Cute kids

Blake took this a few weeks ago to send to my dad for his birthday. I love how it turned out!

They are getting so grown up!

Quick week 35 update

Had a checkup yesterday and everything is looking good! Baby is head down and will most likely stay that way. He is measuring right on target for 35 weeks and the doctor said he's currently 5 lbs. 10 oz. He said I'm starting to dilate but am not effaced yet so it looks like I'll be here a while yet. I'm up about 35 lbs. from my pre-pregnancy weight and it definitely gives me to motivation to never let my weight get too out of control. The extra weight makes everything so much more uncomfortable and tiring. I'm hoping I'll be able to keep that feeling in mind when it comes time to lose the baby weight. I hate exercising but I hate the alternative more :) The swelling in my legs and feet is pretty much daily at this point. It is ridiculously hot and I feel like I never fully cool off even in the house. That's about all the baby news I can think of... I've got another appointment in 2 weeks so I'm hoping I'll have more exciting news at that point.

Prego update

I am 34 weeks this week and feeling pretty gross. I spent most of last week on the couch because I have been getting nausea and pretty constant, uncomfortable contractions every time I get up and try to do anything. I'm feeling a bit better today but still want to take it easy at least a couple more weeks to make sure he gets as much time in there as possible before he comes out. Once you hit 34 weeks they generally won't try and stop labor but it's still considered premature if you have him before 37 weeks. In other pregnancy news, baby boy (who obviously still has no name) is about 5 pounds this week. He is a constant mover and is getting so big it makes me queasy sometimes when he's moving around. He'll gain about 1/2 pound a week from this point on so if he makes it to his due date he could easily be 8 or more pounds like Logan was. He gets the hiccoughs a lot and the kids think it's so funny to feel him moving around in there. I got the linea negra a few weeks ago (it's a brown line that goes across the stomach vertically during pregnancy caused by the hormones I think) but it's a lot more faint than it was with my other pregnancies. It's only dark on my belly button and I've got brown spots on my chest and face that I never got with the other kids. I'm craving high protein, filling foods like meatloaf and steak. I eat all the time but I feel like I'm constantly hungry no matter what I eat. I had a freakily vivid pregnancy dream the other night where I was sitting on a couch and talking to my mom. The baby kicked his foot out so hard that you could see the outline of every toe so I lifted up my shirt to get a better look and realized his whole leg was sticking out. I pulled on his leg and he came right out. He had light brown hair about Brin's color, a more square shaped face than my other kids, and dark brown eyes with long dark brown lashes. It was a really freaky dream but it made me wonder what this guy will look like. My mom and two of my siblings have brown eyes so he probably could end up with brown eyes. I can't wait to meet him and see what he looks like! 33 weeks down and 6 to go!

32 weeks

I had a quick checkup yesterday and everything is looking good. I'm measuring right at 32 weeks and he's already head down and ready to go. I gave my notice to the parents of the daycare kids last Friday to let them know I won't be watching the kids after the baby gets here. I had planned on watching them until the last week of July but they've already found a new spot for them so it looks like I'll be done on the 13th. This is kind of a scary change for us but I know this is the right decision for our family and I can't wait to get to be a real stay at home mom full time. I guess we'll see how it goes!

ZOO

I think I must be crazy because after having a fun night with uncle Josh and taking him to the airport on Saturday morning I decided to take the kids to the zoo. By myself. In 100+ degree weather. At 8 months pregnant. It was fun but definitely won't be happening again until after the summer is over and the baby is here. We just did the little farm loop and up to the splash pad but even that was enough to make me swell up all weekend. Here are my favorite pics...

Good recipes

I've been slowly but surely filling my freezer in preparation for the baby and I have a few new favorite recipes to share. Chicken and broccoli stuffed shells, cheesy sausage and tomato pasta, and an old favorite I've been making for a while sloppy joes. I've also frozen smoothies and a few other meals in the last few weeks but these are the favorites. Rather than spend a whole day cooking to fill the freezer I just make double or triple what I'm already making for dinner that week and freeze the extra meals. It seems to be working really well so far. Now i've just got to figure out a way to make my freezer somewhat functional because at present everything is all stacked on top of everything else and falls out every time I open the door. Any ideas? ;)

Feeling so much better!

The iron pills and eating changes must be doing something! I have more energy than I've had in months and it's awesome! I still feel gross occasionally but now I know how to deal with it so I get a quick snack and rest for a bit until I feel better. Even my braxton hicks (false labor contractions) have backed off a bit! I've felt through this whole pregnancy that this baby was going to come early and I felt nowhere near ready for him. Thanks to this week of feeling better, I was able to sell our old double stroller on Craigslist for $60 and turn around and buy a nice swing, bouncer, and car seat (don't worry, mom! I made sure it was a good model with no recalls or car accidents lol) for $40! The lady even threw in a bag of baby boy clothes! All I need now is a play pen with a bassinet since we're opting out of a traditional crib for this kid due to lack of space and the fact that my kids learn to climb out of their cribs by about a year. I haven't seen one I liked on Craigslist so I may end up buying it new but I figure I've got a while before I need to have it and the baby can always sleep in the swing for a few months if need be. Now that I'm ready for him though I'm guessing he'll go full term. :) in other news, I'm still struggling to wrap my mind around the fact that Logan is starting kindergarten in just a couple months! It's just crazy how fast kids grow up!