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.

Thankful.

Today is a day to be thankful. Of course I'm thankful for all of the normal & - let's be honest - cliché things: my family, my friends, my health, yadda yadda yadda. (And by "yadda yadda yadda" I obviously mean "I promise I really am thankful for these things".) But something came home from preschool on Monday that reminded me that there are so many other, less philosophical or traditional things that I'm thankful for. If my 3-year-old can be genuinely thankful for pizza sandwiches, then I can spend some time appreciating the small things in my life. So here are some of the things I'm really thankful for this Thanksgiving.

I'm thankful that my 2-year-old isn't strong enough to open the refrigerator yet. Because once he is, we won't have any food left.

I'm thankful for the person that thought salt & caramel would make a good combination. Because they were right.

I'm thankful that Victoria's Secret continues to sell the same bras that I've been wearing for years so I can just get resized and grab one off the shelf without the super annoying task of finding the "right" one.

I'm thankful for really long, really hot showers. These only come on days that the husband is home & the children are supervised. If he's not here, I take a 3 minute shower in fear that my bedroom will be destroyed by 2 little adventurers. (And, on a related note, I'm thankful for winter because it means shaving my legs much less frequently = quicker showers.)

I'm thankful for free chip & salsa at Mexican restaurants.

I'm thankful that stores start putting out Christmas stuff at the beginning of October, which is the start of the season in my head. It makes my heart so very happy.

I'm thankful that my 3-year-old thinks that her snack mixes are called a "mix trail" and, even though we've corrected her, continues to call it that. It's really cute. I'm also thankful that my 2-year-old thinks a horse says "yee haw!" because that's equally cute.

I'm thankful that leggings are an acceptable form of pants now (but only with a long shirt that covers things up, for the love of god people!) They're crazy-comfortable & my pregnant belly loves them.

I'm thankful that my husband isn't a video-gamer. I really, really am. Related: Our entire family is thankful for Candy Crush. We might be a tiny bit addicted. (Yes, the children, too. Brooke is really good for a 3-year-old.)

I'm thankful that my kids still believe that Daddy is the only one that can replace batteries in toys.

I'm thankful that I didn't have to clean up the little guy's throw up on Tuesday morning. Well-timed grocery trip on my part.

I really am thankful for my husband & children & family & friends & all that other stuff. This year even more than ever. But sometimes it's these little &, some might say, superficial things that get you through the day, you know? And I'm thankful for anything that gets me through the day.

19.

You didn't think these updates would be on-schedule every week, did you? Of course not, it's me we're talking about. It's been hard to get motivated to open up the computer this weekend because I'm just physically and mentally exhausted. The babes have been sick the past few days & I have a pretty terrible cold myself, so things are pretty boring and gloomy around here. The husband is off all week & instead of taking advantage of this time to do fun stuff, we've been resting and running quick, silly errands just to get everyone out of the house. Sigh. Fingers crossed that we all recover soon before we go completely stir crazy!

How far along?: 19 weeks, 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: +1.5 this week, +12.5 total.
Maternity clothes?: I finally feel like I've developed a decent-sized wardrobe to get me through the next 4.5 months! If it gets bitterly cold, I may be in trouble because while my winter coats are a little big, they're not 9-months-pregnant-with-a-Reeder-beast big.
Sleep: With sick kiddos, not enough. Only getting up to go to the bathroom about 1 time, so that helps.
Movement: Tons of kicks that are getting stronger every day. They are finally strong enough to feel from the outside, though I'm the only one that has felt it. Baby tends to shy away from Daddy's hand.
Food cravings: None, but ice cream has been a staple lately.
Gender: It's odd to think most people find out around this time and yet we have months and months to go before we'll know.
New w/pregnancy #3: I've had lots of unexplained muscle pain in my legs. I'll wake up feeling like I ran 5 miles, just really tight and sore. So bizarre.
What I miss: The kids are sick. I'm sick. I miss wine.
What I am looking forward to: Pie! I don't even care what kind, I'm only in it for the crust. Hurry up, Thursday.
Best moment this week: Feeling the baby kick from the outside! Before we know it, I'll be able to watch the elbows and knees jut out and the head rolling around (I realize after re-reading that sentence that it sounds weird and creepy, but I promise you it's cute and fun. To some people, at least. The husband always finds that weird and creepy.)
Milestones: We're under 150 days!