23 weeks!

How far along? 23 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: It's going up...that's all I know!

Maternity clothes? Yep

Stretch marks? No new ones yet...

Sleep: My arms and hands have been falling asleep alot when I lay on my side...

Best moment this week: Getting the kids a pool to play in! It's been way too hot!! :)

Movement: I'm starting to feel him rolling around, along with his normal kicks and jabs!

Food cravings: I'm still craving salt...and I finally got my santa fe chicken salad from applebee's :) It was just as good as I'd remembered it!

Gender: I'm assuming he's still a boy...should I just keep this answer every week? I'm pretty sure he won't morph into a girl! ;)

Labor Signs: None.

Belly button in or out? In...but it's stretching out.

What I miss: Being able to sleep on my stomach.

What I am looking forward to: Mike being home for a 4 day weekend!!

Weekly Wisdom: Don't fall in the hole in your front yard! It's not fun!

Milestones: I was able to see him kicking through my shirt!



How your baby's growing:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb.

Fun with friends

Our good friends invited us to go with them to a little Lego exhibit they have at a shopping center here in downtown KC, and to let the kids play in the fountains they also have there. We had so much fun!! The kids had a blast! They have 4 little boys, right around our kids' ages, so we do alot with them! It's like, these are the kinds of friends that know exactly how you're feeling and don't look at you like you're crazy when you start counting your kids, or think you're nuts when you get pregnant for the 5th time! :D They're just our type of people! We love hanging out with them!!! And it helps that our kids love each other!!! I think I see a love connection in the future! :)

Here's all 8 kiddos at the Lego thing.

And of course, what's a Lego exhibit without a Lego table?? They were all just building away!

The best free entertainment! =)

Sweet little Teagan LOVED the fountains!

So did Elijah!!

The 4 older kiddos watching the music/water show

Let's go...we're freezing!!!

And finally, here's the pics of both of our families.

Here they are with their 4 gorgeous boys!!

And our family of almost 7!!

22 week belly pic

First, my head is cut off because I put the camera on self-timer...I'll get it right one of these times. I obviously just need Mike to take it. :)

Second, please don't ask me what Laney is doing in the picture. I don't know. The hair in her face is really bugging me though...

Third, oh my goodness. my belly is getting big!

22 Weeks and a little something extra

How far along? 22 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Who knows...

Maternity clothes? They are a must now!

Stretch marks? No new ones yet...

Sleep: I've been having really annoying dreams. Not bad, not scary, just annoying.

Best moment this week: Celebrating Father's Day with my honey! :)

Movement: He's still movin' in there!

Food cravings: I haven't really been craving anything too much lately...

Gender: I'm assuming he's still a boy...should I just keep this answer every week? I'm pretty sure he won't morph into a girl! ;)

Labor Signs: None.

Belly button in or out? In...but it's stretching out.

What I miss: Having boobs that don't ache

What I am looking forward to: Shopping for his home coming outfit!

Weekly Wisdom: ?

Milestones: For the first time, he kicked me hard enough in the bladder to make me think I might wet myself...while sitting in church, of course. My kids think they're funny.




How your baby's growing:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

I love going to youtube and watching videos of women giving birth. :) I can't help it, okay? I love the whole pregnancy/labor/birthing process...it's such a miracle. Anyway, so I figured I would post Isaac's birth on there. I'm not really that private when it comes to things like this, I just really love sharing my experiences! I posted it as a surprise birth, but since you read this, you obviously all know what I had. :P My mother-in-law recorded it...I was so happy that she was able to be here for it!! Mike (obviously), my mom, and my aunt were able to be in the room with me as well. It was amazing! It was probably the best labor and delivery I've had. If you are at all interested in watching it (it is just a little bit graphic...not too bad...), here ya go. By the way, if you watch it, you'll need to stop the music playing on the blog...

About Father's Day...

I wanted to post this on Father's Day, but never got around to it...


My husband is the most amazing man I've ever met! Every single day, I am so thankful that God allowed me to meet him, and although we have our arguments and disagreements like everyone does, there is no one in the world I would rather share my life with. He is the most amazing dad ever! He loves his kids with everything he has and would do absolutely anything for them! He is so proud of his children! He spends so much time with them, and even in his spare time, would rather do something fun for them than do something for himself. And coming from a childhood where my dad was hardly there* (and when he was there, alot of times he was drunk**), I never ever take for granted the wonderful father that my husband is! I'm so thankful that my kids have the kind of dad I never did! In fact, coming home from church on Sunday, he asked me if Father's Day is hard for me. I told him that it used to be when I was younger, but now I love it because I get to celebrate what an amazing dad he is! I'm so blessed to have him as my partner in this life! He is everything I have ever wanted in a husband and there is no one in the world I would rather have as the father of my many children! :)


* I just want to say that my mom is seriously the BEST mom in the world! She took on the role of mother and father and worked as hard as she could (on a not so hot income) to put me and my older sisters through a Christian school. Single moms are, in my opinion, the bravest, most hard working human beings out there! No one even comes close! I can't imagine doing this on my own. I love her so much! She is honestly my hero!



**I also want to say that my dad is no longer an alcoholic! We have a good relationship now...I love him alot, and I pray for his salvation all the time. I do know he loves me and my kids so much. I also know that he regrets how he lived his life when I was younger. I like to think that God let me go through that in my life so that I would come out of it as a stronger, more thankful person...although, believe me, I know I have a long way to go to be what God wants me to be, of course!!!!



But this post was mainly for my wonderful husband, so I will leave it with a few pictures of him and his beautiful babies. :)

Isaac is definitely a daddy's boy!!






Chasing his firstborn son. :) He wanted a boy...




Now he has 3! =)

21 Weeks

How far along? 21 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Around 12-13 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Ahhh...so comfy!

Stretch marks? No new ones yet

Sleep: Pretty good...

Best moment this week: Mike being able to feel him kicking!

Movement: The kicks were way at the bottom again...this kid is flipping around in there...

Food cravings: I've been craving alot of salt lately. And for someone with a sweet tooth (I could seriously live on sugar!), it's unusual. I haven't really wanted anything sweet...

Gender: I'm assuming he's still a boy ;)

Labor Signs: None.

Belly button in or out? In

What I miss: Nothing other than the usual: energy, being able to go longer between bathroom breaks, not having heartburn...but whatever. I've actually been feeling really good the past weekend and this week so far. No more morning sickness!!!! And I'm not getting as many headaches! Praise the Lord!

What I am looking forward to: It's pretty simple, but Baby Week this week on Discovery Health! :)

Weekly Wisdom: Take it one day at a time!

Milestones: Every day



How your baby's growing:
Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like he's practicing martial arts as his initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to his activity as you get to know him better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.

Here's the kicker...

This is him...the one that said hello to daddy last night :) While laying in bed, I felt Jett kicking in the same exact place (they were way up high in my uterus), so I had Mike put his hand on my belly and he felt him a few times! I'm wondering if he turned, because up until then, the kicks have been on the lower left (where his feet were at in the u/s) and then they moved to the lower middle. Since these were at the very top of my belly, he has either moved, or he was punching me! :)

20 weeks and the first belly pic!

How far along? 20 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: It's up to around 12 lbs. now. I really need to slow down on the sugar...

Maternity clothes? Definitely. I haven't even tried wearing my normal clothes.

Stretch marks? No new ones so far...that I can see, anyway.

Sleep: It's okay. I'm still waking up alot to use the restroom.

Best moment this week: Hearing his heartbeat (upper 140's) on Monday at my dr. appt...everything looks perfect! And she did move my due date to 10/27. I could end up having a November baby, or a Halloween baby!
And having Mike's parents here all week! The kids LOVE having their Ma-Maw and Pa-Pa here :)

Movement: I feel him alot in the morning and at night. All of my kids kicked the most around 10:30pm, and he's following the same pattern :)

Food cravings: I'm still craving a santa fe chicken salad from Applebee's...I never got one last week.

Gender: I'm assuming he's still a boy ;)

Labor Signs: None.

Belly button in or out? In

What I miss: Having energy! I feel more tired in the 2nd trimester than I did in the first! What the heck?!?

What I am looking forward to: 4th of July...yeah, it's not really pregnancy related, but it's my 2nd favorite holiday. Ya know...after Christmas, of course ;)

Weekly Wisdom: Kiss and hug your babies as much as you can while they will let you!

Milestones: We're half way!

Okay, so here's my 20 week belly picture. My head is a little cut off...Laney took the picture :)

How your baby's growing:
Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Spring Pictures

Photoshop is my hero ;)

19 weeks!!!

How far along? 19 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: I'm hoping it's still somewhere around 10 lbs.?

Maternity clothes? Yep...all the time now. well, I have one pair of regular shorts that fit right around my hips, so they go under the belly, but that's about it.

Stretch marks? I'm hoping the old ones will fade :P...no new ones though

Sleep: I wake up about 2-3 times a night to pee...

Best moment this week: Well, it was more than a week ago, but finding out we're having another BOY!!!

Movement: Yep...more and more every day. And I'm feeling the kicks in the lower left area, right where his feet were in the u/s :)

Food cravings: Still fruit. and a santa fe chicken salad from applebee's...minus the pico

Gender: BOY!!

Labor Signs: None!

Belly button in or out? In

What I miss: Sleeping through the night

What I am looking forward to: Mike's parents coming this weekend and staying through next week!

Weekly Wisdom: Honestly, I wasn't thrilled that we were having another boy, but I'm remembering how I felt when they told me Chloe was a girl and I wasn't exactly thrilled with that either. (hey, I'm just being honest here) Now I think about it, and I can't even imagine my life without her! I know I'll feel the same way with my sweet little Jett. My boys are snugglers too, which I'm so thankful for! Isaac and Elijah both come up to me, no lie, like 15 times a day, just to give me a kiss or a hug or for me to just hold them.

Milestones: The ultrasound and finding out everything looks just fine!

How your baby's growing:
Your baby's sensory development is exploding! His brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that he may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to him, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on his skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.