Preggers III -- 36 Weeks

How far along?  36 weeks, 4 days

Comparisons:

 36 Weeks with Tracey

35 Weeks with the Twins... because they were born at 36 weeks 1 day, and I never took a 36 week picture.

36 Weeks with Baby Number 4
and Caroline is showing me where her belly is

How I am feeling?  A little sore at the end of the day... and honestly a little needy.  I sort of wish the kids could take care of me for the day instead of my taking care of them...

 

How big is the baby?  The size of a pineapple -- 18.1 inches long, 5.07 pounds

Sleep:  I love sleep... it is so nice to get off my feet and give my body and my mind a rest.  My body really does take a beating during the day keeping up with my three little ones.  I'm up and down the stairs, lifting little ones, holding little ones, carrying little ones, on the floor with little ones, running after little ones... it is really nice when they all go to bed, and I get to go to bed too.

Boy/Girl Predictions:  Well... we know our baby's gender so no need to predict here.

Baby Nicknames:  I call the baby, "Baby," but Tracey still insists the name should be "'Punzel"

  Best moment this week: I've had a couple really great day with the kids complete with a lot of really great hugs from my three wild little ones.

 

Food cravings:  Nothing in particular...

Missing:  When I was pregnant with our first (Tracey) and I just had to come home from work and put my feet up and rest until the baby arrived.

 

Movements:  Yes, and I love them -- although they can be uncomfortable at times.  At my last doctor's appointment, the baby had moved to a head down position, so hopefully the baby stays that way until the birthday.

Labor Signs:  Not yet.

General Attitude:  Trying to be prepared and make the most of every day and week we have that the baby hasn't arrived... but I'm also trying to savor the moments with our three kids and get as much rest as possible.
 What I am looking forward to this week:  On Sunday I hit the 37 week milestone, which means the baby is full term and that will be great.  The twins were born at 36 weeks 1 day, which was really good for twins, but they were still "late pre-term" babies, and we got to see first hand some of the issues that babies can have when they are born before a 37 week term.  Every day our little one is in there, the more prepared the baby will be for life on the outside.

Milestones: I've now passed the gestational date that I carried the twins, but I still have a few weeks before I hit the gestational mark of when Tracey was born. 

Days as a Foursome

I work part-time, and I'm so blessed to be home with our three children most days.  It is so special to be a fun foursome... and yes, they do drive me crazy at times, but I love getting to spend so many days with them.  Here are glimpses of some of our last days as a group of four before the baby arrives and we become an uneven five.

 Having fun with ice on the porch

These two both pushed a chair over to the table, climbed up on the table, slid into their own high chairs, picked up a leftover sandwich from lunch, and then split it between the two of them... guess I'm not needed anymore.

We made an indoor fort with sheets a few days ago and had pillows and sleeping bags inside

This was one of the few times Lexie was cuddling with Tracey, and it made Tracey really happy.

Tracey said that Caroline was sitting on her lap and she was reading her a story.

Howard just chilled at the top of the bounce house enjoying the bumps while his sisters were bouncing on the lower level.

We received a great gift of Halloween cookie cutters from a sweet family friend, and since we didn't have cookie dough immediately on hand, we used them for play-dough.

The weather is finally getting nice a cool for outdoor layers.  Granted, I probably bundled the kids up a little too much, but the twins both had runny noses, and part of our yard is in the shade, so I don't think they minded.

The next step is to get him to use the vacuum where there actually is a mess to clean up.  And, yes, the vacuum is actually running, and he knows how to pull the tube out to spot clean and then reattach it to use the full sized (little) vacuum.

I made pancakes and then went upstairs to wake the twins.  When we came downstairs, Tracey had used a chair to get plates and pancakes for both Caroline and Howard so their breakfast was waiting for them.

She is turning into such a sweetheart and such a thoughtful big sister.

I really love these three, and I know another little one will just be the more the merrier (and perhaps crazier).

 

Downright Hilarious

This clip from Gilmore Girls was funny when I first saw it many years ago (probably close to a decade ago)... but now, as we are anticipating the arrival of our fourth child... in less than four years, I find it downright hilarious.

The sound quality isn't the best... but the humor is awesome.

Autumn in the Mountains

It finally feels like Autumn has arrived in the mountains.  On Saturday, I drove from Denver back to Rifle, and I drove through rain, sleet, snow, and sun.  It is so nice to have some cooler weather here.

 

Home Sweet Home

After three-days away from my family (I attended a work conference in Denver), it is so nice to be back where I belong.

 

Hubby and Me

Honest answers regarding my Hubby and me...

Who's older?

Hubby

 

Difference in age?

Three years

 

Who was interested first? 

I think I was

 

Same school? 

No

 

Born in same state? 

No

 

Worst temper? 

Probably mine

 

More social? 

Often him

 

Most stubborn? 

Often me

 

Wakes up first? 

It depends on the day -- on days when he doesn't have a work alarm, I do... on days when he does have a work alarm, sometimes he does, sometimes I do.

 

 Family Size?

Currently five and counting

Eats the most? 

It depends on weather or not I'm pregnant

 

Cries the Most? 

I do

 

Who Said I love you first? 

He did

 

Better driver? 

He is

 

Better cook?

It used to definitely be him... but the Instant Pot has evened the score a little bit.  He's probably still the better cook, but I'm making a come-back.

 

How long have you been together? 

Married 6 years (almost 6.5); Together almost 8 years

 

 

Third Pregnancy (Fourth Child)

You probably know by now how much I enjoy the videos from Story of this Life... this video is no exception.

I will say, the only part I cannot identify with is the part about the birth plan... two drug-free labors and deliveries... and no plans to change that for this one.  Everything else... yeah, she nails it.

James

The other day, Tracey hid behind some clothes in our closet and wanted Caroline to come and find her.

So I hear her calling Caroline,

"Caroline.  Caroline.  Caroline James!  Caroline James!"

When I finally realized what she was saying (Caroline James), I said, 

"Oh, Tracey.  Caroline's middle name isn't James -- that's Howard's middle name.  Caroline's middle name is Christine.  So, you'd say, 'Caroline Christine.'"

Tracey thought about that for a moment then called out, 

"Caroline Miller!"

It is so much fun watching our three-year-old make sense of the world around her.

Preggers III -- 35 Weeks

How far along?  35 weeks, 2 days

Comparisons:

 35 Weeks with Tracey

35 Weeks with the Twins

35 Weeks with Baby Number 4

How I am feeling?  Pretty busy... last weekend we went to Colorado Springs as a family, this weekend I will be in Denver at a work conference, and the following weekend, Hubby has sporting events all weekend.  I'm just trying to keep up at this point, and wonder when I'm going to get our guest room organized for family who will arrive when the baby comes.  Also, I have some aches and pains by the end of the day... but they dissipate when I get off my feet and lay down to go to sleep, so that is very nice.

 

How big is the baby?  The size of a pineapple -- 18.1 inches long, 5.07 pounds

Sleep:  I love sleep... it is so nice to get off my feet and give my body and my mind a rest.  My body really does take a beating during the day keeping up with my three little ones.  I'm up and down the stairs, lifting little ones, holding little ones, carrying little ones, on the floor with little ones, running after little ones... it is really nice when they all go to bed, and I get to go to bed too.

Boy/Girl Predictions:  Well... we know our baby's gender so no need to predict here.

Baby Nicknames:  I call the baby, "Baby," but Tracey still insists the name should be "'Punzel"

  Best moment this week: We had a lot of fun in Colorado Springs.  I think my favorite thing was taking the kids to Santa's Christmas Village.  I twins were small enough that they had to ride some of the rides with adults so Hubby and I got to ride some of the rides with our kids.  They really had a ball and there were a lot of rides for our toddlers, which was awesome.  A lot of places we go with our kids are really geared more for older, bigger children, and there isn't much for our twins to do.  That was not the case at the North Pole... plenty for children of all ages... probably up to and including age 10.

Food cravings:  Nothing in particular...

Missing:  A body that can keep up with me.  I like being able to run after the kids and play with them and be on the floor without being in my third trimester of pregnancy.  It will be nice to not have the aches and pains at the end of the day and feel like my body is getting back to normal in keeping up with everyone.

 

Movements:  Yes, and I love them -- although they can be uncomfortable at times.  At my last doctor's appointment, the baby had moved to a head down position, so hopefully the baby stays that way until the birthday.

Labor Signs:  Not yet, thankfully.

General Attitude:  Trying to be prepared and make the most of every day and week we have that the baby hasn't arrived.

 What I am looking forward to this week:  I will be glad when the work conference in Denver is over.  I'm excited for a few days of not chasing after my little ones, although I do not look forward to sitting still for three days listening to lectures.  Also, I do not want to go into labor in Denver.  I think we will all breathe a big sigh of relief when I arrive home with no plans to travel again until after the baby arrives.

Milestones: I feel pretty huge.  Throughout my pregnancy, I haven't really felt that big... I mean, I do but not enormous, just pregnant.  Well, there must have been a lot of mirrors in our hotel in Colorado Springs because I feel like every time I turned around I was like, "My goodness, my belly is big."  Maternity clothes that I thought still looked sort of cute were barely covering my belly, and I had no idea.  So... sure, we'll call that the "third-trimester-I-look-like-a-whale" milestone.

Pike's Peak

The top of Pike's Peak was really windy and cold.  It snowed while we were up there... and our little ones were not happy campers.  But, we drove to the top, bundled everyone up, and forced our wind-blown children to take a few pictures.  The plan was to have a picnic at the top... which we did... once everyone was back in the car, warmer and no longer crying.

 It will be awhile before we return to the top of Pike's Peak with our less than cheerful crew.

But, Hubby and I loved the snow, and he found it really funny that I couldn't zip my vest because of my pregnant belly... so I made due with a sort of zipped vest.

Fyi, this is what 35 weeks pregnant looks like.

A Little Early

So, it's no doubt a little early for all things Christmas, but we were able to take advantage of a Christmas In September deal and spent the day at Santa's North Pole in Cascade, Colorado yesterday.

We had to don our Christmas accessories to get the discount... tricky when you have three kids and as the mom you think you've purchased two items for the girls, and one item for your boy... and then your three-year-old insists on wearing the antlers, which was the item for your boy.  So your sweet son ends up wearing a Christmas headband into the park.  (We removed it as soon as we paid for admission and they gave us the Christmas In September discount.)

The kids had a ton of fun on the rides and did really well meeting Santa Claus.  The weather was perfect -- crisp fall weather where we needed coats and layers but were warm enough enjoying the outdoor attractions.

We were especially impressed with how well the kids did meeting Santa when you compare the picture to their meeting Santa last year.

What a great day full of fun...