26 weeks...

pregnancy highlights

how far along: 26 weeks!!

size of baby: approximately 1lb 6oz and 14 inches long...an english cucumber :)

total weight gain/loss: +12 lbs

maternity clothes: definitely! all maternity bottoms and most shirts. LOVE my maternity jeans! i still can get away with a few regular shells and cardigans that i have.

gender: boy.

name: knox oliver :)

movement: this boy is active...ALL.THE.TIME! he's making me nervous that he'll never sleep!! it seems like every time i lay down, he comes alive. i'm not complaining. this really is the best part of pregnancy! i love feeling his little hands or feet or elbows...whatever is poking out :)

sleep: i'm actually still sleeping great. i feel like i'm waiting on the bottom to drop out as far as feeling good and sleeping great goes. my allergies have been awful so i was taking a benadryl each night before bed, but haven't this week and am still able to fall asleep easily and stay asleep. for now, i'm thankful! i can't even fathom nighttime feedings right now...ha!

what i miss: nothing right now. i'm trying to enjoy every minute of this pregnancy knowing it's more than likely the last time i'll experience it :(

cravings: hmmm...for some reason, this go around i've craved drinks. i can't go a day without drinking strawberry lemonade, sonic water with lime and a couple of ice cold water bottles. no specific food comes to mind.

symptoms: acne (i'm sure you're just as tired of hearing me say this as i am of having it!) and sciatic pain (although it's not constant...yet). surprisingly, i haven't popped any tums since last week! i have noticed a severe increase in how many times i visit the bathroom in a given day. when my 3 year can hold his bladder for 4.5 hours on a car ride and i have to stop 2 times, you know it's bad!

best moment of the week: spending time with our arkansas family that we don't see enough! also, just enjoying my boys. they are so sweet and fun right now.

side note: when i was pregnant with ledger, i had guilt the majority of the time over how i was surely going to be traumatizing canon by bringing him home a brother. we were so used to it just being us during the day and i still viewed him as a baby that i had a hard time trusting lane when he would try to tell me how great it would be for canon and how well he would do.

as in 99% of cases, lane was right. canon adapted so well. he never once showed a hint of jealousy. he LOVED his brother from the very first time he saw him. he was always so sweet and gentle with him. he was very proud to show ledger off to people. instantly, my fears dissolved when i saw how happy and eager to help he was.

of course, as ledger got older and actually began playing back, canon fell more in love with his buddy. i LOVE seeing their different personalities and how well they mesh together. canon is a great big leader, i mean brother...very much the first child! and ledger is laid back enough to go along with whatever canon is adamant about at the moment. they just work.

it's been so refreshing during this pregnancy to not deal with those specific fears. i know that knox's older brothers will (already do) adore him and he will fit right in as well. my biggest prayer (to go along with my fears!) during my pregnancy with ledger was that they would become best friends. i want all my boys to love one another deeply and always be there for each other. to call them out when one is being stupid. to encourage them to be more like jesus. to love people together. to just be good buddies.

my husband and his brothers have done this well and set forth a wonderful example. all this to say, my kids fight and pester each other and take toys and hit and all the other lovely things brothers do. but, thankfully, the good definitely outweighs the ugly!