Friday, January 25, 2013

Pregnancy #4 so far

My poor fourth child. No regular blog posts with pictures of my belly, or tracking weight I've gained (who wants to know that anyway?), or my crazy pregnancy cravings. He's been pretty neglected, other than the whole "sitting pretty in mommy's belly" gig he's got going on. Part of my problem--like many moms--I am the one wielding the camera, so I am not in front of it much. If I am, I am often sharing space with the three Finnlings, who like to have pictures taken of themselves! I love it too, but it is not the best documentation of the fact that I AM truly pregnant. So here is some fuzzy, taken-with-an-iPhone evidence that there is a baby in my belly:

self portrait at 19 weeks (taken Nov. 30, 2012)


self portrait at 26 weeks (taken January 19, 2013)

All in all, the pregnancy is going well. I seemed to have left behind the regular, daily nausea around 13-15 weeks, though I still have bouts of nausea and vomiting about once a week to every ten days. I just have a sensitive stomach, folks, so if something sets it 'off', it's off for awhile :-) To add to the nausea I have had frequent heartburn and acid reflux with this pregnancy. I have had acid reflux with all of my babies, but it grew in intensity with each pregnancy--this is definitely the worst it has been. I try to avoid highly acidic foods, things with lots of tomato or spices or citrus, especially later in the evening. Prilosec and Zantac have become my regular friends! My weight gain has been pretty normal for me...I can't really even say what I've gained. I have a doctor's appointment next week (my glucose test, yay) and will have a better idea then. At my last appointment five weeks ago I had gained about 8-10 pounds so far. Until recently I had been sleeping well but had crazy, vivid, epic dreams that caused me to feel not rested. Nathan did some research on sleep issues and we have implemented a nighttime routine that seems to help.  I feel like Fuller hit a growth spurt in the past two weeks as I feel bigger and have more aches and soreness than previously--but that is to be expected when you are almost in your third trimester :-)

Truly, I am blessed beyond measure with healthy pregnancies and babies. I feel bad even mentioning some of the 'stuff' I have dealt with, because I do not want to complain at all. This pregnancy has gone really well, and has flown by! We thank the Lord for the gift of another child in our little Fuller. He is healthy and moving around like crazy, and growing well. It is hard to believe that we will be meeting him in about three months (eek!). We are extremely excited to meet him, learn his little personality, and shower him with affection and kisses, especially from his siblings.

Just for fun, here are a few of my favorite things during my pregnancy: 

My friend, Terra, introduced me to Moody Sisters Organic Skincare, and I love their products. I think I may even have to do an entire post about it. Their Intense Moisturizing Lotion is perfect for my itchy pregnant skin. I have the Vanilla Orange scent, which could be overpowering or cloying, but it is a perfect, dreamy combination.

I like bagels all the time, but they have especially hit the spot this pregnancy. We ate at a Brueggers Bagels in Kentucky and I fell in love with their rosemary and olive oil bagel (and their pumpkin bagel, and the cranberry apple). Yum. 

Sometimes I don't feel like eating much, or I'm trying to avoid putting a lot of food on my stomach, and so I often grab one of the Lemon Zest Luna Bars. It is a protein bar formulated for women, and it's super good.

My last food preference: Jumbo Soft Pretzels from Chili's! These new appetizers are at Chili's, and they frequently hit the spot for this pregnant lady.

Even when it was warm outside, I love settling down in the evening with a book or to watch a movie. I found this Cozy blanket at Kohl's and I use it most evenings. I had to buy one for Nathan, too.

I love to read, and I have been using Audiobooks from Audible.com a lot this pregnancy. Listening to a book helps me work more effectively at housework (I am doing something I love while doing something I dislike), and helps to pass the evenings if Nathan is teaching. 

Thanks for reading my rambling post! I appreciate your prayers as we enter the home stretch of this pregnancy.






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