Week 30 & 31

Getting much much closer to the end!

So, this little guy is getting big! And he's moving and groovin! He is pretty chill most of the day, and once I am vertical or in a reclined position, he likes to play and stretch. On May 6th, I think I pulled out my back. I was in a lot of pain, and was concerned that it was more than just muscle pain. So late in the evening, I called my doctor's office for the after-hours advice, and the recording said to call Labor and Delivery. So I called Labor and Delivery, thinking they would be able to answer my questions. (And tell me I was fine, and to kick up my feet and drink more water.) But of course, they can only tell you that you should come in and be monitored. WHAT?!? I knew I wasn't in labor. But we decided to be on the safe side since the pain was really strong, and I felt it in the front and the back. Ben and I had a nice trial run of how to get to the hospital for when the real time comes. We went to the hospital, and they monitored me, told me I wasn't in labor and sent me home feeling really stupid. haha... I will say that we did have some laughs in the hospital. Ben and I sure get silly in these types of situations. He has always known how to make me laugh. I think it became a game for him.... to see how high my laughs would register on the contraction machine. haha!

On May 8th, I had a routine doctor's appointment, and I talked to my doctor about my fun hospital experience. I did a lot of resting. Solid resting, and the pain slowly went away. John's heartbeat sounded good, in the 140's as usual. I measured 30 cm, and weight 155. Not bad. I did talk to my doctor about my lovely eczema on my face. She said to leave it alone, and see if it goes away, or she can give me a topical steroid. This is a new experience for my face. Not glowing with this pregnancy! haha.

Life is good. Jacob and Eve are darling, and I am a blessed woman. I have to repeat that to myself when I'm uncomfortable in our 85 degree house. Our air-conditioner decided it would rather not work, and of course they need to "order a part." The past few days have been miserably hot and sweaty and it makes me want to sit still and just sweat. When the air conditioner is fixed, I think I will get the spring back in my step!

I've been so antsy lately. I have the nesting urges, and I can't seem to find the time to get the cleaning and preparing done. I did settle on a crib for John. (after many sleepless nights. ugh.) I picked the IKEA Gulliver. We've spent so much money on the first two cribs, that I wanted to try and get a better deal. IKEA's cribs are highly rated, sturdy, and they finally offer shipping options. I also picked out a crib skirt and some fabric to make him a blanket. I want to set up a mini nursery in the corner of our bedroom, since I've never been able to do a full nursery. Nonetheless, I am sorting and shopping, and cleaning. I can't wait till I'm officially READY. 

Until then, I will commit to taking more pictures of my belly!

Just a few pictures

 26 weeks, 5 days

 27 weeks, 3 days

 My three kids!

29 weeks, 1 day

Preparing Jacob

Jacob is in love with the Little Critter books. He has one called Grandma, Grandpa, and Me, and I've read it so many times, it already had to be taped. So last night, we went to Barnes and Noble and picked out some more books. I found this one that I think will be great for preparing Jacob to have a little brother. It is such a cute story! He talks about all the things he wants to do with his little brother, and ends with the line, "But first he'll have to learn to walk." and it shows a little baby boy! Too cute!

Week 28 and 29

John had another doctor's appointment! And so did I. haha... Obviously.

This appointment was pretty critical in my opinion. There was some concern of a low lying placenta, and I was really nervous to see if it had migrated. If it was too low, then I would have had serious complications with a vaginal birth, and the doctor would have opted for a cesarean. Um... No thanks please! Luckily I received good news! I've got a 4-5 cm distance when all I needed was a minimum of 2 cm. Whew! No more worries for me!

I really enjoyed having another ultrasound. He is so cute! I got some good profile shots, that I didn't get with his 20 week ultrasound. He has a cute little nose, and his lips/chin remind me of Jacob's profile. No surprise. He is a Perkins! His heart rate was 147 bpm, and he looked super healthy. He was actually napping during the ultrasound. He had both of his hands behind his head with his elbows by his face. He seems like a chill little guy.

My weight gain looks good so far. When I was weighed, the scale said 155, but the printout summary said I was 152. I wonder if they know their scale is off, and they compensate, or if the nurse had a blonde moment. haha...

For week 29, which will be this week, Daddy will be gone, and it will be me with the kiddos! I want to take them to the aquarium, and get outdoors! We have a family picnic this Saturday that I am really looking forward to! I want to attempt to make some gluten free/dairy free cinnamon rolls. And yes, I am going to use a starch-filled flour replacement and REAL sugar. Moderation right?

I don't have a scanner handy to post the ultrasound pictures. Bummer. So there will be one blog post filled with pictures!

Week 21-24

Well Hello!

I've taken too long to write. Our lives have been very crazy, but happy and blessed. On March 3 Ben and I spent a week in Hawaii for our 6th anniversary. It was a very fun trip and we did a lot of fun things. On our flight there I was having a lot of lower back pain. My OB said it could have been caused by dehydration. I had a hard time sitting for a few days. Luckily that passed, and I felt much better towards the end of the trip. Since our flight was so long going there, Ben felt John kick for the first time! My favorite! When it was time to leave Hawaii our flight had been cancelled, so we caught a flight to LAX the next morning and had Grandma and Grandpa fly the kids to their house with Aunt Cherie, and we spent a week in San Diego. We went to the zoo, and Sea World. By far the kids loved Sea World. We went 3 days. On our last day we went to California Adventure and Disneyland. We only did one ride in Disneyland and a few on the California side. We decided that Cars Land is overrated, and that we had gone to Disneyland on the wrong day. Ugh! So on Saturday, March 16, we flew home. The following week we got ready for our move. Ben was busy making sure the carpet, paint, and wood floor went smoothly. We were moved over the following Saturday, March 23. Both kids were sick, and Ben and I had to give talks on Sunday. So Aunt Cherie helped out so we could give talks.

Last Thursday, I had a doctors appointment. I was 23 weeks and five days and measured 25 cm. So John had a growth spurt! His heart rate was in the 140's and sounded good! My overall weight gain so far has only been 10 lbs. That must be related to the gluten free dairy free diet. My next appointment is going to be crazy! I have blood tests, glucose test, and an ultrasound. John was considered "low lying" so the doctor is going to make sure their won't be complications during labor if he is still too low.

Other than that I am doing great! And John is a happy active little boy. He kicks and kicks and it feels like bubbles sometimes. lol! He is getting stronger and I can feel him really well.

We took some couple pictures in Hawaii. When I get my life sorted out, I will do a post of just belly pictures since I am so far behind.

Another Boy!

On February 14th, Ben and I found out we are having another boy! I was totally shocked, and instantly in love. It made my heart so happy! And I don't know why! Maybe because I've been longing to bond with this baby, and he was tired of me thinking he was a girl this whole time!

After we had the ultrasound, Ben and I went out to eat lunch. We went to the Cottonwood Grill. All Ben could think about was what this little boy's name would be. We were listing names right and left. Finally Ben said there were no names that he liked. And then we were quiet for a while. When Ben spoke, he mentioned the name John. I had just been thinking of the same name at the same time! I was thinking John the Beloved, and he was thinking of John the Revelator. (Same person!) The name felt right, so it is sticking. We like the name John Tanner Perkins. Tanner after John Tanner who gave all his wealth to the church.

This is sure one special little boy!

16 weeks, 1 day

19 weeks, 1 day

20 weeks, 1 day

These pictures aren't very glamorous. I keep taking them at night when we need the flash! Ew! 

Baby John has been kicking a lot lately. I stayed up late last night, and I really enjoyed his cute little nudges intermittently. That has to be the best part of being pregnant! 

A Third One Around the Bend

Before I get into the details, there are some things I want to note about being pregnant.

#1- 13 week belly and 20 week belly don't look very different. One may be a bit firmer, but there is some serious bloating between week 13 and 20. Just sayin...


#2- When you have your first baby, 40 weeks seems like 47, with baby number 2, 40 weeks feels like 40 weeks, and when you plan on baby number 3, 40 weeks feels like 20 weeks. Let me illustrate:

Baby #1: feels like it takes 47 weeks to get here
Baby #2: feels like 40 weeks
Baby #3: feels  like 20 weeks

Time perception changes. It flies. Fast!

So, now that I have alluded to the obvious, and if I didn't already tell you, we are expecting baby #3!

When will our little surprise be arriving? On or around July 13th. A summer baby! My very first one not born in the chilly months.

Since you don't want to do the math in your head, I am 13 weeks and 3 days.(Thank you for asking!) That means that the first trimester has come and gone, and with it came and went the morning sickness and the sluggish mommy. Well, maybe just the morning sickness. Haha... Ben and I are thinking that we will have a little girl, and cannot possibly imagine this baby being a boy. But, since we all like to compare, I felt much sicker with Eve. I mainly suffered with severe heartburn, which I didn't get with this one. We will just have to take this on a case by case basis. We will find out the gender of our little one on February 14th. Yeah, I thought it would be the best V-day present too! The appointment is in the morning so there is still time for a hot date later.

Today I had my second doctors appointment. Since I was 13 weeks, I was anxious to hear the baby's heartbeat, knowing that once I knew the baby was okay, that the danger zone had passed. It took the doctor FOREVER to find the heartbeat. She kept picking up my heartbeat. The baby seemed to be moving a lot, which tells me I might have an energetic spark on the way. I was grateful for that because even though she couldn't pick up the heartbeat, she knew the baby was moving around. I feel much more at peace.

Now, I owe you an ultrasound picture. I need to post the one of my little gummie bear that was taken around 9 weeks. So I will get on that. And I am sure that I have a nice pregnancy test picture lying around somewhere too.... Hooray, my favorite. (gross!!! haha... just kidding.) All for the sake of memories.

To be continued....