9 Month Pregnancy Update!!!

Well, here is my FINAL pregnancy update EVER!! Very bittersweet...

How far along? 37 weeks

Mood: A huge ball of emotions: excited, nervous, anxious, exhausted

Maternity clothes? They are about to be packed up to sell or donate, I am ready for them to exit my closet and wardrobe!

Sleep: Not as bad as I thought it would be. It really varies, some nights I sleep great, other nights I have a hard time falling asleep due to discomfort or just my mind listing all the last minute things that need to be done.

Energy Level: It is ridiculous how easily I am out of breath now! Literally walking across the room makes me winded! Little Bennett is not so little any more and reminds me of it every day!

Best moments in the last month: Preparing the last minute details for Bennett's arrival.

Movement? They are all HUGE movements now! He is in there tight so one little nudge feels like he is trying to escape!

Cravings: Sonic Ice still, I am eating about 2 bags a week!

Baby purchases this month: Baby monitor, newborn outfit, my friend Ashley bought the letters for his name on the wall (will post when they are hung), our first can of formula, a few extra bottles.

What I miss: Wearing normal clothes, being able to breathe comfortably, being 50 lbs. lighter, and margaritas!

What I am looking forward to: Holding our sweet, little newborn!!

Bennett's 34 Week Ultrasound

Because Deacon was such a big baby (9lbs. 5 oz.) our doctor wanted to see how big Bennett is getting. Last week I had my final ultrasound (ever!). Although he is squished, Bennett cooperated for some great images. Here he is sucking his thumb:
For the first time ever, I was so uncomfortable I couldn't even lay on my back and had to stay on my left side for almost the entire ultrasound, missing the show.
But, he looked perfectly healthy (and like he may have some full lips, like Deacon)!
After all the measurements were finished, he came in weighing about a week ahead: 5lbs. 6oz. putting him in the 65th percentile.
His head circumference, on the other hand, is working overtime...almost measuring 2 weeks ahead...

I haven't seen my doctor to share the results, but will this week, when we will hopefully pick out an induction date. Only about a month to go!

8 Month Pregnancy Update

How far along? 34 weeks

Mood: Nervous! I think the reality that we are about to have more kids than adults in our house has set in.

Maternity clothes? I just about live in sweatpants, t-shirts, and dresses because that is the only thing that still fits. I can't wait to start working out and wear regular clothes again!

Sleep: What a difference a month makes...I can't think of the last time I had a good night sleep! I can't sleep on my back, and when I sleep on my sides my shoulders and hips hurt! And once I finally get a comfortable position, I have to get up to pee...this pattern repeats at least 5 times a night.

Energy Level: I still have motivation to get stuff done, just no energy to do it and even if I did the bed rest limits me.

Best moments in the last month: Seeing Bennett again at my recent ultrasound (pics coming soon)

Movement? All the time, but especially after I eat or when I am lying down. I can also feel Bennett hiccup almost every day!

Cravings: Sonic Ice!! (It is out of control!)

Baby purchases this month: Car seat and the stroller my aunt bought us arrived. We also got all of the baby clothes out of the attic and started washing them.

What I miss: A good night sleep, walking without panting, and margaritas!

What I am looking forward to: Seeing baby Bennett!

7 Month Pregnancy Update

How far along? 30 weeks

Mood: Rested! :)

Maternity clothes? Yes, along with my bellyband because even maternity clothes are having trouble covering my growing tummy and I refuse to buy more just to wear for two months!

Sleep: Still having trouble getting comfortable, and now also waking multiple times at night for visits to the bathroom, but other than that sleep is good...lol

Energy Level: Short spurts throughout the day.

Best moments in the last month: Getting to relax and enjoy my last few months of being pregnant and having a family of four.

Movement? You can see movements from the outside of my tummy when Bennett gets dancing!

Cravings: Milk, Big Red, and Bluebell ice cream

Baby purchases this month: All this free time has given me a chance to shop online! Baby bedding, a couple of ties for newborn pictures, a baby sling, mattress, and picked out a new double stroller today that my fabulous aunt is getting us!

What I miss: My coworkers and students

What I am looking forward to: Being able to resume normal activity!

Look how much my belly has grown, even from just last month!!!

Carson's 1st Day of Kindergarten - Take 2

Carson started school in the district where I work, and was super lucky to have been accepted into the dual language program. Due to my bed rest it will be close to impossible to drive him 45 minutes to and from school there. We made the tough decision to move him into the elementary where our neighborhood is zoned.

He, along with us, has had mixed emotions about the transition. He loves his teachers and friends at his old school, and was really excited to be learning Spanish. But, his new school is only a couple of minutes from our house (which means not having to spend two hours in the car each day and getting home close to dark), he will get to go to school with friends from our neighborhood, and in his opinion, the best benefit is that he gets to ride the school bus home each day! The dress codes are fairly similar, both schools requiring collared shirts, but his old school allowed it to have patterns and pictures, his new school only solid colors with logo smaller than a quarter. But, his new school doesn't require shirts to be tucked in (notice how excited he is about this in his picture).

We waited until yesterday to withdraw him from his old school because it was class picture day and we wanted to be sure he would get one and also be in their yearbook. Brian picked him up early yesterday so that he could complete the necessary paperwork, and said Carson cried in the office and on the way home. :( He also cried himself to sleep last night, making my heart break for him.

Luckily, Carson has never been a shy kid and has always been able to make friends easily, so we made sure to talk that up last night and before school today. He was all enrolled by 10:00am this morning, and even saw our neighbor, James in the hallway before going in to meet his new class and teacher.

This afternoon, he was all smiles! When asked how his first day was and he said "GREAT!" He already made a new friend (couldn't remember his name, of course) that showed him the ropes, ate tacos and an ice cream sandwich at lunch ("tasted even better" than his old school), got to run and play basketball in PE, and "didn't get any homework!" It is not even 4:00, and he is already outside playing with the kids from the neighborhood!

It is such a relief that today went so well. Thank God for making children so adaptable to change!

Bed Rest

This pregnancy has been a little different than the first two go-rounds. I'm not sure if it is because I already have two children that keep me busy, the fact that I am pushing 30, or that by body is over making babies and wanting to make sure I don't have more kiddos.

I am gaining weight at a faster rate, swelling started early this pregnancy and isn't just in my ankles and calves, but some days all the way up to my knees and thighs. Standing for too long causes me to be out of breath and feel like my heart is pounding out of my chest. On top of all that I am more emotional/moody, and just now beginning to understand why pregnant women don't go around smiling and glowing all the time.

I have been busy dealing with all of the above, along with a 2 hour commute each day, getting both boys ready and dropped off at two separate locations for school and making it to work before eight, Deacon's therapy needs, Carson's reading and Spanish for kindergarten, teaching, student council, holidays, and so on...and somehow making it all work without going crazy. But then, the contractions started.

In early January, I would periodically get what felt like Braxton Hicks during the later part of an especially busy day and would disappear by the time I got home and relaxed. By the end of the month the contractions were definitely stronger and coming at regular intervals about 10-15 minutes apart. After work on the 31st I figured I would call my doctor and just schedule an appointment to share my concerns. As soon as I mentioned contractions to the receptionist she immediately put me through to the nurse, who told me to go to the hospital for monitoring. The hospital hooked me up to monitors and did an ultrasound of Bennett to see how he was and check his size (1lb. 11oz.) and called my doctor for her opinion. She wanted me to stay on bed rest for two days and follow up with her on the second day.

At my appointment I was still having a little cramping and my doctor asked me what was more important: Bennett or work? When I chose Bennett, she said she would feel safer putting me on bed rest because she was concerned of pre-term labor and with a 14 week premature baby, the outcome could be scary.

So here I am.

For those of you who know me, laying around doing nothing is not my thing. I am a week into this and already trying to find activities in the house to keep me busy. I wish I could do the paperwork end of my job from home to help out my colleagues and long-term sub, but have been firmly told that I could no longer do anything work related. I have been able to do a few projects from bed (100 day shirt and Deacon's party invitations), but other than that, my day mostly consists of reading, watching movies, and playing on the computer.

I was in such shock at the initial appointment when I was told that I would be on bed rest, that I didn't even know there were stages of bed rest or think to ask which stage I would be placed on. So, at today's appointment I got a few more details.

I am on modified/regular bed rest, which means no: work, strenuous chores, heavy lifting, standing/walking for more than 5-10 minutes, climbing stairs, long shopping trips, etc. I am allowed to leave the house occasionally for non-strenuous activities like sitting at church or the movies, as long as I don't have to climb stairs, or stand or walk a long distance. (And luckily got permission for Deacon's birthday party this weekend as long as I rest before and after and stay seated during the party!)

I am making myself stick to the rules, because I have already been warned that next comes strict bed rest and I don't want complete bed confinement!

Be prepared, with all of this free time on my hands, I may be busy blogging!

6 Month Pregnancy Update

How far along? 25 weeks

Mood: Is fat a mood?!?

Maternity clothes? Yes, and even some of those are getting too small in the stomach...

Sleep: It is getting a little harder to find that comfortable position, but once I do I sleep great.

Energy Level: Slowing down again. I start the day with energy, but just don't have the stamina to keep it going.

Best moments in the last month: Feeling lots of baby kicks!

Movement? Yes! Brian and a few friends have also gotten to feel Bennett in action.

Cravings: Lemon meringue pie and Big Red soda. (Probably the main contributors to the fat feelings!)

Baby purchases this month: No purchases, but a wonderful coworker gave us a gorgeous crib!

What I miss: Not having cankles at the end of the day from swollen legs.

What I am looking forward to: Spring Break

5 Month Pregnancy Update

How far along? 22 weeks

Mood: Great!! I am back to being a happy pregnant lady!

Maternity clothes? Yes, because this is my first pregnancy to be spent almost completely in the winter, I have had to add lots of maternity pants and sweaters to my wardrobe.

Sleep: If I could only bottle up this extra sleep I am getting and save it for when I really need it, when Bennett arrives, I would be fabulous!

Energy Level: Almost too good! I should probably slow down a bit because the nesting is already kicking in and I am determined to get everything in order around our house.

Best moments in the last month: Amazing ultrasounds, Christmas, and New Year's.

Movement? The ultrasound tech told me that due where my placenta is located, a lot of the kicks will be absorbed, making it hard to feel the light kicks. I usually notice the most movement when I lay down at night.

Cravings: Wedding cake snocones (luckily, there is a place by my house that still sells snocones in the winter!)

Baby purchases this month: Haven't purchased anything yet. We've had Carson's birthday, Christmas, garage conversion, and up next Deacon's birthday. Shopping spree will probably start in March.

What I miss: Not feeling gigantic! I won't even say how much weight I have already gained with little Bennett...

What I am looking forward to: Finishing the garage conversion and getting the stupid glucose test over with!


I also dug up my 5 month pregnancy picture with Deacon to do a side-by-side comparison between my two little boys (sorry Carson, I didn't do this with you!):

And here is my belly growing with Bennett:

Baby Bennett's 20 Week Ultrasound

Technology amazes me! It has only been two years since I had Deacon, and ultrasound equipment has already become more advanced. 3-D images are much more clear. Although an outsider may still find the grainy images a little creepy, we are thrilled to see the first glimpses of our new family member! The video clips are amazing too! You can see Bennett yawning, rubbing his eyes, and what even looks like a little wave!












At 20 weeks, Bennett is about the size of banana.

I love that he looks like he is smiling in this one:

We captured 2-D images as well, and Bennett was more than happy to remind us that he is a boy!

Upper body:

Legs:

In less than 20 weeks, we will get to see this cutie in person!

4 Month Pregnancy Update

How far along? 19 weeks (So, only a couple of days away from 5 months, but technically still 4!)

Mood: So much better! I feel pretty much back to myself, with only the occasional mood swing.

Maternity clothes? Umm, did you see the picture?!? Unless they were really loose regular clothes, I am only wearing maternity now...

Sleep: No problemo!

Energy Level: Thanksgiving and Christmas Break are giving me that extra time I need to re-charge my batteries! Thank God for my teacher schedule!

Best moments in the last month: Finding out we are getting our 3rd boy!!

Movement? The kicks are getting progressively stronger, but still are pretty faint tickles. My students can't wait until the real movements happen so they can feel too.

Cravings: Juice & Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal

Baby purchases this month: Nothing this month, and we don't really have a whole lot to purchase in the future either! :)

What I miss: Wearing contacts! My eyes stay too dry during pregnancy, so I end up wearing my glasses the majority of the time. I would also kill for a margarita!

What I am looking forward to: Christmas and New Year's!! Converting the garage into a bedroom for Deacon and Carson, so I can start getting rooms organized.

Baby #3 Gender and Name Reveal!

After waiting for what felt like an eternity, we finally had our big ultrasound today to determine the baby's sex!



As soon as the wand touched my stomach, Brian and I immediately thought we saw "something." My doctor held out saying it could have been the umbilical cord, and switched angles. This is the view we got:

HE is definitely ALL boy!!!

We feel so blessed that God has given us another of His sons to raise! (Maybe we are doing something right!) I am already envisioning Christmas excitement at our house next year with our three little men.

We are also excited to get to use all of our favorite boy names! We have decided this little guy's name will be: Bennett Asher Scott

Bennett - meaning "little blessed one"

Asher- from the bible, meaning "happiness"

And what a happy little blessing he is!

Before Thanksgiving Break, I promised all the students I would let them know immediately what the baby would be when I returned to school. I used my awesome Silhouette to create this fill-in-the-blank shirt:

And changed after my appointment. :)

3 Months w/ Baby #3

How far along? 14 weeks

Mood: Hormonal!! Praying my mood swings start tapering off! (I think Brian may be too.)

Maternity clothes? Wow, they aren't kidding about showing quicker the more pregnancies you have! About all bottoms are maternity, if they aren't sweatpants. I have also added some maternity dresses and shirts too.

Sleep: It is hard getting comfortable, but once I am out, I'm good.

Energy Level: My energy is starting to come back, but I definitely need my naps on the weekend to function the rest of the week!

Best moments in the last month: Seeing our baby on the ultrasound

Movement? There have been a couple of nights at bedtime where I have wondered if I felt the baby, but no definite movements.

Cravings: Sweets, fruit, and cheese.

Baby purchases this month: I bought a gender-neutral Halloween outfit on clearance. :)

What I miss: Being even tempered! (And possibly some adult beverages)

What I am looking forward to: finding out the sex of the baby!!

11 Week Ultrasound

In a few short weeks our baby went from a bundle of cells to a tiny person! Even after two other little ones, I am still amazed by God!

I grilled the ultrasound tech to see if she could give any hint to the sex of the baby, but she said it is still another week or two until you can distinguish. (Possibly tmi: At this stage all babies have something down there, its the angle that soon determines the sex. Out: girl, Up: boy) So as of now, it is still girl-like, but it may change. We find out November 28th.

Technology has already improved since Deacon! We were even able to get some 3D images this early on!

This one shows the baby curled up facing forward with its hands up by his/her face.

Closer view:

Side view:

We have narrowed down a few of our favorite names and would love your input! If you haven't voted, please do here.

IntelliGender

A few stores (Walgreens, HEB, Babiesrus) sell an at-home product called IntelliGender to detect the sex of the baby as early as 10 weeks. We obviously aren't putting a lot of weight in this product, but thought it would be a fun way to pass the time until we do find out. AND it was accurate in predicting Deacon's gender.


Here's their verdict:
Have any of you used this? Was yours correct?

Meet Scott Baby #3

Well it's official: there is a baby in my tummy! We were already able to see and hear a tiny heartbeat from that little ball of love!


I am 8 weeks pregnant, with May 10th looking like our due date! (The baby measured a little smaller than that, but the doctor said it was close enough to keep that date.) With two little winter babies already, I am excited to have some warmer weather to party plan for in the future!!

Our next appointment is October 25th, where I get another ultrasound and he/she will actually look like a baby!

Carson has already started throwing out name suggestions, and I now know another reason five year olds don't have kids of their own...the names sound like something a celebrity couple would pick:

Girl Names-
Geyser (what we yell when Deacon pees in the bathtub)
Gnarly

Boy Middle Name-
Climb-in-the-toilet (again, after Deacon)

We have a couple of names in mind, but still haven't completely decided yet.

Surprise, Surprise!!

It looks like we will soon be a party of five...

We are still in a little shock from the news, but we are excited to have our first ultrasound next Tuesday when it may feel more real!

Deacon Kyle Scott

...has arrived!!!!

I have always promised myself not to be one of those "tmi" people who go into graphic detail about things acquaintances shouldn't know. I'll try my best to stay in that category. :)

Friday morning we woke up at 5:00 am and called the hospitals Labor & Delivery Department to see if there was room for me to be induced; there was and I was told to arrive by 7:15am. We went ahead and stayed up because we were way too excited and nervous to go back to bed. On the way out the door we took one last picture of my belly (excuse the hair and lack of makeup, it was too early to mess with all of that...)

In the words of Carson: I was officially done cooking!!

We arrived to the hospital early, so I was hooked up to the iv and ready to start by 8:00am. The iv is always the hardest part for me, and once I get past that the rest is easy breezy. Our doctor showed up about that time to check on me and break my water.

At 10:00am the hospital gods came in and gave me my epidural. There are no words to describe the gratitude I have for those people. From that point on I never felt one bit of pain or contraction.

12:30pm - Doctor came back and checked on me. She said she thought it would be about dinner time when I would have Deacon.

4:00pm - Nurses decide I am ready!! They call our doctor back, who is with her last patient of the day and says she will be right over.

4:30pm - Our doctor arrives & the pushing begins.

4:38pm - Deacon enters the world!!!

While they cleaned Deacon up we all guessed how much we thought he would weigh. Our nurse thought 8 lbs. 13oz. and we told her no way, he was not that big. Our doctor guessed 8 lbs. 5 oz., and Brian and I agreed with her. They set him on the scale and he came in at a whopping 9 lbs. 5oz.!!! Carson was 7 lbs. 13oz. & I thought labor with him had been so much harder!!

Once they were done cleaning him up and taking stats, he was handed back to us like a bundled little package:

We made a promise to Carson that he would get to be Deacon's first visitor, so Brian went to the waiting room and brought back our new big brother.

He literally skipped into the room, beaming from ear to ear:

...and was instantly ready to hold him:

We made him pose for a picture first:

...then the snuggling could begin:

Once Carson got his fill, the Grandma's came in to check him out:

...and more visitors:

Let me just say as a completely biased mother, he is the most perfect baby and already reminds us of Carson made over!

Deacon Kyle Scott

February 12, 2010

4:38 pm

9 pounds 5 ounces

20 inches