Well, guys, we did it. We passed that awful 16.5 week mark, and I am now 17 weeks pregnant. It feels like I haven’t been this far along in FOREVER, though I was days away from it just last year. I believe the last time I was this far into a pregnancy was two years ago, when I was pregnant with Solly. I know people space their kids out much further apart than we do, and both ways are fine, but its hard for me to think about how long its been, and how large of a space there will be between the two youngest. It’ll be right around two years and one month, which is the exact gap between Dekker and Laela. While their dynamic is fine, not abnormal, its always felt like a bit too long to me. But as we ALL know, this has been wildly out of my hands.
Size Comparison: My app says that the baby is around the size of a chipmunk, or a pomegranate. I’m going with the chipmunk, because while my baby is probably as sweet as a pomegranate, it is not in the shape of a ball. And a chipmunk has arms and legs and feels more relatable somehow. Also, the chubby cheeks probably don’t make sense yet but we all know they will in the future 🙂 I tend to make babies of the chubby variety.
Appointments: I had an ultrasound last week. Baby wasn’t as busy as usual, or as cooperative, but as far as I know, everything still looked well. My tech commented that this baby has never been particularly easy to get a side profile shot of, and she is required to get one as part of the anatomy scan, which is coming up. Because of my unique circumstance, and my regular ultrasounds, she’s already gotten a lot of the information she needs to fulfill the requirements of the anatomy scan, but there are still a few things left to show up, and the side face shot is one of them! I rolled in all different positions and it just wasn’t happening. But we tried. Maybe next time. It was interesting to see the baby more packed in there than usual, with less room to wiggle. I’m sure baby they will make more room in there soon. Frankly, the tighter it gets in there, the bigger the baby is getting, and the sooner I can feel movement. This ridiculous anterior placenta is driving me bananas.
How am I feeling emotionally: I feel a lot better. I have passed a big, scary point in time that, while it doesn’t ensure “safety,” was significant for me to pass. Its time to move forward. We are not out of the woods, but really, we never are. No one ever is. And we can’t live like that, waiting for the worst thing to happen. So, I will continue to miss my little boys, and make room for my grief, but keep my head up and looking ahead. Even when its scary and vulnerable. Lots of self pep talks these days.
How and I feeling physically: I was in worse shape for last weeks series post, for sure. My back was BAD and I have since seen my chiropractor twice and he’s been able to put me back in place, which has been both satisfying and incredibly painful. But worth it. I started wearing my support belt, which you may or may not have seen on Facebook or Instagram, and it has made a big difference when I have running around to do. My belly doesn’t need support yet, but my pelvis sure does. Beyond that, I’ve ben very slowly weening off diclectin, and am down to a half dose before bed. I could just stop taking it probably, but I know that causes some people to spiral back to square one pretty quickly, so I’m going slow. But nausea is down. That being said, since I’ve backed off the diclectin, my body doesn’t like coffee as much again :/ Shooooot. Also apparently I haven’t been sleeping very deeply.
Diclectin messes with my sleep. I cannot wait to be off of it completely!
Wish List/Purchases: So, I did a SMALL amount of purchasing recently. I bought a couple of clothing items when I was at Value Village the other day buying a few things for the other kids. I also finally bought a big water bottle to make that whole thing happen. I really don’t drink very much water at all, and I really should. I found a light pink Nalgene bottle that holds half of the recommended daily 8 cups of water, so I’ve made it my goal to drink one hole one before noon and ideally the other before supper. If I wait and drink it too late into the night, I’m going to be getting up to pee far more than necessary. For today, I’m halfway through that first bottle and its not even 10:00, so go me! I am not loving the huge water bloat that comes with it, but what can you do?
Pictures: I ran upstairs and snapped this picture a few minutes ago and I couldn’t help but laugh at how unflattering it is, haha! I think I look WAY bigger in this picture than I actually am, lol!
This was NOT the sweater I should’ve worn, but hey. Comfort always wins. Except when you’re pregnant and uncomfortable almost 100% of the time. But thats less about clothing.
How are the kids feeling: The kids are AMPED! Walking through baby clothes aisles have all three of the older ones in full “Aaaaawww!!!” mode, touching each piece with excitement. “Gasp! A hootie! “Gasp! A dinosaur! What do you think Bambino will like??” They’re almost as bad as me.
Get to know the baby: We got to know the baby pretty well this last week! I guess you could say we were formally introduced when baby waved at us through the whole ultrasound. Those hands just went and went and went.
We also found out the baby’s gender. 😯 Had I not mentioned that? 🤔
The BEST part of being pregnant: I’ve genuinely enjoyed a lot about being pregnant this week. I’ve enjoyed the excitement of carrying my pregnancy past the scary point of loss from last time. I’m enjoying that my belly is visibly growing. It somehow feels a bit more real these days, and I’m loving it!
Favourite thing: This is probably a weird one. Fried mushrooms are this weeks “favourite.” I could eat those things by the bowlful, and often do. Brady lovingly fries me mushrooms (that he hates, by the way) in butter and garlic, and I eat them with EVERYTHING. Or just y themselves as a snack. Don’t judge! I briefly tried to convince myself that it was a healthy craving, but have since given in to the fact that they’re just carriers of fat and grease and thats probably why I’m loving them. Regardless, yum. Fry something in garlic and butter this week and think of me! Lol!
Its been a good week, my friends. A hopeful, uplifting week of pushing past fear, and daydreaming about what and who is to come. I couldn’t be more thankful for all the support I’ve received over these last couple of weeks, as its been a huge part of whats kept me standing. Hopefully the future is bright, with fewer sad tears and more excitement. Healing is coming.