January 2025

It’s hard to believe we’re in the third trimester! It feels like just yesterday I was at a local creek with the kids when I had a weird taste in my mouth and Sadie threw pieces of a leaf into the water and said one was each of our family members and one was her baby sister without any of us having a clue I was expecting!

So much has happened between then and now: morning sickness, life, homeschooling, holidays, work, and more. Through it all–every up and down–God has sustained this sweet baby growing inside me. I cannot give Him enough thanks. It has been nothing but a blessing, a gift from the Lord, and a privilege to carry our daughter since June. I still can’t believe God has entrusted three children to Jimmy and I. What a calling and responsibility to love and raise them for Him.

I’ve been reflecting on what’s to come and made a list of all the things I’m, Lord Willing, looking forward to with baby girl:
->The joy of meeting her for the first time
->Sadie and Mordecai meeting her and the three of them forming a bond
->Finding out what she looks like
->Breastfeeding, if it works out
->Baby snuggles
->Dressing her; it has been six years since I dressed up a baby girl!
->Finding out who she will be
->Reading books to her that were special to Sadie and Mordecai at different ages
->Seeing her in clothes both Sadie and Mordecai wore

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Five Updates

I feel like a lot has happened since I last did a pregnancy diary post, so here are a few updates.

1. My iron levels are all normal! I repeat, my iron levels are all normal! I don’t think this has ever happened for me in pregnancy–with Sadie and Mordecai’s pregnancy, I had infusion after infusion just to get me to the point of not being dangerously anemic. I had a CBC and iron panel done recently and every. single. value. was in the “green.” God is so good! The big infusion I had in June was a game changer, and then I had a boost in December and it feels great to not feel so exhausted and out of breath (relatively speaking, because pregnancy is tiring whether or not you’re anemic!).

2. Gestational diabetes is up and down. I am learning so much and working hard at making good choices for the health of my child. It has been such a balance to keep my blood sugar in check and still find ways to feel satisfied. I’m not used to limiting my food choices in any way and it’s just hard sometimes. I don’t like feeling guilty for having a high blood sugar reading because I ate bread, you know?

It feels like a total lifestyle change to track my blood sugar four times a day and manage it all… but I am happy to do it for the health of our daughter! I don’t want her to experience any adverse effects outside the womb as she manages her own blood sugar as a newborn, so I’m doing my best to keep myself nourished with foods that sustain us and a steady blood sugar!

Things that have helped with gestational diabetes:

• Knowing gestational diabetes is just during pregnancy. This will end. I can’t guarantee I won’t have type II diabetes in the future, but gestational diabetes is only during the time of gestation. Thank goodness!
• Reading about changes I can make in books like Real Food For Gestational Diabetes.
• Taking supplements like Vitamin D (<-this has helped my fasting blood sugar a lot since I started taking it!) and magnesium.
• Still eating foods I love (especially cereal and granola.. they’re my fave!), but finding more diabetic-friendly options like this granola (it doesn’t hold a candle to this stuff, though 😜).
• Giving myself grace. I am doing everything I can… and if my blood sugar doesn’t stay in check, it’s okay and just how my hormones are reacting to pregnancy. That’s what insulin is for. It’s not the end of the world!
• Knowing we’ll be checking on baby’s size via an ultrasound in February. It will be good to have information and be able to make any necessary decisions based off of that!
• Laughing at how much the kids like to test my blood sugar. Sadie gets a lot of satisfaction out of pricking my finger and guessing at what my blood sugar levels will be. Mordecai always wants to “check blood” so I pretend to prick his finger multiple times a day.
• Using a cute bag to hold my glucose monitor, test strips, alcohol wipes, and lancets. It’s the little things, right?!

3. Limitations. I am wondering if she’s breech because I feel so cramped in my ribs?! Or maybe she’s just running out of room womb as we near the end of this pregnancy. It’s hard to roll over in bed (actually, it’s probably funny to watch 😂) and I pee multiple times a night. She’s worth it. Sadie has asked to go ice skating recently and I want to take her so badly! I want to take her rock climbing, too! I know we’ll be able to do those things soon… but I feel bad Sader Tot is impacted by my limits.

4. Getting ready. Right around 33 weeks, I started getting Braxton Hicks contractions–those painless contractions that let you know your body is practicing for labor. Then, at 35 weeks and 1 day, I had this weird episode of contractions… I was out by myself with Mordecai (Jimmy and Sadie were home) and I was literally afraid to drive because the contractions were feeling so real. Thankfully they went away within a few hours (we were definitely not wanting baby to come that early!) and haven’t happened since.

We’re also still working on getting the girls’ room ready! The dresser/changing table is set up and filled with Sadie’s old clothes, the crib is set up, and I just need to do some basic organizing and figuring out where to put things like diapers, blankets, and bedding. I promise to share more pictures when we have it all somewhat pulled together! We also signed up for cord blood banking again, which I’m so thankful for!

I know this is going to sound odd, but sometimes I just still can’t believe she’s real. I remember feeling this way during my other two pregnancies–knowing there’s a baby in there but not truly knowing it because I haven’t met them. I can’t fully explain the feeling. It’s this feeling of being on the cusp of a big event and life change that you don’t know exactly how it will go or when it will happen but you’re anticipating with joy and trepidation and trust in God.

5. Feelings. Physically I am feeling good! I have my days where I miss wearing more than the same few shirts and pants, where I look at my stomach and think how can it get any bigger (and knowing it *will * 😂), and days where I’m tired… but they’re nothing in comparison to the blessing of carrying our daughter inside me. Varicose veins? So what. Ginormous belly? Doesn’t matter. Stretch marks. Don’t care. God has allowed my body to house a little human!

Emotionally I am surrendered. I don’t know what the coming months hold and that’s okay because God does! He has lovingly brought us this far and I know He will be with us through the end of the pregnancy, the birth, and postpartum, whatever that may look like. It’s all in His hands and I’m so glad. He works everything better than I could ever plan!

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So, that’s where I’m at. In the third trimester and feeling thankful and excited and nervous and everything in between!

Past pregnancy diary posts:
Our Family is Growing!
Finding Out About Baby #3
First Ultrasound
First Prenatal Appointment
Telling Sadie
Finding Out the Gender
Starting the Second Trimester
Halfway, The Anatomy Scan, and All The Emotions
A Blood Clot Scare and Hematologist Appointment
Failing the Glucose Test (again) and IV Iron Infusions