17/18 weeks.... 5 years... etc...

Well, time is moving so slowly, and week 17 has come and gone. Today i begin week 18 in this process better referred to as the "getting fatter by the minute" stage of life! lol
Actually, upon the last doctor's visit I was a little under on my weight gain which is perfectly safe according to Dr. McIntosh bc I started out a little bigger then the last pregnancies... go figure! lol
I absolutely LOVE Dr. McIntosh! She is amazing! Her personality is just so much fun that I thoroughly look forward to each dr. visit! It is also a relief to know that the same person I see for each visit will also be the person delivering the baby! With my old OB, Dr. Hamre (Ciara and Cadie's ) I was very much turned away by the fact that he was my regular doctor but not "on call" for either birth...meaning complete strangers delivered my babies...not cool!

Anyway, things are going well with all the baby things... I look forward more and more to the 17th and finding out if there actually could be a little boy in there!!! Either way though, for those wondering, Jared will be "fixed" very soon... not that we are for sure done having babies... but better play on the safe side for awhile, since I can't seem to stay un-pregnant for very long! lol

On other notes...
Cecilia has proudly started the 2nd grade and is struggling. She is an excellent learner, she catches on very quickly and retains information better than any adult I ahve ever met... but she seems to be getting very distracted and finds herself "not paying attention" quite frequently. Jared and I are discussing getting her tested for ADD and dyslexia, if the problem continues much longer, just to be safe...

Sunday the 23rd as Jared and I's 5 year anniversary! I know right!? 5 years! lol Anyway, we went and saw the movie "Time Travelers Wife" Saturday (such a wonderful movie by the way! I am reading the book!) and then just spent Sunday afternoon relaxing around the house. I suppose as more time goes by as a married couple, you realize that the celebration of the anniversary is no where near as important as the fact that you've actually made it that long without one of you killing the other... ah, love.... lol

Jared has taken to reading to the kids every night from the book Superfudge, and I will end this blog with a interesting experience we had the other night during story time...

There is a main character in the book named Fudge. He has a sister named Tootsie. These aren't there real name of course but that is what everyone calls them... well we have always had pretty specific nicknames for the kids. Cecilia is fondly called Cecilia Bedilia... Ciara is noticeably named for her hair, Goldilocks...and Cadince has been Cadie bug since she was born. I suppose the girls decided being named after sweets would be waaayyy cooler! lol

Ciara: From now on, I want to be called "Lollipop!"
Cecilia: Ya, and I want to be.... ummmm... "Laffy Taffy!"
Jared: um, ok... what do you want to be called then Cadince?
Cadie: Uh... "Donut!"
Me: Goodness... well then I suppose Daddy and I should have junk food names as well then huh...
Cecilia: Mom should be "gumdrop" and dad can be..."nerds!"
(Sorry....I am totally cracking up right now all over again!!!!!!!!!)
Me: Well then, what shall we call the baby?
LONG PAUSE
Jared: I have got the PERFECT name for the baby!
All: What is it Dad?
Jared:........."Good N Plenty!"

Well I guess that settles it. We now know where Jared stands on how many kids he wants! lol
Have a good day everyone! lol

Catch up.... weeks 14-16

Things have been so hectic lately! Between scheduling doctor's appointments, Cecilia starting school up again (yay!), Ciara coming down with Lord knows whatever this illness is, and well, just life... Taking the time to sit at the computer for anything but paying bills has been nearly impossible! lol

Thankfully, the past few weeks have come with some blessings as well as a few not-so-fun parts, as is expected! The morning sickness is pretty much gone! I am still tired alot, but have been finding the energy to try and get out and about a little more, even if it is just running a few errands. I made a few appearances in our quite fashionable emergency room with apparent "anxiety" attacks! Ha! I am a pregnant mother of 3 with moving, school, and a million other things on my mind, what in the world could possible cause "anxiety"?! lol

I finally made it down to see a doctor and I am totally in love with my choice of OBGYN and the staff! My doctor's office is, humorously, located directly behind the Harley Davidson store so there is a steady flow of magnificent inventions constantly catching my eye while I sit in the waiting room! lol
September 17th we find out the sex of the baby... or as Jared says, we reaffirm that it is a boy! lol I will be 21 weeks at the time so we should get a very good picture of the little girl... I mean, the baby! haha!

Well, not much more to say. The girls and I went on a zoo trip a few weeks ago so as soon as I get the film developed there will be a post on that... but geez Walmart is so far away! lol

Until later...

Week 12/13

I believe I should appropriately label this post as "The 12 hour nap"!
I am sooooo tired all the time!
While being home alone with three kids all day everyday and most the time all night as well doesn't seem to permit any rest no matter how much it's needed... I seem to manage it... interrupted of course!
Thank the Lord for my Cecilia! She is the 7 year old from heaven. Every little whim and need I have, she jumps to the opportunity to help me. I get massages all day long, even though I haven't asked for any lately! She wakes up with her sisters and just as I am barely opening my eyes after a long night spent tossing and turning and making frequent bathroom trips (ALREADY!) she is there with a bowl of cereal for me informing me that she and her sisters have already eaten and will be watching t.v. for the next little bit! What an amazing little helper she is. With Jared gone all week, I wouldn't be able to survive without that girl!
Well, not much has changed over the past week or so... except OMG I am showing! Isn't it impossibly ridiculous how early everything starts each pregnancy?! I don't remember even showing with the other two during the first trimester at all! Here I am though, welcoming in the second trimester 6 lbs heavier and all of it in my middle section...gaining weight every moment I am sure!
School starts for Cecilia in about 2 weeks and we are all looking forward to it, though I am less enthused now that I know I will be without such a incredible little helper everyday! As soon as we can find us a place, we will be moving... and Lord I hope it's soon. I hate anticipation of any sort. Shoot! I am already ready for this pregnancy to be almost over not barely beginning! lol

Well, that's about it.
Oh, and we found a girl's name... Coralee Patience!
Patience was Jared's 7th great grandmother's name from like the 1600's or something, and I just love it.... even though it is irrelevant since everyone (Especially Jared) swears I am having a boy! haha!

Week 11 brings blessings!

Well, we are 11 weeks into this thing now! Only 570,000 left to go.... or so it feels! lol
Though I still have only one working hand, things have fallen more or less into routine.

I am constantly tired! ha! I don't fall asleep until at east 3 or 4am, no matter how the day went, what I eat, or what I do right before bed... and then I just am unable to get out of bed until 1 or 2 pm the next day! If I try, I am incredibly weak and spend most of that time in the bathroom revisiting food once again! So, for the most part, I sleep all day, and then head off to work all night!

The crappiest part of this being that I have vastly neglected my wife-duties... cleaning, laundry, cooking, etc. The house looks more like a horrible tornado swept through and has demolished everything! If I was a meteorologist, and had the ability to name this tragedy like a hurricane, I would most likely come up with something along the lines of Ceciaradince....ya, that fits! lol

But, on to good news!

Jared had been more then blessed since he got to his unit. Not only has he been promoted very quickly (he is now an E-3) but he has made a very good impression on others around him and they are desperate to keep him with them! In the guard, you just don't find many hard workers like Jared.
Anyhoo.... we have been hoping and praying for an ADSW job (full time position in the unit, though it's a temp job) because once you get in, they pretty much keep you going from temp job to temp job until they find you a full time position. While working ADSW, you get full active duty pay for your rank, BAH, and BAS! The only downside is, until he gets a more permanent position, he will likely be staying in Smyrna, a hour and a half a way, for a week at a time and only coming home on the weekends to see us... Well, one of the top liaisons for the unit has been desperately trying to find a position anywhere for JARED and called us Thursday to let us know that he got one!!!!!
It is 3 months long... give or take if they get it done faster than that. His orders are only for a month at a time, but we will still be making great money!
Plus, if they continue to put him in jobs once this one is done, or they find him a permanent position there, we will move to Smyrna/Murfreesboro so we can actually be near him and he can come home in the evenings!
Plus, there is this BEAUTIFUL house there that I want soooo bad! lol

Well, that's about it I suppose!
Until next week.... the end of the first trimester!!!

weeks 9/10

Sorry!
These past 2 weeks have been eventful enough for blogging but time and circumstances have not made so possible. This will be short as it is!
There is a good chance I will be taking some time off from work. I have incredibly unreliable child care now so working is becoming a BIG issue. This sucks bc we desperately need my income too, but the Lord will get us through.
This will be short bc just this past week I had a dizzy spell... well, long story short I fell and caught myself wrong so now I get to wear this non decorative and certainly non flattering bandage and brace for my carpal fracture in my left hand! yay! lol
The baby seems to be trying to adjust! haha! I am nauseous all the time still, but I have not been actively revisiting my meals near as much!
It won't be until August that I can see a doctor so please just wish us luck as my pregnancies are high risk to begin with that no problems occur!
Thanks for staying updated with us and I will try to get more on here later!

Week 8...SO SICK!

Is it not over yet?!
I mean, why does it have to take sooo long to cook a baby? I want it now! lol

This week has been actively challenging. The sickness comes and goes but when it hits it lasts all day! I end up dry heaving, unable to keep anything down, and very weak by the time the day passes. It wasn't like that with the others. I was either sick really quick, or just nauseous. Never constantly vomiting all day! It's horrible.... but worth it in the end!

Along with the illness has been the fatigue and restlessness. I seem to remember these things not starting until into the 2nd trimester before... why oh why are they starting so soon this time?! Must be a boy! lol
We have been set on a boy's name for forever, since we keep having girls it seems we may never use it! The name for a girl though, comes and goes... maybe this time I will wait till the baby comes to make the final decision.

The girls and I are heading out for a surprise visit to see some people tomorrow. It's been awhile and they are very close to us so, since Jared will be at summer camp, we decided to make the little trip over. We had planned on going to see my folks, but it's so far away and with me being sick all the time... well, I don't think we'd make it!

Guess that about wraps it up.
As always, feel free to share any advice you may have for me or ideas/suggestions!
Hope everyone had a GREAT Father's Day!

Week 7...

I am so thankful that i LOVE my job!
I work roughly 30 hours a week... which is actually a good deal more than the other part-time employees who have been there a great deal longer than me! My boss understands I need the money and she really enjoys the atmosphere I help create at work... yay!
Unfortunately, there is a great chance that I will not be with the company much longer. It's not the craziness of the pregnancy, which I will get at later, but the unfortunate reality that it is nearly impossible to find constant, reliable, and cheap daycare! Don't get me wrong, we greatly appreciate our friends and family when they help out... but we don't want to continue to rely on them and make them feel like we are using them in any way...
That, and we are almost assuredly moving soon!
YAY!
But more on that when the time comes!!!!!!


As far as the pregnancy goes, I am 7 weeks and 3 days today and still haven't had the means or time to see a doctor, but hey, I am experienced at this sort of thing so I know the basics... lol
The morning sickness comes mostly late late in the evening, or if I miss a meal by more than just a hour or so.... and it no longer involves actual vomiting, just nausea that won't go away... the worst kind!
I can't eat chocolate! This, along with a few other differences in my previous pregnancies and in correlation to others I have spoken with is making me feel like the baby is quite possibly a boy! But, then again... it could just be wishful excitement! lol
I haven't had the horrible headaches or weakness that has accompanied my pregnancies in the past, though it is still early on... I am hoping that I can keep up the active part of my life (walking, working, cooking...lol, and yoga) throughout this pregnancy without the previously inevitable bed rest. While we know this is a high risk pregnancy, with preterm labor with both Ciara and Cadince in my past, we are praying that the Lord grants us a smooth ride this time...

FYI, I am actually keeping these blog updates regular because other bloggers have inspired me to keep a journal, and while I regularly would not have the motivation to be so punctual with my posts, I figured it would be a great keepsake for the baby one day... a week by week journal. That and I can eventually throw all the pain and sickness in the one day teenagers face with actual proof! hahahahaha! jk... maybe!
Thank you for all your prayers and enthusiasm!
We couldn't be more EXCITED!

Week 6!

Ok, so the more I think about it, 9 months of posts revolving around what is happening to the tiny fetus inside me could probably get old... but I am so excited I am doing it anyway!
For now at least! :)

Ok, into week 6!

Just found out my sister-in-law has bun in the oven too! She is due the same week as me! I am really excited and please put out prayers for her since they have a had some trouble in the past! This is great news!

The cravings are really starting to hit. I wasn't expecting that but after talking to some friends I am hearing/realizing that with each pregnancy the "symptoms" start to occur sooner and fade faster... generally speaking of course!
I am exhausted, but it's pretty much just the crazy work output I have going on. This week we had Vacation Bible School at our church and the girls and I are really involved in it! We made the cutest quilt in crafts with stars and crosses all over it and special verses the girls stamped on there! It's so pretty! I am very proud of them!

Jared and I are, while excited, faced with a few big decisions right now that will have a great affect on our lives and future... so please put out a prayer for us that we can get the inspiration we need to make the right ones!

Guess that's about it.
Oh, here is the baby during the 6 week period!

FUNKY! I know! lol Trust me... they get cuter! lol

News

So, since pretty much everybody has heard the news, posting it seems to be the next step...

We are expecting number 4!
Of course, with this I must add that Jared has dutifully prayed almost non-stop that we have conceived a little boy....ha! Right! We all know by now that this is very unlikely!
I want a healthy baby, regardless, and though a little boy would be wonderful, I am beginning to feel that one more girl will be easier... hand-me-downs, room-sharing, and potty-training all being considered of course! lol

We are incredibly excited, though this was quite a surprise. I am due January 27th (roughly) making me almost 6 weeks!

Here's too a healthy eventless pregnancy and another perfectly beautiful child! Please keep us in your prayers!


This is the baby at 5 1/2 weeks. I will try to keep visual updates as we go along as well! YAY!!!!!

New family photos

So we finally went and got some family photos done. I will post others later (once I get the disk) that my sister-in-;aw took of us outside and impromptu(ish), but for now here are the sitting still looking fake ones! I have to say these are probably my favorite bunch of family shots we have had taken so far!
Cecilia has never look so grown up! Cadince, of course, was a pain in the buttocks the entire time, but we eventually got some pictures with her looking somewhat less devilish then usual! lol




























That's about it for now. Need to get some sleep before work in the A.M.! Woo hoo!