Baby Girl #4, Week 22

How far along: 22 weeks!

Baby is the size of: a spaghetti squash!

Gender Prediction: Boy
Gender Reveal: Girl

Weight gain: 14 pounds total

Starting to show yet?: Oh yes!

Maternity clothes: Yep! But mostly just workout pants, pajama pants, and large t-shirts!

Stretch marks: Just a lot of old ones!

Belly button in or out: Half in and half out!

Sleep: Great! I have been sleeping wonderfully! Even after my bathroom trips in the middle of the night, I am able to fall right back asleep! I nap about twice a day, for about 20 to 60 minutes at a time, depending on if my girls are home from school or not.

Movement: Lots of kicks and nudges! It's fun to watch my belly move while relaxing in bed or on the couch! 

Best moment this week: Girl's day in Des Moines with Jen, Rhea, and Jodi! The weather was a little scary on the way home, but we made it safely!

Worst moment this week: My first Braxton Hicks contractions. Vivian hit my hernia pretty hard and it set off a few BH contractions. The contractions didn't hurt, but my belly button sure did. After drinking lots of water and relaxing, I stopped feeling them. 

Miss anything: Sushi. Smaller boobs. My runner's legs.

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

Cravings: HuHot, Apples, Raw Almonds, Cheese, Fresh Fruit
Aversions: Raw meat of any type.
Appetite: Depends on the day. Some days I feel like I could out-eat everyone around me. Other days I can hardly finish a sandwich. But for the most part, it is still a normal, hearty appetite! 

Queasy or sick: NONE!!! WOO HOO!!!
Workouts: Got some Zumba and Aqua Zumba in this week! Felt SO good to get moving and start sweating! My schedule has been crazy hectic, and it's hard to want to go outside when it's -12.

Emotionally: I'm able to better control my emotions! I don't cry at the drop of a hat anymore! I get misty-eyed, but I don't actually cry! YAY! With baby moving around all the time, I am comforted and calm! It is a wonderful feeling! I do feel anxious at times, and I have to calm myself down, but nothing is a "trigger" for my anxiety. It just comes and goes. No warnings. I haven't had an anxiety attack since my early, early pregnancy weeks. I also haven't quite come to call the baby by her name. Part of me is still in "this is a boy baby" mode. I am hoping that I start calling baby by her name, Adeline, before she gets here. But there is a part of me that still thinks this baby is a boy! I guess I'll know for sure the day I deliver, but I am having trouble programming my brain! I'll get there... eventually!
Physically: I haven't had any pain from my hips this week! YAY! Not even during Zumba or while sleeping! If I sit wrong, my hips will hurt, but it's only for a moment. Not like it was before! My acne is bad again... I blame the sweating from working out! Again, it's worth it! But frustrating at the same time! I feel like a teenager with my acne! I also noticed that my cheeks are turning red again. They were red all the time when I was overweight. So I'm not sure what exactly causes them to be red and splotchy, but I'm very self-conscious about it. Not sure if it's the cold weather, dry skin, or just from my pregnancy. It's not bad, but I notice it. (TMI Warning!) My yeast infection is gone! THANK GOODNESS! My doctor prescribed me one pill to take from the pharmacy. It took about five days for it to go completely away, but I noticed a difference within the first day! What a relief! I have NEVER dealt with this before. I have always been told by others how uncomfortable, yucky, and unpleasant having a yeast infection can be. Now I know. And I never want one again. 

Looking forward to: Caitlin's 5th birthday party later this month! Jogging! Napping! Decorating the girls' room!

I've also decided that my dream to run a half marathon while pregnant isn't going to happen this pregnancy. My umbilical hernia is causing a lot of problems. It is getting bigger. Which makes me terribly sad, but this was expected. My doctor is concerned that it will get worse if I run with a larger belly. Even with a support band. And the most important things to me are my health, my body, and this baby! I have decided to do a few 5K's for fun! Just to keep me moving during this half of my pregnancy. And I am still able to do my workout classes, unless I start feeling too much pain. But so far, so good!

I know that if were within my first trimester, I could have done a half marathon! But running at 35 weeks pregnant, even with adequate training, makes me nervous about going into labor and delivering early. And I've gone through the NICU experience before. I never want to go through that again. I have taken a lot of time to think this out. This decision does make me sad... but it's not about just me anymore! And I have to think about this baby and her needs, over what I want to do. It would be cool to say that I ran a half marathon while pregnant! And I would love to run the Dam to Dam during it's very first half marathon year... but I've got better things to look forward to!

I will still be running the Market to Market, though. The shortest distance for the team of seven that I am on is a 7.5 mile run (runner #5), broken up into sections of roughly 3 miles and just over 4 miles. I am confident that I can do that without pain or irritating my hernia. But to run a full 13.1 miles all at once at 35 weeks pregnant is another story! And our team for M2M isn't going for speed! We are going for the experience! 

Baby Girl #4, Week 21

How far along: 21 weeks

Baby is the size of: a large carrot!

Gender Prediction: Boy!
Gender Reveal: Reveal Post Here!

Weight gain: 14 pounds total

Starting to show yet?: Oh yes!

Maternity clothes: Yep! Mostly just my regular pajama bottoms and large t-shirts! I still need maternity clothes that fit me.

Stretch marks: Just a lot of old ones!

Belly button in or out: Partially in, partially out. My umbilical hernia. Which I've decided to take a picture of. For my own reference as I feel it is getting bigger, and also because people have been asking me a lot about it.

There it is! Old stretch marks and all! You can see that my hernia on the left side of my belly button. When I'm not pregnant, my belly button is normal looking. I started noticing my hernia around 17/18 weeks. But it's really started poking out more and more. And once my whole belly button pops out, it will look like a lump on the side of my belly button! It still hurts, but it's getting easier to manage. My support tank isn't here yet, but I am looking forward to it's arrival in the mail!

Sleep: Really good! Still very tired all the time, even though my sleep has been wonderful. I'm going through a comfortable phase in my bed! I am LOVING it! I look forward to bed time! 

Movement: Lots of kicks from my sweet baby girl!

Best moment this week: The ultrasound and gender reveal! Lots of amazing moments this past week! Our ultrasound went very well! Baby girl was on one side of my belly so it made it difficult to get accurate photos. Ultrasounds generally take 15 minutes. Ours took almost 45 minutes! Everything looked good, though! The ultrasound tech wasn't 100% about baby's gender, but gave us her answer!

Worst moment this week: WAITING for our ultrasound and then waiting for the gender reveal!

Miss anything: Sushi

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

Cravings: Pasta, Cheeseburgers, Fresh Fruit, Raw Almonds, Tropical Starburst Jellybeans
Aversions: Raw Chicken
Appetite: Hearty! I'm making sure to get my water in each day, but I still feel like eating ALL THE FOOD.

Queasy or sick: Neither! WOO HOO!
Workouts: FINALLY got back to Zumba! I am surprised how much I am still in shape, but I can tell that I'm becoming out of shape! I very much enjoyed class! I also went to Aqua Zumba on Saturday! It felt SO good to get in the pool! I kept giggling like a kid!

Emotionally: Feeling much better lately! I think that everything is becoming more and more real. So my anxieties are becoming calmer and calmer. I can feel the baby move all the time. Which brings me so much comfort. Seeing baby move on the ultrasound was such a wonderful moment! Knowing that the life inside of me is healthy and strong! Such a blessing from God!
Physically: It felt SO good to move my body at Zumba this week! The sweating from class made my acne flair up again! But it's worth it! My hips bother me mostly in the mornings, but the pain is starting to go away! My hernia still hurts, especially when Vivian hits it on accident. I am anxiously awaiting my support tank for my belly! I feel like I have energy while I'm working out, but afterwards, I just want to take a long nap!

Looking forward to: Finishing the girls' room now that we know that there will be four little princesses in that room! Running Jogging again!

He or She?! The REVEAL!!!!

We had our ultrasound on the 19th, in the morning! We were very excited to finally see our little baby for the first time since our 7 week ultrasound! Baby was laying to one side, which made it very difficult for the ultrasound tech to get decent pictures. It took about 45 minutes to get everything measured: head, diaphragm, bladder, heart, legs, etc. Not to mention the fact that our baby had his/her legs crossed and all kinds of twisted! One foot was down towards my cervix, and the other was crossed and pointing towards my left side!

Our sweet, healthy baby!

I asked if we would even find out the gender of our baby today... the ultrasound tech said that she had a pretty strong feeling about the gender and went with it. Though it is not 100%... which scares me a little... What if we cut into a blue cake and then have a girl? What if we cut into a pink cake and then have a boy?

I had my 20 week prenatal appointment right after, so I had to get going! I was late for it, but my doctor is awesome and saw me anyway! (Considering his nurse was the one who scheduled my ultrasound for the morning of my appointment!) Everything went well and I am measuring right on for my due date of July 7th! Baby's heart rate was 147 bpm.

I drove the results of our ultrasound over to my friend Amanda's office! It was hard handing her the envelope, but she refrained from opening it until I left! But she did post a picture on Facebook telling me:

"I know something you don't know!!!! Lol"

Made me SO jealous! She called our friend Karmen to tell her what the card said since Karmen will be helping her with the gender reveal cake.

So the rest of the day Wednesday, then Thursday, Friday, AND Saturday were very hard for our whole family! Waiting was the hardest part of this whole thing! Our plans changed on Friday. We were going to have our reveal on Saturday, but some of Charles' family would be out of town, so we had to change the party to Sunday evening.

But it was well worth the wait! The cake was AMAZING!!!!

So I know you are all wondering....

Yes, this is my husband and I dressed as Darth Vader!

And for the REVEAL:

Our family!
Rosalie, me, Caitlin, Charles, and Vivian!

PINK CAKE!

PINK CAKE!

We will be welcoming our FOURTH daughter, Miss Adeline Virginia, into our forever family sometime in late June, early July! Adeline is pronounced like "Madeline", but without the "M". It means "noble"! And Virginia is Charles' Grandmother's middle name, which means "pure". We will probably call her "Addy" for short.

Everyone was very excited! And yes, there were tears. All from Caitlin. Once she realized that the pink cake meant that she would be getting a baby sister, she started sobbing and saying, "But I wanted a brother!" She cried and cried. Snot, slobber, tears... the whole package. I told her that it was okay to be a little sad, but that she would love her baby sister once she gets here. To which she replied, "Mommy. It's a boy baby in your tummy." So Caity remains unconvinced that our baby is a girl! And since the ultrasound tech wasn't 100%, there is a slim chance that we might welcome a boy into our family. But I'm not going to hold my breath!

I couldn't help but think after we cut the cake:

"May the FOURTH be with us!"

He or She?!

TODAY IS THE DAY WE FIND OUT WHAT WE'RE HAVING!
TODAY IS THE DAY THE ULTRASOUND TECH AND TWO OF MY FRIENDS FIND OUT WHAT I'M HAVING!

Charles and I have three beautiful princesses! When we found out that we were pregnant with our fourth child, truth be told, we started hoping for a boy! Visions of a Star Wars nursery danced in our heads! God has blessed us with our three princesses, so we'd love to have things changed up a bit and have a prince in our family!

Also, we really had no ideas for another girl name! It took us up until about week 17 to land on one that we loved! Even though we had a boy name picked out for years, Charles felt strongly that it wasn't the right name anymore. The name he told me that he decided on made me cry... I was so overwhelmed with emotion and love. I honestly felt like that was the right name. Which is when I started feeling sure that I'm carrying a boy. But then, I started thinking that since I feel like this baby is a boy, this baby will probably be a girl!

Either way, we will be overjoyed! Another healthy, happy baby is all we really want! No matter what the gender. Each child is a gift from God and we are thrilled to be having another baby!

Although we won't know until Saturday what we're having, we thought it would be fun to do the old wives tales and see what gender was revealed with those! There are SO many different wives tales. We opted for the easier ones! I didn't want to do the Drain-o one or the one with the boiled cabbage water... it was just extra work! And I'm pregnant and tired!

Here are our results:

So of the 10 wives tales we chose, it ended up being Boy - 6, Girl - 4. Does this have us convinced that Baby #4 is a boy? Not at all! But soon enough, we'll know! Hopefully baby will cooperate at our ultrasound and we'll know!

Let us know your vote!

Baby #4, 20 WEEKS!

How far along: 20 WEEKS! Halfway there!

Baby is the size of: a banana!

Gender Prediction: Boy!

Weight gain: 13 pounds total

Starting to show yet?: Oh yes!

Maternity clothes: Yep! Still needing ones that actually fit me! I've been wearing my workout pants with large t-shirts most days! Or just my pajamas! 

Stretch marks: Just a lot of old ones!

Belly button in or out: Partially in, partially out. Why? My umbilical hernia. It's off to my right side, so my right side belly button is now an outie, while the left side of my belly button is an innie! 

Sleep: Not too shabby. I am exhausted most days, so I cat nap about three times a day AND go to bed early. But there are nights where I'm wide awake around 2:00 a.m. and I can't shut off my mind. 

Movement: Lots of kicks and nudges!

Best moment this week: Valentine's Day and Charles feeling the baby kick really, really hard! Charles and I surprised the girls Valentine's morning with a small box of chocolates, a ring pop, and some tootsie pops! Then the girls and I made Charles a HUGE Valentine! We got him two Star Wars mugs, a Star Wars tin mailbox, a box of Ferrero Rocher, and a box of red velvet snack cakes! Charles bought me a bouquet of orange roses and a box of petite desserts! And then we got to go out with our friends D, Vanessa, Mike, and Karmen for supper at El Ranchito! It was an amazing night! I love sharing special holidays with friends! 

Worst moment this week: The pain from my umbilical hernia. It's almost TOO much for me at times. Walking hurts. Moving hurts. Sneezing really hurts. My uterus is right at my belly button, so this is the most painful time for me. Just a few more weeks and it will be higher up and I'll be more comfortable. 

Miss anything: Working out. My umbilical hernia has made it difficult to walk, let alone work out. Though I am going to try Zumba later this evening! See how I feel! I am getting a maternity support tank to help with the pain and keep my stomach lifted. I hope it helps!

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

Cravings: Grilled Cheese, Pasta, Bread, Fresh Fruit, Raw Almonds, and Skittles
Aversions: Raw Chicken
Appetite: Hearty. But my stomach is getting smaller, so I just get more frustrated! I had pasta and bread for about three days straight. Which is probably why I had a gain on the scale, but it was worth it! Baby was moving and kicking while I was eating, so I know that he/she enjoyed it, too! It was delicious!

Queasy or sick: Neither! WOO HOO!
Workouts: None. Stupid umbilical hernia...

Emotionally: Still emotionally drained, but things are looking up! Now that I'm 20 weeks, everything from here on out is a countdown! About 20 weeks until we meet our baby. About 20 weeks to prepare. Etc. Still seems a little unreal! But I am becoming more and more optimistic and thankful that I've made it this far! And that I only have about 20 more weeks to go! When I think of my upcoming labor, delivery, and breastfeeding, I get very emotional! In a good way! I am very much looking forward to welcoming this little person into the world and getting to bond with him/her!
Physically: Hips are still bothering me, but it's shifting more to lower back pain. Walking is easier now, thank goodness! Almost cleared up from my acne! (YAY!) My hernia is terrible. I hate it so much. It has Charles and I reconsidering how many children we will be able to have. We won't make any decisions now, but umbilical hernias are tricky. It could get worse this pregnancy, or it could stay the same. We won't know until I deliver Baby. We want six children. I pray that we will be able to do so! I pray that my body will hold up and I will be strong! But no matter what, we are grateful for each and every single one of our pregnancies and babies! I am looking forward to working out and running jogging! 

Looking forward to: My ultrasound on WEDNESDAY!!!!!! AHH!!! Thank goodness it's in the morning! The gender reveal cake on SATURDAY! I'm not sure what's going to be the harder wait: the one to see Baby on the ultrasound, or the cake that will reveal the gender! We're also excited to call the baby by his or her name! (We're still praying that baby will cooperate with us and SHOW us his/her parts!)

And for fun, here is a 10 week and 20 week belly comparison! It's crazy to me how much difference there is between 10 and 20 weeks! I'm glad that I have photos for keepsakes!

Baby #4, Week 19

How far along: 19 weeks!

Baby is the size of: an heirloom tomato!

Gender Prediction: Boy!

Weight gain: I forgot to weigh myself this morning... 

Starting to show yet?: Oh yes! Although I feel like some days I'm bigger and some days I'm smaller.

Maternity clothes: Yep! Though I still need ones that actually fit me!

Stretch marks: Just a lot of old ones!

Belly button in or out: In.

Sleep: It depends on the night. Vivian has been sick this past week and ended up in bed with us. I sleep horribly when she's in bed with Charles and I. I really, really, really hate it when she ends up in bed with us, but Charles says that it's that or she'll scream until the other two wake up. So he'd rather her be in bed with us than risk waking the other two. Next time it happens, I'm going to sleep on the couch. I really can't sleep with a child in my bed.

Movement: Lots and lots of movement! Baby is SO active! Especially after I eat!

Best moment this week: Charles feeling a super big kick from Baby! It was so big that I watched his hand bounce up when it happened! Such a neat moment for the three of us!

Worst moment this week: Feeling like I can't control my anger/frustration. My girls want to go outside and play. They have cabin fever so bad right now. So my house is a constant crazy house. Every five minutes, someone is screaming, crying, or fighting. It's getting bad. And I'm so frustrated with it. Caitlin is the tattletale, Rosalie is the crier, and Vivian is the screamer. It gets old fast. And I love my girls, but there are days where I end up just screaming my head off and crying in my room. I'm an emotional wreck most days. I laugh about it after the girls go down for bed, but on the inside, I wish I could get a hold of my emotions. I hate yelling and screaming at my girls. 

Miss anything: Feeling "normal"... working out... Zumba... running... smaller boobs.

Wedding rings on or off?: On.

Cravings: Grilled Cheese, Snickers Apple Salad, Avocados, Fresh Fruit, Raw Almonds
Aversions: Raw Chicken
Appetite: Normal! I went to a quilting party on Sunday and didn't have enough room in my stomach for all of the delicious foods! I was a sad panda! I had to pace myself, which is a good thing, but I really wanted more food!

Queasy or sick: Aside from a stuffy/runny nose, this week has been great for me! I still feel run-down, but I'm not sick! (knock on wood!)
Workouts: Lots of walking! Lots of house cleaning, which had me sweating! I'm not sure if I'm "out of shape" or if it was because I was lifting heavy things? It felt good to sweat, though!

Emotionally: Still emotionally drained. I cry on my own now, not in front of Charles or the girls. I don't want them thinking it's because of them. I just have a lot going on in my head that I'm having some trouble dealing with. And I don't want them to think that they are the reason I'm sad or crying. I just feel like I have no control over my emotions. I feel like I did before my doctor told me I had postpartum depression. Will I have it again? I'm not sure. I just don't like feeling so much all at once. It's overwhelming for me. And I feel crazy talking about it...
Physically: I. Am. Exhausted. Which is an understatement. Most days, I take an afternoon nap, go to bed early, and by the time I've woken up and been up for an hour, I'm ready for bed again. It's nice to have a book to read now, I'm reading Divergent by Veronica Roth. The movie is coming out in March and I wanted to read the book first! I LOVE IT! The frustrating part is that even though I am loving the book, I get 10 minutes into reading and I've fallen asleep! I keep losing my place! Haha! My hips haven't been bothering me as much, but there are still times where it flairs up and I can't breathe. My acne is clearing up! And I've been having issues with my umbilical hernia that I got while pregnant with Rosalie. It's not big, but it hurts. It's off to the side of my belly button. I only have issues with it while pregnant. And it's so, so tender right now. Probably from sneezing, coughing, and blowing my nose so much. I have to hold my stomach now when I walk, cough, sneeze, blow my nose, etc. It also starts bothering me around the 20 week mark, when my uterus is right at my belly button. I am excited to get over this point in my pregnancy. It gets better around 23 to 25 weeks. At least it did when I was pregnant with Vivian. I want to get it repaired, but there's no point just yet since we want more children. And having it repaired now would mean that it would tear apart with a later pregnancy. We want to wait until we're done having kids in order to have it repaired. 

Looking forward to: Our ultrasound in NINE days!!!! The gender reveal cake/party! The name reveal! Working out! Zumba! Running!

I also wanted to show you the fabric I've chosen for the quilt I'm making for Caitlin! Charles helped me pick out the elephant pattern, then I matched the four solid colors the best I could!

I bought them all at JoAnn's in Des Monies. They were online the day I went to the store, and I cannot find them on the website now. I am excited to start quilting, though! I have so many ideas in my head for my other girls' quilts! And for a quilt for the new baby, when we find out the gender, of course!

Baby #4, Week 18

How far along: 18 weeks! 

Baby is the size of: a bell pepper!

Gender Prediction: Boy!

Weight gain: 11 pounds total

Starting to show yet?: Oh yes! I feel like the baby has popped out! My belly doesn't disappear once I lay down anymore!

Maternity clothes: Oh yes!

Stretch marks: Just a lot of old ones.

Belly button in or out: In.

Sleep: I have been really sick this past week, so I didn't sleep that well. But Friday, Charles stayed home from work and I was able to rest and take a five hour nap! I felt so much better afterwards! Since then, I've been sleeping great!

Movement: Yep! Feeling baby move more and more! Still not all the time, but it's starting to become all the time!

Best moment this week: Getting some much needed rest! Sending out our 2013 Christmas letters... in late January 2014! Caitlin and I donated 10 inches of our hair to Pantene!

Worst moment this week: I've been having a lot of issues with severe (TMI warning!) yeast infections. As soon as I get one to get better and go away, I get another one. It's terribly frustrating for me since I've NEVER had one before this pregnancy. I had the worst discomfort/pain that I've ever had over the weekend. I had a hard time walking because of it... I called my doctor today about it all. 

Miss anything: Sushi! 

Wedding rings on or off?: On.

Cravings: Grilled Cheese, Cantaloupe, Taco Salad
Aversions: Raw Chicken
Appetite: Normal! Since I started eating more raw almonds/vegetables/fruits and drinking more water to kill my never-ending hunger, I've found that I get fuller faster when I eat meals and I don't feel the need to EAT ALL THE FOOD!

Queasy or sick: I got really sick this past week. It wasn't the flu, although we thought it was for a day. My body was just run-down and it all caught up to me. I crashed hard Thursday afternoon and wasn't myself again until Saturday morning.
Workouts: None... again... 

Emotionally: When I woke up sick this past week, I broke down and threw a little pity-party for myself. But really, I just want to be well again. I have been sick since after Thanksgiving. I got sick on the ride home from visiting family over Thanksgiving weekend and I haven't had but a week and two days where I felt okay enough to get out of the house. It's been hard on me. Not working out is hard for me when I use that as a way to relieve stress and tension. So I broke down. I begged and pleaded in prayer that I would start to feel better soon. So I am just emotionally drained!
Physically: I felt very, very weak. Very tired. "Zombie-mode" is what I call it. I went to the store Thursday before I got really sick and was told by THREE different people that I looked sick/awful. Which I could have gotten upset over, but they were right. I felt sick and awful! Today, I feel great! Still a little stuffy and I have a residual cough that won't go away, but I feel so much better than I have! I hope that I continue to feel better! My hips are still bothering me, though not as bad as last week. Thank goodness! I still have some acne that comes and goes. I'm hoping that will clear up soon, too!

Looking forward to: Ultrasound on the 19th! Our gender reveal cake! Getting better! Running! Working out!

Also, in a change of plans, Charles and I decided that we ARE going to announce our baby's name when we find out the gender! I know that we said that we were going to keep it a secret, but after further discussion, we've decided that it would be best to have our girls learn the baby's name before the baby gets here. We waited with Vivian, and everyone called her "Baby" for the first two months of her life! And some people kept calling her the WRONG name! Violet, Virginia, Veronica, etc. At the time, I was crazy hormonal and weepy when people would called her by the wrong name! I don't want to go through that all over again! I want to be able to call the baby by his/her name BEFORE he/she gets here!

So be prepared! We have some AWESOME names picked out!

Well.... at least WE think so! 

Baby #4, Week 17

I've noticed that when I take the photo myself, my shadow is on my back side.
When my husband takes the photo, my shadow is on my belly side!

How far along: 17 weeks!

Baby is the size of: a turnip!

Gender Prediction: Boy!

Weight gain: 11 pounds total

Starting to show yet?: Oh yes! But I feel like I'm in that weird phase where people want to feel my belly, and the baby/my uterus is only in the lower half of my belly! The top part is all me! And people keep rubbing the top of my belly! I get a good chuckle out of it!

Maternity clothes: Yep! But I need more that actually fit me! I'm too large for my normal clothes, and all of my maternity tops are too large still! Not too much longer until I'm fitting them! I've been wearing maternity pants with large t-shirts most days!

Stretch marks: Just a lot of old ones.

Belly button in or out: In.

Sleep: Great this week! It helps that I'm exhausted. Just plain exhausted! I have zero energy most days. I got sick this week and that really didn't help. I had no down time. I ended up sleeping most of the day yesterday! I slept from 2:30 to 5, then went to bed at 9:15 and didn't get up until almost 8 this morning! And I could have slept longer!

Movement: Yep! Although it's not all the time just yet. I feel just the big ones. I am excited to start feeling the baby on the outside of my belly so that Charles and the girls can!

Best moment this week: Hearing the baby's heartbeat at my prenatal appointment! It was between 145 and 150 beats per minute! Vivian went with me and got to listen, too! She thought it was a choo-choo train! Also, getting a phone call on Thursday with some wonderful, wonderful news! I cannot say yet what it was about, but know this... GOD IS GOOD! (It's killing me to keep it in! But I must for a little bit longer!)

Worst moment this week: Sunday night. I got up too quickly from my chair and almost collapsed from the surging pain in my abdomen/uterus. I sat on the ground for about three minutes before I could move again. It was very scary. I had no other muscle cramps or contractions, thank goodness. You'd think that I would've learned this lesson already, but I haven't! Do not get up quickly from a seated position, Carie!

Miss anything: Warmer weather! The spring/summer! Smaller boobs.

Wedding rings on or off?: On.

Cravings: Grilled Cheese, Hamburgers, Pineapple, Apples, Bagels
Aversions: Raw Chicken
Appetite: Hearty! I still feel like I could eat ALL THE FOOD in my house. But I've been keeping some fresh veggies(carrots, celery, bell pepper, etc), almonds, and water on hand! It has helped!

Queasy or sick: I was sick this past week! Cough/congestion thing. I couldn't breathe well and sounded like a man for about four days!
Workouts: Not with my cold, or whatever I had. 

Emotionally: I've had less anxiety this week. But I am having trouble with my weight gain. I hate even bringing it up... I feel so rude/ungrateful even talking about it. This is part of pregnancy. But I am really struggling with it. After losing weight and maintaining it for a year and a half, I am having trouble with the thought of even putting weight on. Which I have. I know I have. I can feel it. In my face, back, legs, arms... I know I am doing a miraculous thing by carrying another life, but I would feel SO much better if I could just go longer than a week without getting sick and lounging around. I want to move my body. I NEED to move my body. But when my body won't... I struggle. I know I can lose the weight after the baby. It's just all in my mind. And it's hard.
Physically: I have ZERO energy! It doesn't help when I'm sick! I feel better today! Thank goodness! I feel like cleaning my house, which is rare! So I am glad to have some energy returning! I also have had a reappearance of my acne! BOO! I just knew that if I mentioned it last week, that I'd have it back this week! And I did! I spoke too soon! But it isn't as bad as it was, and I am thankful for that! My hips have been bothering me really bad this week. Sometimes it's so bad that I can't even walk. I have crawled and hobbled through my house on more than one occasion. It's scary for me when my feet start to tingle and I start losing feeling in my legs, but I know that it's part of pregnancy. I really need to visit a chiropractor!

Looking forward to: My 20 week ultrasound on February 19th! And then soon to follow, the gender reveal party! Now we're just praying that the baby will cooperate during the ultrasound! I'm also looking forward to working out, not being sick, and running!

For the gender reveal, my friends Amanda and Karmen are going to bake a pink or blue cake and cover it in  white frosting and white fondant! I have a design in my mind that I want for the top of the cake! I hope it works out and doesn't look silly! I also have the gender reveal card idea ready to make and have Amanda send to my Mom and Grandparents! I am making one for each gender, then Amanda will send the correct one in the mail! We have a really cute idea for the cards! It's how we're going to let the Facebook and Blog world know, too!

So many wonderful ideas! I'm SOOO excited for this next month! February 19th needs to get here quicker!

Baby #4, Week 16

How far along: 16 weeks!

Baby is the size of: an avocado! HOLY GUACAMOLE! 

Gender Prediction: Boy!

Weight gain: 10 pounds total

Starting to show yet?: Oh yes! People are even complimenting my baby bump! My baby bump has popped out! I woke up one morning and baby was just there, out front! 

Maternity clothes: Oh yes! Have I mentioned how much I LOOOOVE maternity pants?! Well, I DO!

Stretch marks: Just a lot of old ones!

Belly button in or out: In.

Sleep: Really good! I actually got some exercise this week and it has helped me to sleep even better than before! It's glorious!

Movement: Yes! So exciting! I still don't feel the baby all the time, so when I do feel him/her kick, it takes my breath away!

Best moment this week: Each and every time the baby kicked me!

Worst moment this week: The moments where I'd go a few hours without feeling the baby move. When I lost my wedding ring on Sunday. That was terribly scary. We didn't find it until that night. I had to go through the girls' toy room and I finally found it. I was SO glad. 

Miss anything: Smaller boobs... I'm starting to feel like a broken record here, but I seriously miss my smaller boobs! 

Wedding rings on or off?: On.

Cravings: Grilled cheese sandwiches, Hamburgers, Hot Tamales (cinnamon candy)
Aversions: Raw chicken
Appetite: Hearty! I had to pace myself a few times. I literally want to eat ALL THE FOOD in my house!

Which isn't good for me or the scale! I've been making sure to drink lots of water and chew gum! It's helped some, but 9 times out of 10, I'm still hungry! 

Queasy or sick: This has been the first week where I wasn't queasy or sick the entire week! WOO HOO!
Workouts: FINALLY got back to Zumba! I have sure missed it! And I am super sore from it, too! 

Emotionally: Aside from my lingering anxiety, I have had a very good week! I've been trying to be better about cleaning my house and keeping it clean. I have noticed that I tend to go a little crazy when things are out of order in my home. So I've been keeping up on house work and laundry, and it's been helping me to calm down and relax! I cannot relax in a messy home!
Physically: I have so much energy compared to the past 15 weeks! It makes it nice to go to sleep! I lay down and within a few minutes, I'm out! I feel more energized during my workouts! But I am exhausted afterwards! My acne has almost cleared up! Thank goodness! (But now that I say that, it will be worse next week! Haha!) My hips and ligaments are sore and have been a little painful. Pregnancy growing pains... what a joy those are! I started noticing that my back hurts more, but I think it's from the weight of my boobs. No joke. But for the most part, I feel really good! I am enjoying my growing baby bump!

Looking forward to: My appointment in TWO days! Hearing baby's heartbeat! Scheduling the ultrasound! The gender reveal party! Finishing decorating my girls' room since we can't until we know if baby is a boy or girl! 

Baby #4, Week 15

How far along: 15 weeks!

Baby is the size of: an apple!

Gender Prediction: Boy!

Weight gain: Forgot to weigh myself again... 

Starting to show yet?: Oh yes!

Maternity clothes: Oh yes! And they are glorious!

Stretch marks: Just a lot of old ones.

Belly button in or out: In.

Sleep: Great! I am feeling more energized in the mornings, but I usually need to take a nap in the late morning/early afternoon. 

Movement: YES!!! So exciting! I was at my friend Jen's house when I felt the first kick! I was unsure, but it happened again, and then again, and then again! What a wonderful feeling! I still haven't been feeling it as often as I'd like, but there are moments during the day when I'll fell the baby move and it takes my breath away, in a good way! 

Best moment this week: Feeling the baby move! I am excited for Charles and the girls to feel the baby soon!

Worst moment this week: My anxiety about the baby even being alive. Seems silly now that I have been feeling the baby move, but up until that point, I was having some terrible moments of anxiety and fear. A blessing that Charles gave me this week confirmed that God wants this baby to come into the world and into our family. I have felt much better about things since then! 

Miss anything: My size 8 jeans, my size B bra, and my size medium workout pants. It's no secret that I'm pregnant and growing! But it still makes me a little sad since I had just started really enjoying my smaller body when I got pregnant! I still miss sushi.

Wedding rings on or off?: On.

Cravings: Apples. Watermelon. Cinnamon candy: Hot Tamales, Red Hots.
Aversions: Raw Chicken (still...)
Appetite: Regular! I don't feel like I'm starving as much. I find myself not being able to eat as much, actually. 

Queasy or sick: I had a terrible cough/sinus pressure thing going on all week. It made it hard to do anything. Walking, picking up Vivian, stairs, sitting up, etc. Everything made me breathless and threw me into a coughing fit. I wouldn't even cough up anything. It was so frustrating. By the third day, I started coughing up a little blood. Scary, but I was fine. Even today, I still cough, but I feel 100% better!
Workouts: None with my cold/cough thing I had.

Emotionally: Although I had my moments of bad anxiety, I actually had a great week! Seems like this pregnancy is becoming more real to me! (I know I'm 15 weeks! Haha!) I am getting mentally/emotionally ready for the labor and delivery. Both have gotten shorter with the more children I have. Caitlin was 12 hours of active labor with about 13 minutes of pushing(I had pitocin and an epidural). Rosalie was 5 hours of active labor with 2 pushes, about 5 minutes of pushing(natural labor and delivery!). And Vivian was 45 minutes of active labor and I didn't even push her out(natural labor and delivery)! AHH! There is no telling how long or short my labor will be and if I'll even push this baby out! I do plan on going the natural route again: no pain meds, epidural, pitocin, etc. I feel more in control of my body when I know what I'm feeling. It was a scary feeling NOT to feel when pushing Caitlin out. But like all of my labors, I know that it's going to hurt. Vivian's labor and delivery was awful. So, so, SO painful. I seriously debated not having anymore children after her. It hurt that bad! So bad that I didn't even talk about having another baby until Vivian was about 22 months old!
Physically: Aside from my cold/cough thing, I feel more energized! I am excited to get back to Zumba tonight and the other fitness classes through the week that I've been missing from being so sick and because of the holidays! I am itching to get moving! I can feel my body slipping away from me (can you say, "love handles"?!) and I want to reel it in as much as I can! I need to start lifting again, too! Lightly, of course!

Looking forward to: Week 16! My 16 week appointment on the 22nd! Scheduling the ultrasound! Finding out the gender of the baby at the gender reveal party!