If you’re reading this than I have FINALLY been able to let everyone in on our big secret… I’m pregnant! And let me tell you, it’s been a little harder to hide my bump this time around.
Baby number 3 is due in September, which will unfortunately lead to an extremely high AC bill BUT we are so excited to welcome another sweet little one into our family. When the baby is born Wyatt will be almost 4 and Charlotte will be just under 2.5.
Our Rainbow Baby
I actually haven’t talked about it on Instagram, but most of my close friends and family know that this little babe is a rainbow baby- I had a miscarriage in August of 2021 and it was harder than I could’ve ever imagined. Devastated doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt. Although that pregnancy was a surprise, the grief I experienced was both unexpected and a pain unlike any other I have ever felt.
Many of my friends have experienced pregnancy loss at many different stages and through my experience I have gained a newfound respect and understanding for them. Our loss taught me so much and it brings me peace knowing our little baby in heaven made such a big impact on our lives. The experience also reminded me of how blessed I am to have such amazing, supportive people in my life who helped me get through it.
The Backstory
This pregnancy (another happy surprise!) was a product of Kasey and I having a little too much fun after his very wild work Christmas party. It was our first night in a hotel since having two kids and, as you know, we have been living with my parents while we wait for our house to be built (we are now moved into our new house as I publish this). I guess we were both ready to have some fun. LOL. Even though we were surprised (but not that surprised), we are beyond excited for this baby and know he or she will complete our family. I knew in my heart I wanted a third baby and am thrilled that we were blessed with this addition. We truly believe that every child is a gift, and this baby is a special gift from God meant just for us.
Wyatt is SO excited to have a new little brother or sister, but Charlotte doesn’t quite understand what is happening. We have a feeling she may struggle a bit with not being the baby of the family anymore, so I am going to do my best to help her with the transition. The timing is actually perfect because we are moving into our new house in February, or maybe we have already moved in by time I publish this post, and we will have an extra bedroom for the baby and the “big” kids will have a playroom for all of their toys which I plan to set up as a nursing room with a chair I can use to nurse the baby. Baby 3 isn’t due until September, so that gives us plenty of time to settle into our new house, get the nursery set up and for the kiddos to get acclimated to our new digs.
Symptoms
My first symptom was nausea. I had a feeling I was pregnant about a week before I missed my period because I keep getting carsick for no reason and had random waves of feeling sick at weird times. Other symptoms I was experiencing included dull cramping and felt like I was going to start my period a few days before it was due, tender, bigger boobs and exhaustion. A couple of weeks in, I noticed that I had to pee way more often than normal, and am already having to get up a couple times a night to go to the bathroom. I’ve noticed that I’m feeling tired earlier than I normally do. It’s not an “I didn’t get enough sleep” tired, either. It’s more of a “My bones are tired and I can’t wait to lay in my bed” tired.
Gender
This baby will be our tie-breaker baby, and it’s such a nice feeling to not care AT ALL what we’re having. I must admit, when I was pregnant with Charlotte, I really wanted a girl since we already had a boy. I wasn’t sure if she was going to be our last baby, and I really wanted one of each. I also had a strong gut feeling Wyatt was a boy and Charlotte was a girl. Strangely, I don’t really have a gut feeling for whether this baby is a boy or girl.
I’m so excited to find out, but I’ll be over the moon with either a little boy or girl. I can absolutely picture us having another boy and think it would be so fun for Wyatt to have a little brother but on the other hand, I can also totally picture us having another little girl and think Charlotte would love having a little sister! I have thoroughly enjoyed having both a boy and a girl and know whichever we are blessed with is meant to be! We plan to find out as soon as we can from my doctor and since this is probably my last baby, we’re going to do a gender reveal which we’ve never done before!
Names
Right now, we are calling him/her Bartt as an inside joke. Both Wyatt and Charlotte have TT in them so my family was trying to come up with names that also contain TT. My dad suggested Bartt and for some reason it made us all crack up. He said it really loud and it was hilarious. So for now, we have baby Bartt.
In all seriousness, we do have a few really cute names picked out (both boy and girl names). I love classic, timeless names so we will most likely go that route for this baby!
Things That Have Been Saving My LifE
Lemon ginger tea (I’ve been loving this one) and saltines. This pillow from Amazon has been really nice to have. We are in a smaller than normal bed right now and I don’t need my full-sized pregnancy pillow quite yet, but this is keeping my comfortable at night without taking up too much space.
Cravings/Aversions
I have had way more aversions than cravings. Not much has sounded good and the sight/smells of some foods have really grossed me out. When I do have a craving, it’s almost always for something really spicy or weird. I’ve been really wanting worcestershire sauce for some reason??? So weird. I’ve also been drinking a lot of virgin Bloody Mary’s. I make them with a little but of spicy bloody mary mix, Topo Chico and a squeeze of fresh lemon. This is the same way I make regular bloody mary’s but just add Vodka (when I’m not pregnant, of course!). These really hit the spot for some reason! The savory, salty, spicy taste is just too good to pass up.
Things I’m Planning to do Differently This Time Around
Self-care is going to be a priority for me this time around. I am going to continue to workout ( I mostly do Peloton rides in the AM before the kiddos wake up). I am going to push myself to do a few rides a week for as long as I can. I’m also kind of forced to stay active because I have to chase two toddlers around everywhere.
I plan on taking some yoga classes through my Peloton app. Yoga is something I already enjoy, so I’m going to continue with that because I think it would be a really great way to take care of my body, keep my mind right, prep for birth and bond with baby even before he or she is born. I bought this cool yoga mat and these yoga blocks to help with my practice. Staying flexible and moving during pregnancy (if you’re able- ask your doctor!) are so important mentally and physically.
I am also going to embrace MINIMALISM. I have the necessities for baby already, and am going to do my best to not buy every little thing marketed to pregnant women. The truth is, babies really don’t need much. Rest assured that if I share something maternity or baby related, I truly love it and it absolutely makes my life easier.
I get asked a lot what prenatal vitamins I use, and I’ve been using these by Beli Baby. They contain folate, not folic acid, which is super important to me since I have the MTHFR genetic mutation and my body cannot process folic acid.
They gave a code for 15% off: KELSEY15
#pregnancyannouncement #baby3 #babythree #thirdbaby #SurpriseI’mPregnantAgain
