Family/Maternity Pictures

 Hopefully the next time I post, it will be with a baby in my arms!! Hospital bags are all packed, at the moment my house is clean (that'll change in 5 minutes from now), and we have the sweetest family/maternity pictures to document our last days as a family of four. I cry every time I imagine our kids meeting their baby sibling for the first time, along with the moment the baby is born and we finally know who is meant to be apart of our family forever. Until then, I'll be smiling away at these pictures that I'm so glad we had taken ... 

I truly believe giving my kids each other as siblings is the best gift I could ever give them. I love having a front row seat to watching the special bond they share ...

Man she's beautiful. Nic and I talk all the time about how in trouble we are going to be someday!

My body may feel like it has completely fallen apart by this point but it will never be lost on me what a blessing it has been to carry our babies ...

The picture on the right was Nic's idea and a hilarious remake of one I took of the two of them together when Liam was just a baby!

Those teeth ... such a childhood milestone. <3

The one thing I adore the most is feeling the baby move and kick ... savoring that has been my focus to get through these last couple weeks of pregnancy. 

So grateful to get to do parenthood with you, Nic Williamson!

I love this picture so much because it reminds me of one Nic took of Liam and I back when she was the tiny one in my tummy!

We're ready for you, baby! 

Baby Sprinkle

 On Saturday, my mom and sister-in-law hosted a sprinkle for baby and I and it was the sweetest thing ever! Lyla came as my "girl date" and wanted to twirl with me all morning in her new dress. <3 It felt so special to share it with her along with every other family member and friend who came!

Nicole had the cutest balloons installed on my mom's porch as well as a balloon arch inside! There were beautiful flowers everywhere and a stack of thank you notes for guests to write their address on (such a genius idea).  

Isn't the balloon arch amazing?! Nicole also had adorable cookies made as party favors in the shape of bottles, onesies, etc. and sprinkle donuts! Both were Lyla's favorite part. ;) I even took some home to my boys who greatly appreciated it!

Besides the amazing treats, we had yummy quiche and fruit salad made by mom for brunch!

It was so fun to have a couple of my nieces join this time with their grandmas and moms. My sweet neighbor Danica came and my long time friends from high school, Dani and Sidnee, were there too! So lucky to have so many amazing people in my life who love this baby and I so much!

We played a pass the gift game that went with a poem all about the guests in the room. Danica won that one. Everyone also guessed how many "sprinkles" (Mike n' Ikes) were in a jar and Edie won that game.

Lyla was all about playing puppy all morning but accidentally knocked over an end table and got extremely embarrassed about it. She spent the whole time hiding under my arm while I opened gifts and I felt bad I couldn't get her to come around for this part. We were spoiled with so many diapers and wipes, something you can never have enough of, along with a forward facing baby carrier, swaddle sack, new toys for the baby, and even some amazing products to pamper myself postpartum. So grateful!!!

A cute cookie monster!

I didn't take a single picture because I just wanted to soak up the moment so I tried to gather a few my mom took. I just wanted to give an extra special thank you to the woman who has now hosted 3 special baby showers for me over the years. Each one I won't forget! Love you mom! I'm also so grateful to my sister-in-law, Nicole, who went over the top to make this celebration so special for me. I'm so lucky to have both of these women in my life!

Grateful for friends who no matter how busy their lives are or how far away they live, are always there for me. <3

Getting so excited for this baby to arrive!!!

Third Baby Bump | Gender Predictions

In true third baby fashion, I haven't documented this pregnancy like I did with my last ones. I'm going to blame that on the two who already keep my hands full! haha

We are well on our way through the third trimester though and on the home stretch to meeting this baby in just 6 to 7 more weeks! Our kids have loved following along with the baby's growth through the Baby Center app I have on my phone and love getting to see the baby change from week to week. Pregnancy no matter how hard is such an incredible miracle!

Some updates ... my wedding ring sadly no longer fits. I think a lot of it has to do with this daily 100 degree summer we have been experiencing this year. I'm looking forward to wearing it again, along with he rest of my wardrobe. Physically I take things a day at time ... some days are easier than others. I'm sleeping pretty good, still waking every 2 to 3 hours to pee but am able to go right back to sleep. I've learned my acid reflux can get the best of me at night depending on what and when I last eat. My tail bone hurts a lot of the time like my legs catch as I walk which is something I haven't experienced before. Hoping it returns to normal post baby! The big thing lately is my energy is incredibly low. I was low on iron during my glucose test blood draw (passed the glucose test part!!) and have started taking a supplement for it which felt like it was helping my energy the first few days but I haven't noticed much of a change since. Supposedly vitamin c helps with iron absorption so I've added a cutie to my daily diet too to see if it helps. I've had my first experience with braxton hicks contractions this time. They were unnerving at first but after doctor reassurance, I'm not as on edge about them now. I've found myself taking a nightly bath before bed to relax my body and it feels nice to be weightless for a while. I'm still exercising daily but the movement has definitely changed ... more walking and lifting lighter weights than intense cardio. 

Some fun things!!! Lyla girl and I went through all of the the baby gear and clothing bins in the garage together. She loved every minute of it and it feels good to have most things set up! The crib looks so sweet in our bedroom and I just got a new crib sheet for it thanks to a sweet gift from my friend! Our dresser also has the cutest changing basket on top making our room feel like a haven for me and baby soon. I got the coziest robe to take to the hospital and I've lived in it every morning lately. I'm really looking forward to getting together with family and friends for a baby sprinkle my sister-in-laws and mom are having for me and baby next weekend! We also have family/maternity pictures scheduled in a week and a half and it is hard to believe this will be the last pictures as a family of 4!

The BEST part of pregnancy for me has always been feeling the baby move! It's the one thing I will miss and have noticed I'm hanging on to the most being that this is our last baby. Unfortunately, I have an anterior placenta this time so I don't feel baby as much as I did with Liam and Lyla's pregnancies. It has made it difficult for the kids to feel the baby move much or to document any videos of it. I swear baby knows when I put a hand on my tummy or hit the record button because the movement immediately stops. haha Little stinker!  

 We are all getting so excited to meet this baby! It feels so real to see the daily countdown now be at 52 days left! The biggest question besides when will I go into labor is who will we get to meet in the end, boy or girl?! We are all so curious and excited for that surprise! Liam and Lyla are set on a girl. Liam, because he wants to keep him and dad as the only boys in the family (which I think is really sweet that he'd want another little sister and loves his time with his dad so much) and Lyla, maybe because she already has a brother? Wants to dress up her sister like a dolly? Wants a best friend who loves all the girly things she does? I'm not sure! haha I do know however she is loving testing out all of the baby's things just like Liam did when she was born. She also needed convincing that we weren't having one of each gender ... dad wasn't carrying the boy baby in his tummy and mom, the girl baby in hers. haha It's so hard to understand at that age. We are just crossing our fingers that there is no disappointment from either of them if this baby is in fact a boy! 

I thought it would be fun to look at some gender predictions like I did before Lyla's 20 week ultrasound and see if they turn out to lean one way or the other?!

- Gender Predictions -  

Nausea ...

Lots (girl) None (boy) | GIRL

Baby's Heart Rate ... 

Above 140 bpm (girl) or Under 140 bpm (boy) | GIRL

Chinese Gender Calendar ... 

Based on age and month of conception | BOY

Mayan Predictor ...

Based on age and year of conception, both even or odd (girl) or one even and one odd (boy) | GIRL 

Carrying Baby ...
High (girl) or Low (boy) | GIRL

Cravings ...

Fruit & sweets (girl) or Meat & cheese & salty (boy) | GIRL

Chest ...

Not grown (girl) or Has grown (boy) | BOY

Ask a Little Boy ...

If a little boy (ahem, Liam) shows interest in my pregnant belly (girl) or Not interested (boy) | GIRL

Observe Your Curves ...

Face is rounder (girl) or Bum is rounder (boy) | GIRL

Ring on a String ...

Swings in a circle (girl) or Swings side to side (boy) | BOY

7 predict baby girl and 3 predict baby boy so we'll see! Last but not least ... all of my baby's ultrasound pictures in a row! Who do you think baby looks more like, Liam or Lyla?!

June

 Well, thank goodness for semi-waterproof phones these days because I dropped it in the lake this morning and fingers crossed, it is still working! Especially because I haven't gotten all of the videos and pictures from the last month off of it yet. 

Here are some June favorites ...

 Lyla suddenly became obsessed with wearing Uncle Brendan's old football jersey. It goes down to her ankles and is the cutest on her! She is my coordinated athletic one and has the best hand-eye. Can't wait to get her in her first soccer season for the fall and maybe she'll be interested in trying flag football in the next year or two?!

More puzzles on a Sunday afternoon. ;)

From a hot morning at the playground ... this particular one has cool animals and critters carved into the rocks to find! 

Man she's cute!!!

Passed my dreaded glucose test last month! It always feels so good to check off that box of pregnancy. It gives me the worst headache and shakes afterwards. 

This year versus two years ago ...

I took a three credit professional development class for my teaching recertification in May and June and man did it teach me to be so grateful that Nic and I finished our degrees before having children. It took a major toll mentally and emotionally on me until I got it completed. If I tried working on it after the kids went to bed, it kept me up all night thinking about the task I was working on but if I tried to work on it during quiet time, I was interrupted every 5 minutes for snacks, potty help, switching a movie, etc. and I never really made any real progress. So thankful to have it behind me! One more class sometime in the next year and I'll be good for another 5 years. Just need to get over my PTSD before I start the next one. haha

The sweetest neighbor brought me this vase filled with beautiful peonies from her garden! It lived on my counter for one day before everyone in my family noticed spiders coming from the petals and crawling across the countertop and it was banned from the kitchen. haha 

We finally went back to church in person after watching from home for over a year! Liam grew so much his tie is a foot too short and Lyla is no longer in nursery anymore! 

It's amazing what a small change can do to a space ... I got these citrus stems from Target and they make me smile every time I walk past our entryway!

New birthday slippers have been heaven for my pregnant swollen feet!

Baby #3

 Surprise!!!

We couldn't be more excited to be expecting a new baby into our family! Considering I am already halfway through this pregnancy, I thought it was about time to share some updates along with the journey we've been on so far.

If I'm being honest, we didn't come to this decision quickly or lightly. Working through some health trials over the last couple of years, I was always on some form of medication or shot treatment that made it unsafe to get pregnant. We also had our boy and our girl, what more could we ask for?! I just knew in my heart that there was one more baby waiting for us. When the timing finally felt right, we were pregnant a month later! The moment I was able to take a pregnancy test I already knew that sweet baby was joining our family. I think when you put off a decision like that where it was God's will all along, He quickly gave us this baby before we dared change our minds. haha The symptoms came swiftly too ... exhaustion, sore chest, nausea, and acid reflux ... but the comfort they brought along with them knowing that it meant this baby was thriving made me so grateful! 

I remember walking around a Target in early January on a Saturday with my family feeling like absolute death so I grabbed a pregnancy test while we were there. You'd think it was my first time taking one because it took three different grocery store runs to take a test with any kind of result. haha 

I've always taken the tests that have one line for negative or two lines for positive so it was so fun taking one that immediately said "PREGNANT"! That was also the last time these jeans fit ... haha

Telling our kids will go down as one of my all time favorite memories! We wrapped these "big brother" "big sister" books for them to open and had Liam read the cover of both out loud. They still didn't figure it out on their own but they both jumped up and down on the couch with excitement when we said, "Mommy has a baby in her tummy!" They had so much fun telling grandparents, friends, and anyone at the grocery store who would listen, that our family is having another baby! We asked them if they wanted a boy or a girl and Lyla has held to a girl baby while Liam changed from girl to boy now. I think a sister is all he has ever known so the thought of a brother is kind of a crazy concept for him. I know they will be the best big siblings ever and I can't wait for them to feel the baby move. I also get so teary eyed thinking about the moment they'll meet this baby for the first time. Lyla says every day, "I'm having a hard time waiting for my baby." haha <3

It has been hard switching physicians since I delivered my last two babies with one I loved but one of the biggest blessings of being seen in an OB hospital clinic is the many ultrasounds we've had so far! Our first one was only 8 weeks along. Look at this tiny little thing! Hearing that heartbeat for the first time too (155 bpm) made my own heart soar! 

Then again at 9 weeks when we saw the doctor for the first time ... (baby was already doing kicks and squirming around a ton in there!)

And again at 13 weeks ... it was incredible seeing how much the baby grew and changed between doctor visits. 

From week 5 to week 16 I truly felt like I had a terrible case of food poisoning. Everything in the world around me smelled terrible and I ate plain kodiak pancakes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Some days I'd throw up and the rest I'd just live with debilitating nausea. Survival mode describes it best. I was so grateful to have Nic working from home (he was always coming to my rescue and helping in any way he could from cooking to cleaning our house and everything in between), I truly couldn't have done it without him. I was also rescued many times by family and friends who'd come pick up our kids and keep them entertained while I rested. It takes a village and I'm grateful for mine!

Even when the nausea finally faded at that 16 week mark it was traded for some severe acid reflux. I tried a couple different medications before finding one that has its limits but helps more than the rest. I've had off and on tailbone pain already where my legs will suddenly give out? So weird. One of the biggest struggles this time is lack of sleep. I think I might be getting more when we have a newborn in our house than I am right now honestly. ALL OF IT is worth it though and we can't wait to meet this adorable little person in September!

I felt a few little flutters for the first time at 16 weeks but it was very sporadic after that. It was hard not comparing it to Lyla's pregnancy where I felt her kick at 15 weeks and it was very consistent after that. It added to some anxiety I was working through but we had our anatomy ultrasound last week and it was a giant weight off my shoulders when we learned that baby is healthy and doing so well! As I suspected, I have an anterior placenta this time which is why I haven't felt the baby move consistently up until this point.

We had the sweetest and best ultrasound tech who explained every little detail of what she was looking at. Baby was practically bent in half and facing my spine most of the ultrasound (the position looked so uncomfortable!) and she had to keep bouncing the wand up and down on my stomach to see if she could get some movement to get the pictures she needed. We got to bring home so many cute profile pictures of that little tucked chin and tiny nose! Thanks to a moment of crossed legs and eventually the monitor being turned away, we made it out of there without finding out the gender ... a dream I've had with all of our pregnancies and I'm so excited for that surprise on delivery day!!! Nic joked that he was going to ask her to kick the garbage can for a girl or knock on the door for a boy on her way out of the room. haha He really wanted to know but there is just no way he could keep it from me without accidentally slipping up in some way, I just know it. I'm grateful he is on board with it being a surprise this time! 

Baby is due September 19th making us 21 weeks right now! Trying my best to soak up the time while also being grateful that we are over halfway there. It will be one hot summer! ;)