Ready for four.

Four. I don't even know how we got here.

 

As I await the arrival of our third little friend, I think about the kids' births often. Brooke's was definitely...a challenge. I remember the day she was born vividly. The husband admitted today that he doesn't remember a thing from the day; I remember even the silly, little things. Like how none of the newborn hats they had in the room fit her head so they had to go in search of one. And how we literally cut my bra straps so I could nurse her because my epidural line was still taped to my shoulder. And how there was a nurse in our room as the NYE countdown began & another nurse radioed for her to leave us alone for a few minutes (she didn't; the husband & I didn't have our New Year's kiss until about 12:03.) Four years seems like a really long time, but it might as well have happened yesterday.

 

We are all incredibly excited for this little lady to be a 4-year-old (3 was tough, you guys.) But no one is as excited as the birthday girl herself. To her, 4 is practically a grown-up. She can ride in a booster seat now - quite possibly the most exciting thing ever. And she feels smarter and older already. And, quite frankly, she is. She continues to baffle us with what she knows and can do. I just know she's going to blossom this year!

 

Happy birthday to our adorable, compassionate, theatrical, smart little cookie!



Brooke's Birthday Interview: Year 4
1. What is your favorite animal? A cat, but I don't really like to be by cats because I'm scared of cats. (She's terrified of all non-human living things. Gets it from her mama.)
2. What is your favorite food? I like chicken & rice. And pizza sandwiches.
3. What is your favorite show? Sofia the First and Doc McStuffins.
4. What is your favorite color? Pink, purple, and silver.
5. Who is your best friend? The Thompsons.
6. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cereal! I like to eat Cheerios because they're very nutritious. I love breakfast time and lunch, but I don't like dinner. Only if it's chicken & rice do I like dinner.
7. What is your favorite restaurant? Ooooh, can I pick more than one? Chipotle, Skyline, & LaRosa's.
8. What is your favorite book? Sophia Grace & Rosie. (Tea Time with Sophia Grace & Rosie)
9. What is your favorite song? The Sofia the First (theme) song.
10. What is your favorite toy? My iPad because I get to do games on it. I like that I get to stay up while Joe sleeps. (It's actually a LeapPad, the much more toddler-friendly tablet that she got for Christmas. And, to keep screen time at bay, we've limited its use to when her brother is napping.)
11. What is your favorite snack? Trail mix because there's always different things in it. M&M's, chocolate chips, anything! (M&M's & choc chips are a VERY rare treat; it's usually things like Goldfish, pretzels, animal crackers, etc.)
12. What do you like to sleep with at night? My bunnies.
13. What kind of birthday party are you going to/did you have? An Ariel birthday.

Viability!

Baby Reeder at 24w0d

How far along?: 24 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: My scale says I'm up +21 lbs total at this point. It's coming on fast &, for the most part, seems unexplainable (I don't feel I'm eating enough to justify such rapid gains.) It's a little unsettling, so I'm going to talk to my OB about it at my appt on Thurs. I'm nervous that something else may be at play. I'm not at all worried about myself or having to lose it all after; I'm only concerned about the health of my already-large little one.
Maternity clothes?: I got some gift cards for Christmas that will be reserved for a few bigger maternity shirts for the final months. I'm 100% going to need them...
Sleep: I really can't get enough. My very kind husband has been a saint while he's been home over break, getting up with the kids most mornings so I can score an extra hour of sleep. Even after a solid 8 hours (well, as solid as it can be with a few bathroom breaks), I'm still dragging. I was napping on the couch today by 11:15 a.m.
Movement: The husband had his hand on my belly on Christmas night. The baby kicked him so hard that he gasped. The baby usually shies away from Daddy's hand, so this was quite a surprise!
Labor Signs: A few random contractions here and there.
Food cravings: None. I have my glucose tolerance test tomorrow to be sure I don't have gestational diabetes. If it comes back positive, I'll be held to a very strict diet for the remainder of my pregnancy. And, also, I'll sob.
Gender: This giant baby has me thinking boy now.
New w/pregnancy #3: ...
What I miss: A few weeks ago, when baby hadn't started hiccupping yet.
What I am looking forward to: My baby girl is turning 4 on Tuesday. She is soooo excited about it and I'm excited for her. We had a very successful Ariel birthday party for her tonight, and she was just giddy! I know her actual birthday will be just as exciting :) (On that same note, I had already been admitted to the hospital for her induction at this time 4 years ago. I was about 5 hours in, completely unaware that I'd have another 41 hours to go!)
Best moment this week: Christmas Day, as exhausting as it was for me, was completely magical!
Milestones: Today marks Viability Day for this little babe! Of course I don't expect to see that sweet face for another 17 weeks, but it's very reassuring to know that he or she has a fighting chance if something were to happen.

23 weeks.

How far along?: 23 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: Honestly no idea.
Maternity clothes?: Obviously.
Sleep: I'm in this very lovely (& undoubtedly brief) period where sleep isn't a problem. Of course, with Christmas only a few days away, there have been plenty of other things keeping me up. Pretty sure I haven't been in bed before midnight more than once this week.
Movement: All day and night.
Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks contractions started this week. I've noticed them a few mornings in a row. Here we go...
Food cravings: Lots of cereal.
Gender: I'm so excited for so many reasons for both.
New w/pregnancy #3: Nightly acid reflux. It's the absolute worst. Starts about 2 hours after dinner. I had the husband Googling ways to make it go away the other night because it was killing me.
What I miss: Being able to bend over/reach stuff/move comfortably. Wrapping 40+ presents this week has been rough. I really don't know how I did it 4 years ago when I was 9 months pregnant.
What I am looking forward to: Our last Christmas as a family of 4. The kids are soooo excited &, quite frankly, so am I. I'm going to savor every moment of it, knowing that next year I'll be dividing my attention 3 ways.
Best moment this week: My poor little buddy has been having trouble regulating his digestive system lately. He was up in the middle of the night telling me his belly hurt. I sat in his room & rocked him back to sleep, something that never happens anymore. While he was laying there, squirming around due to both the pain in his belly & the lack of space on my lap, Baby Reeder started kicking him. It was like he or she was telling Big Brother that this wasn't his lap anymore. I sat there in the dark with my current baby snoring on my lap & my future baby trying to kick him off thinking, "This lap's about to get even more crowded. And I really can't wait."
Milestones: Baby hiccups started this week! This kiddo seems to get them 395 times a day. It's just so weird and uncomfortable.

Twenty-two.

How far along?: 22 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: +1.5 this week, +15 total. Y'all, it's sad how little I care.
Maternity clothes?: Only a few weeks left before I start outgrowing some of my maternity shirts. Giant babies, you guys.
Sleep: Another week of good sleep. Don't get me wrong, I still fall asleep within minutes of sitting on the couch in the afternoon. But at least I'm not a zombie.
Movement: This kid is a nut. So much dancing in there. And last night, while lying in bed, I was getting punched on one side of my belly and kicked on the other (I think Baby is transverse.)
Food cravings: Nothing in particular. But I tend to gravitate toward sweet things in the morning, salty in the afternoon, and then sweet again at night.
Gender: Still thinking pink.
New w/pregnancy #3: No back pain so far. Excuse me while I go knock on the LARGEST piece of wood ever.
What I miss: Nada.
What I am looking forward to: 2 weeks to Viability!!
Best moment this week: Both kids got to feel good baby kicks this week. I'm confident that Joe had no idea what he felt, but I think Brooke really did feel it. It won't be long before there are very distinct body parts sticking out that they'll no doubt feel (and be subsequently weirded out by just like their Daddy always is.) I've said it before, but I'm just loving seeing this pregnancy through my almost-4-year-old's eyes :)
Milestones: We hit the 5-month mark this week. Still having a hard time believing we're over the halfway point.

A taste of autumn.

Although we are deep in the swing of Christmas preparations, I couldn't let these pictures go unnoticed. We just planted 3 new trees in our yard this fall, which pretty much doubled the number of trees we have. And the 3 we had aren't very healthy and don't produce the leaves you'd expect to see on the ground in the fall. So we go through each autumn without picking up a rake in our own yard. No, I'm not complaining; it's completely awesome. But we were eager to find some leaves to rake with the kids, somewhat of a Fall Bucket List thing. Luckily, my grandma's yard collects a deep covering of leaves each year, so we stopped down there a few times this fall to help rake. The kids had a blast! Neither child was very helpful with the actual raking, but they were very good at helping put the leaves in the bag. Scratch that - Brooke was good at the helping part. Joe was good at the "spreading the leaves back around the yard" part. Thankfully, we were moving faster than him, so he didn't hurt us too much in the end. The smiles on their faces while we were there were huge; they asked to go back to help rake so many times in the following weeks.

This one's so quintessentially Autumn. I adore it.

Hi, Rocket.

If you've never had the thrill of experiencing an ultrasound before, the only way I can describe the way you feel is to liken it to Christmas morning as a child. You know how you'd wake up with so much anticipation of the joy ahead, and then you'd rush downstairs (or, in my case, sit on the steps until your older siblings finally decided to wake up) only to realize that it was so much better than you had imagined? That magic you felt? That right there. That's what it's like.

It's the most beautiful sight in the world. My sweet little thing curled up in there, resting his or her little fist on a cheek, just so content and peaceful. Last Tuesday, I had my anatomy ultrasound to check on Baby Reeder's progress. Since we haven't had any problems with this pregnancy, this was our first glimpse at our future son or daughter. I wasn't as nervous this time as I was the last time. I was filled with this overwhelming sensation that everything was going to be fine, that Rocket (one of Joe's serious name suggestions for the baby that has become a bit of a nickname) was doing just fine in there. And mama's intuition is never wrong. Baby is perfectly healthy, with the correct number of fingers and toes & all the right parts. No one, not even our doctor, knows the gender because we asked that it be kept a surprise. Baby wasn't cooperating so well (another stubborn kid, awesome) so we got very few pictures.

He or she is growing right on pace...for a Reeder. This kid is going for the record, you guys. Let me give you a few numbers real quick:

Average size for a 20-week fetus: 10.5 oz.
Brooke at 20w: 12 oz.
Joe at 20w 5d: 14 oz.
Rocket at 20w 2d: 16 oz.

A whole freaking pound! This child weighs a whole pound already. 2 full ounces bigger than his or her big brother, who, may I remind you, was 10 lbs 2 oz at birth! Excuse me while my head explodes. I'm terrified, friends. Even the ultrasound tech kinda laughed when she told us; "I saw in your chart that you have big babies..." I'm measuring a full 10 days ahead. When we brought it up with my OB, her response was, "The trouble with you is that I can't even help you & induce you a little early; your babies just don't want to come out on time!" Uh huh. I remember. Like I said, terrified.

So let me sum up for you. I'm thrilled beyond belief that we got to see baby and that he or she is perfect and healthy. I'm also not buying any newborn diapers or clothes. Maybe not even size 3 months.

How far along?: 21 weeks, 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: +1 over the past 2 weeks, +13.5 total.
Maternity clothes?: Leggings, y'all.
Sleep: Can't complain. Seems to be the one thing that's gone my way this week.
Movement: I still feel it mostly when I'm sitting or lying down, but it gets more forceful every day. I actually saw my belly jump this week.
Food cravings: Still none. I've been sick for what feels like weeks so my relationship with food isn't great right now.
Gender: Team Green for life.
New w/pregnancy #3: Record-breaking fetuses. The tech didn't say it was the largest baby she'd ever seen at 20 weeks, but I could see it in her eyes.
What I miss: Can someone please call Jersey Mikes and ask them to be extra cautious with their deli meat this week so I can have a club sandwich?
What I am looking forward to: January. Life will slow down in January, right? (I say this every year and it never does. But a girl can dream.)
Best moment this week: Seeing my babe on that fuzzy little screen :)
Milestones: The husband finally felt his 3rd child moving around! It was very disconcerting to me that it hadn't happened yet (he was completely unfazed by it) so I forced him to just sit with his hand on my belly. Didn't take long before baby and Daddy finally met :)

Halfway :)

Baby Reeder at 20w0d

Yes, I'm as terrified as you at how much bigger this will get over the next 21 weeks if I'm already this big.

How far along?: 20 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: No idea. Didn't have a chance to check this morning, which is probably a blessing considering it was Thanksgiving week. So. Much. Food.
Maternity clothes?: Obviously. See above. Regular clothes aren't gonna fit over that.
Sleep: It's been rough again this week, thanks to a sinus infection. Finally on an antibiotic, so I'm optimistic.
Movement: Tons of little jabs. Daddy still hasn't been able to catch it though which is a bummer!
Food cravings: None. But I've been incredibly thirsty for water in the evenings, which is pretty terrible timing because of the whole peeing-at-night thing.
Gender: Nothing confirmed, but we all think girl.
New w/pregnancy #3: So many headaches that just knock me on my butt. Asking the doctor about it on Tuesday.
What I miss: Energy.
What I am looking forward to: We have our ultrasound on Tuesday!! I'm so, so, soooo excited! Can't wait to finally get a glimpse of this sweet babe :)
Best moment this week: We put up our Christmas decorations this week. When Brooke saw the stockings hanging up, she immediately said "Mom, we're gonna need a stocking for the baby!" She never forgets that this little one is on the way, and it warms my heart.
Milestones: HALFWAY, KIDS! Halfway. That's crazy-talk. I can't even believe it. Though, it doesn't feel like the real halfway point to me because you don't know you're pregnant those first 4 weeks. Plus my kids are a week late, so it'll be the real halfway point for me at about 22.5 weeks.