Soon to be a family of 5

As this pregnancy winds down, I've had many things on my mind I want to write down. And I most certainly don't want the third born to not have the blog keepsakes that the first two had :)

This pregnancy has been different for these reasons-

I'm not confident in my due date (I was charting prior to my other two pregnancies)

I have not been working full-time at the University. This means I have not been sitting at a desk most of the day- I have better circulation and less swelling to show for it. I have also had the opportunity to nap most afternoons. 

This baby is not as aggressive moving, kicking, and rolling as Eloise and Rosalie were (are!). This baby is still active, and fingers crossed this translates to a laid back personality.

We took Bradley classes and have hired a doula. That could be it's own post. 

This pregnancy will cost us thousands of dollars vs a couple hundred- different insurance.

I am seeing an OB instead of a midwife for our prenatal appointments because our insurance will not guarantee payment if the baby is delivered by a midwife. This is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard and a true example of how bass-ackwards our healthcare is in this country. 

I started this pregnancy weighing 20 lbs less than my pregnancy with Eloise, though I've gained the most weight this time. My view of and focus on nutrition changed last year, so I've been eating nourishing foods and weight gain is something I've never really stressed about. 

Here's my "before" photo. I was about 3 weeks pregnant here, and even though I hadn't taken a test, I knew! I had very early symptoms, including gagging whilebrushing my teeth and bloody nose from blowing (a random pregnancy symptom I've had every time).

And here I am yesterday at 37.5 weeks. I have hips that don't quit. I'm confident they'll translate to an easy passage for the baby!

This pregnancy has been the same, too. 

I puked through 18 weeks (20 weeks with Rosalie and about 16 weeks of "the other end" with Eloise).

A month or so ago, I was both scared to be pregnant and scared to have a third child. Now I'm just intimidated by having a third child. I am still comfortable this pregnancy and hope I can keep this strength for the remaining couple of weeks. 

I am extra irritable, however. I have explained to Rob that I am no-nonsense right now.  I'm not putting up with anything or anyone that is doing me a disservice. Any filter I had previously is pretty much completely removed. I even told two moms their conversation was too loud at a free music class the other day. They were truly spoiling my and the girls' ability to hear the song. It was effective- once they stopped talking, we could then participate. But who does that??

There are many unknowns going into the next few days and weeks. I pray that I can put my faith in God, knowing that he'll provide for us.