Sunday, October 31, 2010

well…surprise!

pretty fun, huh!  we are between 10.5 and 11.5 weeks along.

we found out that we were expecting baby #3 on September 17.  (yeah, we know how to keep a secret.)

and although we had been trying for baby #3 for 20 months, we were still shocked.

(i know, crazy, right.)

and while 20 months is a drop in the bucket for some couples, for us, it seemed like an eternity.  we never did try to medically intervene (not that it never crossed our minds) knowing that God already knew what our future looked like.  had we not already had 2 girls i don’t know that we would have been as patient…actually, I KNOW we would not have been as patient and we would have turned to modern medicine for help.

if you’ve been keeping up with our blog at all then you know we moved and have been in the middle of a huge renovation.  well, right around the time that this precious bundle was conceived we were at the very tip top of our stress and exhaustion.  i really did not think that it was possible at all seeing as how most nights we collapsed into bed, asleep before our head even hit the pillows.  ahem.

isn’t God funny.  we moved out of our old house on September 5, spent two weeks wandering around in a fog of cardboard boxes, and then, on a whim, bought a pregnancy test one Friday night and, the rest is history…or the beginning.

in all honesty, i had given up the hope of increasing our brood any and had finally started feeling okay with that.  we have two healthy girls and they are at the age where things are easier and predictable (well, 75% of the time).  i figured God had completed our family.

SURPRISE!

matthew and i haven’t really talked much about it and i think the main reason for that is because we haven’t shared the news until very recently.  i think now that the news is out, we will allow ourselves for the excitement to start settling in.

we told the girls friday night and they were precious!  nora was pretty excited but very low-key about it.  elyn told me, immediately, “i will hold the baby because i’m big now.”  so sweet.  then she jumped up to show me how big she was.

i asked the girls where the baby would sleep (knowing already where it would sleep each night).  nora thought for a second and then said, “in the middle, i guess.”  in the middle of her and elyn!  how precious!  i told them that the baby would probably have it’s own room and elyn did not like that at all.  she told me that the baby could sleep in her bed!

they have already told us that they will help feed and change diapers…we’ll see.

saturday, nora came up to me every few minutes and told me how happy she was that i had a baby in my tummy!  and they have come up with all sorts of names too.

all girl names.

they don’t even want to hear that there is a 50% possibility it could be a boy…they want a little SISTER!

but, in the meantime…

i have been EXHAUSTED and NAUSEOUS from the time I wake up until the time I get to go to bed.  and while both are good feelings and let me know that our baby is growing, i am really ready for the second trimester to miraculously take both away.

i have had several cravings and several repulsions with this baby.  i cannot get enough of salty/vinegeary food.  i have eaten an entire jar of pickles already and am working on another one.  the thought of food in the mornings turns my stomach and i really don’t have much of an appetite until 3 o’clock.  however, i still figure out a way to eat all day long because it does make my stomach feel a little better.

other things that have sounded tolerable to me have been Sonic mozzerella sticks, McDonalds breakfast burritos, turkey sandwiches, baked potatoes.

the one thing that makes me unbelievably nauseous is, sadly, diet coke.  my love.  ugh, even right now, just thinking about it turns my stomach.  and while that is a good thing for my sweet growing baby, it is a change of lifestyle for my tastebuds-ha!  i haven’t totally given up the liquid of the gods though, i have found that late at nights the past few days i actually want a few sips.

and i’m not all that crazy about sweets.  which is insane!  i would rather eat an entire bag of salt and vinegar chips that have anything sweet.

i have also discovered that the smell of drywall nearly does me in.  yep, drywall.  thanks to the renovation of our house, i discovered that.  i bet not many other people can say that drywall is a trigger for pregnancy symptoms.

and tired.  OH MY GOODNESS.  tired doesn’t even begin to describe it.  i can barely make it through a day if i don’t rest for a few minutes.  and since my schedule does not allow for much resting during the day, by 7pm, i am pretty much done.  stick a fork in me, i am done!

a few weeks ago, one saturday, i got a 2 hour nap and then was in bed by 8:30.  and i felt zero guilt about it.

i tell matthew all the time that i think i am having such symptoms because i am so much older now (a real grandma at 33).  i really don’t remember feeling so sick or tired when i was pregnant with the girls.  i remember being sick to my stomach some when i was pregnant with elyn, but never 24 hours a day like i am with this pregnancy.

i will definitely be keeping you all up to date on this final pregnancy of mine.  however, i will not be posting weekly bare-bellied shots and letting you all know of my weight gain.  i know, i’m no fun at all, am i?  i will just tell you that my final weight gain will be around 40 pounds.  shocking!  yes, it is.  that is how much i gained with nora and elyn and i treated those pregnancies completely different!  i think i just gain 40 pounds.  (it’s fun to lose).

i will tell you that i am starting this pregnancy at the heaviest i have been in a while.  remember when i told you all that i had gained “stress weight” this summer due to our move/renovation?  well, thankfully, i never lost it.  so i’m going into this 4.5 pounds heavier than i would have at the beginning of the summer.  awesome.

but, honestly, i am not even concerned about the weight factor!  we are overjoyed to be adding an addition to our family.  all of our plans have changed!  and we are so excited!  we are no longer going to have an “office” room at our new house.  it is now a nursery!

although the girls have a definite opinion of what gender they want, do we care what we are having?  absolutely not!  we tried for so long to even get a baby that we are past the point of being concerned if it is a boy or a girl.  my gut tells me girl (and twice my gut has been correct), but regardless of the gender, we are happy.  i would love a boy for matthew (and i know he would love it too) and for myself.  i hear that little boys love their mamas like no one else can.  i would love all that comes with little boys and i think nora and elyn would LOVE to have a baby brother. but we know girls, we love girls, we are set up for girls, we would welcome another pink bundle into our arms with very joyful hearts!  (we are tapped out on girl names though).

we go to the doctor on the 5th of november and pray for a good report.  we thank you for your prayers for us up until this point and welcome your prayers as our baby grows and our family gets ready to grow.  we are prayful for the health of this newest babe and for open hearts for what God has in store for us.

13 comments:

Amy said...

Dallas-
Such great, exciting news! Trying to do the math if you "knew" you were pregnant the other day at the park. Hope that the energy comes back for you! Congrats to your sweet family!

Michael Ann said...

Congratulations!!

Can't wait to hear all the updates. You'll need to post a baby gender poll on your blog just before you guys find out! That was fun for us when we did it. I'm thinking girl for ya'll....seems like everyone I know lately has 3 of the same gender, including us! But I know whichever the gender, you will just love it to pieces and know that God gives you what He deems perfect. Congrats again!

Ashley E. said...

Congratulations!!!! I know you don't know me, but your husband was my high school geometry teacher at Harding Academy. I doubt if he remembers me (Ashley Robb) or Josh Eichhorn, but I married Josh. I'm pretty sure he had Josh in class too. Anyways, I am thrilled for y'all! You have such a beautiful family!

Holly Aytes said...

Isn't God's timing funny sometimes! I don't blame you for not wanting to post pics/weight gain this time! I was the same way :) I am trying to be happier about our family being done growing but some of me still isn't 100% happy though the older the kids gets the more I think I don't want to start over but boy do I have baby fever! Maybe I can just "live" through the pregnancies of everyone I know who is pregnant! Hope you get to feeling better....and I remember bring much more tired with the 3rd baby.

Kathryn said...

Dallas -- I know this baby is an answer to prayer, and I'm so happy for your growing family!

Hello blog buddies! It's me, Crouse! said...

so happy for you (as I said on FB). I was thinking the exact same thing before I read your blog - about how God's timing is so different than ours. In our human brains, it would seem impossible to conceive at such a stressful and tumultuous time, especially after trying when nothing huge was going on. Oh well, right??? I was also thinking that elyn and emily will have a sibling the exact same length of time apart. we are due around a month apart, and they are a month apart (i think). i also have been much more exhausted and nauseated all day long with this one. i don't know what makes it different. I was a little sick with emily, but I didn't even know I was pregnant until around 11 weeks, so I couldn't have been THAT sick. this is no fun, i tell you! i also have a HUGE aversion to sweets; wish the same applied to carbs!!!

~aj~ said...

I am absolutely overjoyed for you!!!

Good golly I have no idea how you were able to keep it a secret for so long. Just knowing you were pregnant when I last saw you makes me smile. :)

And Nora and Elyn...OH MY WORD they are going to be the BEST big sisters! I'm not even kidding, I already want to have them over to help "babysit" for me sometime.

I hope you feel much, much better when the 2nd trimester hits. My exhaustion with baby #3 was unlike anything I'd ever experienced in my life. I know each day is a struggle. Oh, but how wonderful it's going to be when that baby is here. Three is hard...but three is AMAZING!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Marty Rhea Hill said...

I love the sentence...."It will be a nursery." I am so happy and thankful for this new baby. I love you and praying for you and the baby constantly. I am so excited!!!!!

mimi sharon said...

Wonderful news, you are already a great Mom this will add to your blessings. Your girls will be great help.

Amy said...

What great news for your family. So happy for you. And your cravings sound so much like mine when I was pregnant w/Luke. Maybe boy.

TeamBortzfield said...

I was so happy when I saw Marty's facebook update. I'm glad she broke the news to me at least. We love Aunt Marty. You go girl! I hope it's a boy and I will make you a good price on your girl stuff!

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh! I skip a few days reading your blog and SURPRISE! Congrats! :)

Mrs. Hughes said...

Dallas, I'm so excited for you and your family!!!!
much love,
LH

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