2nd Trimester Recap for Baby #3 - Part 1!

Week 13

- While in my car picking up groceries, I think I might have felt baby kicking for the first time...hard to tell though... if I feel more kicks in the near future then I'll feel a little more convinced. 
- Worked my first wedding of this pregnancy
- Celebrated Wells' 1st birthday!
- Became an aunt!! Flew to OKC with this baby to surprise my sister and meet my new little nephew! This was baby's second flight and both times were to Oklahoma!
- Overall feeling pretty good physically and emotionally - bump is poppin fast!

Meeting my sweet nephew! (Also made the worlds most obnoxious/blinging t-shirt for the occasion!!)

Week 14

- Flew home from OKC
- Started feeling a little sick towards the end of this week... hoping it's just a minor head cold that will pass quickly!!

Week 15

- This was an (unfortunately) eventful week! I was super sick all week (plus the kids caught it too - nooooo!)  I thought I could tough it out but things were getting bad (super bad cold or the flu or something...) so I went to urgent care. I found out there that my blood pressure was super scary high (in addition to this upper respiratory viral infection), so suddenly these BP issues have now taken priority (as they should) over my other sickness issues. (In case you are wondering, when I first arrived at urgent care my BP was 138/113 and I even made the nurse re-take it because that seemed insane. They had me lay back with my feet elevated and then retook it a little while later. Luckily it HAD gone down some, although it was still very high. The PA said he was debating on whether or not to send me to the ER, but since this was my first time having high BP ever and my third pregnancy he decided to let me go home as long as I promised to call my OB first thing in the morning. Also, keep in mind I'm super sick and stressed, which is probably contributing to this.) Luckily, I have an OB appt already scheduled for next week, so I was instructed to just continue to monitor it throughout this week and over the weekend. If it gets back up to what it was, we gotta head straight to the ER. It was normal the following day and still hasn't gotten as high as it was earlier this week so we are praying it stays down! I did have to go buy an at-home BP cuff though. I feel like an old person!
- The day after I went to urgent care feeling miserable, Ryan stayed home from work and Heidi went to MDO. Super grateful for this day of rest with my hubby!
- Later that next day, after we picked Heidi up from MDO we realized that she was not acting herself. She started to seem worse and worse and eventually would just start crying and saying her ear hurt her so bad. So I took her in to the pediatric urgent care clinic (that's 2 days in a row of being at urgent care in case you're counting). She did in fact have an ear infection and was prescribed antibiotics for that. (Two days later, Wells was also diagnosed with a double ear infection - and then also puked up his entire dinner bc of his meds. That's THREE trips to urgent care in one week people. We have not had an easy go of it lately!)
- Later this week, the upper respiratory infection continued to get worse. It got the the point where I could hardly keep my right eye open it hurt SO bad and tears were constantly draining out of it. I called my OB and they were able to call in a z-pack for me before the long Easter weekend! However, on the bright side it does seem that the blood pressure issues have subsided. 
- The last day of this week was hubby's birthday. Even though I wasn't feeling that great, it felt better to get out of the house and focus on something other than feeling super crappy so we went to a Rice Baseball game to celebrate his bday. This was baby's very first baseball game!
- I also noticed this week that my boobs have started to get sore. I can literally FEEL them growing haha! Grateful that my body knows what it needs to do to prepare for baby :).
- Emotionally, things have just been getting tougher and tougher. We have had SO much sickness and it's really starting to wear on me. (Not to mention the quarantine/isolation that comes along with that...) I feel like I haven't had a chance to focus on this pregnancy because between me and the kids we are either getting sick, super sick or recovering from being sick. I'm really looking forward to the day when I can just BE pregnant. I'm also super over taking meds while pregnant - something I've never wanted to do (even if deemed "safe for pregnancy" it still something that I am very uncomfortable with doing) and I would really like to be done with that!

Week 16

- Easter Sunday! Slowly feeling better... although I don't really feel like the Z-pack has really done very much
- Boobs are still super sore!

- Found out our baby's gender!!
- Went to NYC to visit my soulmate and meet her baby girl!! I had a GREAT time and even though I missed my hubby (and babies) SO much - it was one of my favorite NYC trips and I loved getting to spend so much time with my old roomie and her awesome baby.

Easter Sunday!

I was pregnant at Easter last year... I would have never guessed that
I would be pregnant at Easter again this year hah!

Our traditional post-gender ultrasound fro-yo date! This time we have TWO
babies eating ice cream with us on the outside!!

Central park!

I love that all three of my babies have been to NYC with me on the inside :).

Week 17
- Flew home from NYC
- Of course started to feel sick as soon as I got home... (#travelling) and by the end of the week, EVERYONE was sick - even Ryan this time!! I eventually got BACK to the place where I felt like I was dying so back to urgent care I went. I was prescribed some antibiotics so hopefully those will help...I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!! That was pretty much our whole week (again).

Week 18
- Slowly on the mend... it seems that everyone is getting better so we are hoping it STAYS that way this time!!
- Fredericksburg for my sister-in-law's bachelorette party!
- Feeling a little better emotionally this week. I was able to spend some alone time in a coffee shop while the other girls at the bach party went wine tasting, then spend some solid down time pool-side after they got back! First time I feel like I was able to relax since getting back from NY!

All 3 babies.

18 week bump!

Week 19
- Nothing crazy this week... except oh yeah Heidi got sick! At least we were able to get in with our regular pediatrician this time and avoid urgent care! 
- Was also able to get in a run this week - it's been tough to keep up with running with all of this sickness happening!

It's crazy the difference in belly size between morning and night!

Week 20
- Mothers day! I had THE most perfect mothers day. It was SO relaxing and the perfect balance of "me" time and also spending some quality time with my hubby and babies! So relaxing. 
- This week we also had our "big" anatomy ultrasound. It was so fun seeing our baby girl but our experience after the ultrasound and waiting for my OB was less than ideal. It was very frustrating and this was the first time I have ever felt a twinge of "doubt" as to whether or not I am in the right place.
- Heidi's last day of MDO! 
- Heidi turned 3 at the end of this week and we had such a great time celebrating her (even though we always run ourselves ragged preparing for these kinds of things. I still love doing it though!)
- Physically and emotionally feeling pretty good. I've been SO so busy this week getting ready for Heidi's party, (cleaning the house, baking, cooking, etc.) and also with another whole day taken up with our OB appointment, I feel like I haven't really had time to think! I can't even believe that we are already half way!

Mothers Day 2017!

At my OB appt and super annoyed... waiting for an hour and a half AFTER
a 45 minute long ultrasound! Argh!!

Happy birthday to our first baby girl!

Second trimester updates part 2 continued here!

It's a....!

Well it's official! Baby # 3 is a...

GIRL!!!

We are so thrilled to be doing the girl thing again and I'm so happy that Heidi will have a sister close in age to her. (I grew up with a younger sister, so when we got pregnant with Wells I just assumed he would be a girl because that's all I've ever known! I was super excited to change it up, but was a little sad that Heidi wouldn't have a sister super close in age because we weren't planning on #3 coming for a few years - HAHA!)

Thank you to our friends and family for your love and well wishes! We couldn't be more excited!!

1st Trimester Recap for Baby #3 (+ Why I'm Convinced It's a Girl!)

Since this pregnancy I won't be doing weekly updates (or even monthly haha!) I figured it would be easiest to just recap each trimester. With each pregnancy, I have always kept a note on my phone where I can jot down details from not only the pregnancy, but birth and beyond. I keep track of my weight gain, weekly happenings, as well as major milestones from each baby once they are here. It's always fun to have an easy way to look back/compare/remember those little things that we tend to easily forget. So ANWAY here is my (totally random, unorganized) first trimester recap for baby #3!

Weeks 4-7

- I found out I was pregnant on a Monday morning, and almost immediately came down with severe flu symptoms. I tested positive for the flu 3 days after my ppt. I was SO miserable. Luckily, week 4 is usually early enough in a pregnancy where major pregnancy things haven't quite shown up yet, so other than feeling totally miserable and exhausted I survived. 

- I definitely started to feel crampy right off the bat. Seeing as my uterus JUST went through this, it's not as toned as say a 1st pregnancy uterus. I can feel it already stretching and growing and it's bearable but not super comfortable. 

- Week 7 brought on some minor nausea. I always feel the most nauseous when I don't workout or stay hydrated enough (and also eating unhealthy foods also results in some nausea as well). It's much harder for me to remember to drink water when I don't workout, and then nausea usually results in only wanting to eat junk food, then I don't feel good so I don't feel like getting up for a run or eating healthy so it definitely can snowball quickly! Luckily, I was feeling better by week 8. 

- Cravings: Mac and Cheese and applesauce (same cravings as when I was pregnant with Heidi....more on this later!)

- Feeling VERY angry and super rage-y

- High sex drive 

- Smelly (also more details on what I mean by this below...)

- Strong sense of smell

- Already feeling very strongly that it's a girl

- Dry skin - this one is new! I have never experienced this during a pregnancy before, which is surprising seeing as my previous two pregnancies were fall/winter/spring. Having dry skin in the summer is SO weird in Houston during the summer when the humidity levels usually range between, 1,000% and 2,000%, so I know it's pregnancy related!

Week 8

- First doctor's appointment!
- Weaned my baby boy :(. I was very sad to do this, but also very ready to be done. Weaning is always super bittersweet for me, but I knew he was ready. Pregnancy makes my nipples super sensitive, so it was pretty painful every time he was nursing (for the whole nursing session). That + teeth + hormones = mama ready to wean! I definitely cried the whole time I nursed him for the last time but that's how it usually goes ;).
- Traveled to OKC for my sister's baby shower! (Baby's first flight!) So fun being with her when we are both pregnant. I always find it SUPER special being able to be pregnant at the same time as those who I am closest with, and make it a point to take a bump picture together! Also, during the shower we played a game where you guess which old wives tales indicate boy or girl. Going down the list in my head, I definitely noticed that I was experiencing MOST of the girl "symptoms"!

First doctor's appointment. It's a baby!

35 weeks and 8 weeks!

Week 9

- Feeling less angry, and more weepy now

- Ran a half marathon and PRed!!! Ran the fastest half I've ever run and met my lifetime goal of running a half in under 2 hours! 

- Still feeling very strongly that it's a girl and most old wives tales still ringing true at this point

Week 10

- EXTREME EXHAUSTION - afternoon runs certainly not an option because of this. 

- Insomnia and crazy dreams also began. Waking up in the middle of the night (sometimes to pee but not every night) and being WIDE awake and unable to go back to sleep. Sucky!

- I also had a day or two of nausea this week...

Week 11

- I want to eat everything!!! Extreme salty cravings and finally having an actual appetite results in some major face-stuffing sessions. 
- Ran in my favorite Houston 10K - the Bayou City Classic!

Week 12

- Stomach pains and more cramping this week

- Starting to feel uncomfortable and smushed while crouching

- New craving this week - MUSTARD! I'm DEFINITELY not a huge mustard person so this one was super random but man mustard sounded (and tasted) better than EVER before!!! YUMMMM!!

- Ran another half marathon - this was the half that I had actually been training and prepping for for 10 weeks, but ended up being not quite as fast as the other last-minute half that I ran at 9 weeks pregnant. There are a lot of SUPER intense hills and I really didn't want to push it, so I just tried to relax and not focus so much on speed. I still ended up with a great time, just a little over 2 hours. 

12 week anatomy scan! Hi baby!

12 week belly

Post half marathon pic!

You had better believe I put SO much mustard all over those fries.

If all goes according to plan, we will get to find out baby's gender at our 16 week gender ultrasound! I'm super convinced that it's a girl, so I thought I would share what specific pregnancy symptoms are pointing me in that direction. TMI alert - it's about to get personal yall.

WHY I THINK ITS A GIRL

1. Cravings: When pregnant with Heidi, I had super strong cravings for mac and cheese and applesauce. Throughout the first trimester, these cravings have returned. I did not crave these things when pregnant with Wells!

2. Smelly: What do I mean by this you ask? Here's where it gets personal. I have noticed that my "body" odor has increased significantly... and by "body" I mean "down there". Catch my drift? Same as during my pregnancy with Heidi. I'm not usually a shower-every-day kind of girl (ain't nobody got time for that) but this has required a shower every day - same deal as my pregnancy with Heidi. I did not notice this significant of an increase during my pregnancy with Wells.

3. Sex drive: While my sex drive is always CRAZY high during pregnancy, it seemed like it was a little bit higher during my pregnancy with Heidi. It's definitely raging again and more on the level of girl-pregnancy rather than boy-pregnancy. 

Anyway, it definitely still could go either way (and we will be thrilled regardless!), but those are the top 3 indicators for me that make me really think it's a girl!! Hopefully we find out soon!

***UPDATE - CLICK HERE to see if I was right ;)****

Post-Second-Baby Body and Body Image

Okay, so this is something that I have been wanting to post about for a while. I want to talk about two things here and they might seem kind of conflicting but I promise it all ties in! First of all, I will be sharing how I was able to get my body back to a place that I was happy with after having my second baby because (before I got pregnant with baby #3) I had a lot of people asking how I did it! BUT I will also discuss body image stuff as well. It is VERY important that if you are going to read this post you read the entire thing (and it's kind of a long one - sorry). If you only plan on reading the first half do not bother starting because you're going to miss my whole point. Here we go!


7 months after I had my second baby, I truly felt like I was in the best shape of my adult life. Here are a few pictures just to show some "before and after" progress.

4 months postpartum vs. 7 months postpartum after baby #2

7 months postpartum

So what happened between August and October? I worked my ASS off that's what! Okay but seriously here's what went down. Previously (maybe after I had Heidi...I can't actually remember) I had discovered Kayla Itsines on Instagram. She has a program called the Bikini Body Guide a.k.a. "BBG". I had maybe done 6 weeks or so out of the 12 week program but decided that this time around I would do all 12 weeks and stick with it. Y'all. It doesn't matter who you are or how in shape you are this program will kick. Your. Ass. For reals. There were a few days where I would just lay face down on the ground and SOB after my workout because it was just that hard. That being said though - it is HIGHLY effective. (If you don't believe me scroll through Kayla's Instagram to see tons of before and after pictures!) As someone who has always been a runner and relatively fit, the changes in my body that I noticed were things that running alone could have never done for me. The BBG program essentially consists of 28 minute workouts (four 7-minute circuits with 1-2 minutes breaks in between) done 3 days per week for 12 weeks - which is insanely do-able even for us mamas! I totally have 30 minutes per day (3 days a week) to spend working out. I would typically just turn on some music and let the kids play. They can usually entertain themselves for 30 minutes! (Side note: There is a little more to the program that is recommended, a stretch day, cardio/high intensity and low intensity/jogging/walking days too but I was still running occasionally and also breastfeeding so I didn't go crazy with sticking with her entire schedule.)

Anyway, I don't want to scare anyone out of this program by saying how hard it is - I would seriously recommend it to ANY one. If you are in a place where you are not happy with your body and you are interested in making physical changes to become more fit I say go for it. (But please note that I am in no way a fitness professional and listening to your body and knowing your limits is extremely important with any workout regimen.) Kayla has an app for the program but I DO NOT recommend going that route. It is expensive and also I *think* it's some sort of subscription based thing - meaning it's not a one time payment but a monthly or yearly thing. The workout program can be purchased in .pdf form and I personally think that is a WAY better and cost-effective way to go. There are a lot of way cheap (and I'm sure illegal) copies out there (*cough*ebay*cough*) but if you're more the legal-type Kayla has a discount website where you can purchase the .pdfs legally and affordably. Click here for the discounted website! (There is a BBG 1.0 and 2.0. The 1.0 is the first 12 weeks and then she semi-recently came out with the 2.0 which is weeks 13-24 I believe. I personally have purchased 2.0 but not done more than a few days of it.) After purchasing the guides, I just took a screenshot of each of the workouts and saved them to it's own album on my phone. That way I could easily pull up the workout for that day a refer to it during the workout.

As we all know, exercise won't really do much for you if you're still eating trash. Diet is SOO important - and I don't mean "going on A diet","dieting" or simply counting calories (also super not healthy) - I mean eating healthy, tasty, nutrient-rich foods. After I had my second baby, I realized that my relationship with sugar had gotten to a SUPER unhealthy level so I knew I wanted to do something that would help me realign the way I viewed food/sugar/sweets. I'm the kind of person where it's REALLY hard for me to just say "okay, I'll try to start eating healthier" and do it and stick with it. I really needed an all-or-nothing type of thing at that point in my life. SO we decided to do our first round of Whole30 - which cuts out ALL added sugars for 30 days. I don't want this post to turn into me trying to convince you how awesome Whole30 is (that's a WHOLE other subject I could go on and on about for sure because I love it so much) so I'll leave it at this: Do it. Look into it. DEFINITELY read the book before or during. And just do it. I promise it will change your life even if you already eat pretty clean. It's NOT a diet program and NOT intended for weight loss at ALL but truly helps reset your body AND your mind to get to a much healthier place.

The combination of truly changing my diet and also implementing a regular exercise program (BBG + running) is what got me to a place where I was happier and healthier physically that ever before. I feel confident in everything my female body is capable of - from being fit to growing and having babies to having a plump postpartum belly to being fit again (and repeat). Respect and appreciation are just as important (if not more important) than working hard physically.

Now, onto part 2 of this post...!! (PLEASE KEEP READING!!)

I was recently at a church event with a group of women where the conversation essentially led to "what kind of plastic surgery do you want"/"what part(s) of you body are you unhappy with". Those weren't the ACTUAL initial questions but the conversation had basically turned into that. So many women - ALL of the women - were talking about Botox and wrinkles and boob jobs. It just blew my mind how each and every one of these women were insecure/unhappy with the way they looked or hated at least something about their body. Some of the girls even said that after they undress to get in the shower they shield their eyes from the mirror as they walk by so they don't have to see their own bodies. My heart absolutely and completely broke in two for these women. I also can't tell you how strange it felt to literally be the only one at the table who didn't (doesn't) have a desire to change anything about my body, my face, the way I look or how God created me. But it definitely got me thinking. WHY do I feel this way? Why DON'T I want perkier boobs or plumper lips or a smooth forehead? Part of it might be that I do work hard (and God has blessed me with a lot that allows me to do so - a healthy body, a double stroller to take the kids on runs and a husband who watches the kids so I can go on a long run by myself). I also have gotten to a point where I never want to fight the aging process. My time/energy/emotions are better spent elsewhere and I think I will be much happier if I just accept that I'm going to get wrinkles and grey hair. It's going to happen. I've accepted it and I'm okay with it. I don't know how to tell anyone else to get to that place but I promise if you can get there you'll never regret it.

BUT. I think the absolute BIGGEST reason that I do not share those same thoughts is because of my mom. My whole life I have NEVER not once heard my mom complain about her body. As a child or adult, my mom has never complained - at least to me - about any insecurities that she may (or may not) have about her body or the way she looks. She's never talked about boob jobs, or having a flatter tummy or her wrinkles. This realization has been so eye-opening to me as a woman and also mother to my own daughter. Even if I start to get saggy grandma "bingo arms" that jiggle when I wave, or my midsection is soft and fluffier than I'd like or my boobs look like some flat-ass pancakes or WHATEVER it is - I NEVER want to let my daughters OR sons hear me complain about that. I want all of my children to see a mom who is confident and happy with the way she looks - however that might be. A mama who has love and respect and appreciation for all of the MANY things my body has done and is doing for me and for this world.

So a couple of things.

- Being happy with your body does NOT equal a flat stomach, a certain number on the scale or a specific pant size. AT ALL. (Please do not think this is what I am saying - especially since yes I realize this post started off with my workout and diet experiences.) For me personally, I am MOST comfortable and confident with my physical appearance when I feel like I'm working to keep my body healthy and in shape. (Sure a 6-pack is always nice but that's not where anyone should find their true joy or appreciation.) This is why I do work hard and I do want to share about my fitness journey and the process and goals. I don't think it's BAD to want to be healthier or lose weight or live a fitter lifestyle - but you DO have to be really careful in your motivations for doing such things. I also share because (as I have said before) we are capable of ANYTHING. The world tells us that after kids (or even just after a certain age) that we will and should be unhappy and discouraged with our physical bodies. "Post-baby body" has such a negative connotation and IT SHOULDN'T. God has proven to me over and over again - ESPECIALLY through my birth experiences - that it's just NOT about what the world says. And I believe that that means how we see ourselves and our bodies too. Do not listen to this world.

- How do you get to a place where you love your body FULLY? Well, I'm no professional so I really don't know how to appropriately answer this one. Also because it is so personal/unique for each and every individual. My gut says to start with prayer. Ask God to guide your heart. Is He leading you to live a healthier lifestyle? Or maybe just an attitude adjustment? Or a little of both? How can He change your heart so that you feel happy and confident? (If you're not the praying type maybe just ask yourself these questions.) How can we make adjustments to view ourselves in a positive, happy, healthy way? For our children's sake and for our own.

- Lastly, (and I'm just going to bold this entire paragraph because this is my whole point) the importance of getting to a place where we love and like our bodies and everything about them is so far beyond our own scope. As women, as humans (regardless of gender or phase of life) we must love ourselves for our own joy and happiness. But ESPECIALLY as moms/parents - it's more important than ever. We cannot instill body confidence and positive views of our physical selves into our children by merely speaking it but also by living it, feeling it and believing it for ourselves. So do what you need to do to get there. It's crucial. Whether it's a change of heart or a change in lifestyle. Maybe it's just looking in the mirror and focusing on all of the things that you DO like (which works for some people I've heard). I don't have all of the answers - but if you are someone who is unhappy with yourself or your body seek assistance. Talk to friends or family members who will positively influence you and/or can lead you to resources that will allow you to realign your view of yourself.  

This is why I share. This is why I choose to be healthy. It's important for me as a woman, as a wife and as a mother to feel GOOD about my physical self - regardless of my pants size or fitness level at any given moment. Because my body is amazing the way that God created me and it deserves all the love and respect I can give it. And that's the kind of happiness and joy I want to instill in each one of my children. 

Baby #3 On The Way!

Well, here we go again!! We're pregnant with Baby #3 and are SO excited to become a family of FIVE! Keep reading to get all the deets!

(*Note: This post was written the day we officially announced our pregnancy on social media when I was 7 weeks pregnant, February 17, 2017.)

Due Date: October 1, 2017

How many weeks along am I now: 7 weeks (aka almost 2 months, aka 1st trimester)

How big is Baby Kresta: A playing die or tiny raspberry!

Boy or Girl: Already pretty convinced it's a girl... but it's of course a 50/50 shot regardless so we'll see!

Morning sickness: None! (Yet...?)

Exhaustion: Hmmm yes definitely SOO tired. So tired that we've been going to bed earlier than ever and I stopped caring about getting stuff done after the kids go to bed haha. That will eventually have to change however as the house is a mess and nothing ever gets done. I also can't bring myself to do anything during nap time except for nap! (Not that that wasn't already an issue buuut... at this point there's no question that napping will always win!)

Belly:  Nothin! Just some exaggerated food babies/bloating in the evenings after eating dinner usually. 

Planned: Let's be honest here. No. Haha. Not at all when we expected for our third baby to come into existence! However, as I have said before, by practicing Natural Family Planning/Fertility Awareness Method (NFP/FAM), we are always saying YES to God and His plan for our family. But in case you're even more curious about the TMI details here ya go (and if not skip on down past this next section):

How did we find out: Warning: TMI ahead. Back at the beginning of January, we had what I'm calling a...*ahem*..."miscommunication" if you will. With NFP/FAM I am always super aware of where I am in my cycle, when I'm ovulating, about to ovulate, etc. etc. So, as soon as this "miscommunication" took place, I instantly knew that pregnancy was a very real possibility (I was due to ovulate any day at that point). And I kind of freaked out juuuuust a little bit. (There were several reasons why I knew *thought* this wasn't a good time for us to get pregnant, one of which being that Ryan's sister is getting married in October and I knew a January pregnancy would potentially be a major interference with our attendance to that. Plus, even though I LOVE being pregnant, giving birth and bringing babies into this world, I did truly want a liiiiiittle bit more of a body break between kids this time around. Like, maybe at least another full year. I mean, we have a 9 month old for crying out loud! So, this is why I was freaking out about the potential of another pregnancy.) But this really was just a GIANT miscommunication!

Well, several days passed and I ended up not ovulating until 3 days after that. At that point, I honestly thought we PROBABLY missed the window for fertilization, but knew that there was still a teeny tiny chance (HAH). (I was also still breastfeeding, although by this point I knew that wasn't any sort of preventative. However I wondered if those hormones would still do enough to slow things down or maybe prevent implantation? Who knows - although not something that I bank on once my babies start sleeping through the night and my cycle returns.) 

I even sent Ryan this picture of my ovulation monitor on the day I ovulated (3 days after
our "miscommunication") and said something to the effect of "Looks like we
 might have dodged the bullet!" MIGHT have. Maybe...At this point, I was thinking there 
was maybe still like a...25% chance that I would get pregnant, but definitely 
wasn't thinking it would end up happening. 

ANYWAY, I did some math and started testing the earliest I thought it would be MAYBE be possible to get a positive test. I took 3 tests over the course of that week all of which were negative. I REALLY assumed that I wasn't pregnant by then, but honestly the more negatives I saw, the more sad that I realized I was getting when those negative tests were staring me in the face. I really didn't think that I was ready to have another baby so soon, so I was a little surprised at my growing disappointment. I really wasn't feeling "waves of relief" with each negative or anything even though I was still feeling pretty stressed about the situation. After the 3 negatives, I waited a few days and debated on whether I should take another one or not. I remember waking up on that Monday morning, sitting up in bed with my feet hanging off the edge and thinking "Okay, I think this is the last day that I could possibly get a positive before completely missing my period, but I really really don't want to take another one since I already know it's going to be negative." But something still told me to take one more. Just one more. (And looking back, I actually believe that I felt implantation happen the evening before. I should have known!) Also, I am not someone who can wait weeks and weeks to know if I'm pregnant, or just see if I miss my period and wonder if I'm just late or actually pregnant... I have to know the earliest minute possible. So, I wasn't about to throw caution to the wind and move on with my life without knowing FOR. SURE. So I took one last test, set it on the ground and looked down a few seconds later. 

Side note: Usually, when I'm examining negative pregnancy tests (which is apparently a lot), my eyes will try to "guess" where the line might be, or even see if one can be fabricated. But when that faint faint positive shows up, I almost always second guess it. I think "okay, I think I'm making up where the line is SUPPOSED to be... but it's not actually there, right?" This literally happens to me every time.) 

That morning, when I picked up the pregnancy test and took a closer look and realized I wasn't making up that little line's existence. I just sat there on the toilet and cried my eyes out. Not because I was sad, or scared or unhappy, but because I was SO overjoyed to see that positive, to know that there was another tiny life growing inside of me and also because I was surprised and relieved that I wasn't feeling any of those negative feelings I thought I might feel should a pregnancy occur. I could hardly believe it. It was a gorgeous day outside, so of course I loaded up my first two babies into the stroller and immediately went on my run for the day. I took as many pictures as I could because I always love looking back on those special days and remembering all of those incredible emotions. I took Heidi and Wells to our bi-monthly church playgroup where I of course told all of my mom friends, but I hadn't even told Ryan yet haha! I wanted to wait and tell him in person, so I told him as soon as he got home from work later that day. 

Why did we decide share the news now: Ever since my first pregnancy, I have felt very convicted to share our pregnancy news as soon as possible. When I was pregnant with Heidi, I can remember thinking to myself: "I'm doing this thing that everyone is telling me I'm supposed to do (by waiting to share) but why?" I do not feel like I'm protecting myself by keeping my babies a secret until a certain magical time. It is a personal decision for everyone, but I would be hurting myself and making things much much harder on our family should a miscarriage or other health issue occur. Every woman and every family is different, so the decision truly is different for everyone, but I feel very strongly about not keeping our pregnancies a secret until X number of weeks. We will always share the news of pregnancy within that first month or two, because regardless of whether it's a healthy pregnancy or if a miscarriage happens a life is a life and one that deserves love, joy and celebrating. One way or another. 

How far apart will Wells and baby #3 be: 18 months (yikes!)

The first positive test - 4 weeks and 1 day pregnant.

Took another test 10 days later just to be sure - definitely MORE positive!

This was how I told Ryan I was pregnant! I had really been pressing hard for us to go back to Hawaii for our 5 year anniversary this October. While he was at work, I made this card and stuffed it in an envelope that we had received in the mail from someone else. (Of course, I made sure to tear the envelope just right so it cut off the return address, so he wouldn't know who it was from, but still not be totally suspicious until opening the card..) When he walked in the door, I was laying on the couch and both kids were still napping. I casually picked it up off the coffee table and said "Oh, hey this came in the mail today." Hehe. Loved being able to catch him (at least a little bit) off guard this time around!! See you in 2018 Hawaii!!! We're comin for ya! (Currently booking babysitters for October 2018... ;).)

We are SO excited to welcome this third addition to our family. Pregnancy is totally my jam and bringing babies into the world is something that I truly love to do. I am so excited and SO grateful that God is allowing me to experience it all again. We look forward to sharing our journey with you for a THIRD time!

Month 11 - Wells

Month 11: Baby!

Age: 11 months

Weight: Still hanging out in the 19-20 lb. range

Major calendar events: Valentine's Day

Milestones: Saying dada, will put his hands over his head if you ask him how big he is, has started using the potty before bath time (and has even pooped on his little potty between 5-10 times woo woo!), nursed for the last time :(

Sleep: Great! Napping and sleeping at nighttime in his crib and going down (usually) awake and with minimal crying. Although, sometimes we will still nap together :).

Likes: Dancing! Playing with toys, playing with his sister, saying "aaaaaa" at the same time as someone else, playing with our little toy kitchen set

Dislikes: When mealtime is over, being strapped into his high chair (honestly, I NEVER had to strap Heidi into anything. I just recently used the high chair straps for the very first time because I turned around and Wells was standing up in the high chair! Sorry buddy.)

Best moment: He's so happy all of the time it's hard to really say one moment has been better than any of the others. He loves to laugh and smile!

Worst moment: Probably being tackled or smashed by his sister. She loves to love him hard!

Eating: Eating SO much food and is now completely weaned. I decided to wean Wells a few weeks "early". I say early because my personal goal is always to breastfeed for 1 year, but once I found out I was pregnant I became even more anxious to wean him. (Breastfeeding hormones tend to make me feel very depressed and down about 6-8 months in, so I had already been feeling pretty anxious to wean. I was still going to stick it out until he was 1, but once I found out I was pregnant that was enough to tip the scale. Pregnancy hormones started to make my nipples much more sensitive so nursing became pretty uncomfortable. I was ready to stop, but I also knew that he was ready too. He loves food so much and I knew that he probably wouldn't even really notice if he stopped getting the boob. The process was much easier and simpler than when I weaned Heidi (I put a lot more thought into it then and it was a little bit more of a process). With Wells, I just kind of stopped. It took him a little while to get used to cold cow's milk but he's fine with it now. I never even mixed breast and cows milk together - something I did gradually with Heidi over the course of a week. (Here is more info on my weaning process with Heidi!) All of this being said, and as smoothly as it went, I still feel a lot of guilt when I think about weaning him at 11 months instead of 12 (haha). Of course, it makes me sad simply that I can't say "I nursed him until he was 1" but also because I still want to make sure he is getting everything that he needs nutritionally. If he does need to be "supplimented" it should be coming from me. A part of me feels selfish for weaning him for my own personal reasons. Now I realize that there are plenty of people out there that don't nurse for a year (or at all) and who have no issues with that. And that's okay. But that's not okay for me. That's just not what I want for myself and my babies. (Again, not saying that's not okay for others.) Anyway, this guy eats SO much food and lots of fruits and veggies and I know he's getting plenty of nutrition. I can't imagine that a couple of extra weeks of nursing would make that much of difference in his life. Weaning is always SOOO bittersweet. I am SOOO happy to be FREE, feel more like myself and not have to wear nursing bras and nursing friendly clothing, but I ALWAYS cry my eyes out when I nurse my babies for the final time. It's SUCH a blessing to be able to provide that for them and I value that time we spend together SO much. I have loved nursing my baby boy and am grateful that it's because of him that I truly fell in love with breastfeeding. 

Things I want to remember: Spending alone time with Wells while Heidi is at MDO and he is still the baby

She loves him. The feeling is mutual despite his efforts to escape her grasps!

The face he gave me while drinking his first bottle of cold cow's milk. He looked
so confused and I cried my eyes out but he still drank almost the whole thing. He's such a good boy.

Our last nursing session :( :( :(.

He loves his daddy!

"SOOOOO big!"

Silly happy man. Love this guy.

Month 10 - Wells

Month 10: Baby!

Age: 10 months

Weight: 19 lbs. 3 oz.

Major calendar events: New Years Eve, baby shower for his Aunt Em and very first cousin, finding out he's going to be a big brother...uh oh!

Milestones: Dancing! Learned how to "drive" his toy trucks, also got the flu (despite having gotten the flu shot) - BOO

Sleep: No changes - doing good here!

Likes: Food, eating, snacking, meal times...

Dislikes: He HATES it when he eats all of his food and it's gone - SO traumatic.

Worst moment: Any time that the food runs out...

Eating: OH MY GOSH it's crazy how much this guy loves food. I was worried about weaning because he has always been such a boob hound, but I am SO confident that he's not even going to notice when that goes away...! Food is his favorite and he's eating a wide variety of things plus about 6,000 cheerios per day. 

He's so proud of himself for standing up.

Monkey bars!

He was crying so she was drying his tears. Wells you have such a good
big sister who loves you so much!

Playing with toys.

Ended his 10th month with the flu :(. Sorry buddy.