Baby #5, Weeks 4 through 10

Photo by Taycey Post Photography!

How far along: 4 weeks
Weeks to go: 36 weeks

Baby is the size of: A poppy seed!

How far along: 5 weeks
Weeks to go: 35 weeks

Baby is the size of: A sesame seed!

How far along: 6 weeks
Weeks to go: 34 weeks

Baby is the size of: A lentil!

How far along: 7 weeks
Weeks to go: 33 weeks

Baby is the size of: A blueberry!

How far along: 8 weeks
Weeks to go: 32 weeks

Baby is the size of: A kidney bean!

How far along: 9 weeks
Weeks to go: 31 weeks

Baby is the size of: A grape!

How far along: 10 weeks
Weeks to go: 30 weeks

Baby is the size of: A kumquat!

Gender Prediction: Boy, but it will probably be a girl... We have decided to not find out with this baby! We're at the point now where even if we have another girl, we are perfectly content with that! Of course, we would LOVE to have a son! But if God gives us another daughter, we know that it is His plan for us! We have decided to have the birth photographed so that we can capture the moment we find out forever! I am excited and TRYING to be patient! It'll be worth it!

Weight gain: 1 lb

Starting to show yet?: Yep. Pretty much right away, too... which had us thinking TWINS, but no! Just one baby in my belly! I think that since this is my ninth pregnancy, my body is like, "Let's DO THIS!", and then my uterus pops out! It wasn't so bad during weeks 4 through 6, but weeks 7 and 8 were like, "Yep! I'm pregnant!"! We announced earlier than we had wanted to, but we are very happy with the outpouring of love and support from our family and friends! And it's SUCH a relief to not have to hide this bump! I kept getting sideways glances from people... thinking, "She's either gained weight... or she's pregnant again!"!

Maternity clothes: The first time, I wore some maternity shorts on a date with Charles on 7-11-15 since my normal jeans are getting tighter and I wanted to stuff my face! About week 9, I had to start wearing my smallest maternity stuff all the time. I am way more comfortable in them, but I'm still too small for most of them. I hate being in between sizes... aside from the last few weeks of pregnancy, this is probably the most frustrating time for me! Too big for my normal stuff, too small for my maternity stuff! BLAH!

Stretch marks: Just a lot of old ones!

Belly button in or out: In, but already having hernia pain when I cough, sneeze, or sit up too quickly.

Sleep: Great at first, but it's difficult with a breastfeeding toddler to get any solid sleep! (Yes, I'm still breastfeeding Adeline! I'm trying to wean her with VERY little success... I do not want to tandem nurse when this baby gets here! I would like to have Adeline weaned within the next month... we'll see how that goes...)

Movement: Not yet!
Labor Signs: Not yet!

Best moment these past weeks: A positive pregnancy test on 6-15-15, I was one day late. I had been late for the past three months, ranging from 3 days to 15 days late, but never having a positive pregnancy test. I figured it was because of my increased mileage for the Dam to Dam. I tested at one day late cause Charles and I were officially trying to conceive, but I was not expecting a positive! Telling our families and telling our girls was exciting! Getting our first ultrasound on 7-7-15! Watching my belly get bigger and bigger... and then finally announcing baby #5 to the world!

Photo by Taycey Post Photography.

Worst moment these past weeks: Peeing every 10 minutes, living with a constant fear of miscarriage, the anxiety that comes from that(I get uber cranky and emotional), and the flood of emotions I've been experiencing from all the hormones in my body! It's been difficult. I am constantly scared to lose this baby or that something has happened... I draw comfort from prayer and priesthood blessings. But my mind seems to always lurk on the darker side of things when it comes to the first trimester. 

Miss anything: Running longer than a mile without needing to stop and pee!

Wedding rings on or off?: On during the day. Off at night.

Cravings: MANGOES, canned ravioli, corned beef hash, ramen noodles, PASTA in any form, and General Tso's Chicken! I have partaken in a few and felt guilty due to the extreme unhealthiness of them. But since they were limited portions, I didn't' feel too terrible! I just drank a TON of water afterwards and have been keeping up on my workouts!
Aversions: Cheese(what?! I LOVE cheese... ), Candy(what?! I LOVE candy...), Ice Cream(FLOORED by that... ), anything super sweet, and the smell of certain things: onions, the meat counter at Fareway, spoiled milk...
Appetite: Hearty! Like, I want to eat ALL. THE. TIME. Even after I've eaten, I am thinking about my next meal and counting down the minutes/hours until then! It's bad! I've tried to limit myself to smaller snacks throughout the day to help, but I am just plain hungry!

And I've noticed that if I go longer than 2 to 3 hours without eating, I get super cranky! I HAVE to eat every 2 to 3 hours! No joke! I've never experienced this before! I have to bring snacks everywhere I go! Granola bars, veggies, fruits, etc. I am keeping my snacks healthy, which is easy since I am craving nothing like candy or soda! But I feel like I'm never really satisfied!

Queasy or sick: Depends on the day. Mostly in car rides I get nauseous, and if I wait too long to eat.

Workouts: Keeping up with my normal workout/running routine! I just feel so sluggish ALL. THE. TIME. I love Zumba, but I feel like I'm wearing incredibly heavy shoes! And I feel so tired when running, never mind the fact that I can't run more than a mile without needing to stop and pee and/or puke!

Emotionally: All over the place... Over the moon excited one minute, then feeling incredibly overwhelmed and sad the next. I know mood swings are normal during pregnancy, but I still have issues with anxiety and stress. I've learned how to cope with it, but there are moments I feel like I'm going to lose it all. And it doesn't help that I am constantly fearful of losing this baby... But on a good day, I am so incredibly happy and thankful to God for this blessing! I have always wanted a large family! I am so, so grateful that I have one and that it's still growing!
Physically: Exhausted. 100% pure exhaustion! But I'm pushing through and making the most of each day with my family! It's hard to want to workout, but I know I'll feel better after I go and that it'll help me to sleep better!

Looking forward to: My next ultrasound! My eight year wedding anniversary August 11th! My 12 week appointment on August 13th! (I'll be over 12 weeks by then!) Hearing baby's heart beat! The second trimester.

A HUGE shout out to my friend/photographer Taycey Post of Taycey Post Photography for helping us share our exciting news! She did an amazing job taking these photos in our backyard! It was a gorgeous night and she captured our family as it is! I love it! And I love her talent, time, and face!