Where We're At
The past two days have created a "time standing still" feeling around our house-- L, N, and M have all had stomach flu, so we've abandoned all semblance of a daily schedule. N didn't go to school yesterday, the TV has been on pretty much nonstop (nobody feels up to doing much else), and we haven't really been eating meals-- everybody eats whatever sounds good, whenever they feel like it. I feel like I'm in an endless cycle of disinfecting every surface and washing all of the soiled sheets, pj's, blankies, and teddy bears in hot water. I'm running on little sleep and feeling a little queasy myself this morning... so that's why I chose to put the TV on for the girls yet again and sit down for a blogging break. At least I seem to have a "strong constitution" (as they say in my favorite Jane Austen novels) so although the stomach flu has visited our house more times than I can count in the past two years or so, I never seem to get sick myself, or I only get a mild case. (Knock on wood!! Please Lord, don't let this be the time that I really get sick!!) I'm thankful that at least all the cleaning up seems to be behind us, and everyone in the house seems to be getting better.
So, while I'm sitting, I'll give you a few updates...
As you can see by the ticker above, I'm approaching 29 weeks and still feeling pretty spry. At my last appointment (25 weeks) I measured a 13 pound total weight gain for the pregnancy so far. I'm not sure where I was as far as weight gain at 25 weeks in my last two pregnancies, but I can tell you that I certainly feel less "pregnant" than I remember feeling the last time around. With L I started to feel pretty huge around week 28. I remember things like having a really tough time getting up out of a chair, making a huge effort to climb stairs, and having trouble lifting my 20-pound toddler. This time, not so much. I certainly feel that extra 13 pounds of weight, but I'm still able to function pretty well and be active with my kids. So I'm certainly happy to be feeling fairly strong and able... slowing down is not really an option for a mommy of two active little girls!
I'm so thankful that my daily 2.4-mile run is still happening. Running still feels fine, albeit slow. The only thing that's stopping me from running a longer route is my bladder!! These days I really have to run first thing in the morning before I've had anything to drink, otherwise it's a choice between having a mommy accident or a quick sprint into the woods. I'm looking forward to keeping as active as I can.
(Disclaimer for Baby 3, if she ever reads this in the future: I can't wait to meet you and I'm so excited to love you and watch you grow into a beautiful little girl. You are already precious to me!)
Okay, so... there are days when I'm still feeling pretty overwhelmed about the prospect of handling 3 children under the age of 4. More than anything, I just fear that there won't be enough of me to go around. I'm so busy now, I really can't even comprehend what it will be like to add a new baby to the mix. I suppose these thoughts are normal, and I'm sure that God will give me strength and help when I need it. One thing is for sure: I think my expectations surrounding our life adjustment to this baby are completely different than they were with the first two. N was my first, so of course I was clueless about life with a newborn. With L, I expected that the adjustment would be easier since I had done it all before. Not so much. But this time around, I'm expecting chaos. I'm expecting that I will be beyond exhausted, grouchy, snippy, overwhelmed, and perhaps a little weepy (at least at first). I'm expecting the older two girls to have a tough time adjusting. I'm expecting the house to be a mess and the laundry to pile up with me powerless to stop it. I'm not counting on the new baby sleeping well. I'm half-expecting a colicky baby. So.... if I'm predicting all of these things, rather than assuming that I'll be able to handle it like a pro, perhaps there's a small chance that I'm actually more mentally prepared this time for the reality of the situation. I guess only time will tell.
On to the big girls' updates!
N is still loving preschool and it's really neat to see her blossoming there. She's already learned lots of letters and has dozens of new experiences to talk about all the time. She's always so excited in the morning when I tell her it's a preschool day. She's still super helpful at home; I'm trying to encourage even more independence from her, and lately we've been talking about how I will need her help a lot when I'm busy taking care of the new baby. I don't know if it's just this week with all the sickness, but she has been having a lot of fears at night-time and coming in to join us in our bed. We're trying to work out how to solve this problem, since there is less room for three in the bed as I get bigger, and I'm really cherishing my sleep in these last months before the new baby. She's pretty good about getting back in her own bed if I get up and take her back in, but I'm too exhausted to do that half the time, so I find I'm encouraging the habit. The more I allow her in the bed, the more she seems to get up in the night. Anyway, she certainly has an active imagination, especially at night! That active imagination really makes it a joy to play with her and hear her talk and create new things. Some of the things that come out of her mouth these days seem so grown up! She's a great little companion.
L has done some real growing up in the last month or so too. We seem to be getting past some of the more difficult behaviors of the 12-18 month age. I feel like she's understanding my verbal requests a lot more lately. She will do things like share with sister if I ask her, give back things (like sister's sippy cups) that she has taken, and sometimes she will stop doing the dangerous activity she's doing with a simple verbal request now instead of me having to physically remove her from danger. I'm certainly glad this is happening; it will make managing her when I'm stuck in the chair nursing a lot easier!! She seems to be doing a little better separating from Mommy (except, of course, this week when she's been sick). We've had a lot of success in the church nursery lately. She really keeps us all smiling with her sense of humor and funny activities. One of the cutest things she's been doing lately is a little tiptoe dance when she gets really excited. The other day when we brought home one of her favorite videos from the library (Kipper the Dog) she was dancing around the house on tiptoes, saying "Kip! Kip! Kip!" I'll try to get it on video one of these days.
I'll close with a picture of the girls from last week, all ready to go out in the rain.
So, while I'm sitting, I'll give you a few updates...
As you can see by the ticker above, I'm approaching 29 weeks and still feeling pretty spry. At my last appointment (25 weeks) I measured a 13 pound total weight gain for the pregnancy so far. I'm not sure where I was as far as weight gain at 25 weeks in my last two pregnancies, but I can tell you that I certainly feel less "pregnant" than I remember feeling the last time around. With L I started to feel pretty huge around week 28. I remember things like having a really tough time getting up out of a chair, making a huge effort to climb stairs, and having trouble lifting my 20-pound toddler. This time, not so much. I certainly feel that extra 13 pounds of weight, but I'm still able to function pretty well and be active with my kids. So I'm certainly happy to be feeling fairly strong and able... slowing down is not really an option for a mommy of two active little girls!
I'm so thankful that my daily 2.4-mile run is still happening. Running still feels fine, albeit slow. The only thing that's stopping me from running a longer route is my bladder!! These days I really have to run first thing in the morning before I've had anything to drink, otherwise it's a choice between having a mommy accident or a quick sprint into the woods. I'm looking forward to keeping as active as I can.
(Disclaimer for Baby 3, if she ever reads this in the future: I can't wait to meet you and I'm so excited to love you and watch you grow into a beautiful little girl. You are already precious to me!)
Okay, so... there are days when I'm still feeling pretty overwhelmed about the prospect of handling 3 children under the age of 4. More than anything, I just fear that there won't be enough of me to go around. I'm so busy now, I really can't even comprehend what it will be like to add a new baby to the mix. I suppose these thoughts are normal, and I'm sure that God will give me strength and help when I need it. One thing is for sure: I think my expectations surrounding our life adjustment to this baby are completely different than they were with the first two. N was my first, so of course I was clueless about life with a newborn. With L, I expected that the adjustment would be easier since I had done it all before. Not so much. But this time around, I'm expecting chaos. I'm expecting that I will be beyond exhausted, grouchy, snippy, overwhelmed, and perhaps a little weepy (at least at first). I'm expecting the older two girls to have a tough time adjusting. I'm expecting the house to be a mess and the laundry to pile up with me powerless to stop it. I'm not counting on the new baby sleeping well. I'm half-expecting a colicky baby. So.... if I'm predicting all of these things, rather than assuming that I'll be able to handle it like a pro, perhaps there's a small chance that I'm actually more mentally prepared this time for the reality of the situation. I guess only time will tell.
On to the big girls' updates!
N is still loving preschool and it's really neat to see her blossoming there. She's already learned lots of letters and has dozens of new experiences to talk about all the time. She's always so excited in the morning when I tell her it's a preschool day. She's still super helpful at home; I'm trying to encourage even more independence from her, and lately we've been talking about how I will need her help a lot when I'm busy taking care of the new baby. I don't know if it's just this week with all the sickness, but she has been having a lot of fears at night-time and coming in to join us in our bed. We're trying to work out how to solve this problem, since there is less room for three in the bed as I get bigger, and I'm really cherishing my sleep in these last months before the new baby. She's pretty good about getting back in her own bed if I get up and take her back in, but I'm too exhausted to do that half the time, so I find I'm encouraging the habit. The more I allow her in the bed, the more she seems to get up in the night. Anyway, she certainly has an active imagination, especially at night! That active imagination really makes it a joy to play with her and hear her talk and create new things. Some of the things that come out of her mouth these days seem so grown up! She's a great little companion.
L has done some real growing up in the last month or so too. We seem to be getting past some of the more difficult behaviors of the 12-18 month age. I feel like she's understanding my verbal requests a lot more lately. She will do things like share with sister if I ask her, give back things (like sister's sippy cups) that she has taken, and sometimes she will stop doing the dangerous activity she's doing with a simple verbal request now instead of me having to physically remove her from danger. I'm certainly glad this is happening; it will make managing her when I'm stuck in the chair nursing a lot easier!! She seems to be doing a little better separating from Mommy (except, of course, this week when she's been sick). We've had a lot of success in the church nursery lately. She really keeps us all smiling with her sense of humor and funny activities. One of the cutest things she's been doing lately is a little tiptoe dance when she gets really excited. The other day when we brought home one of her favorite videos from the library (Kipper the Dog) she was dancing around the house on tiptoes, saying "Kip! Kip! Kip!" I'll try to get it on video one of these days.
I'll close with a picture of the girls from last week, all ready to go out in the rain.
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