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!

Adeline Virginia - 5 Months Old

Date: December 4th, 2014
Height/Percentile: 27 inches, 95th percentile
Weight/Percentile: 19 lbs 4 oz, above 95th percentile
Sleeping Patterns: Sweet Adeline is still sleeping through most nights! There have been maybe three nights that she got up to nurse! It has been amazing!
Eating Habits: Breastfeeding on demand. Like last month, she's been nursing on both sides and hates being burped between sides! She has started looking around when she's nursing. She'll stop, look around, and then go back to nursing! It's the sweetest thing! And, at times, kind of annoying!
New Discoveries: Her feet! She'll pull them up as best as she can so that she can try to teethe on them! It's the cutest thing since she's so chubby! She is starting to discover what cries will get her fed, held, cuddled, etc.
Accomplishments: Rolling from her belly to her back, and then onto her belly again! She is almost sitting up on her own! Her huge thighs help with that!
Places Visited: Church, Caitlin and Rosalie's schools, the YMCA, Walmart, HyVee, Fareway, friend's and family's houses, MATURA building, Massena, Des Moines, GRMC, and Pizza Ranch!
Loves to: Breastfeed, smile, coo/talk, giggle, kick her feet in excitement, play on her play mat, take baths, snuggle/cuddle, rolling around, chew on anything she can get her hands on, and look at the lights on the Christmas tree!
Doesn't like: her car seat, being woken up by her big sisters, getting stuck under the Christmas tree!
Milestones/Firsts: Rolling completely from back, to front, to back again! Her first carnival at the school! Her first Thanksgiving! First time she got to meet her new best friend, Kylie!
What Mommy/Daddy love: We love her new blonde hair! She has only one patch of brown hair left on the back of her head and a few strands of long brown hair at the top of her head! Seems like this happened overnight! We still love her chubby self! She's so squishy! We love that she is more mobile now and that she's exploring and discovering things!
Photos:

Cinderella outfit her Fairy Godmother gave her as an early Christmas present!
Giving Mommy smiles while on her play mat!
Happy Squishy after her nap!

Major poop explosion after a trip to the store!
Adeline's hair changing to blonde with her few leftover long brown strands!

Sleeping Beauty!
Happy girl after nursing!
Playing on a water mat that Victoria brought over for Parents as Teachers!

Big sister Caitlin was in the hospital becuase of the flu, so we had to camp out for a day until she got better!
Adeline did very well and napped quite often on the comfy hospital bed!

Wearing an outfit that all of her big sisters wore!

Adeline meeting Kylie for the first time!
They were born about 20 weeks apart!
Adeline looks huge compared to a newborn!

Happy First Thanksgiving to our little Turkey!

Adeline helping us with decorating the tree! Holding a golden ornament!
Trying to get a better look at the lights on the tree!
Rolling to the tree to get the ornaments that were hanging down lower!

At Pizza Ranch, looking at the menu!
Rolling around the floor, trying to get to the tree!
Squishy's favorite time: Bath Time!

Photos from my Instagram!

Month to month progression photo!
Newborn, 1 month, 2 months
3 months, 4 months, 5 months

Adeline Virginia - 4 Months Old

Date: November 4th, 2014
Height/Percentile: 26 inches, 95th percentile
Weight/Percentile: 18 lbs 0.5 oz, above the 97th percentile
Sleeping Patterns: Adeline is sleeping through the nights! I cannot even believe this is happening! She started last month with sleeping all night and has continued into this month! The extra sleep for Charles and me is much needed and very appreciated!
Eating Habits: Breastfeeding on demand! She nurses from both sides and hates being burped between sides! She's started singing/humming while nursing and it's the cutest thing ever! She'll eat every 2 to 4 hours during the day, cluster feed before bed time, then wake around 6:30 a.m. to nurse again! Still haven't started actual food yet since she's sleeping through the night!
New Discoveries: Giggling! She's been giggling up a storm! She LOVES playing peek-a-boo and giggles the entire time! She is talking/cooing more and more! She's even started shrieking when she gets very excited! She has startled herself on more than one occasion! She has also started grabbing things and bringing them to her mouth to teethe on!
Accomplishments: Officially rolling from her back to her belly, and then trying to roll back to her back! She gets stuck and gets mad, but it's more cute than anything! She's pushing up more and more on her hands so that she can look around! Her head control is getting better, too!
Places Visited: Church, Caitlin and Rosalie's schools, the YMCA, Walmart, HyVee, Fareway, Osceola for the Trunk-or-Treat activity night, friend's and family's houses, and the doctor's office for her four month check-up!
Loves to: Breastfeed, smile, coo, talk, take baths, swing, suck/teethe on anything she can get her hands on (especially any type of cloth!), roll over, play on her play mat, and cuddle/snuggle!
Doesn't like: the car seat, tummy time for too long, getting stuck trying to roll over, the cold, and being woken up by her sisters.
Milestones/Firsts: Rolling from her back to her tummy, not on accident! Had her first family photo shoot! She did NOT like the colder weather! Her first Halloween! We dressed her up as a black cat! She also moved into her crib from the bassinet!
What Mommy/Daddy love: Our squishy baby! She is so chubby! She has rolls for days and we cannot get enough of them! Even after four months! We also are loving that she is looking around and exploring more! The world is a big place!
Photos:

Daddy talking to Adeline while she was swinging!
Adeline chewing on her fist while on her play mat!
After Adeline rolled over!

Adeline after she rolled over again! I had to take some pictures of her giggling!

Our girls ready for a walk after trick-or-treating in HyVee and Walmart!
Adeline wearing her black kitty costume!
Adeline wearing her "first Halloween" outfit!

First time in the blue rocker seat! She LOVED being able to look around and be up!
Adeline loving on Karmen's baby belly! Giving kisses/teething on baby!

Getting ready to trick or treat in HyVee and Walmart!
All of the girls had a blast!

Adeline's first Halloween!
Our one year anniversary of finding out we were pregnant with her!

Smiling and sitting in her bumbo seat!
Adeline graduated to her crib! The bassinet was working pretty hard!

Trying on her first winter/Christmas outfit!
Ready for church in her Ladybug outfit!
Minnie Mouse outfit that all of her big sisters wore!

Rolly Polly Adeline!

Adeline's photo from our family photos! So beautiful! Slobber and all!
All the girls ready to go Trick-or-Treating on Halloween!

Photos from my Instagram!

Month by Month Comparison
Newborn, 1 month
2 months, 3 months
4 months

Adeline Virginia - 3 Months Old

Date: October 4th, 2014
Height/Percentile: Not sure
Weight/Percentile: 17 lbs 2 oz (according to my at-home scale)
Sleeping Patterns: Adeline cluster feeds from about 6:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and then sleeps  until 6:00 a.m.! Very rarely, she'll wake up to nurse during the night! And I am LOVING the sleep! She'll nap after her morning feeding, and then nurse and sleep every two to four hours during the day!
Eating Habits: Breastfeeding on demand! She's quickly changed from only nursing on one side to nursing from both sides! She gets very angry in-between sides! She hates having to be burped, but if she doesn't, then she'll projectile puke all over! Mommy only wants what's best for her! Even if she sounds as if she's being starved!
New Discoveries: Cooing/talking to get attention as well as crying/wailing to do the same! She's discovered that if she reaches her hands out far enough, she can touch the toys that hang from her floor play-mat!
Accomplishments: She has officially started rolling from her back to her side! And has rolled all the way to her belly a few times! I'm sure she did it the first few times last month on accident! It is happening more and more now, so I know it's because she's doing it on purpose! She has also started teething! There are no teeth in sight yet, but she LOVES to have her gums rubbed! She's started gnawing on her hands and hurting herself! Poor baby! I've found some smaller hand-held teething toys for her to chew/gnaw on instead!
Places Visited: We've taken Adeline to Church in Lenox for her name and blessing, to the Elementary/Middle school for a PTO meeting, SWCC for a Policy Council meeting, Imogene and Shenandoah for Mommy's half marathon, the Winter Quarter's Temple, and a few friends' houses!
Loves to: Suck on her hands(but Mommy and Daddy are trying to stop her!), talk and coo, take baths, breastfeed/nurse, kick her feet/legs with excitement, play in her play-mat, and smile!
Doesn't like: The car seat, tummy time, getting dressed/undressed, having to wait to be fed (even if it's for a few minutes!), the colder weather, and sudden, loud noises.
Milestones/Firsts: Giggling and laughing when getting tickled or loved on! Officially rolling from her back to her tummy!
What Mommy/Daddy love: Adeline's cheeks, chins, and thighs! Baby girl is seriously chubby and we cannot get enough of her! Our Squishy! We also love how vocal she's getting! She just loves to coo, talk, and make sounds! And we LOVE to hear her!
Photos:

Adeline's baby blessing on September 6th!

Our family at the start line to Mommy's second half marathon!
Mommy breastfeeding Adeline in the van pre-race!
Caitlin and Daddy loving on Adeline!
Adeline breastfeeding post-race, Mommy was more than ready to feed her!

Our four girls in the bed at the hotel!
Adeline wrapped up in her blanket, sleeping on her boppy pillow!
Smiles and serious stares!

Adeline in the bumbo, talking to Miss Vivian!

Adeline's second trip to the Winter Quarter's Temple on September 20th!

Chubby baby girl! I LOVE her outer thighs!
Sweet sleeping girl!
Mommy working on Adeline's cradle-cap!

A trip to the park! Mommy and Adeline hung out while Daddy went with big sisters to play on the playground! Mommy got lots of smiles and coos from Miss Adeline!

One of Mommy's favorite outfits, so she needed a few pictures of Adeline wearing it!
Adeline and Rosie at bedtime!

All photos from my Instagram!

Month by month comparison!
Newborn, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months!

Adeline Virginia - 2 Months Old

Date: September 4th, 2014 (Happy Birthday Grandma Tina and Aunt Lisa!)
Height/Percentile: 23 inches, 75th percentile
Weight/Percentile: 14 lbs 3 oz, above the 95th percentile!
Sleeping Patterns: On August 18th, Adeline slept the entire night for the first time ever! It was glorious! She's done that about three more times since, but her usual pattern is awake for an hour or two, then nap for an hour or two, all day long.
Eating Habits: Breastfeeding on demand! She's been nursing on one side at each feeding, but during the last few days, she's been nursing from both sides at each feeding! She'll space her feedings out in the morning until the early afternoon, when she'll switch it up to nursing every hour. It gets tedious for me, but it helps her to sleep more soundly when it's bedtime!
New Discoveries: Crying for attention! Which I LOVE! I love how Adeline will go, "WHAA! WHAA!", when she wants something! As soon as I respond to her cry, she'll give me HUGE smiles! She's a little stinker! She has also started sucking on her hands when she gets fussy and is hungry! I'm making sure to stay on top of it because I don't want another child that sucks on fingers for comfort!
Accomplishments: Not sure if it was an accident or not, but she has rolled from her tummy to her back twice! Again, I'm not sure if it was just because her head/face is large and she lost balance and rolled over or not, but I'm proud of her either way!
Places Visited: We've taken Adeline to the doctor's office, A&G's restaurant, Church, a few friend's houses, the Mormon Trail Center and Winter Quarter's Temple in Omaha, Nebraska, Caitlin and Rosalie's school, my Aunt Norma's house in Red Oak, and Walmart!
Loves to: Nurse/Breastfeed, kick her feet and legs, look around, be talked to, coo, be propped up, sit up(with help), have her big sisters talk to her, take baths, and smile!
Doesn't like: Laying on her back, bright lights, getting dressed/undressed, and really loud, sudden noises.
Milestones/Firsts: She is supporting her own head for longer than a minute! She is starting to coo and talk more(I LOVE this stage of her development!)! She can see farther than she could at birth! We know this because when we come into her line of vision, she'll be startled and either start fussing or smiling! Rolling over from tummy to back!
What Mommy/Daddy love: Adeline's cheeks and chins! All of her fat rolls and baby chub! We seriously can not get enough of this little girl!
Photos:

Getting some tummy time and holding her head up!
"Daddy loves me more than BACON!" which is SO true!

"May the Fourth be with you" has SO many meanings for this little lady!
Star Wars, our fourth daughter, born on the fourth of July, in a red/white/blue onesie!
She is also our little firecracker!

One of my all-time-favorite photos of Adeline's smile!
Getting some tummy time!
Wearing one of the first outfits that big sister Caity got when she was a baby!

Caitlin, Adeline, Rosalie, and Vivian at the Mormon Trail Center!

Two of the many faces of Adeline!
Adeline's signature Panda outfit finally fits her! It's 3-6 month size!

I got the little plush back in 2002 from my Grandma and I never opened it from it's original baggie.
Until now! What a perfect gift for my Fourth of July baby!
She wasn't too thrilled with me taking multiple pictures! Caity wanted in, too!

Chubby baby!
Vivian talking to Adeline!
Adeline after bath time!

Baby sister gets to help with her big sister's bed-time routine!
We'll lay her next to her big sisters so that they can give her hugs and kisses!

All photos from my Instagram!

A month-by-month comparison!
Brand New, 1 Month, and 2 Months!