All's Good

28 weeks tomorrow and I'm still on my feet!  :)

Today we had the high risk check that we have every 2 weeks.  Things are still looking a-okay.

Week 1 of being a stay-at-home-Mama has gone well.  I get to literally stay off my feet more because I'm sitting playing, but it's still go-go-go that school was.  But it's a happier, more fulfilling go-go-go.  (I don't think it's any secret that I long to be a stay-at-home-Mama)  We've laid low all week.  The kids are all still nursing coughs and runny noses, and simply loading kids into the van is a workout that leaves me huffing and puffing.  But it's been fun.  Train, cars, dolls... a fight or two.  :)  It just feels right.  Someday, maybe.

But in new baby news, I am less than three months from D-day.  It's so close and I'm so excited.  We aren't ready to say "no more babies" after this baby, but a part of me knows that it might be.  Just because with us (hopefully) moving soon, who knows what insurance we might have.  Who knows if IVF will be covered.  Who knows if we'd even want to go that road?  I definitely do want a Baby #6 in a few years (we'll leave the gap a little bigger this time!) but the realistic part of me knows that it has been so nice this time to just "get pregnant" without needles and ultrasounds and blood draws.  It's been wonderful to just be.  And a part of me isn't sure that I could go back to a clinic.  But then again, that's the part of me growing this perfect baby... we'll see how I feel about it all in a few years.   :)

SO I'm just so excited to hold a perfect tiny (BIG) baby.  I'm so excited to take a baby home WITH ME.  I'm so excited to have the baby in my room.  To hold it when I want to.  To see a baby without leads and feeding tubes and monitors and nurses hovering.  And every day I'm more and more sure that it will happen.

27w 1d

Today's 27 weeks 1 day.  It's normal to compare every pregnancy right?

Because that's all I've been doing all day long.

I know this pregnancy with Baby #5 (and only #5) is nothing like the pregnancy with Baby #1 and #2 (aka Connor and Colby) but I can't help always compare the two (well, the three because I compare it to the pregnancy with Baby #3 and #4 (aka Sydney and Zoe).

Point is, I still have so very far to go in this pregnancy that I can't even THINK of having this baby right now.  The thought is so unimaginable... yet, was a reality not so long ago.  Right now I'm carrying around a tiny little 2 pound baby that is happily rolling around and kicking and still has 13 weeks to bake.  Yet, three-and-a-half years ago I was delivering two tiny 2 pound babies who were fighting for their lives.

I think I've said before how amazing Colby is in terms of a 27 weeker.  He is anything but the typical 27 week baby.  In his 3.5 years he never tested into Early Intervention.  Despite 3 months of oxygen- almost 3 weeks on a vent- he has shown zero eye issues.  His hearing is perfect and he actually tested at a Kindergarten level (though I'm not really sure what that means).  He has always been way ahead of the curve in speech and understanding.  His fine and gross motor skills have never been a concern.  Basically we just got very, very lucky with his health in general.  But as we know with Connor, Colby's health and general well-being is not the norm and things could have gone so much worse with him.

It's crazy to think that I could have a mini-Colby hanging out inside of me right now.  This tiny little baby so full of so much potential and that at any minute, any day something could happen.  But I really don't think it will... at least for awhile.   :)

Lady of Leisure

And just like that, I'm a lady of leisure.

Well, not quite with three active kiddos.   But I am officially out of work per the good doctors orders.

I'll be 27 weeks tomorrow & while things haven't happened, and we're hoping that they won't, we decided to take the "just be safe" measure.  At school I'm on my feet from 7:30am to 3pm.  There is no sitting or relaxing with a demanding class of 22 6- and 7-year olds.  And I didn't argue.  Hopefully this means I get 3 months with Colbs, Syd, and Zoe before Baby #5 makes its grand appearance.

I think I mentioned that my section is scheduled for April 2nd at 39 weeks 2 days.  I've been seeing high risk every 2 weeks on the dot and my regular OB every 2 weeks as well.  Some days we're all so optimistic and Dr. K is telling me that he sees no reason that we won't make it to section-date.  And other days the reality of my past is there and we're hoping for 36 weeks.  My real goal is a healthy baby that comes home when I'm discharged.  No NICU time.   I cannot even begin to tell you how disappointed I am going to be in myself and my body if this baby comes early.  Full term- or nearly so- is some kind of affirmation I need.

We shall see!


And a few pictures of the kiddos SnowTubing a few days after Christmas...

Zoe

Sydney

Colby