Well hey there baby!

So it's been a long time since I've done a blog post.  I just don't really have time.  The desk top is down in the office which is pretty secluded from the boys upstairs.... we did that on purpose so Nate could focus on his masters classes without being interrupted as much... and I don't like doing anything that takes more than a few minutes on the tablet because I just don't know if I will ever transition to be touch screen fluent.  So I rarely respond to emails in a timely fashion unless it's very important etc because when I get a few minutes to myself I would usually rather do anything else than what it is I actually should do.  But anyway, here it goes!  I wanted to do something other than just posting on Facebook every few weeks.  Ok that's really only because I read a lot of pregnancy blogs, looking for inspiration on how to better this pregnancy as compared to my other two in hopes of it being healthier.  These mammas that blog years and years of their lives, their words and thoughts just seem to flow and they never miss a beat.  I don't aspire to that, but if I could commit to a 365 day photo blog some handful of years ago, surely I can get some thoughts out other than "13 weeks!!!!(and many more exclamation points)"

So that's where we are. 13 weeks!!!!!!! Note the exclamation points!  Hello second trimester!

I still sometimes forget I am even pregnant.  Why?  Who forgets that?  Well when it takes two years of trying for the first baby, and almost another two years of trying for the second baby, and then with only one post partum cycle behind you, you're holding a positive pregnancy test, you tend to forget that you're not still trying for another two years.... because holy crap you're pregnant!  And not only that, but already 13 weeks now!  As in fully developed arms and legs, looks like a human, about to really start showing, not too long before you start feeling movement pregnant!

So that was a bit of a surprise :)  I knew I had wanted to get to Elliott's first birthday before even really thinking about a third baby.  Most of my friends have reported a loss of milk supply while still nursing and getting pregnant, and it was important to me that Elliott get that first year in (P.S I'm still nursing him to date which is awesome).  My period also hadn't returned yet so it wasn't much of an issue waiting really... though I admit when my friend's sweet baby girl was born in March I won't say I wasn't already thinking about it!  In September, everything started back up and I thought "ok well next month is Elliott's birthday so I'll just see how that goes after not having it for 11 months"  If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans!

Due Date:  July 20th, 2016!

Thankfully it seems like the beginning of my pregnancies are rather consistent and uneventful.  I don't really get any morning sickness.  With Oliver I was queasy for a few hours in the morning until I could eat and then I was usually good to go.  With Elliott I was always ridiculously hungry to the point where if I wasn't eating I would feel awful, so I just ate, and ate, and ate.  Did I mention it felt ridiculous!  With both, that subsided by about 10 weeks.  This time it was the same concept just a little more tame starting at about 6 weeks and now it's pretty much gone.  Though this baby is really back and forth on what it does or doesn't want me to eat.  I can eat fish sticks, but even the thoughts of salmon or anything like that as a meal really bothers me.  Nate has decided to call this one Spaghetti Baby, because I've eaten spaghetti the last three days for dinner and I LOVE it!!!

6 weeks

I kept this to myself for a while I think because I was just so surprised it happened right away so I kind of wanted to have something only we knew for just a little while.  Also... the reality of something very important to this one still comes and goes.  I've had two C-sections.  This one really really really needs not to be.  It's what I had wanted for Elliott, but at 39 weeks I still hadn't gone into labor and my blood pressure was high so I went ahead and agreed to the csection.  I spent a few weeks calling one practice at a time, with a few days in between because hearing "no we can't do that, it's too risky" would make my head spin every time.  I must have called 10 practices.  When all this was just a theory, I had been in touch through facebook with our local birth center to see if they had any suggestions of where to look into.  They had said they were actually taking VBA2C (Vaginal Birth after two Cesareans) on a case by case basis and to get back in touch with them when I was ready.  I procrastinated calling them, because I thought for sure there was no way possible it would ever work out.  But having heard so many no answers already, I figured I didn't have anything to lose so I dialed the number.  right away they referred me to a practice that they refer all their VBAC patients to and said to go through them first.  So again, I called not terribly hopeful.  The receptionist on the phone started taking down my information right away, including the fact that I had had two prior C-sections which she made not a single comment on.... at that point I saw a light.  I made an appointment for 8 weeks figuring if nothing else I would start there since it was not a no!

8 Weeks 2 Days... heartbeat 177!

And there I have stayed and feel like it's my best chance!  Both doctor's I've seen so far have given me the go ahead that if all is healthy and I go into labor by 41 weeks that I can "absolutely have a VBAC if I want to"  Not one mention of increased risk, not one "it's unlikely so you shouldn't count on it"

So if anyone prays for anything... pray for healthy, no high blood pressure, no pre-eclampsia, and major prayers for going into labor by 41 weeks.  I feel like if I've gotten this far, I can handle anything if I can just get there!

We told our families on Christmas day.  Nate's family in the morning and my family in the evening.  My family was the best reaction I've gotten from any of the three pregnancies from anyone.  It really was almost YouTube worthy, but I mostly think those are silly and of course since it was a surprise, no one was filming it anyway!

This was the last gift of the evening to my Grandmother.  A frame with all her great grandchildren in it... Oliver, Elliott, my niece Lyla, and the new baby picture says "I'm on my way" with the due date!  It took her a minute of looking at it and I was thinking my sister was going to get it first, she may have, but then all of a sudden my Grandmother yells "WHAT!?!?!"  And of course some others had been waiting to see what the gift was and my mom starts yelling "WHAT??"  Pretty much everyone in the room took their turns yelling that :)  It was crazy, but so fun!  And I must say that the pictures of the boys and Lyla look rather beautiful themselves!  So that was at 10 weeks.

I started exercising last week.  When I was pregnant with Elliott I did physical therapy for pain in my leg (with Oliver it started at 14 weeks, with Elliott a grand old early 10 weeks)  but that was about as active as I was which hardly counted.  I know I need to do better this time.  So for 30 minutes a day during Elliott's first nap, Oliver and I do exercise time.  Sometimes he does it, sometimes he doesn't.  I already feel so much better.  I don't feel so much like sludge anymore and I think I sleep better.  I was just dragging my feet the weeks before that because I didn't want to.  So far I've only felt twinges in my left leg, but fingers crossed it stays at that maybe with being a little healthier this time!

12 weeks

At my first trimester screening....

12 weeks 5 days... heart beat 161

This picture took an hour and a half to get!  The baby was straight up and down, which is not at all a good position for them to measure what they need to.  So I walked, I sat, I drank water until I was about to explode, I was on my left side, then my right.  Finally, when she was about to give up on me and make me reschedule, we tried one more time and sure enough the baby had flipped and she was able to get what she needed!  Stubborn much??  I remember having to go back for that test with Oliver because they couldn't measure his nasal bone, which obviously he has :)

As a side note.... all these years I could have died of Rubella apparently!!  the midwife who I saw read off all my blood work results and said that I was negative for the antibodies for Rubella which means my vaccine didn't take when I was young.  She said it was common in late 1980's vaccines, which I would have been like 1988 so there ya go!  Nice!

Annnnyway.... so that about brings up to date.  I've been a little more tired this week, but overall feeling pretty good.  And I *might* be feeling some movement when I sit or lay on my side.  I was 15 weeks when I started feeling Oliver move and 18 with Elliott, so given this is the third baby and I know exactly what I'm feeling for I wouldn't be terribly surprised if it's earlier.  Fun stuff! 

Thanks for hangin in there for a long first post.  Anything to follow shouldn't be this long :)  Until then!