Third

Baby bump at 18/19 weeks

I recently read Ender's Game and sometimes in my mind I call this baby "Third" or "Ender" (If you're familiar with the story, Ender got his nickname because in their society you had to ask special permission to have a 3rd child). Since I know that this is my last baby, I have been weirdly private about sharing details. I'm strange, I know...and selfish :) I want to enjoy my last time being pregnant and feeling all the twists and turns and hiccups. I love thinking about what this child will look like and what kind of personality it will have. I love thinking of all different combinations of names until I find one that feels right.  I get nervous thinking about how having a 3rd child will change the dynamic of our family and how crazy I will be for a while until we get into a routine. But I am so, so excited to hold this little infant and know that it came straight from Heaven and into my arms. I already love this baby so much and know that it is meant to be part of our family.

So, I'm not going to do a huge facebook gender announcement because I'm selfish and I don't think that 100+ people I'm "friends"with really care if I'm having a boy or girl (or perhaps even that I'm expecting again). But If you care enough to read my blog, I'll share my secret with you :).

We went at the beginning of June for our big ultrasound. I always love seeing the baby on a screen.

Profile & hand:

scary skeleton face (sorry baby, but it's true)

 another profile

 arm/hand

 and finally....drumroll....

and hopefully the utrasound technitian is right because I've been getting rid of my girl stuff like crazy! I got back in in August for another ultrasound and while we're there, we're going to double check the gender. If for some reason it turns out to be a girl, we'll have a couple months to buy everything again :)

Pregnancy Update:
I feel pretty good most of the time. I am starting to lose the mid-trimester energy burst and feel more tired and have to rest more often after doing chores. And since my other 2 kids were born in the middle of winter, I have never been this pregnant in the summer before. I'll do my last trimester in the hottest part too. I am definitely starting to feel the uncomfortableness that comes with the heat and I think I'm going to get a lot more swollen in my hands, feet, and face than I did with the others because of retaining water and the heat (oh the joys). But I'll survive.