Pregnancy: Month 5

This pregnancy seems to be flying by! It has been so uneventful thus far and has been very easy and comfortable for me, so that certainly helps. I am not counting down the weeks to less nausea or less back pain or horrible acne like with the other boys. I feel pretty normal, just with a growing belly and little thumps here and there. 

17 weeks

*feel baby most often at night while I'm lying in bed. He likes to push as hard as he can forward. I can't really feel the bulge from the outside yet, but I can feel the pressure on the inside. I have an anterior placenta (in the front) so it surprises me that I can feel him. 

19 weeks 

*This pregnancy is so easy! I have so few notes because it has been very uneventful! That is definitely a blessing. 

*feeling lots more baby kicks at night when I lie on my belly. I try to push on my belly throughout the day to try to get baby to push back, but he's still pretty small for that. 

*Jackson knows there's a baby in my belly and hugs and kisses the baby often. 

*always feel like I have to pee. I'll finish, stand up, and feel like I have to pee still! It's never ending! 

*I have what seems to be the worst cold of my life. I'm pretty sure I think that every time I have a cold, but this one is bad! I had a panic attack in the middle of the night because I couldn't breathe well through my nose and haven't been able to smell/taste for days. Thankfully, it hasn't seemed to be worse since I'm pregnant- other than being more exhausted since it takes me longer to fall asleep with the breathing issues. I haven't been taking any cold medicine since I'm not sure what is safe while pregnant and most cold medicine is just to help with symptoms and not expedite healing. I will be very thankful to be back to my normal, healthy self once this cold passes!

20 weeks

*3/17 anatomy scan. Baby looks good and healthy. He was wiggling around during the U/s and kept turning to face us no matter what angle the tech tried, so we couldn't get a good profile shot. He likes to have his hands right up by his head and has one hand over his face. He was sitting with his knees tucked up to his chest and his feet straight under, not crossed. He has my nose, just like the other boys. His heartbeat was 160 and he is still a boy! 

*3/18 Matt felt baby for the first time. Baby likes to move at night so while I was putting Daniel to bed he started wiggling. So when I came back out I had Matt try to feel him moving. 

*3/21 received a phone call from the OBGYN nurse saying there were some concerns with my ultrasound. The baby appears to have two cysts on his brain and a shadow on his heart. The cysts usually go away before birth and don't cause an issue, but paired with the shadow on the heart the Dr. wants a better look. I have an appointment next week in Nashville with a stronger ultrasound machine to hopefully clear this up. I do not feel much worry or fear, which is surprising to me since I used to be in a constant state of worry. I praise God for bringing me past that hindrance in my life- it must have been gradual since I do not even know when I let go of my fear. I pray that nothing is wrong with the baby and that he can have a happy, healthy life. We will love him no matter what and we will work through whatever the outcome is. Maybe this is why Matt is being left back from the deployment. 

*At the end of this week I am still sick with my cold. I did go into the walk in clinic to make sure it wasn't strep of bronchitis- nope, just a cold. This is the longest running cold I think I've ever had. It has gone though extreme stages: first the congested nose and lack of smell, then goopy eyes, then (and now) a barking cough. I am finally coming out of it and hope to be back to my normal self on the next couple days. It is extra annoying to be violently coughing when you have a Preggo bladder! I have had to change pants a couple times and have sat on the toilet during severe coughing fits so I can concentrate on breathing and not holding in my pee! Oh Preggo woes. 

Got our infant seat back from the girl I sold it to! I bought it back and was so happy to see it will fit very nicely in our back seat with the other boys' seats.

Did some shopping at Once Upon a Child! The stuff on the left is for baby Chase. I also went to a consignment sale with a friend, but found mostly things for the older boys.

Instead of chopping my hair to my chin like with my other pregnancies, I added some color! It has been a decade since I had any color in my hair! I am loving this new look and will probably even add more before the baby is born. I want to keep my long hair so this was a welcome change.

Baby Chase, 

You are so loved by me, your Daddy, and Jackson. Daniel will love you once you are born too. You will be the perfect fit in our family and I pray that you will continue to grow big and strong inside mommy and that we will have a safe delivery. We love you so much and cannot wait to hug and kiss you. I love feeling you swimming around in my tummy and already feel such a strong connection to you. I am so thankful for he opportunity to be your mommy! You are loved!