#4- 22 & 23 weeks

I squished two weeks together.  I'm a busy gal, you know?  We took the picture but I left immediately to get away from my kids and re cooperate from, well, being a mom.  Then a day went by and another and I said, "hell, I'm not writing something now when I'll have to again on Friday."  See how that goes?

Things have been fine.  I'm still pregnant.  My little Squirtypie is growing and getting large.  Kicks and whacks are getting stronger and stronger.  I swear, the other day, it was like s/he reached out and purposely flicked my lady bits.  It was the weirdest feeling and honestly felt like a flick from the inside.  What the devil is Squirt doing in there?  And what's the problem with my lady bits?  Doesn't s/he realize that soon enough s/he will be making a super fun journey down that path?  Better be nice to it.

An issue of pregnancy that I'm struggling with is the fact that it means waking every day and discovering a new smell that makes your entire house smell like a garbage truck.  Why do I have to have the sniffer of a bear getting ready for hibernation?  There isn't a day that I can't find something that stinks.  Yikes.  No cleaning will get rid of it because once I figure one smell out another emerges.  And it's not just the crap that Ada is literally putting in her pants or the fact that I have two small boys who think tooting is the most hilarious thing ever.  Actually, I have discovered that my boys have really smelly feet.  Instantly brought me back to the days when I lived at home and my brother's feet would reek up the whole house.

My tots.  They are getting big.  The women out there who cherish and love their big bosoms, who show that deep V cleavage off to kingdom come... those women?  Something has knocked them off their rocker.  Maybe they just don't remember the glorious time in their early teenage years where tiny tots were glorious and not having to wear a bra offered so much comfort.  If you can't tell, I love my tiny boobs.  LOVE them.  I don't care who knows it.  Tiny boobs are the way to go.  Why boob jobs outnumber breast reductions is beyond me.  I have reached the stage of pregnancy where my lovely lady lumps (I hope this is what Fergie was referring to.  Maybe I should look that up.) have started preparation for the months to years of breastfeeding and are plumping up.  I had to dig up bras and pay attention to what shirts make my bra-less state look ridiculous.  I am not enjoying this.  Needless to say, my husband is happy about it.  Whatever.  Men.

Sneezing has become very dangerous.  It was dangerous before.  I mean, imaging pushing three kids out of your whooha.  I don't care how many kegals you do... that thing is never going back to normal.  Add in the pressure of a baby who likes to lounge on your bladder like it's a giant water bed?  Yikes.  You better be prepared and have those legs crossed or you are about to need to change your undies.  Let's be honest, you just can't be prepared for every sneeze.  It just doesn't happen.  Thank goodness I'm home all the time.  What do those poor souls do that go to work and sneeze?  They spend the day in damp knickers, that's what.

Turning over in bed has gotten fun.  I know it will just get more fun.  Heaving and lurching the belly just so you can roll over sounds great I'm sure.  Grunts and groans just to roll over.  I have to do this quite a bit as my hips and lower back give me some trouble.  I had some of these issues with Ada but not to this extent and not so early.  I'm chalking it up to the fact that I am pregnant for the fourth time in 5 years.  That's a lot on a body.  Sometimes I just want to ask Max to just stand on my hips just to put some pressure on them and get them back into the right spot but you have to lay on your stomach for that and laying on my stomach was out the window a loooong time ago.  I'll just have to deal with it.  I wonder how long before the kids are mimic-ing my hands on hips pose?  That should be funny to see from Ada.

Onward to week 24.  I honestly had to look back on the calendar and count how far along I was.  I forgot.  Next doc appt is at 28 weeks.  I'm really stretching those bad boys out.  I figure baby is moving and I'm healthy.  No need to give those insurance companies what they want.

***FYI- Turns out that wasn't what Fergie was talking about.  My ass is getting big too but who wants to talk about that?****

#4- 20 weeks HALFWAY!

I'm halfway done brewing my fourth baby.

As the queen of getting pregnant, I'm having a hard time reminding myself that this could very well be the last time.  I'm so busy that it's hard to take the time and savor some of the things going on.  I am NOT savoring the pure exhaustion that fills my every waking moment.  I could do without that.  I am trying to pay close attention and put away in my mental memory box the delicate little kicks and rolls.  The swishes I can feel going on in there that will only get stronger and stronger until they almost hurt.  It really is the best part of pregnancy the feeling of the movement.

My belly is getting large.  I often "forget" that I'm pregnant and get really annoyed when my belly doesn't fit into tight places it used to or I bump into things that I feel like I just could do fine last week.  Squirt is really getting big in there.  I've even started outgrowing some of the maternity clothes that I have.  DANG.  I personally feel that as a mother and a growing mother at that, sorting through clothing is one of the worst jobs and the most unappreciated.  Sorting through three kids worth of clothes is ANNOYING.  Add my own clothes to the mix and I'm just done.  Everyone should just go naked.  Ok, not naked.  Most of the time my kids are in their underwear though.

There really isn't much to report for this week.  I'm not as funny and clever as last week because I'm a different sort of exhausted right now.  My funny posts come on the days where I'm both exhausted and irritated with the day.  Then I don't give two sh*ts about what I say.  Now I'm just too tired to even think.

I had my first chiropractor appt this week.  I'm all messed up but that doesn't surprise anyone.  Now I'm just all sore.  Again, not surprising.  We do have our ultrasound on Monday!  Very excited to see our little Squirt up on the big screen!  We plan on bringing the whole clan to the big event. That poor ultrasound tech...  This is when we will see how Max does on his skill with reading people.  He is 3 for 3 on guessing the sex of the baby based purely on how the Doctor acts/talks during the ultrasound.  The Doctor that did the other three no longer works at our clinic so this will be a new person.  I can't even tell you how PISSED I'll be if this person screws up and tells us the sex of the baby.  The wrath of my hormones will be upon them.

You know, I'm enjoying the nice tan that my arms and face have accumulated over the summer.  Too bad my belly screws up my "tan" facade and shows what my skin tone really is

#4- 19 weeks and counting

What the HECK.  Nineteen weeks?  NINETEEN WEEKS?  I swear, I just rolled over and told Max, "Whoops...well, that takes care of that.  I'll be pregnant. You watch."

This is flying by.  People, you better start your Christmas shopping because I will blink again and wake up pushing this human out of me.  Holy schnikes.  NINETEEN WEEKS.  Let me get over my shock.

I knew this pregnancy would go fast.  I mean, I have three small kids so there is no time in the day to dwell on anything let along the fact that another human is growing inside me.  I'm pregnant over an insanely busy summer so weeks are flying by just from our schedule.  Friday turns into Thursday immediately.

Anyway, onto baby talk.

I had a bit of a scare?  No, that's not the word... a concerning moment a couple weeks ago.  I've been having Braxtons as you know which is no big deal but I started having some intense, and I mean intense pressure with some cramping thrown in for good measure.  While I was sure this was probably somewhere along the lines of normal, this was not normal for me.  I never had anything like this while pregnant with the other three so I called up my doc's nurse to see what she thought.  In stellar VIP style, Susa (the doc) actually called me back.  I was shocked too.  I'm sure we will see it on our bill.  I had no bleeding and he didn't think it was labor so early on so there was no reason to come in unless that started.  I was told to "take it easy, Jessie.  You need to slow down." Hahahaha.  Yeah, that's happening.  HELLOOOOO, Susa, you have been all down in my business three times getting the fruit of my loins out of my body.  Slowing down is not possible.

In all seriousness, I do really need to tone things down and have been trying.  I find it very hard to have restrictions during pregnancy but my husband is awesome and just making me sit.  "Relax" is a work I hear often.  I try to do this for the baby.  I feel immensely guilty though when I see Max come home from working all day and then run around the house tending to the kids, making dinner, checking on me to be sure I'm listening.  Have I mentioned how awesome my husband is?  He rocks.

My little Squirtypie is very active now.  I feel him all the time rolling and kicking around in there.  Max has felt him once while we were snuggling to sleep.  I was facing his back and the baby gave a giant kick and Max felt it on his back.  Dexter has also felt the baby with his hand but it was so faint I think Dex didn't believe it was from the baby.  Squirt will get stronger and stronger and then he will believe it more.

This summer is dreadful.  Awful.  Disgusting.  Hence the fact that I didn't even want to put on shorts to do a bare belly photo.  I can't stand this heat when I'm pregnant.  Why, oh WHY can't fall come?  Not fall so much as the weather?  Forget summer and the stupid humidity this year.  Normally, sure, throw it at me.  Love it but this year?  Yuck.  I'm miserable.  I think of those poor, poor souls due in August or September and I think, "Suckers!  Didn't know when to get preggo".  This heat causes swelling, water retention and bad attitude out of me.  My poor kids are only allowed outside with me during the early morning or late evening.  This is a boring summer for them.

I read that I'm supposed to stay off my back now.  Good gravy.  I already had to give up my stomach sleeping months ago and now I have to stay off my back?  What are they trying to do to me?!!  And for some reason, I have developed this horrible trait where if there is any light in the room, ANY LIGHT, I can't sleep.  So, in a tricky turn of events, I am actually starting to sleep though the night (no pee wake up calls!) but waking up at 6 to pee means I'm up at 6 because those tiny amounts of light coming through the blackout curtains keep me awake.  Dumb. This lack of sleep is contributing nicely to my bad attitude from the humidity.  I must be a joy to be around.

Until next week!  When I am halfway done.  AH!