Wednesday, May 28, 2014

may days





As always we continue to keep pace around here -- running after Noah and Sam and keeping up with all the OB appointments for our soon-to-be here (see my last OB post!) littlest King.  While we are waiting for him to make his grand debut, and to see if he ends up having a May or a June birthday, here are some other things we've been up to this month.
Nesting has been kicking into effect here, mostly in the shape of attempting to upgrade our yard/landscaping.  Since I don't need to be worrying about getting high chairs/crib/car seats/etc. assembled and installed my nesting has taken on the form of improving other things around the house.  We've spent a good portion of this month taming our flowerbeds, pulling weeds, spreading bark mulch, removing dead shrubs, and planting new flora.  My back porch has benefited significantly and I am enjoying it immensely




And even though it's been pretty warm already, the kids have been enjoying some time outside.  The sandbox tends to get messy, but the other day Noah actually tumbled into the pool while Aunt Shari was here.  They were playing with the water and I guess Noah lost his balance.   Fortunately, everyone was okay other than some serious sad faces about being all wet.  We talked the next several days about pool safety -- I think he's gotten the message ;)




Besides that especially eventful day, we've had lots of average around here.  Mostly we spend time talking about getting ready for our baby boy and filling our days with toddler playtime.  I enjoyed it a lot the other day when Noah and Sam got out the baby dolls and were "practicing" for when their new sibling arrives. Sam insisted on using the pacifier for hers, and they both wanted to put them to bed on the white chairs downstairs.  I was told repeatedly, "Shhh...baby's sleeping!"  It's been a bit, but I'm pretty sure most people *wish* their new babies slept that much!



This picture doesn't show it very well, but there is gel in his hair, he woke up this morning and said, "my hair is a MESS. I need some jam in it."
 Sam sat down next to me to "read" to me the other day :)

Mother's day was celebrated this year with some of my favorite things: church, a nap, and movie/snuggle time with my family! Matt did a great job of surprising me with a note and some new earrings!

 Sam *really* likes my necklace, and honestly, I think it might be cuter on her -- does it start this early?! I'm already having to let her borrow my stuff! ;)

my sweet rose and mother's day note and gift
Mother's day selfie with my sweet girl (plus baby bump)

Some morning reading time with daddy, they don't realize what prime real estate his lap is, since soon they will have to make room for another sibling!

We were also able to enjoy spending time with my family for (Uncle) Jared's birthday.  He turned 24 on the 17th, and we celebrated with lots of food, fun, and even a nap for the birthday boy.  It's his party, he can sleep if he wants to, right? 







We've been doing *lots* of walking this month.  Since the weather has been nice and the kids enjoy riding in our double stroller (such an awesome Christmas gift!), and I'm doing what I can to make sure little boy King stays head down and ready for whatever day his birthday will be...we walk. Full disclosure: I'm also a bit ready to meet this kid and not have to go back to work ;)  I'm sure the people seeing us in the neighborhood get worried I might deliver on their front lawns, but I know we aren't that close to delivery yet, and at least if it did happen, we'd have a great story to tell!

My laundry helpers....hopefully they are always this excited about helping with laundry.
 A picture of my sweet, sick boy.  He got croup and sounded like the most pathetic little seal.
... And after he was better three days later, this was the smile I got


Monday, May 26, 2014

38 weeks


we've made it to week 38, which makes me as pregnant as i was with samantha when she was born (technically, she was 38 weeks and 4 days).  the real question is, will this baby follow in his siblings footsteps and arrive before 40 weeks?  or will he continue the pattern that so many have pointed out to me: noah at 36 weeks, sam at 38, this baby at 40?  only time will tell, but i am getting curious to see what happens!  i honestly thought he might show up on the 22nd because i woke up that morning with *really* strong and regular contractions.  i actually even contacted my mother to give her a heads up that she might need to come and stay with the kids and as the morning went on, we discussed matt calling into work.  the contractions started around 5:30 am, and continued to be regular until about 9 am and then tapered off.  i'm not sure what really happened, but i assume part of it was that my body kicked into "mother mode" for the older two kids and decided it just couldn't have a baby that day.
of course, the same thing happened on saturday night (the 24th) with regular enough contractions that i not only notified my mom and my husband, but also my friend/doula stacy, and eventually decided to stay home from work -- something i've only ever done if i'm in labor!  while the contractions were really strong, i probably could have gone to work if my job wasn't 35 minutes away down the *worst* possible stretch of highway in the area, which is also currently under major construction (see this rendering of the LBJ express, if you're curious.  you can skip to about minute 1:30 in the video to see the true size of the project).  everyone i consulted said that yes, i should stay home if i was having contractions 3 minutes apart lasting 1 minute each.  unfortunately, that wasn't going to be baby boy's birthday, either.  as the night went on i was increasingly anxious -- for no apparent reason, other than maybe i felt guilty for calling into work? -- and the contractions slowed down and eventually stopped by around 2:30 am.  shucks.
i have to remember it's God's timing, not mine!
also, baby is allegedly weighing around 6.8 lbs and has a length around 19 1/2 inches this week.


maternity quiz
sleep: no notable changes, but it is getting difficult to roll from side to side
best moment this week: after all that contracting, the midwife told me she'd be "surprised if you made it another two weeks to your due date."  i am ready to meet this baby :) i was also told that i actually haven't gained any weight since week 32 of the pregnancy.  it's just kind of fluctuated within about the same 3 lbs for every visit, despite everything else showing that baby is getting bigger.
what i miss: nothing i'm really missing, but i do feel like i'm hot a lot these days.  so i guess i "miss" being cooler, or maybe just the cooler weather?
what i'm looking forward to: a birthday!
weekly wisdom:  just relax! ;)
milestones: i'm officially the most pregnant i have ever been! 



Thursday, May 22, 2014

maternity photos

Here are the pictures from my maternity photo shoot on May 9th with Ariana Photography.  A few last pics of us before we get to meet our newest little guy!



(we tried to get a picture like this with Sam, but she wasn't willing to hold the sign up)  ;)