23 Weeks

I am 23 weeks today! I weighed in at 141 lbs. this week! I am going to start doing some group classes at the gym this week. I am going to try and get back into group power and try some water classes to go along with my walking. The walking just doesn't seem to be doing the trick anymore. I really want to do some yoga classes also. I love the relaxation and stretching of it! I have been having chocolate cravings pretty bad lately! I have also still been craving my tomatoes and now salads to along with that! I made some home made ranch dressing and blue cheese dressing the other day and it was super easy and tastes so much better than the store stuff. I doubt it is much healthier, but it tastes so good. I want to try and make some other dressings using more of a vinegar base rather than the cream base. I am trying to get back into breakfast shakes also. I am so excited to be getting our pool opened this weekend! I know I won't be getting it for awhile, but i love to sit and relax by it! i really hope we have better luck with our pool this year than we did last year! Lately I have been really feeling like such a failure as a mom with jax. I have been thinking about all the things I used to do with christian all the time and how I don't do hardly any of these things with Jax. I feel just awful about it. Christian and I had so much one on one time together and we went and did everything. We went to the zoo, the children's museum, New Harmony, The parks, to feed the ducks. We made train sets, did puzzles, played lincoln logs, and legos. We worked with his tools, raced trucks and cars, did finger paints, made crafts, read tons of books, drew with sidewalk chalk, did the 'spider' on the swings and just swung on the swings together. We did so much stuff and we did it a lot. I have done most of this stuff with Jax, but just not to the extent that I did with christian. I know a lot of it is because we are busier and I have Lucas also who is too little for some of this stuff. There is a million reasons (excuses) why I haven't done with Jax like Christian, but I still have this guilt that the days are going by faster and faster and I just can't do everything like I want to. I feel like Jax is getting cheated and its not fair! Last night Christian was taking a shower and getting ready for bed and Lucas was busy helping Daddy with the patio door. This was the perfect opportunity to have some mommy and Jax time. I asked him if he wanted to make a train set with me. His sweet little face just lit up and he was so excited to do this! It didn't take long and Christian joined in on helping us and the three of us built the biggest train set ever. Jax had so much fun setting up his area which was a zoo. It was a great night! I need to do this more often! I am worried that once Elijah gets here it will be even harder to give each of my boys the individual attention that they all need and deserve. My heartburn is back and getting a little unbearable, but I am still just taking tums for now! I am wearing some maternity clothes and still some regular clothes. I am still getting up at least once at night to pee and I have to pee every hour during the day! My goal for this week is to try and get the boys' closets cleaned out and organized and to have jason bring the boys' totes up stairs so I can goo through them and organize or get rid of stuff. I have started making piles of stuff to put in the yard sale. I am in the mood to really simplify and declutter my life. I am really stressing over what to keep on the kids' art work and how to organize it all. I need ideas and suggestions! I go to the doctor Thursday and I am looking forward to hearing the heart beat. I always love to hear that sound!

22 Weeks

I am 22 weeks pregnant today! I weighed in this week at 140 lbs. I haven't been making it to the gym as much this past week because the weather has been so nice. I have been walking outside though, but I think I get a better work out in when I am not having to stop to take care of the boys. I am still craving tomatoes a lot. I am also getting quite the sweet tooth. I am loving cheesecake, and chocolate, and I have been dying for some homemade ice cream! I am trying to get back on better diet of chicken and veggies, but I have been craving more beef and steak so that is hard. I really just want anything on the grill right now! I have been doing good on not eating as much fast food which is good! Elijah is moving all the time now. It hasn't gotten painful yet so that is good. I am going to have to break out the maternity clothes this week. I can still get my big girls pants on and button them but they are just not comfortable on my belly. Tunics and leggings are still working good. I just ordered a bunch of yoga stuff from victorias secret that will be nice to work out and lounge in this summer and after I have the baby. We have still not started on the nursery and I am getting anxious! Jason has been working on the yard and finishing up our interior doors. I am hoping to be able to start on the nursery in a couple of weeks. I ordered some super cute frames from Poppy Tree Frames that finally came in this week and I am so excited to get them all hung up. My heartburn really hasn't been unbearable this time which is great! I don't take tums every night like I normally have in the past. I am getting so excited to meet this sweet baby boy that I can barely stand it!

21 Weeks

I am 21 weeks pregnant today! I weighed in this morning at 138 lbs. I am still not good with this. It is looking like at this rate I am going to be weighing the same as I did with all the other boys at the end. Maybe my body just needs to weigh 161 lbs. every time! I have not been sleeping good at all this week. I have been having to get up twice at night to pee now and sometimes I can't fall back to sleep forever. Then the boys all get up around 6:00 am and are ready for the day. The weather has been so nice, except for today, that we are outside constantly and that wears me out more. I am not complaining though. I love the nice weather and wearing shorts and t-shirts and flip flops. I love going for walks with the boys outside and watching them run around the yard. I wouldn't trade it for anything, but I am more tired from it all. I am still craving tomatoes and I am also craving cheesecake now. I had to pick up a slice from the fresh market on sunday. I only ate half of it and I am saving the other half for another night this week. Cheesecake is a major weakness for me! I have also been craving grilled chicken and grilled veggies. Anything light and fresh has been sounding good. I am trying to count calories again to help with the weight gain. I would like to stay within 1500-1700 a day. this is not easy to do while being pregnant. I am so hungry all the time and I feel like a bottomless pit.

20 Weeks

I am 20 weeks pregnant today! I weighed in at 137 lbs. and I am not happy about it at all. Maybe I won't gain this next week. I have still been wanting tomatoes with everything. Anything grilled or fresh has been sounding good. I have been eating a lot of the rotisserie chicken salad from the fresh market lately and that might be where the extra weight is coming from. My clothes are all really tight now. Even my 'big girl' clothes are fitting a little snug. I can still button all those pants, but my 'little girl' clothes I have to wear a belle band with. There is no hope for buttoning those pants any more and they are starting to get snug in the thighs as well. My shirts are becoming too short in the length. I am still wearing my regular shirts that are longer. Luckily it is getting warmer out and I can start wearing comfy sundresses and sandals! I am so looking forward to summer and hanging out in the pool.  I have actually been making progress on cleaning things out around here. I think the warmer weather has given me some energy. I cleaned out the laundry room, all the kitchen cabinets drawers, closets and pantry, and I got the side entry way closet cleaned out. My goal for next week is to get the boys' closet cleaned out, my closet cleaned out, all my drawers cleaned out, and the craft closet cleaned out. It feels good to have gotten done what I did though! I am still getting up at least once at night to pee and I feel like I have to pee all the time! It drives me crazy! Elijah is moving around like crazy, which I love. I am trying to treasure every little moment I feel him because this could be the last time I get to experience this. The thought of that makes me sad. I am trying not to dwell on that too much. We haven't decided for sure if this is it for us, but four boys is a lot to handle and I want to be sure I can be a good mom and  not be too overwhelmed by the day to day craziness. I have still been walking 4-5 times a week and walking 4 miles at a time. We usually walk for about an hour each time. I am thinking to incorporate some swimming laps soon and maybe some light weightlifting to see if that will help with my weight gain. I have been shopping like crazy this week. I simply can not stop myself from ordering cute baby stuff. I am hoping to start on the nursery about beginning of May. I want to get Lucas' room finished and the rest of the interior doors finished before starting the nursery project. These weeks are just flying by! I would love to have everything finished inside and outside our house before we leave for vacation this summer.

19 Week Doctor's Appointment

This morning I had my 19 week Doctor's appointment. It was a quick appointment today. When I got there the ultrasound tech took me back because she forgot to get a couple pictures of the cord. Everything looked great and I got to see baby Elijah again which was wonderful. He was moving all over the place. His heart rate was 150 bpm. After the super quick ultrasound Paula my nurse took me to get weighed. I weighed in at 135 lbs. which I was expecting. I told Dr. Leinenbach and Paula that it was another boy and they were excited to hear that and about the gender reveal party. I also asked Dr. Leinenbach about the hospitals changing their policies on putting the baby in the nursery. She confirmed that both the hospitals were going to be changing things trying to promote better breast feeding. I am not happy about that. We have still not decided on what hospital we are going to yet. Right now our plan is if I go into labor on the weekend and I am full term I will go to the Women's Hospital. If I go into labor during the week or I am not full term then I will deliver at St. Mary's. I am trying not to worry too much about it just yet.

19 Weeks

I am 19 weeks pregnant! I can't believe I am half way done. I weighed in this week at 135 lbs. and I am not happy about this. I am still only 2 pounds more than what I was with christian and 10 pounds less than I was with Jax and Lucas at this point. Elijah has been moving like crazy this week and I love it. I can finally feel him with my hand on my stomach. This is the best part of being pregnant and I will miss it terribly. I have started with a cold today. I think it is from the weather change. I am not complaining though. I am loving this warmer weather. It has been so nice being able to walk outside the last couple of days. I thought I would go nuts shopping right away once I found out what I was having but I actually have not bought too much yet. I spent a good part of the day on sunday going through my baby clothes for the first 12 months and making a list of what we needed to get. I got rid of outfits that I didn't like or that might not work for the season. It will be so different having a baby when it is hot out. We decided on doing an antique/vintage car theme for the nursery. I am having a hard time deciding on bedding. Pottery Barn Kids has a couple that I like. I just can't make up my mind. I am hoping that Jason will finish Lucas' room next week and then finish paint the doors upstairs the following week. I am hoping to start on the nursery the week after Easter and hopefully have it finished by May. We have so many other projects going on around our house that I'm not sure how well that time table will work out. I haven't been sleeping well, but mostly its from the cold and having to get up once or twice to pee. Luckily the heartburn hasn't been horrible yet. I do feel like I have to avoid red sauces. I have been craving kanpai like no other and I am probably going to have to give in to it tomorrow night and get some carry out. I have also been drinking more milk and chocolate milk at that. I have also been craving oreo cookies! I try to only have 1 or 2 a day, but man they are good! My big jeans are getting tight around the waist. I am sure t won't be much longer until I have to break out the belle band. I am hoping to avoid maternity clothes as much as possible because I hate them. I can't tell you how excited I am to meet this little guy! I am dying to know what he looks like and I am dying to hold him in my arms.