3rd Trimester Recap

I can't believe this pregnancy is almost over. It's a little bittersweet that Samuel will no longer be inside me and I won't get to feel his kicks and jabs, but I can definitely say that I've reached the point where I am ready to not be pregnant anymore! I don't want to complain because I think being pregnant with a healthy baby and carrying him to full term is one of the greatest blessings in this life, but the end of this pregnancy has been harder than my first one (unless I just blocked out all the bad memories. I have a tendency to do that with a lot of things). Matt says I had similar symptoms at the end of my pregnancy with Nathan, but they seem to be more exaggerated this time around.

It's a little weird, but I feel like my energy level is a roller coaster these days. One day I'll be so tired all day that I'm dragging until Nathan goes to bed and I can relax, and other days I will feel normal with plenty of energy and am able to be really productive (nesting, I guess?). I never know which day I'm going to have. The amount of sleep I get the night before isn't really an indicator as to how I'll feel that day. I'm thankful for the days of good energy, where I'm able to get things done in preparation for Samuel's arrival and able to spend quality, intentional time with Nathan as well, but the days when I'm wiped out can be pretty tough.

I've had a lot of lower back pain too. I remember having some with Nathan, but this pregnancy seems worse. I usually always wake up with my back hurting. It will get a little better as the day goes on, but by the end of the day it's hurting pretty badly again. I've been taking warm baths in the evening, using a heating pad, and taking Tylenol occasionally which all help some. I notice it hurting worse when I have a particularly active day. Lifting Nathan, getting up and down off the floor with him, bending over cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming, being on my feet for a prolonged period of time all seem to make it worse.

I haven't been sleeping well either. I get up several times during the night to go to the bathroom, and that combined with back pain and just generally being uncomfortable, I rarely get a good night's rest. I nap occasionally in the afternoons, usually just on the weekends though, unless I'm having a particularly tiring day.

Despite being tired and uncomfortable, I've still managed to get a lot done and feel prepared for Samuel's arrival. I've been freezing several meals. Those were so nice with Nathan. Our church is great about bringing us a few meals, and I know my parents will be a big help, but having an easy home cooked meal without any work is a blessing with a newborn. Samuel's bag is packed and ready for the hospital, Nathan's big brother present is wrapped and ready to take too. I've started packing my bag, as much as I can now anyway. His nursery is pretty much done until after he is born. We'll move a couple of things and add a few details once he's here, but it's as ready as it can be. The swing and bouncy seat are set up (Nathan loves to play in his swing). I've cleaned the car seat and it's installed in the car. All his newborn and 0-3 month clothes are washed and in his dresser along with burp rags, blankets and hats. I've sterilized pacifiers, bottles, and my breast pump. We're just waiting on him to arrive!

He is an active little guy. I'm getting jabbed all the time with a foot or an elbow or a knee. All the sudden I'll feel and see a bulge on my stomach in some random location. I don't know what he's doing in there, but I think he might be a feisty little boy. That's probably a good thing having to defend himself against his big brother :). He'll need to be tough.

We've made some great memories in the third trimester as we wait for Samuel to get here. We were blessed with such a sweet baby shower for our little guy. It was so fun celebrating him and anticipating his arrival. Matt and I also loved spending special time with Nathan during his Big Brother Day. All our doctor appointments have gone well, and it's been fun watching the nursery come together. Matt did such a great job painting. I love the way it turned out. My mom and I also went shopping to get the boys' Easter outfits. We're hoping to be able to make it to church Easter Sunday. We found some darling coordinating outfits. It has been so fun shopping for matching and coordinating outfits. Now we just need them to both smile and look at the camera at the same time when they're wearing them :).

There's no doubt Samuel is growing fast:

 32 weeks

 34 weeks

 35 weeks

37 weeks

I really do love being pregnant and have been thankful for easy pregnancies, but I'm ready to feel normal again. I forget what it's like to be able to turn over in bed or get up off of the floor without it being a huge ordeal. Lately, I've been missing running too. We've had some beautiful weather this winter, and I've been telling Matt that it's perfect running weather. He also got me a neat watch with a GPS chip in it for my birthday that will be really nice when I can run again. I'm also looking forward to a Subway sandwich. I haven't missed it too much, but I drove by a Subway the other day, and it sounded really good. I'm trying to savor these last couple weeks of my pregnancy with Samuel and focus on spending quality time with Nathan and Matt. I'm also trying to enjoy feeling somewhat rested. I think I've blocked out several of the tough moments parenting a newborn, but I do remember the utter exhaustion in the first couple of weeks, and I know the whole "sleep when the baby sleeps" won't really work this time around with a busy toddler needing attention. 

 

We are all so looking forward to meeting Samuel. I can't wait to see Nathan's reaction when he meets his baby brother. I've loved every stage with Nathan as he's grown from a tiny newborn into an active toddler, and I can't wait to experience each of those milestones with Samuel too.