Baby 5: Week 22

How Far Along: 22 Weeks (18 weeks to go!)

How I'm Feeling: I'm much better than I was last week. I'm starting to really notice the baby moving all the time. If I sit very still, and the baby kicks very hard, my husband has been able to feel a few flutters too! I'm also starting to feel a little overinflated in the front, which is fun. I keep forgetting I have a bit of a belly and have started knocking my gut into things. It's also getting a little tougher to lean over the sink to do dishes. Small sacrifices!

What I'm Thinking: I've been really wrapped up in how blessed our family is this week. Already people have started to ask if I'll have help when the new baby arrives. I wonder if they mean an older relative, or if I'll hire a Nanny. Either way, the answer is no. Excluding a day or so after the baby is born, this Mama will be flying solo right from the start. Like I have for pretty much every baby (okay, my Mom stayed off work for a week to help me when our oldest was born, but she used that time to stay in her own bed and nap. Sorry Mom, I love you, but that's not helpful at all. haha). I figure the faster I get into the thick of things, the easier it will be. I love the shock when I say that it'll be just me at home all day. I guess my perspective is that if I didn't feel up to the work of all these kids, I would have stopped getting pregnant a few kids ago. So far so good! Sure, there are days I want to hide in my bedroom eating cheetos under the covers while nursing a cup of coffee, but I make it through!
 

What I've Done This Week:  We took down our tree and other Christmas decorations this week. The kids took the ornaments off the tree and helped me box them, then helped me take apart our artificial tree (I'm allergic to most real trees when in confined spaces, please don't judge. haha). I also spent a few days making lots of phone calls for the parish Welcome Committee. What a fun gig! I love chatting up the new families registering in our parish! I only get the young families with small kids, and I've had 6 in the past month. We must be doing something right the way people are flocking to us! I also dropped off quite a few meals to our friends who had their new baby boy last week. What a great feel to finally be able to return the favour they gave us of many cooked meals when our youngest was born, as well as organising it so other friends gave us cooked meals too.
 

What I Hope To Do Next Week: I still have some tidying to do around the house now that Christmas is officially over. I have my fingers in a few other pies as well, so besides just growing a baby and keeping 4 little ones happy, I'll be a busy woman!