How Ya Feeling? A Pregnancy Update

I sure loved all the "congrats" we received on the blog and facebook when we announced my pregnancy. Each kind word was a gift. I had a couple unfavorable reactions from folks I told in person, so I was nervous. 

A fourth baby is kind of a shock in our culture. We've definitely entered a land of "weird." 

Just incase you are wondering, here are a couple things to avoid saying about a new pregnancy whether it is a woman's first, fourth, or fourteen baby:

"I thought you were done."

"Was this planned?"

"Your hands will be full."

"I supposed obligatory congrats are in order?"

and, "Wow. Um. Wow. Um. Wow. That will be FOUR? Wow."

And yes, we're excited. The girls are so, so thrilled as we knew they would be. We didn't tell them about the baby until I was 12 weeks and heard a strong heartbeat. Once they knew the news, everyone in the greater Oregon region knew too -- Mandy is great at proclaiming information.

I planned to take a video when we heard the heartbeat for the first time at 12 weeks. I took the camera, and pushed record. But it didn't record. If it had captured the moment, you would have seen their confused faces... it really didn't sink in until a few hours later with lots and lots of conversation.

At the appointment the midwife explained that mommy's heartbeat is up there, so whose heartbeat is down here in her belly? Mandy gave a great Sunday School answer with, "It is God in her belly!" Ya, they totally didn't get it.




And since inquiring minds want to know....

How many weeks? 17! Time is flying by thankfully. I'm due May 1-ish. My actual due date is the end of April, but since my three pregnancies went late, I'm thinking May to save myself additional mental stress.

How ya feeling? The first 10 weeks were rough. Not as bad as pregnancy #1, but in typical fashion for me, I threw up a lot, felt nauseous all the time, and was super tired. At this point I feel blessedly very good. I have moments of not-so-good. But it is just awesome to be able to function as I continue through life with the other three kiddos.

Remington @ 4 weeks with his midwives. 

You know there are hospitals for that sort of thing? Yes, we will hopefully be doing another home birth for this baby. I love my midwives, they are so thorough. I appreciate how they address every angle of my pregnancy. My main midwife is Lisa and she has delivered over 800 babies! Her children are grown and I love her experience and expertise. The second midwife, Rachel, finished her midwife schooling a few years ago and was at Remington's birth. She is about my age, very fun and trendy, a mom to 3 young kids, and is calm and sweet.






Baby bump? A little bit -- I can tell. I'm definitely still at the "thick" looking stage when no one dares ask. It will be a few more months before I look pregnant and not just a contestant for "The Biggest Gainer." I remember taking a "bump picture" when I was 16 weeks pregnant with Emmaleigh and a friend said it looked like I had just had a few too many burritos. True, true. My regular pants aren't fitting and I bought two new pairs of maternity jeans, but they don't really fit either. It's funny the stuff about pregnancy that I forgot until it happens again. Oh the clothes hassles! I'll try to keep my tall-pregnant-girl tirades to myself.

Baby's development: No matter how many times I live through this process, I am humbled and amazed at the creation of new life. Baby weighs about 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and he or she is around 5 inches long from head to bottom. Baby can move his or her joints, and even suck his or her thumb.

Are you going to find out the gender? For sure, I have an ultrasound in December and hope to find out if we will have another girl or another boy and also make sure development is on track. I am so thankful God has all this figured out, He is creating our family and I trust he know what we (and the children) can handle. Remington with three sisters? God knows if we can handle that too!



Baby names: The girls are constantly suggesting names for baby boy or baby girl. Mandy's favorites are "Jake" for a boy and "Dora" for a girl. Emma likes "Elizabeth" for a girl and "Zachariah" for a boy. These suggestions change daily, so who knows! Emma told me she invented a name this morning for a girl, "Playa." It will be fun to hear ideas from my blog audience too as time gets closer!