Baby #4

This is a post of the entire pregnancy so far. Since we decided to wait to tell Joseph's family until we came to visit Utah, it was a little bit of a "different" pregnancy. We kept it from our kids a little longer than the other pregnancies as well as from friends.

We found out we were expecting in mid May and were thrilled. A little back history but with Gemma, we experienced a few health concerns while trying to conceive so I was very nervous about trying again.

The first trimester was ROUGH! I was very sick. Mostly extreme exhaustion and nausea all day and all night with the occasional vomiting to go along with it. What stunk even more was Joseph was stuck working the shifts for his strike thing at work. So he was gone from 2:30am to about 3:30pm Tuesday to Sunday and then exhausted every night as was I.

Around the end of July/early August, the nausea went away and food sounded good again. Everything looked good with the doctor and pregnancy was back to normal for me.

Our ultrasound was at the beginning of September. Due to how sick I was, I really thought it was a boy. I recalled being pretty sick with Tanner and thought I felt better with the girls. Well, the ultrasound tech showed us and it was clearly a girl. I couldn't believe it. I was so sure it was a boy at that point. It took me a long time (and still sort of am) to process that it's a girl. I had a boy's name all picked out as I was sure it was a boy. And now to know that I won't use that name is sad. Oh well!

A week after the anatomy scan, I had a fetal echo done to check on the baby's heart. When you have one child born with a heart defect, you are at an increased risk of another child having one. So I went to our awesome pediatric cardiologist who sees Gemma. She did the fetal echo and all looked great. At this point, we have no concerns for heart problems. Obviously, if a pediatrician hears anything after birth, we'll head back. But we should be good to go with just taking Gemma to see the cardiologist every few months for the next foreseeable future.

We told the kids about the baby after we found out the gender. It was a little hard keeping it from them until 19 weeks but I don't get big fast so they couldn't tell. They knew I had stomach issues over the summer but that was all.

Second trimester went smoothly. I traveled to Wisconsin during it and felt fine. I did get hit by a nasty stomach bug and then influenza back to back for two weeks. This wiped me out energy-wise and I could barely function with the kids. It was a rough week or two but the doctor said all was okay.

So far, third trimester has been manageable. I'm tired a lot but it's hard to determine what is from pregnancy versus what is from having three young kids and trying to stay active and up on housework. I also am teaching two sections of my course this semester, which always leads to a little more stress. For the first time during a pregnancy, I am having difficulty breathing. The doctor feels it is the baby's position on my diaphragm that is causing it. I don't recall experiencing this with the others, even when I got to the last few weeks. As long as it doesn't get worse, I guess it's okay.

Verdict is out on if baby girl will come early like Ashton and Tanner or make me wait until closer to the due date like Gemma. I have family coming to visit a week before she's due so I wouldn't mind if she made her arrival in time to meet them. We will have another growth scan next week to check on her size and all. That will be a first for me. My old doctor didn't do any additional ultrasounds but my new doctor seems to like them more. I'm okay with that since insurance pays for them.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Baton Rouge

Back in July, the Church announced dates for the Baton Rouge temple open house. Baton Rouge is about 4-4.5 hours away. I got excited because this is probably the closest temple for a long time to be renovated/dedicated anytime soon. Houston was just rededicated but they didn't hold an open house. They announced the McAllen Texas temple at General Conference but that could be years from now. So I was determined to take the big kids and go. Driving 9 hours round trip with Gemma didn't sound fun so Joseph said he'd stay home with her.

There were three main objectives for the trip:
1) Tour the temple
2) Be super cool/fun mom and let the kids plan the weekend
3) Have the weekend be memorable (hopefully accomplished by the first two objectives)

Well, we accomplished all three but it didn't quite go according to plan.

The plan was to pick up Ashton early from school on Friday and hit up Bucee's. That is a famous gas station in Texas that the kids love to stop at. Once again, being super cool mom, they could pick out a treat and drink at the gas station. Then we drove to McDonalds for dinner about three hours away. This met the "super cool mom" status as Tanner and Ashton picked it for dinner. We NEVER go there and they think it is a really cool place to have dinner. Plus, I splurged and got them their own ice cream instead of making them share like we normally do.

We've never seen the Bucee's mascot before so the kids thought this was cool.

We stopped for dinner and then headed out for the rest of the drive to Baton Rouge (about 1.5 hours). I found a hotel close to the temple that had an indoor pool so we could go swimming. Even though we were getting there late (around 8pm), I was once again "super cool mom" and agreed to take them swimming. Well, surprise, surprise, the indoor pool was NOT heated! And we've had a few cold days lately in the South so the pool was FREEZING! The kids barely touched it. To keep with the objective to be fun, I let them "swim" in the hotel room's bathtub with all their pool toys.

At this point in the night, Ashton has complained about her stomach hurting periodically. I figured it was from not eating a ton of dinner and eating ice cream. I didn't have anything to give her so we got ready for bed. I said we'd see how it was in the morning. About an hour later, the kids are fast asleep and Ashton just starts throwing up in the bed. It is everywhere- the bed, pillows, hair, pajamas, the floor, etc. I rush her to the bathroom and get her in the tub. Thankfully, Tanner sleeps throughout this whole process.

Before the mess of the night began, I did get this cute picture of Tanner sleeping. Kids are always cuter when they're sleeping.

I call down to the front desk to get more sheets and they say the sheets are locked up until the morning when housekeeping arrives. So I make the best use of the nice white towels in the hotel room. Ashton got cleaned up and crawled in my bed. Tanner was fast asleep in the other bed so I just covered the throw up and let him stay asleep on his side of the bed. Not the best parenting moment but I wasn't about to have both kids in my bed with Ashton throwing up all over everyone.

Ashton went back to sleep and I laid there waiting for the next throw up. I finally fell asleep and was in and out for the remainder of the night. The smoke alarms in the hotel went off at 6am and woke up everyone. The hotel quickly turned them off and the kids fell back asleep. Ashton woke up around 7am and threw up. This time, she got it in the bucket next to her bedside.

We all get up and assess the damages. I decide to take them to Walmart to pick up stomach bug essentials as well as what we'd need for the 4.5 hour drive home. At this point, I am now sick and throwing up in the room. Tanner is complaining of an upset stomach but hasn't actually thrown up yet. We watch TV and I try to decide if we can make it to the temple or if we should start the drive home. About an hour later, everyone is doing okay and we haven't thrown up again. We drive to the temple and decide that we won't touch or shake anyone's hands.

We accomplish goal #1 and tour the Baton Rouge Temple. The kids thoroughly enjoy it and I can tell they feel the Spirit inside. It's a very small temple, which was neat to see compared to the other temples I've been to.

My favorite picture of the weekend.

Ashton was done at this point and Tanner just wanted to climb on the statue. It was a quick picture and then rush to leave.

We then head back to Houston. I had planned to stop at a cool park and have a picnic lunch but at this point, all of us barely kept Gatorade down. I wasn't risking it. Everyone had a bucket with them for the car ride but no one threw up on the way home. The kids watched movies and took naps so the drive was quiet for me.

All objectives were met but I think the trip will be memorable because of illness not because of the super cool things we did. I'm grateful we made it to the temple and that everyone stayed healthy enough while we were there. Hopefully, the next temple open house trip goes much smoother than this and I can be a super fun mom again.

Ashton's Six Year Birthday Interview

Here's Ashton's responses to our birthday interview with her this year.

How old are you? Six

What is your favorite color? Pink

What is your favorite animal? Horses

What is your favorite book? Cinderella book (same as last year)

 What is your favorite show? Cinderella

 What do you like to eat? Ham and cheese roll ups that I make for her school lunches

What is your favorite game? Fairy Game

What is your favorite thing to do? Play the Wii with Daddy

Who is your best friend? Emery and Oliver (some neighbor kids down the street)

What do you like to do with Daddy? Play the Wii

What do you like to do with Mommy? Go on Mommy/Daughter dates

What is your favorite restaurant? Chick-Fil-A

Where do you want to go for vacation? To the Smoky Mountains again

What do you want to be when you grow up? Two things: a vet and a mom

What is your favorite song? Baptism (I Like to Look for Rainbows)

What is the best time of day? Juice box day (she gets a juice box for school one day a week)

What makes you happy? My family

Ashton's school year so far

Ashton has adjusted well to kindergarten so far. We get updates from her teacher and I enjoy seeing how she is doing.

Her teacher uses a program to communicate with the parents. I sent her a message about how the special classes rotate as Ashton was a little confused about it. Her teacher decided to make Ashton the "daily helper" who announces what day in the rotation it is. This is the perfect job for Ashton and I'm grateful her teacher found an individual way to help Ashton.

Ashton says this states, I like to play on playgrounds. I love her labeling of the sun and bees and other parts.

More writing in Spanish.

Aside from mixing up a B with the R, it says I like giraffes in Spanish.

 

 

This is telling us what she likes to eat. Milk and cheese and something else.

This week, the school had a character assembly that focused on a few character traits that the school is working on. I think they loosely follow Seven Habits for Effective People or whatever that is called by Stephen Covey. Ashton was surprised and got a "Caught Doing Good" award for being proactive in the classroom. She said she was the only one in her class to receive an award but who knows how attentive she was to who else came up in front of the school. I was proud of her. She seems to be doing well in class. But then seems to make up for it at home. We've noticed a slight increase in attitude and acting rudely towards her brother once at home. Thankfully, she's good at school so I can't complain too much.

Fall Events

 Our fall was HOT! I think we tied or came close to the latest cold front coming to Houston so it was very warm this fall. Thankfully, we've grown accustomed to the heat and still get outside. Ashton celebrated her birthday and we had contemplated getting her a bigger bike. We decided to wait until Christmas. Well, a week after her birthday, the tire blew on her old bike. It would cost 30-40 to repair it or 80 for a new, bigger bike. So we decided to get the next size up and then we'll fix the old bike when Gemma is ready for it in 4+ years. It's a little tall but still good for her. She loves being able to go faster and that it has a kickstand and a handbrake.

Tanner wanted his picture taken too. Everyone that sees him riding a two-wheeler is always shocked that he can do it.

 Chick-Fil-A hosted a Pirate and Princess night. We went for FHE and got some ice cream for the kids. It was well worth it as they handed out free kids meal coupons for each kid. They planned really fun activities for the kids and they loved dressing up. Tanner missed the memo that it was pirates and just thought it was dress up so he was a Firefighter Pirate instead.

A tropical storm made landfall not far from us and caused a lot of rain in Houston. While not as severe as Hurricane Harvey, it did some serious damage to the east side of Houston and eastern Texas. School was cancelled one day and released early another day. It rained a ton for a few days but the kids could care less. Gemma spent as much time outside splashing in puddles and playing in the rain. One mom on our street had the great idea of just having her kids wear their swimsuits in the rain, which was exactly what I needed to do. Then I didn't have tons of sopping clothes to wash all day.

Before the storm hit, the ice cream truck came to visit. We typically buy ice cream from the truck about once a year so the kids were thrilled with it. $7 is pretty pricey for ice cream so Gemma just got a popsicle from the freezer while the big kids picked out a fancy treat.

Ashton had Columbus Day off from school and we enjoyed a fun day with the three kiddos. It's odd; before Ashton went to kindergarten, I often had some anxiety about the three kids home all day with me (like days she didn't have preschool). But now, I welcome the nice break from the school schedule. I can see me liking summer break for about a week or two and then wanting the routine back. It was nice to have a day home with her. We celebrated by heading to the Y so Ashton could play there too and then went to Chick-Fil-A. Because the kids had free kid's meals, I spent a dollar for the entire lunch meal. Gotta love a cheap meal with three kids.

After naps that day, we ventured out to a new church for a pumpkin "patch." The kids picked their pumpkins for painting and had fun.

We spent one Sunday afternoon exploring the lake in our big subdivision. It is a little further than our pool/park area so the big kids rode their bikes down to it. We saw an alligator and a bunch of turtles and jumping fish. It was the perfect weather for a nice bike ride and then we spent lots of time at the park. For once, there were several other families there to interact with so the kids enjoyed it.

Ashton's 6th Birthday

Ashton turned six last month and had a great birthday. She had school that day so was able to help with the school announcements and Joseph went to lunch with her. Ashton planned out most of her special day. It started with crepes for breakfast, ordering school lunch with Dad, and ribs and corn on the cob for dinner. On Saturday, she had a few friends over for a birthday party. The theme she chose was a baking/cooking theme. So we made pizzas with her friends and then decorated some cupcakes. The kids also decorated chef hats and played pin the candle on the cupcake. Ashton actually spent a lot of time decorating her cupcakes and I enjoyed watching her experiment with it all. It seems she has been watching me decorate over all these years.

Gemma is 18 months old!

Gemma celebrated turning 18 months old with going to nursery. Hooray! She doesn't love it yet but will with some more time. Joseph has to be the one to take her and then sneaks out when she's not looking. Thankfully, our nursery teacher is a friend and knows the kids outside of church as well. Plus, Tanner is with Gemma for the rest of the year, which helps her a little.

Gemma's typical schedule:
Wakes up between 6:30 and 7:30am. She seems to follow Ashton's sleep schedule more. Tanner is still our best sleeper as he sleeps in most days and takes longer naps. Oh well... maybe Gemma will shift her schedule one day.

Breakfast and morning errands/outings from about 8 to 11am. We can't be out much past 11am or Gemma will fall asleep in the car. She is notoriously good at falling asleep quickly in the van and nothing keeps her awake. So we try to be home by 11am right now.

Lunch around 12noon and then playtime until 12:45ish for naps.

She naps from about 1-3pm. With school pick up, we have to leave by 3pm so naps end no matter what by then. She typically sleeps 1.5-2 hours even on the weekends when she could nap longer.

Gemma goes to bed with the other kids at 8pm. Thanks to school starting for us, we are more strict on bedtime. She typically sleeps through the night. I wake up to her fussing off and on but I think she is just crying a little in her sleep. I've never had to get her out of her crib or anything since she was weaned at 12 months. Last month, she moved from a pack n play in one of the master closets to a crib in her own room upstairs. The transition went just fine with no issues from her. I think she wakes up a little earlier but it could also be that I hear her sooner. Plus she's getting some molars right now, which may contribute to it.

Gemma seems to be a talker. She is already saying about 20-25 words at home. Many of these include animals and animal sounds. She can say: please, cheese, more, all done, thank you (she says "come" as in welcome for thank you), Dada, Mama, Papa, Nana, banana, neigh, moo, quack, duck, dog, cat, meow, shoe, up, cup, woof, roar (for a dinosaur), cracker, bus, and a few others that I can't think of right now. She understands a TON and follows lots of commands. If it's her turn to say a prayer, she will babble during it. I'm happy to see her learning vocabulary quickly.

She's not the most social kid so far in our family but neither was Ashton at this age. And now Ashton doesn't know a stranger. Gemma likes to be nice and social from a distance. If someone tries to pick her up or gets too close to her, she is not afraid to speak up. I think Gemma is our most dramatic kid so far, as well. Which I thought I'd never say. She was so quiet and easy as a baby. She doesn't have huge meltdowns or anything but just makes her preference well-known in the house.

Gemma has caught up with her gross motor skills since 15 months. I wasn't concerned then but now she is going up and down the stairs on two feet rather than climbing on all fours. This terrifies me but she is adamant that she can do it. She hasn't fallen yet so I guess she is doing well. Gemma enjoys riding her tricycle. I tried her on the balance bike a few weeks ago and she isn't quite tall enough. I'm hoping for an early bike rider like her siblings. She kicks at balls, throws things, starting to scribble with crayons, etc.

Favorites:
Food- milk. Hands down, she loves her milk. Her other favorites include black olives, strawberries, pepperoni, corn on the cob, and bananas. She continues to be a little picky with food but we still just provide whatever we're eating and she eats if she's hungry I guess. I'm not about to make special foods for her. I don't have time for that.

At home activity- playing with magnatiles, climbing stuff, playing with the water table outside.

Errand/Outing- HEB. She loves going and lights up when we pull in the parking lot. She especially loves Buddy Bucks and hitting the button on the machine.

Book- any book. Gemma loves reading and will bring book after book to you. She especially loves books with dinosaurs or cats in them.

Show- I put this on here because Ashton had such a preference for this. Gemma actually doesn't watch screens a lot. She's in the playroom if Tanner is watching his lunch show but could care less about it. Same way with movie night. She much prefers to play and run around. I'd say she maybe looks at a screen for a max of ten minutes a day, which I'm grateful for. Although, with school starting, we cut back to one PBS show a day for Tanner and none for Ashton so screen time in general has cut back a lot.

Gemma loves animals and will chase any squirrel or animal she sees. She especially loves cats. There is a super friendly cat that lives outside a few blocks from us. It's on the way to Ashton's school so if we see it, Gemma gets the perk of petting it for a while. She also goes across the street a lot to pet our neighbor dogs behind their driveway gate. Thankfully, the neighbors know Gemma well and don't mind her. She has taken an interest to River lately, which leads to some problems. Gemma just gets in River's space and tries to pet her eyes or grab her tail. Gemma will figure it out soon enough.

Gemma is finally doing much better at going to the YMCA for me. She loves one of the workers there and goes right to her. She does okay with me leaving her at some people's homes for a doctors appointment or something. But even then, she's still a little picky about who it is. She seems to do okay for our babysitter and only cries for a few minutes.

Body measurements:
Height: 31.5 inches
Weight: 25 lbs
About 50th percentile for both. Gemma is probably our smallest kid so far in both areas. I couldn't find the measurements of the older kids but I feel like Gemma is smaller in the percentiles. And clothes that fit Ashton at this time are a little too big right now on Gemma.

Enjoying a cold treat outside

Beach time

Random picture of her on my phone

Loves to wear her siblings' helmets while riding her tricycle