Thoughts on Thatcher

I am nearing the end of my pregnancy with Thatcher. In fact, I am now 36 weeks and 1 day. I realized I have not documented much about this pregnancy. That being said, it has been such a whirlwind! I guess having 3 little ones is somewhat distracting. 

At our 20 week ultrasound we found out that Thatcher has a 2-vessel cord. Basically he has one artery coming out of the his umbilical cord instead of  two. It was scary to hear that, but our OB reassured us that it is fairly common. Because of this we have had a few extra (and very detailed) ultrasounds throughout the pregnancy. Praise the Lord because everything so far has looked great! He is a healthy, growing boy and apparently has not been affected by it. Also-it will cause no long-term problems. 

The first trimester with Thatcher I definitely was more sick than I was with Everett and Hampton, however not as sick as I was with Eleanor. I think this definitely had something to do with how active and how much energy having 3 children under 4 requires. Now that I am nearing the end, I am beginning to feel all the pregnancy aches and pains, many Braxton-Hicks contractions, and just overall icky. I feel SO tired all the time! It is worth it always though. 

Today we had another ultrasound and I got to see his squishy little face with chubby cheeks and his button nose. His little hands were covering his mouth, but I could detect cute little lips. He is in position and ready to go! Currently I am now 2 cm dilated. If history were to repeat itself a 4th time, I would have him in 1 week. However, Thatcher may be the rebel of the crew and go longer. 

Especially after seeing him today, my anticipation in meeting this sweet baby has grown even more! I am a little on edge about the "when" but I know God's timing is perfect.

4 months pregnant

6 months pregnant

8 months pregnant

9 months pregnant

Thatcher's crib. 

Hampton "practicing" loving on baby. 

I asked the boys "where's Thatcher?" and they both showed me their bellies.

Fresh Air

We love being at home, but this morning all the children were going a little stir crazy and the temperature was mild-so we headed for some fresh air! We packed a picnic and headed to the arboretum. It was damp and it even rained a bit, but to get out was worth it. The boys ran and Eleanor enjoyed a morning stroll in our BOB.

 

 

 

 

And we packed lots of snacks/lunch and picnicked in one of the few dry spots we could find. Best of all-we only had 1 meltdown! Success in our book. 

Learning at Home

In efforts to simplify life, we withdrew Everett from preschool a couple weeks ago. I was having to get all 3 children dressed, fed, and out the door by 9am to drop Ev off and then go pick him up 3 hours later. It was interfering with naps and taking a toll. I was willing to keep doing it though for Everett (even though the thought of Thatcher coming next month and adding him to the mix completely stressed me out). However, after praying about it and talking to Everett we decided it was the right choice. So far it has been great! Everett learns really well at home and I am so happy to have extra time with him. It has also made for a more peaceful day. So, since that decision was made I have had to be more intentional about making play dates when possible and getting him around children his age. We have also started both boys in AWANA and I am looking into a gymnastics and/or music class for them.
I am so grateful they love to learn at home doing.......
Lots of puzzles.......
 

 

 

And painting/artwork.......
 

Learning on the iPad (Everett playing with the BOB books app)
 

Reading a lot of books.......
 

And Ellie getting upset when she can't join in on the "big kid" fun (like when she was trying to destroy their puzzle)......
 

or when she was trying to destroy their BINGO game boards....
 

 

And during Hampton and Eleanor's nap time Everett and I have enjoyed spending a couple of hours on "seat work" and lots of one on one learning time. We are currently focusing on learning to read-which he is doing great!