without actually falling out. i keep telling myself that this is probably my last pregnancy. enjoy it. don’t dwell on how uncomfortable you are. this is a gift. so, at this exact moment i find myself in some weird place where i am loving and appreciating this highly uncomfortable time.

let me leave you with this gem.

the other day some woman at costco made a silly remark about my size. i shared the story with my mom, and this was her response:

“meghan, you’re NOT big. this is what it’s like. it’s like an old bra. it’s all stretched out and the elastic is long gone. it’s still the same size bra. it’s just… floppy. your body just never had a chance to recover so it just popped right out”.

thank you mother, for comparing my abs to an old, floppy bra. very true, but also hilarious to hear.

a day in the life…

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i’ve seen a few different people do this, and for some reason i think it’s entertaining to read.

so, here is our really thrilling day…

3 am: awake to pee. check to see how much snow we got. lots! power has been out for hours. brrrrr! cover adalaide with extra blanket.

6:30 am: brian kisses me goodbye. being slightly awake makes me realize i need to pee. again. oh, pregnancy!

7:55 am: hear finley calling for me.

8:00 am: get finley out of bed. inspect snow. decline her invitation to go outside right now.

8:10 am: get adalaide up. take note of how stinking adorable she is when i go in her room in the morning. she squeals and kicks her legs and i love it.

8:11 am: walk into kitchen and see dirty dishes from night before {power was out}. think how much i hate, hate, hate starting the day with dirty dishes.

8:30 am: make our usual breakfast of oatmeal. add toppings like apples, craisons, and nuts inspired by McDonalds commercial i saw yesterday. yes, i said ‘inspired’ and ‘Mcdonalds’ in the same sentence.  finley adds her own toppings and says, ‘this is the best idea, meg’.

9:00 am: bathtime. the girls favorite activity. i love it too, because they are contained in one spot, for a significant amount of time, with minimal clean up. except for today, because adalaide peed on the floor in the 5 seconds between removing her diaper and getting her in the tub. plus, i can sit on my butt, which is becoming a favored activity for me these days.

10:00 am: naptime for adalaide. finley sits on my lap while i brush her hair. minimal screaming today! catch her wiping a booger on my pants. and incase i didn’t notice, she tells me so. i note how disgusted i am, but also note the fact that i am not disgusted enough to get up, direct her to the kleenex and lecture her about it. also note how lazy i’ve gotten.

10:15 am: dishes. by hand. i am the only dishwasher in this house. sigh…

10:30 am: snack for finley. look over recipe for dinner {anyone else obsessed with pioneer woman?} remember that we’re out of chicken, even though i KNEW we were out. We’ve already been to the grocery store TWICE this week, and i’ve forgotten BOTH times. curse my pregnancy brain!

10:45 am: since it has been deemed necessary to leave the house {brian would faint if i fed him a meatless meal}, i put forth minimal effort to look presentable. change booger pants. brush teeth. reassemble hair do. check email and google reader.

11:15 am: hear noise from baby’s room. think: she better not be waking up already! phew, she’s not. grab load from dryer to fold. also, see that i left a load in the washer overnight. oops. check to see if clothes smell musty. nothing a little bounce sheet can’t handle. collect enough nails and screws out of the washer to build a small house. note for the hundredth time that one of us really needs to start checking his pant pockets.

11:18 am: finley asks to do art. i tell her no, and remind her that her art caddy is put away for the day because she didn’t clean up her mess yesterday. quickly realize that this also punishes me because art keeps her busy AND quiet for long periods of time. drats.

11:50 am: wake the bambino up. note how very wrong it is to wake a baby, but decide we must get this show on the road. plus, if she sleeps too late her afternoon nap won’t coincide with finley’s. and i’m just not down with that at all. dipe change. coats on. hats on. make conscious effort to turn off lights, per husbands not so gentle request after reviewing electricity bill.  preemptively pop two tylenol because my ‘pelvis’  is on the verge of hurting, and i know it will be full-blown after running errands. oh, pregnancy! 

12-1:00 pm: post office and grocery store. girls sat nicely in the cart. no one asked how old my ‘son’ is. stuck to my list. grabbed coffee from in-store starbucks. good news all around. sang along to taylor swift in the car and wondered if adalaide’s first words will be from a taylor swift song.

1:00 pm: lunch time. chicken quesadilla, banana, and carrots for finley. rice, lentils, carrots, and green beans for adalaide. watched adalaide perform her ‘tricks’: so big, waving, and playing the drums. note that i need to capture it on video.

1:30 pm: doll house and princess puzzle.

2:00 pm: put adalaide to bed. start finley’s naptime regime: potty, water bottle filled, blankets and stuffed animals arranged, 3 kisses, and 3 hugs, door closed-but not latched.

2:02 pm: check email and google reader, while finishing coffee. make and devour a toasted sesame bagel with the works. spend several minutes deciding whether or not to relax or be productive during naptime. decide to split my time.

2:15-2:57 pm: do dishes from lunch, empty garbage and recycling, tidy playroom and living room. fold laundry. decide against putting away the clean clothes, because that would just be too much. instead, leave laundry on floor where it will most likely be trampled on by little feet.

2:57 pm:  lay down and attempt to take nap. coffee gets the better of me, and i can’t fall asleep. thoroughly enjoy laying in bed anyway though.

4:26 pm: hear adalaide and realize that i fell asleep. ponder how one falls asleep moments after finishing a coffee. oh, pregnancy!

4:30: get baby up. enjoy some rare time with just her.

5:00 pm: visit from cousin/neighbor.

5:15 pm: finley wakes up. time to start dinner. on the menu tonight: pioneer woman’s pasta with tomato cream sauce, grilled chicken, bleu cheese iceberg salad, and crusty bread. for the babe: mashed avocado, tofu, yogurt, and wheat germ.  turn on music. finley takes the c.d. out of the stereo and replaces it with taylor swift. not sure if i’m more annoyed or impressed.

6:00 pm: brian gets home early!  he feeds adalaide. i finish dinner. i catch him eating the baby’s food. seriously?

6:30 pm: dinner time. yummy. note how much i love pioneer woman.

7:00 pm: clean up. get really excited when i see that we’ll get a second meal out of the leftovers. less cooking tomorrow night!

7:25 pm:  finley builds a fort.

7:45 pm: bedtime routine-potty, jammers, dipe change, bottle for the babe, brush teeth, devotional, 1 song, prayers. prayers briefly interrupted so that finley could inform me ‘she tooted’. 3 kisses, 3 hugs. blankets and animals in place. door closed, but not latched. put adalaide to bed.

8:10 pm: collapse on couch with brian. baby goes crazy in my belly, like every night at this time. note how much i love it. watch modern family. hurt myself laughing so hard. seriously.

10:10 pm: to bed we go.

our daughter

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meet our daughter…

isn’t she the cutest?!

here are her little legs, feet crossed at the ankles. such a lady already!

here she is giving us a ‘thumbs up’

and here is the gender shot. since i know what to look for, i saw the 3 white lines before the tech even said anything!

 seeing your baby on the screen just never gets old. in fact, i think this ultrasound was my favorite {am i allowed to say that?}. everything was so clear, and she was doing all sorts of darling things. plus, the lady doing the ultrasound was the kindest person, and spent lots of time gushing along with us.

a LONG time ago, brian and i talked about how fun it would be to have 3 girls {of course, realizing that we would have zero control over it}. that’s not to say that we wouldn’t be excited about having a son, because OBVIOUSLY we would. we just sort of pictured 3 girls.  almost everyone we know was hoping for a boy. we’ve heard all sorts of reasons why we, or more specifically brian, needs to have a boy. we would just smile and say “we’ll see. there’s a 50/50 chance”. 

when we found out our baby was a girl, we were really excited. really, truly excited. that probably doesn’t make sense to a lot of people. but we were. are. i don’t know what God’s plans are for our future. maybe He’s laughing right now, because he knows he’ll be sending us a son. Or maybe this is it. three girls. either way, we are so excited for our family. so excited that our girls will have each other. 3 sisters close in age, how fun will that be! And my husband, the most manly man i know, surrounded by ladies. He loves his little darlings so very much. And don’t worry that he’s missing out on anything by having girls…

Finley knows her way around a tool box better than most boys!

oh, and one final somewhat frightening thought: our girls will all be in high school at the same time. a freshman, sophomore, and senior. wowza!

{first trimester}

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This post is a little overdue. We’re so busy with moving, blogging is the last thing I have time for. But I’m glad that I’ve documented my last pregnancies, and I know I’ll regret it if I don’t this time around. So here goes…

-my first trimester with baby no. 3-
:: i had my first experience with morning sickness. it was awful, and lasted all day everyday weeks 5-12.
:: got to hear baby’s heartbeat at first prenatal check up {11 weeks}
:: had to get a very brief ultrasound at 16 weeks for an ovarian cyst {no big deal}
:: strong instincts that this is a boy. based on my “gut”, my leg hair growth theory, the fact that finley says so, and the chinese gender chart. all very scientific, i know.
:: started feeling baby kick around 15 weeks, which was a delightful surprise because i didn’t feel either of the girls until 20 weeks.

so that’s about all.
at my ultrasound the technician told me we could find out the gender, but our stubborn little baby would not turn over…no matter how i hard i poked at it when the lady wasn’t looking.
so we’ll have to wait a couple of weeks for the cute profile pic and the big gender reveal!

Taking self portraits is not as easy as it looks, especially when you want your belly to stay sideways!

finding out

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Thank you for all your well wishes. Sharing the news of this pregnancy with our friends and family has been a hilarious experience. I think most everyone {including us} is a little surprised, quite a few people respond by laughing, like, oh-boy-you’re-in-for-it-kinda-laughing, and some people assume that we must be devastated about having babies 13 months apart {we’re not}. Looking back, our own reactions to the news were pretty stinkin’ priceless.

…….
I’m not sure what made me load the girls in the car and run to Walgreens for a pack of pregnancy tests. But, I did, and as we drove home I remember saying out loud, there’s no way! I took both tests and both came back positive.But, before I jumped to any conclusions I made a very shrill call to my midwife.
Hey, Sally. I’m good. Heeeey, I was just wondering if, perhaps, there were any hormones in my system left over from Adalaide that would make me have a positive pregnancy test?
She laughed, kindly told me no, and congratulated me. Somehow, I was sane enough to ask her if the baby or I would be at any greater risk because of the closeness between births. She assured me that there was no greater risk {thank God} but told me to anticipate this pregnancy being much more difficult than the last. Boy, was she right…but that’s another post.
I ended the call with my midwife, and ran to the computer to plug in the dates and determine my due date. After figuring out that Adalaide would be 13 months old {!} i got a little hysterical and called my husband.
I’m pregnant!
what do you mean?
I . AM . PREGNANT. !!!
{laughing} are you serious?
yes, i am serious!!!! {and then i heard a familiar sound} are you hammering? ARE YOU HAMMERING?!
{more laughing} honey, what’s the big deal? We knew we were going to have more kids?
THEBIGDEAL?!! They’re going to be 13 months apart!!!
I can’t remember how the rest of the conversation went, but I do know that i said something along the lines of , how could you do this me! before hanging up on him.
{since that day, we have laughed a thousand times about that line}
Since i got the most nonchalant reaction from Brian, I called one of my best friends. She laughed too, but at least she validated that this was something worth getting crazy anxious about. She said all the right things, and in the end I felt MUCH better. 
I sat in my bed for a few minutes in utter disbelief. 
how can this be?
i still look 5 months pregnant from the last go round…
my belly line hasn’t even faded all the way.
we just got our bill in the mail for adalaide’s delivery, like last week!
my baby doesn’t even sit, or eat solids, or have teeth. how can there be ANOTHER baby? 
And then I started to get really sad thinking about how it would effect Adalaide. Would we have to rush her out of being “the baby” in the family? I went into her room and woke her up {unspeakable!}. I held her, cried, and promised her that she would still be my baby, and that she would be smothered in her parent’s love no matter what.
she looked up at me, and busted up laughing. as if my crying was the most hysterical thing she’d ever seen. if she were able to speak, i really think she would have said, “you’re being silly, mommy. i know this already”.
nothing like being called out by a 5 month old.
in that moment i felt God whisper, “your children are such a blessing to you. they are your joys, and this one will be too. you will have more than enough love for all your children. adalaide will never be without. i’m not taking anything away from your family, i’m adding to it. you will have two babies now”.
I can’t tell you how much peace that perspective gave me. Two babies. Enough love for everyone. No one going without. I suddenly felt much better, dare I say even excited.
Since that day, since that conversation with God, I’ve gotten really excited about our newest addition. I know life is going to be C-R-A-Z-Y, but i think it will be a good crazy. There’s such a thing, right? I hope so..