18.5 Weeks

It is so hard to believe we are already 18.5 weeks. Time is REALLY going by so quickly....and I feel that this time of year (October-December) REALLY goes by so fast!!! WHEW! We will have baby #4 in no time at all.

I am feeling great. This (shhh......afraid to say it out loud) has been the easiest pregnancy yet. I did have contractions last month my doctor was very nervous about....she scared the pants off me. Basically, I MIGHT have done a hike in Portland that was a LITTLE, TINY bit too much. Climbing rocks, moving logs, wading thru waist high, zero degree water (well, Char did carry me thru this part! HA!), climbing more logs, scaling more rocks....might...just MIGHT have been too much to do at 13 weeks. But, hey...it was fun. But, OF COURSE not at the jeopardy of little Mescher 4. Since that hike, I started to contract. I would have contractions regularly for over an hour at time. Yes, some of them were closer than 15 minutes apart (one night they were 4 minutes apart). Yes, I should have gone into the hospital. But, I immediately put my legs up, put my head down and drank LOTS of water. I was always able to get them to slow down and then eventually down to only 2 or 3 an hour. So, that is good. That "rest" thing my doctor tells me to do really does work.

Carrying Anderson too much, taking the kids to Disneyland by myself (which I do), carrying laundry upstairs (darn) and stuff like that would all trigger the contractions.

I saw my doctor, she said to call her if I had more than 4 and hour. (Okay, that might have happened a few times, but I was ALWAYS able to stop them). So, luckily, no trip to the ER yet. But, my OB said....Listen, this is your 4th csection. Your scar is only 2 years old (Anderson being 2)....the scar is WEAK. With every contraction, your scar is thinning....YOU CAN NOT CONTRACT!!!

Okay, enough said. After that....I REALLY started to rest and be very careful. The OB asked me if I had help around the house and with the kids. I said yes a few hours a week. She told me increase it. Then, she says....let me guess you are at Target and the grocery when your sitter is there....WELL, YEAH! OF course I am. OB says, Not any more....you are in bed resting. My sitters have been GREAT about helping around the house, carrying my groceries in for me, etc. So.....everything is going great.

AND, as I said....it seems that the contractions are slowing considerably. I am not getting them nearly as often as I was getting them last month. Every night at dinner time for a few weeks I was starting up with them. Now they come a few times a week.

I promise I am taking it easy. My OB said to take it easy or I will MAKE you take it easy (bedrest). Since I can't afford to go on bedrest with 3 kids ;), I am doing what I can to rest on my own.

I feel great. I will post a picture tmr of the growing belly....It is getting BIGGGGG!!! (As Ryan pointed out to me last week! See previous post for that one......HA!)

Good night!