Week 33!

Here we are at week 33 and my kids love to talk about my "fat tummy." I would be offended if my tummy weren't full of baby, but considering it IS all Hannah I find it super funny. It's kind of a joke around here ever since Elizabeth started saying she "loves my fat belly." She really does love it and gives me lots of hugs and cuddles. She was even screaming for Hannah the other day at bed time. She's uber jealous that Gabriel and Josiah share a room and she doesn't have anyone to share with her. She asks every night to go sleep in the boy's room. We have let her "try" a few nights but it never works. She is too wild and keeps the boys awake and out of bed. So our attempts to allow her to share a room with them always ends up with screams and crying when she is relocated back to her own bed. This is when she screams for Hannah -- lol. She doesn't realize Hannah will be in mommy and daddy's room for quite a long while!

At 33 weeks I'm already wanting Hannah here as well. She takes up a lot of space in my belly and moves constantly! Her growing self also brings with it horrible heart burn that keeps me up, lots of night time potty breaks, and constant changing positions while I attempt sleep. Hannah literally moves 24/7, so I end up moving a whole lot at night to prevent her from hurting me. I turn to one side and she kicks that side, move to the other side and she's kicking there, roll over on my back and she's under my ribs pretty quick. I've not had a baby move THIS much that I can remember. I'm not sure she sleeps honestly. So I can't wait to see what her personality is like! Josiah was pretty calm in the womb and he is pretty chill now. Liz was a cuddler (liked to cuddle under my rib cage) and she's still known to want to snuggle. Gabriel I remember kicking a lot and he was also a strong little screamer-- yikes! That is all I need to add to my crazy life is a screaming bambino-- lol. Let us just hope she is wild (or social) and not irritable/fussy/colicky! A social bee would fit in nicely with Liz. Here is to hoping. It is amazing to me that they come out with personalities. You get to literally meet your children and learn to accept them for who they are. I don't think I will get over that fact. It is not like you have little drones that you can control and mold into who you would like them to be. Instead you have a personality that you have the opportunity to watch flourish before your eyes. Yes of course you train them to be nice little people that can function well in society, but they are who they are and how they will deal with situations in their lives seems already engrained. Of course you will teach them how to obey rules, but how they obey those rules is already in there. Will they be compliant or will they give you a run for your money? Will they learn the easy way or the hard way? Will they be silly or serious, contemplative or whimsical? You get my point, and I can't wait to meet Hannah Elise. I know her siblings can not wait either. Gabriel says he's already been waiting "years" for her (ha I'm glad pregnancy is only 40 weeks) and Elizabeth thinks she should "pop out" any moment because my stomach is huge. Josiah lifts my shirt and says, "baby in there?!" They will all be seriously good siblings and I can't wait for them all to meet her in March. I wish they could all be there to watch her come into the world, but that is just my scientific "this is the body and this is super cool" brain wanting to show them a true miracle in life which is birth. The hospital won't and doesn't agree with this line of thinking- lol.

I had my OB appointment today and am sticking with 21 lbs gained. Everything else looks perfect from blood pressure to her measurements. I also got a prescription for Zantac to help with the heart burn. This should make me and hubby much happier (since I also keep him awake)! Next appointment will be my Group B Strep Test, so I'll start my regimen here by the weekend. Echinacea, Vit C, and Garlic in hopes of a negative test result. I had a positive with Gabriel and negatives with Liz and Josiah that I attribute to the regimen. The midwife is excited to see if it "works." At least she's on board with it and not against the idea =). My last midwife sort of rolled her eyes and said "well the strep comes and goes so you never know." Hey it's worth a shot to not need antibiotics during labor! Here I am 33 weeks:

Until next time...

Week 31!

Here we are at 31 weeks and I finally got another silhouette shot! We had the Christmas Tree in front of my traditional window so I missed a month's worth of shots ;). Here I am at 31 weeks:

I've gained 21 lbs and am feeling achey in my hip/pelvic bones. I've read up on the relaxin hormone and everything seems "normal" for now. Some ladies actually end up in physical therapy and such when the hormone goes crazy (because of the pain), but currently I can manage with tylenol if needed. SO I'm trying to take it easy when the kids allow for that -and work-. Last weekend we had a wedding show and I was on my feet a lot. I won't have weddings until after the little one is born though so that is a blessing for my body =). I'm up to 2 week appointments at the OB and then switch to 1 week at I think 37 weeks?! Everything is going so fast. I'm anxious to meet her, but am also enjoying what could be my last pregnancy. My only complaints are the pelvic pain, a little trouble sleeping, and feeling huge (wanting to get back in shape!).

I am looking forward to the new year and meeting our Hannah! She is moving non stop and Gabriel enjoys "chasing" her around my belly. It's amazing to have kids that are so involved and seem to care so much about our little one already. Elizabeth asks me constantly when Hannah will "pop out." She can't wait to share a room with her although she doesn't realize Hannah won't be in there for a long while!

In other news homeschooling is going wonderfully and Gabriel is doing great. He loves math the most, but is also enjoying reading books. He needs motivation and encouragement but once he "gets" something he is very proud of himself. It makes me proud as well to see him learning new things. We will probably take a small break when Hannah arrives. I guess it's not the end of the world if we don't finish before summer begins. I'm afraid of what he will forget over a typical summer break anyway. So we are doing what we can and that's not too bad for our first try/year =). I'm becoming more teacher minded and am starting to teach Elizabeth little things daily. She is picking up counting pretty easily and enjoys helping me. She loves to cook and always wants to help in the kitchen or cleaning up. She and Josiah are terrors lately though as far as the house in concerned. They terrorize all of my rooms while I homeschool Gabriel. A four year old and a two year old roaming the house can be risky business, ha. I think that is all for now. Until next time! Happy 31 weeks to you sweet Hannah!