21 Weeks

How far along?: 21w2d
Total weight gain: I gained & then actually lost 1.5 pounds this week (no idea how) so I think I'm still around 10 pounds gained.
How big is baby?: About the size of a banana or carrot (about 12-13 ounces & 10.5 inches long).
Maternity clothes?: Most days yes, but I do have some regular clothes that work...
Stretch marks?: Still no new ones that I can tell.
Sleep?: Eh, about the same. I wake up a few times at night.
Best moment this week?: Buying Owen's coming home outfit & first blanky. :)
Movement?: Yup, he's a wiggler!
Food cravings?: Nope. No cravings really.
Labor signs?: Nope. I might feel an occasional Braxton Hicks, but they are few & far between.
Belly button in or out?: Still in. Probably will stay that way too.
What I miss: Not really sure... Sleeping through the whole night??
What I'm looking forward to: Shopping for Owen. I have a feeling that nesting will hit early and I am anal about being prepared. Moving with a baby a few weeks old with everything in boxes will flip my insanity switch!!
Weekly Wisdom: After my bout with a little bit of gender shock/disappointment that at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter. I'm just grateful he's happy & healthy. The disappointment is temporary...loving your child is always and forever. At the same time, preggo hormones make us run the gamut of emotions and it's okay to feel whatever you are feeling. No one should make you feel bad for crying over anything, even if it's just for a minute.
Milestone: Baby's eyebrows & lids are present now & movements will change to full-fledged kicks & nudges.

Ultrasound & Big Gender Reveal!!

So, we had our 20 week ultrasound last Wednesday. I told the technician that we did want to know the sex, but not to tell us. I came prepared with an envelope to put everything in so it could be sealed up and given to my sister for safekeeping until our gender reveal party that we held last Saturday. Inside the envelope was another envelope for the pictures & video they gave us along with a slip of paper for the technician to mark the gender on.

Anyway, I watched most of the scan with the exception of the parts where I could get a glimpse of gender. Little Sprout was being difficult as he/she wanted to move around the whole time so it took many tries to get just the right angles for the shots they needed. We got to see lots of LS's kidneys, heart, and brain. We were able to get some pictures of LS's face, but I was told that he/she is already head down with the face turned to the side so it was difficult. The good news is that Little Sprout is very healthy and is measuring on track, if not bigger than gestational age. They aren't concerned that some measurements are off as they are less accurate the farther along you are, but it looks like I'm measuring closer to an EDD of February 3rd as a general rule. They are still keeping my date at the 7th though. Baby already has a big head like Daddy (Aaron thought that it was funny that LS's head was measuring a week over my EDD, but me not so much as I have to push it out of my body...). And they were able to capture Little Sprout's mystery genetalia. At that point I got anxious... someone officially knew the sex of my baby and it wasn't me.

All I was sent out with was this...

...and had to wait until Saturday. I was a good girl and didn't peek at all. I wasn't even really all that tempted although the thought of knowing that the answer was two feet from my face for hours before my sister came to pick the envelope up was enough to drive me crazy.

...and I waited. And pondered. Boy or girl? Girl everyone said. I swore we were having a girl. Was my mom's intuition right? Was Jayden's prediction of a "baby sister" right?

Finally Saturday came. The party was not all that I expected. Had I known that people were going to bail last minute, I would have done something smaller. Note to self: IF there is a next time and a next baby, there will not be a reveal party. It was fun to an extent, but I hyped it up so much and was disappointed. At least I found out those who really cared enough to be there. Everyone else can just bite me if they didn't have a reason to show up, or said they would be there and then didn't come. Heck, I could have used the money I'd spent on the party to buy my baby's crib or bedding...or lots of clothes. For those that did show up, it was fun. Even if they came an hour late. We ate food and played baby bingo... which failed miserably but was hilarious.

And then came the moment we all were waiting for... The BIG reveal!! Everyone said girl except my dad. Aaron, Jayden, and I dug into the gender neutral bag to reveal our baby's sex.

Pink or blue?? Well, THIS is what we pulled out...

Yup!!! IT'S A BOY!!! All of those wives' tales and gender predictors were wrong. Everything said girl. The only one that was right on the money was the scientific study about placental placement which can be deciphered at your first scan between 6-8 weeks. It was the only one to say boy (and it was right with my other two as well).

Then my sister said, "Just wait... the cake is even better!". Being the prankster my sister can be at times, Aaron thought that the blue was a joke and the cake was pink for a girl.

No pranks this time. Just one awesome cake from the Monroe Fred Meyer's bakery with our THIRD SON'S face shown to the world. Just awesome. :)

And if that wasn't enough to convince everyone, we pulled out the pictures from the envelope I gave my sister to find these:

The profile shot (also shown on the cake):

His face:

And the "money" shot (and, oh boy, have I seen lots of those in my house):

Yeah, there's no mistaking that. :) I gotta be honest that we were all a bit disappointed even if it didn't show on the outside. Jayden still says he wants a baby sister, I know Aaron wants a girl, and I even cried on Sunday mourning the daughter I'll never have. All is well now though, as I know that God knows better than I do, and I'm very happy and proud that I have yet another healthy little boy to love.

... and who knows, there may be room for a fourth child yet. We haven't decided for sure, and it will be YEARS before we cross that bridge if we do, but this may not be the last of them according to my husband. So there is still a chance to have that one little princess who will be Daddy's little girl, Mommy's best friend, & loved and protected by her THREE older brothers... or we will just have to start our own basketball team with another boy. :)

For now, we are proud to announce the impending arrival of our third prince, Owen Isaiah Andresen.

19 & 20 Weeks

I'm actually 21 weeks today, but I'm a bit behind schedule because of being sick 2 weeks ago and then trying to scramble to get back on my feet last week with work in addition to my ultrasound & planning two parties!! Luckily this week is back to normal (or as normal as things get!) so I'm going to do my 19 & 20 week surveys with pictures, and then once my hubby takes my picture for this week, I'll post my 21 week survey.

Also to come in a separate post is information about the ultrasound, gender reveal party, and what Little Sprout is!!

19 Weeks

How far along?: 19 weeks

Total weight gain: I gained a few pounds then lost it so I still think around 8-9 pounds.

How big is baby?: About the size of a mango or heirloom tomato (6 inches & 8.5 ounces)

Maternity clothes?: Yup, still a must.

Stretch marks?: Still no new ones that I can tell.

Sleep?: Thanks to the Vicodin and narcotics for the migraine, yes. Otherwise, no.

Movement?: Still wiggling. Even Vicodin doesn't slow this one down.

Food cravings?: Yea, anything would be great. Can't keep down food & nothing sounds good.

Labor signs?: No, but I'd rather be in labor than deal with this migraine another day.

Belly button in or out?: In.

What I miss: My family (quarantined away from them), my sanity, and not having a migraine.

What I'm looking forward to: The day I'm not in pain anymore.

Weekly wisdom: Ha, yeah... don't get migraines for over a week. They suck and lead to big medical bills.

Milestone: No clue... I'm still about halfway.

20 Weeks

How far along?: 20 weeks

Total weight gain: Back up to around 10-11 pounds gained or so.

How big is baby?: According to the ultrasound, right on track. Babycenter says that it's about the size of a cantaloupe or length of a banana (6.5 inches & 10.5 ounces)

Maternity clothes?: Yup.

Stretch marks: Same as last week.

Sleep?: Much better. Still need Vicodin some days, but almost back to normal.

Best moment this week?: The relief from the headaches & seeing Little Sprout again.

Movement?: Still shakin' & groovin' all day long...

Food cravings?: No. Just being able to eat without puking is a blessing.

Labor signs?: No, but I did have my first Braxton Hicks this week that I could feel.

Belly button in or out?: Still in.

What I miss: Being able to go up a flight of stairs without huffing.

What I'm looking forward to: Gender reveal party on Saturday!

Weekly Wisdom: I think I'm fresh out of wisdom this week... not enough time to think I'm so busy!!

Milestone: Halfway done... yay!!

The week from HELL!

I had all intentions of posting last week but it ended up becoming a week of pure craziness out of my control.

I have had a sinus infection since Labor Day but my doctor didn't give me antibiotics when I first called because she said that it's typical for pregnant women to be sicker for longer because of a suppressed immune system and she figured I'd get over it on my own. It wasn't too terrible, but I was definitely miserable. Fast forward to last Monday...

I woke up between 6:30-7am with a MASSIVE headache. I am prone to getting headaches, and especially painful ones, but they had never been classified as anything particular. Turns out it was the start of a migraine. Little did I know how long it would last... I went to work that morning as usual, but because of my headache, lights, sound, & movement all made it worse. I ended up going home that afternoon to sleep it off because the Extra Strength Tylenol wasn't working. By that evening, and at my doctor's advisement, I went to Evergreen's ER department. By the time I was admitted, the pain was so immense that I was reduced to tears. Even after having a natural birth, I've never seen pain like this in my life. They gave me fluids and a narcotic called Dilotid along with anti-nausea medicine. I was sent home early Tuesday morning with the request I follow up with my doctor.

Tuesday I went to my PCP and I was a mess. She said I'm chronically sleep deprived, overworked, and that my condition was worsened by pregnancy hormones ( I have an estrogen overload) and my sinus infection. She gave me a shot of Phenergan for nausea, a shot of Demerol for the pain, and sent me home with more oral Phenergan, Vicodin, and Amoxicillin. I was already sick and lost it in the elevator. I got outside and started vomiting everywhere. From then on, I was unable to eat for 3-4 days and could barely even hold down water. I was told I'd be better in a day or two.

Wednesday continued with no pain relief, constant vomiting, no food, and lots of pain meds. By Wednesday night I was in so much pain that I was again reduced to tears and begging for the ER. So, my husband (who had come by to see me since I was staying at my mom's in a dark, quiet environment) drove me down the street to Providence and I was admitted. Providence has the worst waiting room ever. The lights were so bright, every child in Everett was there, people loudly talking on their phones, and TWO TV's turned up at full blast. I almost tossed my cookies again from all the agitation. They had only one bed in a quiet, dark room and it was in use so I was left to suffer in the waiting room for 3 hours, laying on a blanket on the hard tile floor while they let everyone else back but me. I was pale, obviously dehydrated (My tongue was bone dry and my lips were white)... it was terrible. I was seriously contemplating death. I wanted to be shot. I literally would have rather been in labor for days on end than go through what I was. They finally got me in a shared room next to a foul-mouthed groaning man, but the nurse and doctor were at my side within minutes with more Dilotid and some Zofran. They did do an MRI to make sure there were no blood clots or tumors (it came back clean) and discharged me around 4am Thursday.

Thursday and Friday were a rollercoaster. One minute I felt better, the next worse. I went to the chiropractor on Friday which helped my neck pain and leg pain, but my back and head still killed. I threw up again, but was able to at least keep hydrated.

Saturday I felt well enough to go rest at home with my family and I missed my children terribly. I hadn't seen them all week long and even though I was not completely well, Saturday was the first day I felt any relief or saw any light at the end of the tunnel. I was well enough to brave the chaos but I didn't get much rest because my husband wasn't as helpful, compassionate, or understanding as he could have been. That's another subject all together, but I won't talk about it for fear my migraine will return. :)

Sunday was worse than Saturday because Sunday is "Football Day" for my husband which means that everything else takes a backseat including your kids, the house chores (which I was supposed to be on bedrest and not doing), and your sick, pregnant wife. Yes, you heard me right... I ended up on my feet all day carrying around & carrying my children and doing at least 80% of the housework while my husband ignored everyone and ranted about how much the Seahawks sucked. I was not happy to say the least. Then, on top of it all, my 2 year old, Jayden, started jumping on his bed against our attempts to stop him. I went in to use the bathroom and heard a loud crack and Jayden started screaming. Aaron was too wrapped up in football and didn't bother to check on him even though he heard him screaming and crying. I washed my hands and went to check on Jayden since usually he stops crying... but this time he didn't. I walk in to see my son's face, bed, clothes, carpet, and wall splattered with his blood. His face and hands were dripping. I screamed for Aaron and started bawling and panicking... and hyperventilating which made me extremely dizzy in my already weakened state. We checked him and cleaned off the blood to see a gash on the bridge of his nose from side to side. I knew right away by looking that he needed medical attention, so I was luckily able to find ONE walk-in clinic open on a Sunday evening that does stitches. I rushed him to Providence at Mill Creek and got in right away. His gash was still bleeding after an hour, he was swollen & lethargic, but such a trooper for a little guy. Luckily there was no head trauma and, even though it was deep enough to not stop bleeding completely, it wasn't deep enough to require stitches. They used a glue to glue the tissue back together. So he's got a good size gash on his nose and it's swollen and bruised, but he's otherwise fine.

What a week!!!

I'm back at work today and while my headache is pretty much gone, my body is still sore and I feel weak. I feel a little nauseated still and I'm dizzy (the lights and computer are bothering me) but I'm surviving. Little Sprout is well despite kicking my ass this week... one active baby who is already able to kick my cervix (which hurts like hell) and is giving me Braxton Hicks. I'm 20 weeks today and we have our ultrasound on Wednesday and find out Saturday what LS is. After all of this that has happened, we have decided 100% that this is our last baby. I couldn't survive another week like this. I'm excited to see who is in there beating the crap out of me, though. :) Hopefully once I get over the trauma of this past week, I can get back to enjoying the pregnancy since it is my last, but to be honest I'm ready to find out who this little one is and then make a fast track to February.

I'll update as I can and as my workload allows since I'm playing catch up, but I will soon get out my 19 & 20 week updates as well as an ultrasound update & the BIG announcement over the weekend. :)

Pregnancy & Little Sprout

I've journaled a little bit about my pregnancy, especially in the earlier stages, but it's been awhile since I've really done any updates (unless preggo brain has gotten the best of me, which is entirely possible). So, I decided to start doing weekly updates as long as I can remember. I have a book I fill in every week called "The Belly Book" that you journal in along with weekly belly photos, update with appointments, cravings, etc. I remember finding this book at Barnes and Noble shortly after I found out I was pregnant with Jayden back in 2007 and it's become a "tradition" for me to do one with each child after him. It's definitely fun to look back on, and maybe one day my kids will enjoy looking at it like I do. I've been doing really good about taking belly pictures, but I haven't actually been posting them anywhere. Eventually I'll send them in to Snapfish to print for "The Belly Book", the baby's scrapbook, and probably some for the baby book, but until then I suppose I could post the electronic versions here.

An aquaintence of mine, and fellow blogger, did a really neat weekly survey when she was pregnant with her son that I thought was cool, so I'm actually snatching that idea and using that along with my belly pictures to do an online "belly book" so to speak. So, starting now at 18 weeks pregnant, here are all of my past belly pictures and this week's survey. **I'm giving you fair warning that some of these preggo pictures are absolutely hideous!! I'm not the prettiest girl to look at as it is, but couple that with the late night "frumpy, pregnant mom" look and well, it'll scare you. This pregnancy has taken what beauty I did have and threw it out the window, so bear with me... and if your retinas are scarred for life after seeing these, I sincerely apologize (hey, at least I didn't take bare belly or half naked pics in my underwear and scare you off with my stretch marks!!). **

4 weeks

5 weeks

6 weeks

7 weeks

8 weeks

9 weeks

10 weeks

11 weeks

12 weeks

13 weeks

14 weeks

15 weeks

16 weeks

17 weeks

18 weeks

...oh and here is a picture of the red cabbage test I took a week or two ago. There's a lot of those wives tales about the pH of your urine depicting the sex of the baby. Last time I spent $30 on the Intelligender test which said Jaxson was a boy (which he obviously was), but I didn't want to spend that much money again knowing that the stats for the Intelligender test yield a lot of false boy results, especially on something that was just meant for fun. So, instead I did the much cheaper and safer red cabbage test and just bought a cabbage at the store and boiled it to get the juice. You mix equal parts red cabbage juice with urine and if it turns red or pink... it's a boy. Purple? It's a girl. What were my results?

Purple. Or at least that's what it looks like to me. We will know for sure in about 2 weeks!!

And... for the weekly survey:

How far along?: 18w1d today.

Total weight gain: About 7-8 pounds.

How big is baby?: According to BabyCenter, the baby is about the size of a sweet potato or bell pepper (5.6 inches & 6.7 ounces)

Maternity clothes?: Oh yes, with this being my third baby they are a must (and more comfy!)

Stretch marks?: Yes, but all from my prior pregnancies. No new ones...yet.

Sleep?: It's okay... except for when I have to get up and pee at 4am.

Best moment this week?: Baby's movement has progressed from wiggles & squirms to actual thumps and kicks. I can feel them both internally & externally now.

Movement?: Ha, see above. Lots of thumps & kicks. This baby is really reactive to food & loud noises. Aaron and I were playing a video game last night and baby was going WILD!!

Food cravings?: Nothing that stands out. I like to have eggs, hash browns, and toast for breakfast almost every day though.

Labor signs?: Nope, too early for that. I don't even have any Braxton Hicks at this point.

Belly button in or out?: In.

What I miss: Not peeing my pants when I cough, sneeze, or laugh. Babies destroy bladders.

What I'm looking forward to: Our next ultrasound on the 22nd and then our gender party on the 25th!

Weekly Wisdom: Make sure to document your pregnancies. Take lots of pictures and journal. It might sound corny at the time, but years afterwards you will be happy and grateful that you did...and it gives you something to share with your kids when they are older.

Milestone: I'm almost halfway there...woo hoo! Developmentally for Little Sprout, he/she is moving and flexing more often, blood vessels are visible through the skin, his/her ears are in their final position and all genetalia are completely formed & visible regardless of boy or girl.