Pregnancy Update

 

So I'm 29 weeks pregnant today, and to be honest I'm panicking because this is going so quickly! I feel like I just found out I was pregnant. How is it possible I'm in my last trimester?

- We still aren't finding out the sex. That will be a surprise for us on baby's birthday.

- In a couple of weeks I start the Hypnobabies program. I'm so excited to try something new with this baby. And a little scared too!

- We have the names chosen for the most part, but I won't share until the birth.

- I am having the baby in the Italian hospital, but it will not have dual citizenship. Babies born here cannot have dual citizenship unless someone in their immediate family is an Italian citizen.

- We are starting over when it comes to baby gear. I have two sweet friends who gave me a playmat and a bathtub but beyond that I'm starting from scratch. I'm thinking of ordering this car seat, this co-sleeper (or something similar), an Ergo, a Moby Wrap or Boba Wrap and maybe a Tula. I plan on wearing this baby a LOT more than I wore the others.

- I am feeling okay. HOT, out of breath, and a lot of ridiculous crying are my main complaints. Oh, and holy heartburn. I've had crazy heartburn with all of my kids and I swear it's because they were born with so much hair!

- I actually feel better this pregnancy than I did with all of my others, even though I'm way older! I attribute it to the fact that I was exercising before I got pregnant (and a lot through the first 5 months of my pregnancy), to all of the walking I do here in Italy, and also I'm so much more active with four kids!

- I'm due October 2nd but I'd be surprised if I make it that long!

 

That's about it I think! And of course I'm crazy excited and crazy scared all at once. I was thinking the other day and I realized that this baby will be nine when Harper goes to college. We are going to have a 4th grader and a college freshman. OMG!

Happy Friday y'all.

xoxo

S

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Susan]

I'm so glad you are blogging again! I've so missed your blog and layouts- always my favorites. My oldest and youngest are 16 years apart! Last year the oldest was a 2nd grade teacher and the youngest a second grader! Four girls like you...it's such an adventure! The age gap keeps you young; you'll love it.

[Megan]

I'm the youngest in my family. My siblings are 6, 7 and 10 years older than me. It was awesome to have older sibling to learn from and support me. I also really appreciate my unique relationship with my parents because I didn't have to share them with my siblings most of my teenage years. Glad you're having a good pregnancy!

[Emily]

Yay!!! You look amazing! We love our Ergo and I'm obsessed with the Solly Wrap (similar to a moby but lighter weight and a lot cuter options)! Also, if you haven't discovered the 4Moms Breeze yet you need to check it out! Truly the EASIEST packnplay ever! We travel with it and move it upstairs/downstairs all the time! It takes one hand. It's a lifesaver!

I'm secretly cheering for a little boy but I know that God has the perfect fit for your family!

[marianne b]

I'm happy to see you blogging again (and scrapping). You look wonderful! :)

[Lisca Meijer]

Congratulations on your pregnancy Stephanie! I'm happy for you.
(I'm one of your new followers and have been 'retro reading some of your blog posts)
No need to have a scan to know the sex, I'm sure the baby will be welcome and loved whatever it is. Having said that, I believe the Italians are still very much into the pink and blue thing. They used to stick a pink or blue bow on the door or front gate to show the neighbourhood that the baby had been born, and then everyone would come round with their 'auguri's.
I hope it all goes well for you.
Blessings,
Lisca

[CJ]

You look wonderful Stephanie, I'm glad things are going well. October 2nd is my birthday, I can highly recommend it. Look after yourself. CJ xx

[Stacey]

We didn't find out the gender any time with our kids either. I love the surprise! Also I had a list of names, but we didn't discuss them until we got to the hospital. Then my husband and I would look at the list I made and try to come up with a name. He pretty much let me have most of the say, as long as he didn't dislike the name. I learned with my first child not to discuss names with him in advance! We would come up with something, he would tell his mother and if she didn't like it, he didn't want it. haha Too bad about the dual citizenship! That would have been really nice. That type of thing really interests me. I thought Italy was similar to the US in that if you are born in the country you are a citizen. I have learned something new today!

[Stacey]

I responded above, but was going to say that you could always use an Italian middle name for the baby's 'little piece of Italy"! For me, picking names was the most fun part of pregnancy. I just love names! So cool that you are keeping the name a surprise too. Love it!

[AmySorensen]

My oldest was ten when my youngest was born. What I loved about that was that when the oldest was a teenager and everything in our relationship seemed painful, I still had someone little who loved me like...well, like a little one does. (What I will do when my youngest is a teenager, I don't know!:) ) You look gorgeous and I'm excited to find out what you're having!

[Kimber-Leigh]

love hearing how this pregnancy is going & you look gorgeous!
in the past we always wanted to know the gender of our babies, but lately, i think the surprise would be really special too! very exciting!
i'm going to email you…i have a couple things that i bought for our adoption (baby-wearing wise) that i didn't end up using and would be happy to pass along to you if you'd like them.

[Karen]

So excited for your family! You look great! Glad things are going well.

[Ki Kruk]

You are positively glowing Steph! Hard to believe you are that far along already. I'm sure your house is a bundle of excitement with anticipation! All the girls are going to be so helpful I'm sure.

[Janell]

You look soooo beautiful, and I am so excited for you!!!

[MBGris]

You look wonderful, and so happy! Love reading about all your Italian Adventures!

[Amy Coose]

You look beautiful, and I love reading about your pregnancy so far. Can't wait to find out if this is a baby boy or baby girl!

[Kate]

I've been waiting for this post for a long time.it is good to see you radiant & happy. I remember your last pregnancy, during which, at Some point, you asked us to pick a t-shirt for you. They were all horrible. To be continued duty calls...

[Brenda]

You look terrific! I have 3 kids but the 2 oldest were 9 and 6 when my littlest was born and it's really cool to have the gap (although the year I had a kindergartener, 7th grader and high school freshman was a bit intense!) and it's really nice to have one still in elementary when the older ones start college (she was in 4th when my oldest left for college & 6th when the 2nd one left). Enjoy the rest of your pregnancy and can't wait to "meet" your newest addition.

[Marion Estes]

My oldest started college the very day my baby started kindergarten. We had 3 kids in 5 years and then nine years later had our little surprise. We started over with everything new for him, too. He was like an only child, and he was loved and doted on by everyone. He was a gift. I had the time and energy to really enjoy him. When the big kids were little, I was pretty overwhelmed most of the time. That sounds like we didn't enjoy them and we absolutely did, but one at a time is really nice.

[Christine]

You are stunning!! ❤️ I can't wait to see what she/he looks like. My niece's birthday is October 2nd :) I am so happy to hear you are feeling well.

[Ret Cudmore]

Hi Steph! You look radiant and I'm thrilled that you are blogging! Love it and the Howells! Hugs! Ret

[Pat Cloud]

You look fabulous! so thrilled you are on your blog more! It will be exciting to find out what the sex, but just praying for a safe delivery and a healthy baby. Take care of yourself!

[Shannon]

I got the Chicco car seat to. Everyone else I know seems to have the Graco (bummer for compatibility) but I really like the Chicco. I am due August 7th so the most I have done is installed it in the car and practiced taking it in and out. It was easy so far.

[Nita K.]

You look amazing! I walked my littlest sister into kindergarten when it was my freshman year of college. Crazy!

[Stacy watson]

You look gorgeous, Steph!

Don't worry, I am right there with you. My youngest is 8 and my oldest is 25 with more in between xo

[Kaho]

Congratulations!!!! You look fabulous! My sis-in-law had a baby girl in March this year. She's adorable and M loves being a mom to a girl! Good luck during the rest of your pregnancy!!! I cannot wait to find out the gender and her/his name!!!

[Melissa]

Oh, I just LOVE all this JOY in your words! (Even the heartburn!) I'm the oldest of three. My baby brother was five when I left for college. In my head he'll always be five. Of course, now he's 34, but he'll still always be five. Oh and you ... you look FANTASTIC! Seriously ... glow, baby, glow!

[Susan]

One more thing- I love the idea of an Italian name for a girl! One of my daughters is Francesca. We had a bunch of tour guides in Italy a few years before that and loved the name so much we knew we would use it!

[Tinka]

My youngest sister started kindergarten when I started college. I started at the community college so still lived at home. She went half day and when I was done with my classes, I'd pick her up from school quite often and we would go to lunch, to the mall, or just hang out with my friends! We had a lot of fun together!