Harper's Night Night

It is amazing how fast time flies.  I have been meaning to write this post for a while, but I kept thinking, Harper is going to be doing this routine for the rest of her life, so I don't need to rush to record it.  How wrong I was!  We have recently returned from our summer vacation (working on posts for that now!), and while we were gone, our routine was lost.  We got home and Harper has just grown up more!  She now tells me when she is ready to go to bed (I realize this probably won't last very long), and she will get her babies and paci (yes, she still has one) and climb up into bed to wait for us to read her ONE book and sing her ONE song. 

So, before we left for vacation, here is what bedtime looked like:

We would put the boys to bed, and then Harper would have about 30-45 minutes with just Mom and Dad. We would usually eat a snack and snuggle on the sofa.  Depending on who's turn it was to put H to bed, Chris or I would coax Harper upstairs to brush her teeth and go potty.  (I have to admit, Chris and I would kind of push bedtime duty on each other because it was a looooongg routine, but now that the routine has come to an end, I find myself trying to extend it a bit by singing an extra song or reading one more book)

Harper would have to get paci (which is in the bed) and Baby Carol (which could be anywhere in the house).  If I was on my game, I would remember to look for her before we would start bedtime routine, but usually, I was soooo tired, I would forget and we would spend a bit of tiem looking for BC. 

We would then pick out 2-3 books to read.  Then say prayers. Then sing 2 songs.  Usually Jesus Loves Me and The Birdie Song.  We would kiss and turn out the lights. Oh, and we can't forget the last sip of water that would always pop into Harper's head as soon as she was snug as a bug in a rug.  Thankfully, I keep a sippy cup by her bed, so I don't have to go into the bathroom or kitchen to get one.  I would kiss her again, re-tuck her in, and then, as I'm leaving, Harper would always say this...

H: "Mommy, is there thunder and lighting (not lightening) tonight?"

Me: "No, Baby. Not tonight. (or if there was, I would tell her there might be but Mommy and Daddy are right here and Jesus is always with her, too).

H: Okay, well, if I need you I will say (and she would yell this as if she were in practice mode) Mommy, I need to go potty.  Or Daddy, I need to go potty. Or Mommy, I need some water. Or Daddy I need some water. Or Mommy, I need to rock. Or Daddy, I need to rock." (she would say all of that in what seemed like one breath, quite loudly- and it would always make Chris and me laugh)

Me: Okay, Harper. We'll be right here as always.

H: Okay, well, leave the door a teeny, tiny, little bit cracked and leave the light on out in the hallway. 

Me: Of course I will.

After a few weeks of saying 'leave the light on out in the hallway' she would go ahead and add my comment onto hers. So she would say, '...well leave the light on out in the hallway of course you will. ' haha!

Me: I love you so much, Harper Grace.

H: I love you too, Mommy.

Me: Night night, sleep tight.

Then, I would leave the door a teeny tiny little bit cracked and the laundry room light on and go downstairs.  Only occasionally would she call me back, and I usually knew exactly why - only when we would leave out part of our nightly conversation... if she forgot to ask about thunder & lighting or to leave the light on... I could usually count on it. 

Children are so funny, and while their routines can sometimes feel like you are stuck in the Groundhog's Day movie, they are reassuring and comforting to them.  Appreciate every day because it could be the last time that routine is ever done.  I know I will hang onto them a bit more now.

15 Weeks

I can't believe I'm 15 weeks today!! 

Baby is the size of an apple.  And because apples are the ONLY food that are magic in making me feel better, I figured I would do a survey this week :-)

How far along? 

15 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 

about 12 lbs.  Yikes!  This is more than I gained with the triplets at this point.  Not worrying about it though.  I'm eating healthy foods as junk really makes me feel sick (fries, chips, sugar). I think my body is just going to do what it needs to do and I know it will regulate after I have the baby.  It always has before - might need to help it along with some exercise & Weight Watchers, but I will have 5 kids to chase, so I'm sure it will come off.

Maternity clothes? 

Yes and no. I am actually kind of over maternity clothes.  Wearing them for about the last 2-3 years makes them not nearly as fun as the first go round!  I am actually wearing lots of dresses & then lounge clothes during the day. 

Stretch marks? 

Just all the ones I accumulated from the boys!!

Sleep: 

It's okay, not great. I love it when I wake up and realize I haven't woken up in 4-5 hours.  I am already going to the bathroom at least 2 times at night. 

Best moment this week: 

Having some really good days  with no nausea. 

Worst moment this week: 

Having some really bad days with lots of nausea.  

Movement: 

You may think I'm crazy, but I have felt this baby move since 10 weeks.  It's not constant, but every few days I will feel a flutter, kick, or a roll.  They were very very faint in the beginning and are slowly getting stronger.  I usually feel baby if I'm sitting with my legs crisscrossed on the couch.  I guess I just know what baby kicks feel like now and am super sensitive to them.

Food cravings: 

not really cravings.  Things that make me feel better : lemon water, apples, protein (if I don't have to smell it cooking - but even that is getting better)

Gender prediction: 

I go back and forth. I am thinking girl since I feel a LOT like I did with my pregnancy with Harper. However, I have nothing to compare a singleton boy pregnancy, so I really have no clue.  Ha!  I think boy b/c any dreams I've had have been of a boy.  I know each pregnancy can be very different, so I have no idea really.  We find out soon!

Labor Signs: 

thank goodness no :) but Braxton Hicks have already started?!?

Belly Button in or out? 

in 

Wedding rings on or off? 

Still on!

Milestones: 

Not feeling/ wanting to die every day this week!  I can tell my old self is coming back!  :-)  Woo Hoo!!  

I will take a belly pic one of these days.  I just tried and couldn't get the camera to cooperate, so I will try again later.

Guess What?!

Yep!  We're having another sweet baby!

Pic of Baby at 9 weeks

Baby is due mid-December, and today I am 13 weeks 4 days, which officially graduates me from trimester 1!!  We are so very excited to welcome this little one into our family.  I went to my midwife today and baby's heartbeat was 138bpm.  If the old wives tale holds true, we might be adding another little boy to our gang! (hb < 140 = boy / hb > 140 = girl)  Midwife told me that there are no statistics to this, just guesses.  :-)  I am praying for a healthy baby and mama!  

After much thought, we are going to find out what this baby is.  I did consider being surprised, but y'all, I cannot hold out!  I am sooo ready to know who is hanging out in my belly!  Plus, it really increases my bond with the baby.  I can call the baby by name, pray for baby, and when labor day gets here, it really helps me mentally and emotionally during birth.  We will share who will be joining our family in just about 5-6 weeks!!  Yippee!!

I have to say I'm just now really getting excited about our 5th baby as the miscarriage caused me to be pretty guarded about this pregnancy.  And, I've been sick as a dog.   I have been terribly nauseated  since 6 1/2 weeks.  No food sounds good.  I gag constantly.  I have heartburn already.  And I'm so tired, but still sturggle with insomnia sometimes.  But, I'm also sooo happy.  Isn't that crazy?!  As Chris says, 'I don't remember you being this 'un fun' in your other pregnancies'....which made me laugh.  He did follow up by saying that, ' we also didn't have 4 kids in your other pregnancies.'   Speaking of Chris, he has been the most amazing husband in the world.  He takes care of the 4 kids, cooks dinner, does laundry, goes grocery shopping, changes diapers, deals with whiners & biters (major issue with the boys right now), and takes care of me!!!  He is so precious and I love him so much.  He puts our family first and loves us and serves us.  I could never write enough about how wonderful he is.  (Baby, I'm coming back - slowly - but I'm coming back!!!)  I will still have rough days of nausea that will wipe me out (uh, 2 days ago - terrible), but I'm also having good days inbetween!  yay!  I can't wait to serve my family again and just be mama - instead of sick mama!!

I'm also already in maternity clothes.  I guess I have zero muscle tone in my stomach area after the boys and everything has already 'assumed position' in my tummy region.  I seriously look 20 weeks pregnant (and yes I'm sure there is only one!)  I dont have a belly pic, but will try to start taking some. 

I just don't care for food really, but somehow have managed to gain 12 pounds already - holy moly!  I know what it is from - red gatorade.  It is the only beverage that makes me feel normal.  And it's packed with calories and sugar. Now that I'm having better days, though, I'm waving bye bye to red gatorade and saying hello to water with tons of lemon juice.  Harper now will even ask, Mama, does this water have lemons?  Guess she's tried a few sips of my water & doesn't like it! Ha!

Well, I guess that is about all my updates for now.  I have some older posts of weekly pregnancy surveys I've done along the way (just a few - not very consistent).  I will post those, too, so I can keep up with this pregnancy. 

Everyone else is doing great!  The boys are almost 2 (next month!!) and are hilarious and so sweet.  Harper is a little helper and big time talker.  I will try to do some posts about them soon.  They are awesome kids and I love being their mama!

Mama with Baby #5