baby #5: 27 weeks

(Written July 24th)

Baby’s size: The apps say about 14.5 inches tall and around 2 pounds still. Apparently, this is about equivalent to a bunch of bananas or a cabbage!

Maternity clothes?: YES! I started wearing my support belt most of the time now, and it makes a huge difference in how my belly feels, especially by the end of the day. The belt is magical and makes everything a lot more comfortable. I did squeeze into my non-maternity tie dye shirt for a day though so that I could match the girls.

Gender: It still feels strange to say, “It’s a BOY!” sometimes! We are all so excited, though!

Symptoms: This is kind of a new one for me… heartburn! I remember that I had it just once with Eve’s pregnancy and never at any other time. I’ve had a couple of nights where it feels like I’m right on the verge of having full-on heartburn, but it just keeps building up and never getting to an extreme level. Very weird.

Sleep: Sleep has been tough lately. I sometimes can’t stop thinking long enough to fall asleep. I sleep the best when I completely wear myself out… like I have with my long Saturday runs, or preparing for birthday parties or all our Fourth of July activities. I actually like being exhausted because then I just pass right out!

Movement: I love feeling his little feet kicking up high on my right side, and his little fists down low in the middle of my belly. If push on the left side of my lower belly, I think he’s elbowing my hand because he doesn’t seem to like that too much. Haha.

Cravings: Chocolate-chip cookies and a Greek gyro. Yum. I also had scrambled eggs after my long run this week and they were possibly the best eggs I’ve ever had in my life. I feel like I’ve generally just been really into protein (and salt) during this pregnancy.

What I miss: Bending down to pick things up is getting difficult, and so is rolling over in bed at night.

Anything making you queasy or sick?: I’ve gotten some intense waves of nausea, but this week has definitely been better than last. I also just wish I would enjoy eating my salad every day instead of just getting through it!

Belly Button in or out?: It’s pretty much flat already!

Exercising?: Ran 24.7 miles (longest run was 7.51 miles); walked 1 mile. Best average pace this week was 10:04 min/mile. Every single day is so different now. I had a run I had to cut short because my pelvis just felt awful, but then I had other days where it was easy and I could go for miles and miles. Crazy.

Mood: I really felt like I was doing better with managing my anxiety, but the last few days have been rough. I think there’s just so much going on in the world right now, and so all that, on top of pregnancy-related fears, has just weighed me down. I ended up deleting certain social media apps from my phone because constantly seeing everything going on is not helping me.

In other news, nesting is happening in full-force. I took everything out of one of the girls’ playroom cabinets to reorganize it all. Michael painted some new shelves for me that we’ll be putting together soon, and I replaced all the prints in my living room picture frames. I know that none of that is too crazy, but I have a lot of other things on my list that I want to get done before we bring a baby home.

Best moment this week: We tie-dyed with the girls for the first time ever, and they loved it so much! Revealing their shirts to them after they were washed was the best. We all matched outfits that day, and it was a lot of fun.

Looking forward to: Hopefully having some fun with the girls on the weekend and enjoying some non-thunderstormy weather!

Big sisters: At this point, they’ve just been calling him “Brother Handsome!” Kaelyn is totally on board with making that his official name.

Comparison: 27 weeks with Kaya; 27 weeks with Kaelyn; 27 weeks with Nella; 27 weeks with Eve.