All about baby #3

We are at 37 1/2 weeks and this baby could essentially come any time.  Some days I think it will be soon, other days I think she'll decide not to show her face until after her due date, but one way or another she'll be here soon. I'm more than ready.  David and I are about 90% sure we only want three kids, so I've been trying to enjoy these last few weeks of being pregnant, which I have, but I'm ready to move on.  I really thought I would be more emotional about being "done", but surprisingly I'm completely okay with idea.  Three is a good number :)

It's impossible not to compare this pregnancy with my other two.  As soon as I found out I was pregnant I started trying to find similarities to figure out if we were having a girl or a boy.  I was pretty sick the first trimester, much more so than with Gemma, so I assumed it was a boy.  But then the morning sickness lasted longer than with Makael, so I started thinking girl. For a couple of weeks I couldn't hold water down, which was not something I experienced with either Gemma or Makael, so of course I assumed I was carrying an alien. The only thing I've found similar between my two pregnancies with girls, is my mood swings.  I was so even tempered with Gemma.  Not much bothered me during those nine months. It was great! I was a complete emotional basket case with Makael from start to finish (and then some). This time I was pretty emotional for the first trimester, but evened out after that, which is what tipped me off that it was a girl.  Other than that though,  everything has been so completely different, yet thankfully it has been the easiest.

Gosh I'm just so excited to meet this little lady!  It's such a surreal thing, this whole baby thing. There's no way to know what she will look like, what her personality will be, yet I know the second she's born it will all make sense and somehow I will love her as much as I love Gemma and Makael. It's quite amazing.  Her room is officially done, her clothes are clean, and hospital bags are packed. Now it's just a waiting game. A waiting game that causes  anxiety, anxiousness, and giddy excitement.

May is quite a month to have a baby.  There is just so much going on! We have end of school events, recitals, birthdays (we have 6 in our immediate family alone), deadlines to sign up for summer events...add having a baby to all of it, and it's enough to make your head spin.  It actually makes guessing her birthday all the more exciting though.  Whenever she decides to finally come, we are ready and so excited!

I don't like posting belly pictures, but I thought it was fun to compare bellies. These were all taken around 37 weeks. Gemma is top left, Makael is bottom left, and right is baby E.

A lot of love went into this nursery.  My mom did the art work and my friend T.K. made the pillows, crib skirt, and rocking chair cushions (not pictured).   

My crafty friends might get a good laugh at the projects I did for the nursery, but unfortunately I think I reached the extent of my abilities. There are several other things I made that are not pictured, but I'll spare you :)

You might have caught on by now that her name starts with an E ;)  

I had fun painting this little rocking chair. Pink is fun! The little tag blanket was a gift from my friend Hannah (one of those crafty friends I was telling you about). So cute! 

Easter 2014

The weather could not have been any more perfect this past weekend, which made for a few fun days outside.

Photo bomb by Buzz Lightyear.

Her favorite part about ice cream...the last drinkable little bit.

Bubbles outside :)

Our (almost) family of 5

Brotherly hug

"He's being nice?!"

"No wait! Let me give you a hug too!"

Game face on.

We're getting there!

The month of April is flying by! Up until now, time seemed to be dragging, now I wish I could make it slow down just a little bit.  We are on the very last stages of finishing the basement!  We just have those little details that seem to pop up out of nowhere. At times I'm overwhelmed by all of those little details, and then I realize they are the only thing keeping me busy so I don't go crazy from anticipation for baby #3's arrival. It's surreal, exciting, and terrifying all at once.  Ready or not, she'll be here in 2-5 weeks!
I'm still feeling pretty good actually...unless I over do it, which I definitely did yesterday cleaning the basement and setting up the kids' playroom. By the end of the day I could hardly lift Makael, but it felt really good to get so much done. Otherwise I'm still comfortable and sleeping well. David and I have a bet going as to how much she'll weight.  I'm predicting 7 lbs 5 ounces or more. He's predicting under 7 lbs. Regardless of who wins, I'm almost positive she'll be bigger than the other two. We've also been trying to guess what day she'll be born.  We both think it will be between May 7th and 10th.  Without knowing our prediction, I've had two other people tell me they think it will be May 7th too. All I know is I'm very ready, yet not ready at all. Ha!

Makael seems to be doing better these days.  He is yet to show any interest in eating real food, but the increase in calories from pediasure seem to be making a difference in how he feels.  He looks like he's gaining weight, he's sleeping in longer, and overall happier.  He is on Zantac now too, so that may be contributing as well.  We'll know more at his next appointment with the specialist at the end of May. He's currently obsessed with baseball, and we've realized that 80% of his vocabulary is movie quotes from either Sandlot, Finding Nemo, or Frozen. Th kid is hysterical!

Speaking of Frozen... I might just go crazy if Gemma's obsession with it doesn't subside soon.  I'm not sure if she likes the movie as much as just the songs.  The poor girl cannot sing a single note on key, but that doesn't stop her from belting out every song.  It was adorable at first, but now she has us all singing the songs too, even Makael. They will pull up Frozen songs on youtube and sing together.
So there's good news and bad news regarding her latest health issues. Good news first- I'm not so sure she has a sun allergy any more.  We found out she had parvovirus when a nasty rash appeared on her face.  Once the rash shows up, the virus has already taken it's course so we aren't really sure when she actually had the virus, but the parvo rash looks a lot like what she had on her arms (what I thought was from the sun). We have been out in the sun several times now and I haven't noticed the rash again, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. The bad news is, she has to get four teeth capped (very back teeth on top and bottom).  She bit her cheek a couple of weeks ago, and while I was making sure there wasn't any blood (she ALWAYS needs to know), I realized her back tooth (bottom left) looked like it was decaying. After taking a closer look at all her teeth, I noticed the other three. We were able to get in to see the dentist that afternoon and he said we needed to get those fixed ASAP.  I was terrified that I was going to get yelled at for not taking care of her teeth, but I apparently it's a "malformation" of those teeth and they actually came in with no enamel.  So although it's somewhat of a drag that she has to get four teeth capped, it's nice to know it's not due to us neglecting her teeth (I promise we don't). Unfortunately,  it can be a hereditary thing, so we'll be keeping a close eye on Makael's teeth from here on out as well.

Here are some long over due photos. I tried uploading some videos and it didn't work.  I'll try again tomorrow.

Gemma riding her bike with our neighbor. 

Happy even with a rash on her face. 

Brother and sister cuddling and taking a snooze. 

Performing a song during Mother's Spring Tea at preschool. 

Eating cheerios and watching Nemo while wearing Spiderman sunglasses (Spiderman is a new favorite).

A little attitude wearing Hello Kitty sunglasses (of course).

Practicing his swing. Notice the how close the basement is to being done!! That white dresser is just temporary haha.