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| "We are pulling up one more chair to the table... Baby #5 due June 2016!" |
The last time I wrote a blog post was on November 1st, 2015.... so Happy New Year!
What's been going on over here with me?! Well, first of all, we are expecting again! Baby #5 is due June 2016. We are thrilled. Of course we are hoping that this one is a girl. A friend of mine with four boys recently gave birth to her fifth and it was a girl. I feel like there is *hope* but I also feel that after delivering 4 boys, it is a bit of a long shot. Who knows. Fingers crossed, right? I'm 16 weeks right now so we should find out in the next 2-4 weeks what the gender is of baby #5.
I think the biggest reason I haven't blogged in so long is that this pregnancy was off to a really rocky start and it sent me into a bit of a depression. Initially the pregnancy didn't look viable. The ultrasounds didn't look good and we weren't given much hope. In fact, they ran bloodwork to rule out another molar pregnancy. We've already had two miscarriages and the thought of a third-- and possibly another molar-- really laid me low. I basically laid on my couch, prayed a lot, and watched NCIS on Netflix.
On top of that, I was having major "morning sickness." I'm putting it in quotes because I couldn't keep hardly anything down at all times of the day. Eventually I got on Zofran, which helped a lot, but I was still having difficulties with nausea and occasional vomiting, even on Zofran. I didn't feel well and I was really stressed about the outcome of this pregnancy, which is pregnancy #6 for us. Some people tried reassuring me that "pregnancy symptoms" were a good sign and so I should feel encouraged, but I had pregnancy symptoms with all my miscarriages as well. The vomiting didn't make me feel reassured that my pregnancy was progressing-- well, save for the day that I didn't throw up. Then I spent the evening sobbing that I had lost the baby... It was an emotional time and one that I lost a bunch of weight.
Thankfully the pregnancy is progressing well. They aren't really sure why the ultrasounds showed what they did because now everything is looking good. The baby is measuring well. I'm so thankful. I went into this pregnancy hoping for the best and expecting the worst. The possibility of another molar always looms in the back of my mind, as does a miscarriage. However, when facing it, I was surprised at how hard I took it this time. I don't think this is something that ever gets easier and quite possibly only gets harder. My prayers go out to everyone who has had a single miscarriage or multiple miscarriages. It is such a hard loss.
As soon as everything with the baby started looking good, we got unexpected news that my grandmother had a stroke. The children and I quickly got our affairs in order and flew to the east coast to be with her and my family. We spent a month there. It was wonderful being there for her recovery and to see my family. The children thrive surrounded by their grandparents and great-grandmother. Of course that trip didn't go quite as expected either. Our 4-year old asthmatic ended up in the ER with croup. Our 1.5 year old with reactive airways ended up in the ER with RSV. All four boys came down with a stomach bug and then shared a major cold with all the adults. My mom lost her voice. I was using my inhaler at night. It was a whirlwind of hospitals for both my grandmother and the children. The last week we were there was refreshing though. We were all feeling better and my grandmother was home, pretty much back on her feet. The boys were over the moon Granny was "feeling better," as they kept saying. One night our 1st grader told Granny that he flew all the way across country just to give her a hug. It brought her to tears. She is so loved and it was so good to help her recover and to spend time with her.
This past week we've been adjusting to the change in time zones. Man, who knew that could be such a chore! Our 1.5 year old has come down with every sort of rash under the sun plus a cold. He's having a hard time sleeping at all, let alone with the time change. Our preschoolers have been wide awake around 3:30-4:00 am. Our oldest is finally back in school, now that we are home. He's apparently doing well at school, but when he gets home he is starving and very tired. He fell asleep on the couch his first day back right before 6 pm.
So basically, the children have been keeping us busy. We've been dealing with life and winter ailments and pregnancy. It sounds like a lot (and sometimes feels like a lot), but we've pretty much been indoors tending to the kids' colds and using inhalers. I do feel like somewhere during the past couple weeks I set my brain down somewhere and I'm still looking for where I set it. If I sit down for too long, I fall asleep and I haven't been this hungry since I grew 5" during my freshman year of high school.
Now we are home and settled (er, settling... I have unpacked like two of the eight suitcases we flew home with). I am ready to open up again, blog again. The pregnancy is going well. My grandmother is doing well. The boys are doing well. My hubby is doing well. We are back to the day to day of life with four children and a husband on submarines.
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