37 weeks...YIKES

37 weeks pregnant is a great point because you are considered full term. This means I do not over-analyze every ache and pain and worry about baby being born too soon. I will be happy if she stays put for another two weeks, as I need to get myself together at work.

Here are my current stats:

Total weight gain:

30 lbs exactly. I started at 138 and now weigh 168. I anticipate that I will gain a few more lbs, ending up with a 33-35 lb gain.

Maternity clothes?

Uggh. The end of pregnancy is NOT fun for getting dressed. Maternity shirts are getting short. I have a few faves that fit..but am running low. I prefer yoga pants to anything else.

Belly button in or out?

It has been out for months. Once upon a time my tummy was one of my best features....Not so sure it will ever be again.

Sleep:

Ha, well I fall asleep...but staying asleep is not so simple. It is a major game of flip the big belly. After three kids I am used to not sleeping

Best moment this week:

I have had the week of, so enjoying some unusually warm weather has been the best. I was also glad to learn I didn't gain any weight at this week's appointment. I feel like my body didn't need it this week. 

Food Cravings:

Pregnant people will probably hate me when I say this, but I do not really believe in cravings. I think it is a crock that people use as an excuse to eat whatever they want. However, I do like to indulge and my favorite warm weather treat is frozen yogurt..which I had twice this week and it was so good.

Food Aversions:

Nothing really. I try to avoid eating too much at once due to a squished belly

Symptoms:

Way too many to list, but the hardest to deal with at this point is feeling like I have a bowling ball between my legs due to intense pressure and the lightening pains this causes me.

Movement:

She is a mad woman. I get elbows and knees and her bum that just full out rolls in my belly, like an alien trying to escape.

Gender:

Ms. Vivienne Rose

What I'm looking forward to:
My final labor experience, knowing our family is complete and starting the journey of getting back in shape and living a healthy, happy lifestyle with my 3 kiddos and husband.

What I miss:

Being able to run around the yard with the kids, intense workouts, breathing like a normal person.

Milestones:

Considered full term

Next appointment:

Next Wednesday when the dreaded internals start

So that is the life of a pregnant chick soooo close to the end. I am trying to rest, to enjoy my little one's while I can still give them attention and to do what I can to get off my butt without pushing myself too hard. I am trying to stay somewhat active, but am not pushing it because my body has been screaming at me lately.

Plus, sometimes you just have to enjoy the pregnancy excuse one last time before you can never do that again...as seen here:

35 weeks

I am feeling HUGE. According to thebump.com:

You're 35 weeks pregnant! Baby is now the size of a butternut squash!

 

I think my squash is a very big one. I have started experiencing intense pains in my crotch and I breath a bit better now, which indicates that she is moving down into position.

 

I am in my final hall at work. April is a great "last full month" at work because we have a weeks vacation, plus two additional days off. So it feels very manageable. In total I have 14 days left at work. I am planning to work until May 4th and then be off from that point on, even if she hasn't arrived.

 

I am hoping some nesting kicks in and that I can get this house in order before she arrives.

 

In the fitness world, I am barely holding on. I went to the gym twice this week and am hoping to go once this weekend. The hardest part about exercise at this point is all the pressure in my crotch. I would really like to keep up 3 days a week, but it is tough.

 

I am weighing about 165. I feel like the baby had a growth spurt this past week. This brings my total gain to 27 lbs. Hopefully it isn't too out of control the next few weeks.

 

In non-baby life everything is fine. We have relatives visiting which means a lot of fun for the kids with so many friends to play with. I have today (Good Friday) off and am planning to enjoy some kiddo time and a bit of rest.

 

Happy Easter!

32 week bump and fitness report

I am 32 weeks pregnant, which means there is now less than 2 months left until Vivienne is due to arrive. I have really started thinking about delivery and baby prep, but I haven't done much else to prepare. March is my busiest work month and school has been crazy, so I am looking forward to April and that is when I will get some last minute stuff done.

Anyhow. I debated over being brave enough to post a bare belly picture. I think this is a good week to do so, as I am not quite HUGE yet, but certainly big enough to get an idea of what's to come.

So here it is:

Excuse the fact that I have on no makeup and it looks like I am bald. It was 6am and no beautification had been done at this point.This is what 32 weeks and plus 25 lbs looks like.

I am doing okay. I can't say I am great, mostly because sleeping is not really very fun. But I am usually fine once I am up and out of bed. I just don't move as fast as I used to. My husband is my saving grace and helps me a ton.

It is key for me to go to bed early and do some stretching and small pelvic and back exercises before sleep. This seems to help a lot.

32 weeks is a big bench mark for me this pregnancy because in my prior pregnancies this is when I basically stopped exercising. I worked out much harder throughout this entire pregnancy, but the last two times I did do videos, walking, prenatal yoga, etc. I am really hoping to stay motivated and to keep up my routine. I have had to change it up, based on how much sleep I get and how I feel, but in one way or another I have been active.

I have worked through every pregnancy and at work I am on my feet the majority of the day, as well as walking around. That is probably the major reason why I didn't gain too much weight. This time I am eating better and doing much more lifting. Not to mention I have two toddlers at home to chase and rarely do I sit around doing nothing when I am home. It doesn't seem to have changed the weigh gain much, but I feel like my body is tighter and that I look better. I really hope it helps things after she is here.

So I thought I would post last week's schedule to motivate me and to show what I am managing to do at this point of pregnancy. I will start with last weekend.

Saturday: Rest. Though I am pretty sure that I exerted way too much energy taking the kiddos to the playground and library.

Sunday: A few miles of trail walking with the family

Monday: Gym: 20 minutes very high intensity arch trainer hills and then some moderately heavy lifting. After work we walked a few miles on the bike path but it was SLOW going because the kids kept stopping to explore.

Tuesday: Prenatal exercise video w. the hubby (Summer Sanders) and lots of stretching

Wednesday: Gym: various intervals and  weight work

Thursday: Rest and stretching

Friday: Gym: lifting, core and 20 minutes high intensity hills on elliptical

Saturday (today): we may go swimming later or maybe an exercise video

Sunday: will most likely be a long walk in the woods.

I think this isn't too bad and it is pretty typical.The only difference was that we didn't make it to the pool mid week, which we have been doing with the kids. I love swimming while pregnant and I am sure we will go next week. Some weeks it is 4 times to the gym, but I needed the rest this week.

So hopefully I can keep it up for the next few weeks. I am working right until the end, so I really need to feel good.

Wish me luck.

Wobbly vacation legs

I haven't posted in a while. I have been enjoying the gloriousness of vacation week and we were on a trip to here (Wildflower Inn in Vermont)

It was a good time, mostly because the kiddos got a lot of love from their meme and pepe and we ate some excellent food.

I needed a little R&R after a stressful week of pregnancy tests. First off I failed the one hour glucose test and had to do the dreaded 3 hour the day we left. I also had an ultrasound o be sure I didn't have placenta previa. Before the tests I was getting down on myself. It annoyed me that I am working so hard to be healthy, yet still having to do all this stuff. However, I passed all the tests and everything is fine.

My other issue is that my SPD is HORRIBLE right now. If you don't know what this is, here ya go:

Symphysis pubic dysfunction, or SPD, is one of those weird pregnancy conditions that sounds bizarre and well, kind of is. It means the ligaments that normally keep your pelvic bone aligned during pregnancy become too relaxed and stretchy. This, in turn, can make the pelvic joint — aka the symphysis pubis — unstable, causing some pretty strange sensations and sometimes pain.

While your legs won't actually fall off (promise), it may seem like they're going in opposite directions from each other (and the rest of your body). Walking, standing, or rolling over in bed can really hurt as one side of the joint shifts more than the other, throwing everything off-kilter. In very rare cases, the joint may gape apart noticeably, a condition called diastasis symphysis pubis, which can cause serious pain in your pelvis, groin, hips, and buttocks (truly, a pain in the rear!).

The more babies you have, the worse it can get. I had it with Charlotte and it is 1000x's worse this time. So what does this mean. For me it means walking has been extremely painful the last week, sitting is worse, and sleep is impossible. It also meant that the 5 hour car ride to Vermont was hell on earth and the bad hotel bed was even worse. So I am having to rethink my exercise plan. I had to take a few days off from the gym, per doctors orders.

Basically the main parts of my fitness routine are making it worse. Anything where my legs are not both stable and on the ground together or where there is weight on one side more than the other, is making it worse (Think step ups, lunges, split squats, bosu ball leg work, high intensity arc trainer and elliptical work and anything on the core board). Honestly I am not sure what to do. I am going to start on Monday and try to lower my resistance on the cardio machines and do some of the circuit machines and any weight work that doesn't require my legs to move much. This is tough because I base everything I do on multiple body parts moving at once and I am having to change all of that. I am going with the mantra, something is better than nothing.

On a positive note, I did receive my foodie penpal box and am looking forward to posting about all the tasty treats that I got!!!!!

Oh hello third trimester, nice to see you again.

I have started the final stretch of pregnancy and am now in the third tri. This is where getting big takes on a new meaning and the excitement starts to set in. It is also where I start to freak out that I need to get crap done before I have three children to tend to instead of just two.

Everyone in the web world is answering the same list of pregnancy questions and since I have little else to say about life at this second I thought I would give them a go.

How far along: 27 weeks, 2 days
 Baby size: 2-2.5 lbs and 14 or so inches long...but I bet she is a bit bigger. My babies grow fast
Total weight gain: I am at about 20 lbs..hoping stay within 30 lbs total
Belly button: 3rd pregnancy=outie very early. The kids like to poke it and laugh
Stretch marks: I just have a few small ones from my second and they are the clear kind. I have good genes in that department
Maternity clothes: I am sick of them already. I had to buy a few more tops...but I hate the pants the most. They always fall off my butt. I try to wear dresses and yoga pants as much as possible.
Sleep: ehhh, it has gotten to that point where I wake up every 30 minutes either to pee or move the belly to the other side...but I am used to that by now.
Symptoms: As of last week I started to get heartburn before bed. I also have very sore crotch, legs and tailbone and veins in my legs that had better go away when I am done. By the way almost none of this happened with my first and have gotten worse with each baby.
Aversions/cravings: I eat a pretty healthy, well-rounded diet. I really think that helps keep cravings at bay. Like always I love good, healthy, veggies filled foods of all varieties and some occasional sweet stuff. My biggest indulgance is big weekend breakfasts, yum.
Best moment of the week: Probably buying two matching dresses, one is size 2T the other in 3 months for my two girls. I am really starting to know the joy of having two little sisters on my hands.
What I am looking forward to: I have a 28 week ultrasound on Wednesday to find out if my placenta has moved up. I am praying for good news because if it hasn't moved it may mean bedrest, no more exercise and/or a C-section..all of which I dread more than anything. It will be fun to see her little squirmy self no matter what.
Nursery Progress: Umm, we don't have anything done for that yet. We finally decided to buy another crib because Charlotte is so little and sleeps so well in hers and I don't want to push her out too early. We decided Charlotte and Liam will share a room, so Liam is changing rooms and we have ordered some furniture for him (bunk beds and a bureau). So when the furniture gets here we can probably set up a room for the baby. It will feel good to have something prepared a head of time.

Pregnant chicks lift weights too

Pregnancy workout of the day....

15 minute arch trainer workout to get this big belly moving

3xs 10 squats on the squat bar with 20 lbs each side.

Alternating sets of
Shoulder press 3 xs 12 with 12 lb weights
Lat pull downs 3xs 10 with 50 lbs

Alternating sets of
Weighted step ups, with 2 15 lb weights
Weighted lunges

Alternating sets of
Planks with legs on stability ball
Oblique twists with medicine ball twist, 3 xs 15

Alternating sets of
Cable machine wood chop, 3 sets of 12 on each side with 20 lbs
Squats with 15 lb weight on reebok core board, 3xs 12

Followed by lots of stretching. I have to take tomorrow off because I am hurting...but am still happy to do some good lifting. I hope this strength pays off when I start my postpregnancy journey.

Let's talk food (and water) again...finally!

Alright, I admit..this used to be a food blog and now it is totally NOT.

There is something about morning sickness and pregnancy fatigue that prevents a gal from wanting to talk food. However, I am still taking what I eat very seriously and once I stopped feeling sick I really did start eating better.

I do "cheat" a lot more now. By cheat I mean if I really want something, I get it. I love food and it is nice to give into pregnancy cravings when it is worth it. But I also learned the hard way that if you use pregnancy as an excuse to eat like crap, your body will look MUCH worse post-partum. So I eat as healthy as I can most of the time, and I don't feel to bad if I get a burrito on a random Wednesday night (like say, last night).

So what have I been eating.

Here's a sample pregnancy menu from today:

Breakfast
-Wake up, drink 12 ounces of water (baby and mama feel MUCH better when hydrated)
-Smoothie: scoop of natural whey protein, 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, strawberries and raspberries, scoop of natural pnut butter with flax and ice
-1 cup of french vanilla coffee w/ skim milk and 2 tsp turbinado sugar (yes, I drink caffeine while pregnant, judge away if you would like)

Lots of water before work

Mid-morning snack
Low fat string cheese
apple
water, water and more water

Lunch
handful of almonds and handful of dried cranberries
dinner leftovers of taco fixings (chicken, brown rice, black beans and salsa)
water

Late afternoon snack
Rice crispy treat

Dinner
Wild mushroom cous-cous topped with
Sauteed mushrooms, red peppers and garlic topped with black pepper and feta cheese
2 large water with lemon

Late night snack
Chobani Lemon Greek yogurt with chopped pecans mixed in and topped with a squirt of whipped cream
2-4 large glasses of water

And chances are, I will have another rice crispy treat.

This is pretty typical for me. Pregnant or not, I eat a lot of the same things. In my non-preggo world I probably would not have a second crispy treat, or whipped cream on my yogurt...but otherwise pretty typical.

Tomorrow I am having just about the same, except lunch will be leftover mushrooms and couscous and dinner will be homeade spimach, tomato and mushroom pizza on whole wheat crust (one of the family favs)

You might be wondering why I am mentioning ALL the damn water I drink. Well obviously we know water is important, BUT it is especially important to this pregnant chick. I am almost always dehydrated if I don't make a concious effort to drink a TON of water. If I get dehydrated I get day long headaches. My water intake really effects my ability to function. So yeah, that's what's with the water.

I love food and I especially love cooking with as many fresh veggies as possible. I look forward to getting back into clean eating and blogging about my post-pregnancy body stuff.

But until then...I will continue to grow a healthy little baby and hope my butt doesn't grow as fast as my belly.

24 weeks preggo

Oh boy, 6 months pregnant now, life seems to fly by, I am feeling good: minus the nighttime hip and crotch pain, weight has slowed down (thank goodness), eating pretty healthy but giving in to occasional temptations, am both happy and sad that it will not be long before I am done growing babies and moving on to just raising the 3 I have been blessed enough to have, have to drink the nasty diabetes drink next week...I better not fail, so glad to have a husband who helps, I think we have a name but I have commitment issues, little girl names are so cute, and the belly grows and grows......................................

24 weeks, 2 days

I am weighing in around 154 (up 16 lbs, yikes!), which is about the same for the past few weeks. I think I was eating too much salt a few weeks ago and the reason I haven't gained is because I have been eating cleaner and drinking tons of water.

Baby girl is kicking and twirling a lot in there. That feeling NEVER gets old.

I have done absolutely nothing to prepare for her arrival. I think after 2 kiddos I just figure there isn't much that I need a head of time. We have all the big stuff, just need a few small things. The difference between what matters during your first pregnancy compared to your last.

I had a rough start to my week this week. One of our kiddos was not sleeping AT ALL early in the week and I just did not feel so good. I got it together later in the week and was back at the gym. Working out still feels great and I am so glad I can still do it.

I have one big worry this week, because pregnant chicks worry..that's just how it is. I am worrying about what the results of my 28 week ultrasound will be. I had placenta previa at my last appointment and I am just praying it has fixed its self. I do NOT want to give up exercise, be on best rest, or have a c-section ALL of which are a possibility if the damn placenta is still in the way.

Otherwise all is well. I am happy and am just glad that our little family will soon be complete.

What the heck?!

The very last thought I had before I hit the sheets last night was......ahhhh, I am going to bed nice and early and I am not going to go to the gym and can sleep until 6:30, oh it will be so great to be well-rested.

Why the heck did I have to jinx myself like that?! I should know better by now.

Since I have been up I have made breakfast, changed a diaper, made a smoothie, cleaned up and now it is:

Yeah, that's the time NOW. It was 4:15 when my lovely daughter decided she would scream poop from her crib until I got her and my son woke up during the commotion and refused to go back to sleep.

**Sigh**

So I am trying not to mourn the loss of my extra 2 hours of sleep and am resigned to the fact that I must start my day. So I am drinking this bad boy

and hoping the kiddos go easy on me.

On the up side, my mama is coming to babysit for us today so we can travel up to a friend's house for her 30th birthday party. I am super excited, but don't know how long I will last with this sleep deprivation and my aversion to sitting in one seat for too long (my sciatica is killing me lately).

I had a doctors appointment this week. I swear, I have spent half of the last 4 year waiting in the OB's office. This time I waited forever and saw the doctor for 5 minutes...annoying, but everything seems fine. They gave me the nasty glucose drink for the next appointment.

I am 23 weeks pregnant and seem to be holding up okay. I feel like I have gained a ton of weight. I am 156 lbs (started at 138), but that seems to be slowing down a bit.

I am not going to be hard on myself. I work out, I eat pretty healthy, I'm on my feet at work all day...so I am pretty sure my body is gaining what it will gain. I am gaining more than last time, but I also weighed 10 lbs less to start. I am hoping I am just gaining at a different rate.

Besides, I will not let the guilt or worry take away from enjoying my last pregnancy. I mean the weightloss process always sucks a bit..but I know myself well enough to know I will do it. This time it will be an especially fun challenge because it will hopefully be the last time I ever need to lose a big chunk of weight.So if I want to eat a cookie one of my students made me, I am eating the damn cookie.

I'm not gonna lie though..whenever I go to the doctors I feel like a prize pig being weighed in.

So I hope everyone out there who is reading this slept in much later than this on their Saturday morning. The great news is, it's a 3 day weekend! Wohooooooo

Vacation, Vacation, Vacaaaaation

Yes, 10 days off from work.
10 days home with my babies, part of which will be spent hanging with the sweetest niece and nephew ever (who are coming to stay with us for 5 days) and my brother and sister in-law.

There is nothing in this world as special as watching your kids experience the magic that is Christmas morning. I am so psyched.

Tomorrow will be spent cleaning and cooking and baking. Our Christmas plans are always the same. We go to church at 4pm, have my in laws over for dinner and dessert after church, have a birthday party and sing happy birthday to baby Jesus, watch a Christmas movie, read "twas the night before Christmas to the kids and get them in bed and then set up the magic for the morning. Christmas morning we wake up, wait for the kids, open presents, my in laws come over for an early breakfast (usually overnight french toast, bacon and fruit salad. We get dressed and head out to my mom's (a two hour drive). The kids open gifts there, we have snacks and then we head down the street to my grandmothers house, where our extended family gathers for a party/ dinner/ lots of love, laughter and fun. Then we all head back home, exhausted, full, usually with a car load of presents.

It is of course a lot for two days, but as you all know, totally worth it. It certainly helps that it is followed by 8 days off from work.

So as so many people are this time of year, I am excited.

Things have been good around here. I finally got over a cold that seemed like it would never leave.
I have gone to the gym three mornings this week. I have had some serious crotch pain issues. I swear this pregnancy is so much harder on my body. Everything is happening so early this time. It just helps to remember that this is the last time. The gym does help to get me going. I am planning to go tomorrow and then beat the crowds at the grocery store when it opens.

My eating has been less than stellar. I feel like there has just been food everywhere lately. I have gained about 13 lbs so far. I am hoping that since today is my half way point (20 weeks) that I will only gain 15 more, putting me at a 30 lb weight gain...which seems to be the norm for me. It is so hard when you are hungry and exhausted all the time. When I cook I am careful to keep it healthy and clean, but there have been a lot of pizzas lately. Having a week off to reset will help, because I usually love to cook but don't love doing it when I am so damn tired. I tell ya, having a full time job and taking care of two toddlers is painfully tiring when you are pregnant.

Anyhow, I will leave you with 20 week belly pictures. I know how big I am for 20 weeks. No, it is not twins...I call it "third child in 4.5 year syndrome" I was not even close to this big with the other two at 20 weeks...but baby bumps are always fun, even if people don't believe you when you day how far along you are.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Ahhh, the weekend..I love you so. Not that the weekend is all that relaxing, but it sure beats work.

This morning we were up at 6:30, which is sleeping in for me by a lot because I get up at
4:30 during the week. This was followed by a trip to dunks for a small peppermint/ mocha coffee. YUM.

Then the hubs went to work and the kids and I got ready and cleaned up the house.

We left here at 9 to head to the craft store. I was determined to make a wreath for out bare front door. My husband has started blacksmithing and made some beautiful hooks for our stocking..so I asked him to make me a wreath hook for the door. I will post some pics of our crafting tomorrow if he gets the hook up.

Liam was a terror in the craft store, so I was totally dreading going into Trader Joes...but I was already in town and really had to go. We all came out in one piece and made it home without too many meltdowns and a car full of the week's meals.

We are back home and I even got the wreath done. It looks pretty damn good. I cannot believe they try to sell these things for 40 bucks when you can make one for 8 bucks that looks even better.
Here's a picture. I know it will look better hanging but it gives you an idea:

Bought the natural wood form for $4.00, the fake berries for $1.00 and the silver pine cones for $3.00. I had the ribbon and used an industrial hot glue gun to get it all on. It will look good hanging on our green door. The traditional green wreath does not look good because of our door color.

Not sure what to do with the rest of the day. I am feeling lazy and it isn't so nice outside. Maybe some fort building and hide and seek.

Tonight I am making homemade wheat crust greek pizzas with mushroms, spinach, garlic, tomatoes feta and mozerella

I love staying home during the holidays. Everything is decorated and the house is warm and smells like pine. Makes me feel all festive.

Not much new otherwise. I am 18 weeks pregnant. I went to the gym 4 times last week and had a few good lifting sessions (or at least good for a tired preggo girl). I am taking this Tuesday off for our big anatomy scan ultrasound...but it isn't quite as exciting when you are not finding out the sex. After the ultrasound we are taking the kids to the Bass Pro Shop to see Santa...they always have the best Santa there.

'Tis the season. I am just trying to enjoy the kiddos and to not get too fat. (which was probably not helped by the box of Candy Cane Trader Jo Jo cookies I just bought).

I must stop eating

My eating was out of control the last few day. I am hungry all the time and I need to get my crap under control. As much as I would love to be a stay at home mom, I would most certainly have trouble keeping my self out of the fridge. I need a schedule to maintain my healthy eating patterns.

Today I made a major Trader Joes trip and scheduled my meal plan for the week. So if I stick to it and stop grazing, I will be good.

here's a brief outline for the week:
Tonight: large Greek salad with lots of veggies and almond slices
Tomorrow: Spinach and mozzarella stuffed turkey loaf over caper and lemon brown rice
Tuesday: Seafood stir fry with wheat lo-mein and broccoli
Wednesday- Turkey meatballs over homemade tomato/ veggie sauce over pasta
Thursday: Lemon pepper chicken over quinoa with peppered Brussel sprouts
Friday: Burritos with chicken, tomatoes, cheddar, black beans and avocado on lo carb wraps
Saturday- Pizza from our favorite pizza joint, because I can't be THAT good while I have hormones ragging!

I'd like to believe the baby is having a growth spurt, but I think I am just looking for an excuse to keep eating.

At least I went to the gym a lot this week. That's one thing to feel good about. I simply cannot go without meal planning EVER..it's a disaster waiting to happen.

I'm 16 weeks preggo this week and other than my over-eating, I am feeling good. Sometimes though, I'd really love a nap. I remember when I was pregs with my first child and I could nap all freaking weekend. I haven't had a nap (other than one that was a remedy for a migraine) in years. I miss sleep. Sleep is glorious And on that note I am off to bed at 8pm because I am old, sleep-deprived, pregnant and I must go to the gym in the morning.

Survival Mode

I have been a major blog slacker, mostly because I have been going to bed around 8pm every night and am still not feeling too fabulous.

I am working hard to stay positive and be a good mom. I am certainly not feeling as horrible as I was a few weeks ago, but I am still playing the....work 24 hours a day to prevent getting so sick that I cannot function. I am constantly on guard of having a migraine come on, eating the wrong thing and then puking and of staying on a schedule because somehow when I veer from my eating, waking, sleeping pattern things go down hill quickly.

On the health front I feel like I am failing miserably, but honestly I am currently in survival mode.

This past week I went to the gym ONCE.

I am trying to look at it like:

well at least you made it to the gym once.

instead of:

I can't believe you only made it to the gym once.

Mostly this was due to the fact that I felt bad much of the week and both of my kids have a cold and we had some seriously bad sleepers the past few nights.

I am hoping for a better week next week and praying as I approach week 12 that I will feel much better.

On a happy pregnancy note, I do get to have my NT scan on Wednesday which means I get to see that itty, bitty baby. Ultrasounds are always fun.

Eating has also been pretty sub par. I eat what I can, when I can.

This week that meant pizza and Chinese food (for my mother-in-laws birthday). The Chinese food was pretty gross, so luckily I didn't go too overboard. The pizza was fabulous and I really overindulged.

I am not sure if you were ever a big partier, but pregnancy sickness is very much like having a bad hangover. You are sick to your stomach, tired, have headaches and for some reason greasy food settles your stomach. This seems odd to me. You would think that greasy pizza would make it worse, but it does not.

Some morning, when I am sitting on the couch thinking of how bad I feel, I think about the bad hangovers I have had and I just cannot believe I would have ever bring that level of illness on to myself.

So after two other babies, I know this wont last forever. Survival mode will turn into cute little belly mode, which will last for a few months before starting I feel like the Titanic and my back and hips make me want to cry mode. This is why I am hoping to get back into my exercise routine in hopes that it will heal some of the aches and pains.

 My short term goal is to try and stay away from the Halloween candy. I am taking the kids to a town trick or treating event today and my will power sucks. JUST SAY NO TO PEANUT BUTTER CUPS.

The BIG announcement, and baby makes 5!

Well,

After spending the past 6 weeks or so being vague, avoiding people and trying not to puke when anyone is around, I have finally gotten to the point where I cannot keep it in anymore.

I am 10 weeks preggo with baby number 3! Wohoo.

I know it is still very early, and there is always the possibility that something could go wrong...but I am hopeful that all is well and honestly, I am just sick of holding it in. I am just not a secretive kind of person.

I mentioned my "injury" a few weeks back. This was all related to my pregnancy. I had some bleeding around 5 weeks, which ended up being a hematoma. The result of that was taking it easy and being careful...especially careful not to have sex (poor hubby) and not to lift anything heavy (poor muscles).

Honestly, it was a bit hard to deal with at first, but then I ended up with such bad ALL DAY AND NIGHT sickness that I didn't get much done in the exercise world anyway. It was bad. I am talking a migraine and puking all day long kind of bad. I ate like crap because crap was all I could hold down.

With my son I was not sick at all. I had it almost as bad with my daughter...but this time was the worst of all. Another girl perhaps?

I am feeling better now and I can honestly say I am thrilled and just praying that everything is okay and that we have our third and final child.

I know this will be our last time, so I am trying to enjoy each moment. I know from past experience that it flies by and that no stage lasts very long.

I have been exercising again and am generally feeling pretty good about myself. I am really hoping to travel down a healthy and active road the next 8 months.

So my blog will probably take a bit of a turn here. I am hoping to focus on maintaining my happiness and health while pregnant, working, and caring for 2 toddlers. And then refocusing on regaining my post baby weight and staying active as a momma of 3.

I am due in May and this time I am hoping to have a gender surprise. So here's to another healthy baby!