Round 1: Will
When I was pregnant with Will I remember everything was exciting and weird and new (even the strange cravings and aversions--although first trimesters are never fun). I was busy finishing my last semester of college, walked to and from campus most days, did a Zumba class with my sister (where she told me that I looked like Winnie the Pooh when I danced), and sang in the BYU Women's chorus. I remember trying on my first pair of maternity jeans and it changed my life. I remember thinking I finally looked pregnant but some of my professors apparently couldn't even tell even though I was 6 months along. I remember going to Babies R Us, starting to register and after 2 items had to leave the store because it was just too overwhelming (how many kinds of carseats and strollers are there??). I read What to Expect When You're Expecting a lot and I googled what fruit/vegetable my baby was each week of pregnancy. I remember being really tired by the end of the semester because I was 7 months pregnant. I craved pigs in a blanket and corn dogs (giant pigs in a blanket!) third trimester. At 39 weeks I went to my doctor appointment where they checked my progress, told me I'd probably be another week, and I cried on my drive home because now that I was out of school, the holidays were over and I had nothing left to focus on besides baby coming, I was really tired of being pregnant. Then I went into labor that night. Smooth pregnancy, smooth labor and delivery.
7 lbs 12 oz, 19 inches long.
Parenthood had begun.
Round 2: Emma
Will was so little when I was first pregnant with Emma! First trimester we basically spent watching Cars, taking morning and afternoon naps (thank goodness he still needed both) and every afternoon before Taylor got home we'd take a walk to the mailbox and stall at every bush, rock, crack in the sidewalk, bike rack, or anything else that would distract Will with minimal effort. I lived off of bagels and cream cheese (strawberry cream cheese was my favorite) and even went through an Eggo waffles and cream cheese phase. When we found out we were having a girl I was so excited! Then I had a baby shower and came home with more pink, lace, and frills than I knew what to do with. We were living in a one bedroom apartment and our lease would be up shortly before Emma's due date so we spent a good amount of time trying to find a bigger place to live. We ended up moving 1 week before I had Emma and thank goodness for our ward. Taylor was out of town the week before we moved so the Relief Society came and packed up my apartment and our friends came the day of to help us pack and unpack the truck. Then people helped me throughout the following week to unpack and get the house ready for baby to come. Meanwhile, my OB let me know she was going to be out of town the week of my due date and gave me the option of waiting and using one of the doctors she had on call or getting induced at 39 weeks. I was hoping that I would just go into labor early like I did with Will (I even had some pretty consistent contractions one night... that didn't turn into anything) but in the end decided to get induced.
8 lbs even, 20 3/4 inches long.
Round 3: Luke
I was completely and totally useless first trimester. I remember it hit me the day after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving day- stuffing was basically food from the gods. The day after- I couldn't even stand to think about it. From then until mid-January I was so tired, hated ALL food, laid on the couch every day, and watched a lot of Hallmark Christmas movies. Taylor did all the Christmas shopping and my Christmas miracle was that I made it through all my Christmas music commitments including several bell choir performances and planning and putting together the Christmas program for church. It was a rough month and a half but thankfully Taylor is an A+ husband and totally stepped up. I'm pretty lucky. After that first trimester I felt good and cute pregnant for like 3 weeks. Then I just felt HUGE and uncomfortable. My feet and ankles were always swollen, I gained a ton of weight, it was HOT. all. the. time. and I could only sleep comfortably sitting up on the couch for 3 months. It was a rough pregnancy. When I went in for my appointment around 37 weeks my doctor did an ultrasound and estimated that the baby would be about 9 pounds if he was born at 39 weeks. Yikes! So we decided to get induced at 39 weeks. And hallelujah I'm glad I did. I was SO done with pregnancy and despite my labor going extremely smoothly, Luke ended up being huge. You know your newborn is big when even the doctors and nurses are surprised at how big he is.
9 lbs 14 oz, 21 1/2 inches long.
Round 4: Currently nameless baby boy
This has been an interesting pregnancy. Although we are excited to bring another little boy into our family, the novelty of pregnancy certainly wore off quickly this time around. First trimester was really similar to my first trimester with Luke: tired, nauseous, and basically useless. (Cue super-husband Taylor.) When second trimester hit all of a sudden I felt really energized. I even started running again. (What?!) Super slow running and only like 2 mile runs but still, more than anything I've done in my other pregnancies! It was really weird but kind of nice to feel physically useful again. Around 26 weeks my balance just felt too off and my belly too big to keep running so I switched to walking (which I'm totally fine with). Physically, it's been a surprisingly good pregnancy. However, the hormonal mood swings have been rough--a crazy roller coaster of ups and angry, mean, irrational, ugly-crying downs. For example, last week marked the first time in all my pregnancies where I've had a total meltdown in front of a stranger (tears and everything). After a long morning of waiting rooms, a doctor's appointment, and trying to get to the hospital for a (routine) blood test, I finally started the hospital registration process only to learn that I had left an important piece of paper at home. Which meant that not only did I have to go home and then come back (20 minute drive each way) to get the blood test done (which I knew would take about an hour and a half by itself) but I also needed to ask my babysitter to stay a couple hours longer or possibly find someone else for later in the day. Oh, and did I mention Taylor was out of town? Yeah. That little missing piece of paper was the final straw and before I could make a graceful exit to go home I totally broke down crying in front of the woman that was doing my hospital registration. And there was absolutely nothing I could do about it because... hormones. Thankfully my babysitter was an angel and pretended like it was no big deal to stay longer, I ate some lunch, and headed back to the hospital. My whole day seemed to have been wasted but at least everything worked out.
Now I'm 29 weeks and assuming I get induced early again (which I probably will be) I'm preparing myself for just 10 more weeks of pregnancy! Hooray! I've fully embraced taking daily naps and accepting frequent playdate invitations for my kids. Growing a human while raising 3 other little humans is a lot of work. Wish me luck! And feel free to tell me how awesome I am whenever you want (or better yet, how much you love babysitting my children while I take a nap!) ;)
When I was pregnant with Will I remember everything was exciting and weird and new (even the strange cravings and aversions--although first trimesters are never fun). I was busy finishing my last semester of college, walked to and from campus most days, did a Zumba class with my sister (where she told me that I looked like Winnie the Pooh when I danced), and sang in the BYU Women's chorus. I remember trying on my first pair of maternity jeans and it changed my life. I remember thinking I finally looked pregnant but some of my professors apparently couldn't even tell even though I was 6 months along. I remember going to Babies R Us, starting to register and after 2 items had to leave the store because it was just too overwhelming (how many kinds of carseats and strollers are there??). I read What to Expect When You're Expecting a lot and I googled what fruit/vegetable my baby was each week of pregnancy. I remember being really tired by the end of the semester because I was 7 months pregnant. I craved pigs in a blanket and corn dogs (giant pigs in a blanket!) third trimester. At 39 weeks I went to my doctor appointment where they checked my progress, told me I'd probably be another week, and I cried on my drive home because now that I was out of school, the holidays were over and I had nothing left to focus on besides baby coming, I was really tired of being pregnant. Then I went into labor that night. Smooth pregnancy, smooth labor and delivery.
7 lbs 12 oz, 19 inches long.
Parenthood had begun.
Round 2: Emma
Will was so little when I was first pregnant with Emma! First trimester we basically spent watching Cars, taking morning and afternoon naps (thank goodness he still needed both) and every afternoon before Taylor got home we'd take a walk to the mailbox and stall at every bush, rock, crack in the sidewalk, bike rack, or anything else that would distract Will with minimal effort. I lived off of bagels and cream cheese (strawberry cream cheese was my favorite) and even went through an Eggo waffles and cream cheese phase. When we found out we were having a girl I was so excited! Then I had a baby shower and came home with more pink, lace, and frills than I knew what to do with. We were living in a one bedroom apartment and our lease would be up shortly before Emma's due date so we spent a good amount of time trying to find a bigger place to live. We ended up moving 1 week before I had Emma and thank goodness for our ward. Taylor was out of town the week before we moved so the Relief Society came and packed up my apartment and our friends came the day of to help us pack and unpack the truck. Then people helped me throughout the following week to unpack and get the house ready for baby to come. Meanwhile, my OB let me know she was going to be out of town the week of my due date and gave me the option of waiting and using one of the doctors she had on call or getting induced at 39 weeks. I was hoping that I would just go into labor early like I did with Will (I even had some pretty consistent contractions one night... that didn't turn into anything) but in the end decided to get induced.
8 lbs even, 20 3/4 inches long.
Round 3: Luke
I was completely and totally useless first trimester. I remember it hit me the day after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving day- stuffing was basically food from the gods. The day after- I couldn't even stand to think about it. From then until mid-January I was so tired, hated ALL food, laid on the couch every day, and watched a lot of Hallmark Christmas movies. Taylor did all the Christmas shopping and my Christmas miracle was that I made it through all my Christmas music commitments including several bell choir performances and planning and putting together the Christmas program for church. It was a rough month and a half but thankfully Taylor is an A+ husband and totally stepped up. I'm pretty lucky. After that first trimester I felt good and cute pregnant for like 3 weeks. Then I just felt HUGE and uncomfortable. My feet and ankles were always swollen, I gained a ton of weight, it was HOT. all. the. time. and I could only sleep comfortably sitting up on the couch for 3 months. It was a rough pregnancy. When I went in for my appointment around 37 weeks my doctor did an ultrasound and estimated that the baby would be about 9 pounds if he was born at 39 weeks. Yikes! So we decided to get induced at 39 weeks. And hallelujah I'm glad I did. I was SO done with pregnancy and despite my labor going extremely smoothly, Luke ended up being huge. You know your newborn is big when even the doctors and nurses are surprised at how big he is.
9 lbs 14 oz, 21 1/2 inches long.
Round 4: Currently nameless baby boy
This has been an interesting pregnancy. Although we are excited to bring another little boy into our family, the novelty of pregnancy certainly wore off quickly this time around. First trimester was really similar to my first trimester with Luke: tired, nauseous, and basically useless. (Cue super-husband Taylor.) When second trimester hit all of a sudden I felt really energized. I even started running again. (What?!) Super slow running and only like 2 mile runs but still, more than anything I've done in my other pregnancies! It was really weird but kind of nice to feel physically useful again. Around 26 weeks my balance just felt too off and my belly too big to keep running so I switched to walking (which I'm totally fine with). Physically, it's been a surprisingly good pregnancy. However, the hormonal mood swings have been rough--a crazy roller coaster of ups and angry, mean, irrational, ugly-crying downs. For example, last week marked the first time in all my pregnancies where I've had a total meltdown in front of a stranger (tears and everything). After a long morning of waiting rooms, a doctor's appointment, and trying to get to the hospital for a (routine) blood test, I finally started the hospital registration process only to learn that I had left an important piece of paper at home. Which meant that not only did I have to go home and then come back (20 minute drive each way) to get the blood test done (which I knew would take about an hour and a half by itself) but I also needed to ask my babysitter to stay a couple hours longer or possibly find someone else for later in the day. Oh, and did I mention Taylor was out of town? Yeah. That little missing piece of paper was the final straw and before I could make a graceful exit to go home I totally broke down crying in front of the woman that was doing my hospital registration. And there was absolutely nothing I could do about it because... hormones. Thankfully my babysitter was an angel and pretended like it was no big deal to stay longer, I ate some lunch, and headed back to the hospital. My whole day seemed to have been wasted but at least everything worked out.
Now I'm 29 weeks and assuming I get induced early again (which I probably will be) I'm preparing myself for just 10 more weeks of pregnancy! Hooray! I've fully embraced taking daily naps and accepting frequent playdate invitations for my kids. Growing a human while raising 3 other little humans is a lot of work. Wish me luck! And feel free to tell me how awesome I am whenever you want (or better yet, how much you love babysitting my children while I take a nap!) ;)
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