#4- 37 weeks

My photo is crappy and I look like, well, crap in it.  I've been staying up late every night finishing up work and the result is pure exhaustion.  I'm happy to say that I just finished up the last session and I'm done!  Baby will hopefully give me another week so that I can get the house cleaned up and the rest of the stuff I need to do for baby done.

Things have been pretty normal for this stage.  I'm a giant whale, waddle like a duck and am sore.  I get braxtons all the time and contractions hit here and there as well.  We are definitely nearing the finish line.

I had my 36 week appointment this past Monday.  We did the GBS test which I'm sure I will fail again.  I just finished up a round of antibiotics for that nasty sinus infection that I had so they pretty much told me no matter what they are going to treat me.  The antibiotics could give them a false negative reading and that wouldn't be good for baby if I was positive and no one got treated.  Since I had it with all the other three its pretty much a guarantee I am positive even if the test is negative.

Baby is still doing well in there even if s/he is running out of room.  Bpm was at 135.  I was measuring a week ahead.  When he did my cervical I measured at 4 1/2 cm dilated already.  While this is further along than the other three at 36 weeks it's still normal for me.  I always dilate & efface very early and then walk around in a state of "should be in labor".  Everyone gets worried that the baby will fall out.  It just makes my labors pretty fast.

My husband is a saint.  He has been doing everything around the house.  And I mean taking care of the kids when he gets home so I can work, cooking, cleaning.  I haven't done a load of laundry in probably 2 or 3 weeks.  I love him.  He's the best.  Our anniversary is on Sunday and I really hope baby doesn't come on that day.  We deserve one day to ourselves.  We can't do anything too special since we have to stick pretty close to the hospital but just a day with the two of us will be so nice.  It doesn't happen very often.

Ok, it's time to put your guesses down for sex of the baby and so on so forth.  This time you guys should really enter your guesses on this website Max set up.  It makes things easier to track to see who is the closest!  It will only take a couple minutes and is kind of fun.  I know tons of you read this.  I see the stats.  Just do it :)
http://www.babyhunch.com/poolpage.php?poolid=0d55b9e95be2df2692ed053f3e11591a

#4- 32-35 weeks

35 weeks!  5 weeks until due date and 3-4 weeks until baby will likely be here with us :)  Give me an award for the fastest pregnancy every experienced.

These last few weeks have been interesting.

 My 32 week appointment went well.  Baby was measuring 2 weeks ahead and had a bpm of 135-140.  Everything was normal and fine!

I wasn't planning on going to a 34 week appointment but I had (and still have) been having some extreme braxton hicks and contractions.  I was getting concerned so I went in.  Obviously I have been through this three other times but never have I had such intense braxtons.  They are stop in your tracks and breathe through them strong.  Sometimes I'm just not sure if they are braxtons or real contractions.  Either way, I went in.  Baby was moving and grooving and seemed to be just fine.  Bpm was 160.  He didn't measure my belly to see what I was measuring there but I did have him do a cervical and I am 2 1/2 cm dilated right now.  That is completely normal for my body (remember I was walking around at 6cm dilated with Simon) so everything is on track.  Whew.  What a load off my shoulders.

The last two weeks I have been extremely sick.  I have never been so sick in my life.  It seems trivial to say it was a sinus infection but it was a severe sinus infection and brutal.  My poor hubby has been doing everything around the house and taking care of the kids and had to take some time off work.  I mean, I was completely useless.  Light and movement hurt my face (which was about to explode at any moment) and my days and nights were spent in my bed, in the dark with an ice pack on my face.  Whenever Max asked if I needed anything I just asked for sweet, sweet death.  It was so painful.  I started feeling sick on Tuesday the 10th and yesterday was the first day that I felt relatively normal.  I still have a cold and a sore throat but nothing to what I was feeling.  That was terrible.  I lost quite a bit of weight too so I guess the only perk would be that my weight gain won't be as high as it could have been.

Since I have been sick, I am super stressed out about everything I need to get done before the baby comes.  I have mountains of photos to wrap up, I need to get all the Christmas presents bought and wrapped, my house needs a good GOOD scrubbing and I still have some stuff I need to prep for the baby.  I'm feeling the pressure of time and it's not cool.

Next week is 36 weeks and the start of my weekly appointments!  I can't even believe that in a month I will be a momma to 4 kids.

#4- 29-31 weeks

And there you are folks.  We are down to the single digits for weeks.  9 weeks left.  Every week I try to figure out how the past day, week, month flew by so fast but I can't figure it out.  All I know is that we have 9 weeks left until due date.  I've never made it to my due date before which means its pretty likely I have less than 9 weeks.

In the last few weeks I have started swelling big time.  My legs are just huge stumps compared to what they used to be.  By the end of the day they are just rock hard.  I even wore old granny compression socks yesterday and it was the first time I finished the day with my legs looking like they used to.  My shoes don't fit and I have to wear my fat foot Uggs.  My saggy baggy sweat socks even leave indents in my legs from being tight.

I have not weighed myself in a very long time.  I guess the last time would be the doctors office at my 28 week appointment but their scale and ours at home differs so I have been measuring by our scale at home.  Let's just say it's not a small amount.  I will easily pass Ada's weight gain and might have already.  <-- insert tears.  I am familiar with this process and soon the jowls will kick in and the plump cheeks.  The attractive stage is about to hit real hard.

I feel like I'm sticking "out" farther with this babe.  The clothes that I wore at the very end of my other pregnancies I'm wearing now and there isn't much room left to grow.  I actually bought a couple of shirts today while shopping so my selection would be a bit larger.  Also so I could feel a little better about having something new to wear.

Braxton's have started up pretty regularly.  A real small contraction here and there when I overdo it.  Heartburn hasn't been as bad which is weird.  I feel like my hormones have been pretty under control too.  If, IF I was to compare pregnancies I would say this one is more similar to the boys.  That doesn't mean anything of course but I was smaller, no swelling and more hormonal with Ada.  Time will tell I suppose if these are my "signs" of the sex of the baby.

Squirt has moved his/her attention from my pelvic floor to my ribs and quite painfully.  Those sweet, cute little toes are always trying to take out my bottom rib on my left side.  I try to move it but s/he really wedges it under there.  Body parts are constantly sticking out making bumps and moving & grooving my belly around.  The kids were watching one day and were flabbergasted that the baby would be doing that from the inside.  Every time I try to get a video of it though Squirt stops.  Obviously.  Why cooperate?

Dexter likes to say, "Mom, it's going to hurt a lot when the baby comes out.  Like A LOT."  What a helpful son I have to remind me of these things.  Especially since he has experienced this himself.  This is an area that is leaving me quite irritated and ticked off.  Quite a few other mothers have started bringing up birth stories now that I am closer and I am fine with that.  I enjoy remembering my birth stories as all moms do.  I had epidural births with both boys and a natural water birth with Ada.  I will be doing another natural water birth with this baby.  As long as I make it there.

What TICKS me off is that just because I have extremely fast labors women seem to think that it was just nothing.  "Oh, your labors are so fast you barely  have to feel anything!  Nothing like my "x" amount of hours in labor."  Oooooo, grrrrrrrr.  Rightttttttttttttt.  You are quite right!  My labors are so fast it was just like taking a luxurious bath and then sneezing and the baby came out!  I might as well have just been at the spa!  Kiss my ass.  I had to squeeze all that dilating and contractions into a tiny amount of time with ZERO time to take a breath or adjust.  Just because my labors are quick doesn't mean they aren't painful or meaningful.  Why do women feel like they have to one-up another?  And not just with this but with everything?  It drives me insane and I want to punch them in the face.  Repeatedly.  Everyone has a story and it was meaningful and special and whatever to them.  How about we not dismiss it because our story is different?

Sorry to rant.  I wasn't lying when I said this particular thing ticks me off.

I have started prepping for the wee one.  I dug out the newborn clothes to wash.  That was a hormonal experience.  I bought the newborn diaper covers we need.  We had to use wool with Ada & Simon so I'm really rooting for being able to use PUL diaper covers with this one.  When I am at Target, I've started to buy packs of wipes here and there.  Today I bought hangers for the baby's closet.  Who knew you would need so many hangers with 4 kids?  I turned Ada around in the car seat.  This really isn't completely necessary yet but why not.  I was cleaning out the van and figured might as well.  We can't have both her car seat and the baby's car seat backwards as the boys wouldn't be able to get in the van very easily.  I don't even know what else there is to do.  Wash the diapers but I'll do that closer to the due date.

Next week is 32 weeks and my next doctor appointment.  Did you know that I had to call and make my 36 week appointment?  I wanted to be sure I got the date and time I needed (I have to make it back home in time for Dexter's bus).  36 weeks.  I can't even.

Guys, I'm having another baby.  FOUR KIDS.

#4- 25-28 weeks

Whoops.  What can I say?  Things are busy.  Life is busy.  This is how it will be for the next umpteen years of my life.  Tending to these kids, growing them, teaching them, and the biggie- NOT SLEEPING.  I miss sleep.  I miss it so much.  I feel at any point of the day I could lay down and sleep. I curse those days where I casually tossed sleep around like it was nothing.

Enter THIRD TRIMESTER.  Say what?  What in the Sam's hell is going on?  Third trimester?  There are only TWELVE weeks until this baby's due date.  Only 12 weeks until Christmas folks.  Maybe you should start panicking with me.

The last month hasn't been overly spectacular in the pregnancy department.  Obviously it's wonderful seeing Squirt grow and man alive is s/he active.  Squirt moves around so, so much.  Not surprisingly, baby is the most active at night.  Rolls around, kicks, punches, does some sort of quivering move.  Do babies get the shivers?  That's almost what it feels like.  I do believe both Simon and Ada were active night babies.

Heartburn has come back with a vengeance.  Everything gives me heartburn.  Not even just food related.  I can sit wrong and I get heartburn.  If things are too squished in there at all the heartburn starts almost immediately.  It's not as horrible as it was with Ada but more frequent than with Ada.  I don't think anything could compare with the rolling waves of acid that came with Ada's pregnancy.

Rolling over in bed is an insane amount of work.  I feel like a big, fat cow.  Our scale decided to play a mean trick and was "broken" of sorts and told me a certain weight that I was quite happy with.  One week later it told me I had gained 10 lbs.  I was not happy with that.  Turns out, the 10 lbs heavier was correct.  Blah.  At least I have no stretch marks, right?

Cravings have been: meatloaf with mashed potatoes, berry flavored things but not the berry itself (this is the weirdest thing as I am normally an avid berry avoider) and caramel rolls (I haven't indulged in this yet).

One very happy milestone that we have finally reached is that our baby has names.  This has been the longest that it has taken Max and I to pick out a name.  It has really felt like a weight on my shoulders and made me feel like I couldn't bond with the baby.  I like to call the baby by name in my head (I alternate the names since we don't know the sex) and being unable to do so has made bonding take longer. That and the fact that I have three small kids running around and can never think about being pregnant.  Either way, my sweet babe finally has names and no, we won't be telling you or anyone. Everyone can find out when Squirt comes out.

I have been pregnant 5 times.  This is my 4th pregnancy to reach this stage.  Never have I had a child focus his/her movements so much on my pelvic floor.  This kid rarely kicks up on my stomach.  It is always a straight shot for my lady bits.  What the world is s/he doing in there?  It is a very strange feeling.  I've been trying to just get used to it but I can't.  It feels so foreign that I wish I could reach up there and just turn the babe so s/he would kick my ribs.  I'd rather have my ribs kicked than my lady bits.  A mild comparison would be like when you get a pap smear and they take that 12 inch Q-tip and scrape it all along your cervix.  Scrape scrape scrape.  The baby is continually giving me a pap smear all day long.  I love this baby but I do NOT love that.

There really isn't much to do to get ready for this baby.  The pack and play can be set up in our room the day we come home from the hospital.  Ada is kicked out of the crib and happily established in her big girl bed.  Not that the baby will need the crib for a few months after birth anyway.  I found the car seat, the cozy zip up warmer thing for the car seat and the car seat cover.  I'll wash those when I get the energy to find the newborn boy & girl clothes and pick out a weeks worth of both to wash.  What else is there?  I think the baby tub is in my closet somewhere.  Swing will be out already because I have a baby starting in November for daycare.  Done.  Man, fourth babies are easy to get ready for.

I probably should mention hormones.  Um, they are a bit whacky lately.  And by a bit I mean they strike at
random and weird moments preventing me from being the levelheaded gal I normally am.  Even in the midst of a hormonal breakdown, I know it's the hormones but they are so powerful they take hold and don't let go.  Poor Max.  Poor poor Max.

I have the dreaded glucose test on Monday.  This will be my first doctor appointment in 15 weeks.  Can't go another 15 weeks can I?  I'll probably do another appointment at 32 weeks and at 36 weeks start the weekly appointments.  I dilate and efface so early and walk around in a labor state without actually being in labor that those last weekly appointments are very important.  We have to keep track of what is going on so we don't have a car baby.  All my labors have been cut in half every time so that would mean this one will be, what, 45 minutes from start to finish?  I'll just step aside at a family Christmas gathering, squat down, give birth and be back out for dinner.  Who would want to miss the feast?

#4- 24 weeks

Week 24.

Hormones: Not cool.  Making me cry at everything.  Like watching Little Women when Beth dies.  Sob.  When Dexter gets on and off the bus.  Sob.  When I'm lying in bed at 4 in the morning and can't sleep.  Sob.  I don't handle hormones well.

Heartburn:  It's baaaaaaaack.

Aches:  Located in my hips and lower back.  Baby is getting heavy and my hips are spreading.  Always awesome.

Patience (especially at this very moment):  Zero.

Hunger:  Operation Eat Everything in Sight.

Boom.  Week 24.

There are too many people waiting to see my short hair.  Sorry but it's nothing special.  I didn't have the gal style it or anything.  I don't know how to work short hair anymore so since I will have another appointment soon for some color I figure I will style it then when I know what I will do with it.

#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