Today is huge. It is more than huge. Today we have reached the milestone of all milestones in pregnancy. We have hit the viability mark. This means that if our sweet boy were to come early, his best chance of survival would start this week. While I'm hoping he doesn't come any earlier than March, it is completely comforting to know that modern technology and current medical advancements would be working hard to keep our son alive and well. I also completed all of my maternity pre-admission paperwork for the hospital we'll be delivering at. I have to say, I'm getting deja-vu all over again. At this milestone with each of my pregnancies... the time just begins to move by so quickly! 

How far Along: 24 weeks

Nicknames for baby: Our little pickle (we have decided to keep our sweet boy's name private for now).

Size of baby: About the length of an ear corn

Gender Prediction: It's a boy! Confirmed blood test at 12 weeks AND gender scan at 15 weeks. 

Symptoms: Heartburn, round ligament pains (ouch), and pinched nerves in the back

Best moment this week: Viability milestone met! 

Movement:  My sweet baby boy is on the move! I can feel him moving pretty regularly throughout the day. Still not feeling external kicks, but movement is movement at this stage.

Food Cravings: CHOCOLATE and caffeine 

Food Aversions: Anything acidic. I don't even go near spaghetti anymore.

What I Miss: Being able to sleep comfortably - I literally spend most of the night tossing and turning.

Sleep: I'm exhausted during the day - hence naps.. but I have the worst insomnia at night. Such a vicious cycle. 

Justin: My love has been so awesome! Ultrasound appointments, late night store runs, and insomnia induced conversations at 2AM... couldn't ask for much more. We finally worked out a theme this week and purchases are being made.. I know daddy is super excited to have his son join the trio of Denver Bronco fans that are already in the house. 

Ava: Ava, since the first day we told her she was having a brother... she has just been so dang amazing. She rubs my belly, talks to her brother constantly, and she's always asking questions. "Is my baby brother sleeping right now?" "Is he playing in there?" just the sweetest things. She wants to be so involved and I have no doubt that she'll be the same incredible big sister to her brother that she has been to her sister.

Olivia: Oh my Livy bean. She loves to look at her baby brother's clothes, she loves kissing my belly, and she loves poking my belly to "wake up brudder" - all the time. She is in the phase where everything is "mine" and that makes me a little nervous for when her brother arrives. 
What I am looking forward to this week: Thanksgiving, family time, and a little break from the hustle and bustle. 

Happy or moody most of the time: I am a happy mama, but I have noticed over the last two weeks that when I get upset or angry... I am not quiet about it. I know my testosterone levels are likely the highest they have ever been in my life - which probably has everything to do with the fact that I just have zero chill. I feel brash, I make comments about wanting to kick people in the shin more than I ever have in my life (I'm not carrying out this notion), and rather than crying about stuff like i normally would - I get mad. Let's hope this passes quickly! 


♥- Leilani

No longer a "Girl Mom"

Today, it hit me full force. For the last four years I have referred to myself as a "girl mom". First came Ava then her sister followed not too long after... I became so accustomed to being a "girl mom" and I absolutely loved it. We don't have a choice in the sex of our babies and with that in mind, I knew I'd embrace anything God gave us with open arms and an eager outlook. Now that I'm pregnant with our boy... I have felt so guilty. I have continued to reference myself as a "girl mom" but you know what? I get to be a mama to a little boy too. If I'm being totally honest with you guys... I've been nervous. Nervous of failing, nervous of entering new territory, and nervous because this pregnancy feels like the first one all over again. Boys are foreign to me (outside of my adult husband). I come from a family that primarily consists of women and I guess you could say that has always been a comfort zone for me. I know how to interact with girls, I know how to raise girls, and once Ava came along - I was not nervous when prepping for Olivia's arrival. This is a new start for me and rather than being nervous, I really just want to walk in just as confident as I did the first two times around.

Seeing my son at my last ultrasound made me emotional in a way I have yet to experience. For the first time, I watched that baby and I didn't think about his sisters, I didn't think about the fact that he's my first boy.. I just sat there in awe of him. I made that sweet little button nosed baby boy. This is a moment I've been waiting for, for quite some time now. Because of the contingencies in this pregnancy and all my fears, a part of me feels like I robbed myself of being able to connect and bond the way I normally would with our growing babies. Not anymore. I feel this sweet boy kick throughout the day and I talk to him, read to him, sing to him... and the girls have become so incredibly conditioned to kissing and rubbing their baby brother just as often as they can.

Next week we are going to start buying more and more baby boy geared items and I know seeing those things in our home will allow reality to sink in that much more. We haven't decided on a theme quite yet (Justin is hell bent on allll things Denver Broncos), but I really want to make it something super special for all of us. Part of me wants to go with an outdoorsy evergreen feel - just a tribute to our home state.. but another part of me wants Justin to take the reigns because just as the girls were my healing, I know our son will be his. Either way, I'll be sure to keep you guys posted.

This was literally the best profile we've gotten of our little pickle! 23 weeks 2 days.

♥- Leilani

Pregnancy: Week 22

Writing this blog has me so emotional (and I'm just a few words in). I was 22 weeks pregnant with Ava when I made the decision to change my blogging platform and thus came "Simply Howland" shortly after. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect sharing my life with all of you would become such a buzz and that I'd be writing my third 22 week pregnancy update today. But, alas, here we are and my pregnancy with this sweet growing boy is fleeting. Being over the halfway mark is always exciting and I know with the holidays quickly approaching, this pregnancy will continue to fly right on by.

How far Along: 22 weeks

Nicknames for baby: Our little pickle (we have decided to keep our sweet boy's name private for now).

Size of baby: Spaghetti squash (around one pound) 

Gender Prediction: It's a boy! Confirmed blood test at 12 weeks AND gender scan at 15 weeks. 

Symptoms: Heartburn, round ligament pains (ouch), and pinched nerves in the back

Best moment this week: Definitely when I started feeling my little pickle move around. There is no denying the wiggles and little kicks that have been pretty frequent the last week.

Movement:  My sweet baby boy is on the move! I can feel him moving pretty regularly throughout the day. Still not feeling external kicks, but movement is movement at this stage.

Food Cravings: cheesy things.. but also, semi sweet stuff too. So odd because nothing sounds good until someone mentions something specific to me. 

Food Aversions: Everything. Nothing sounds good these days, unless the above happens.

What I Miss: Being able to sleep comfortably - I literally spend most of the night tossing and turning.

Sleep: I've been going to bed a lot later than normal and paying for that with lack of sleep while trying to sleep. It's a vicious cycle.

Justin: Lots of love for the belly this week! Justin has been talking to his son on a regular basis and giving my belly all the love and attention. 

What I am looking forward to this week: I'm looking forward to *potentially* sharing the name of our boy with his custom stocking I got in the mail. 

Happy or moody most of the time: The mood stuff is truly a toss up. Last week I got full on annoyed about something that normally wouldn't cause me any annoyance. When something happens I either cry or I get mad. I am generally not someone that gets angry, so that's been new. Even still. I'm taking it in stride. I'm growing life right now and my hormones are all over the place. I'm still pretty happy most of the time... until something sparks my anger. I'm really hoping this doesn't last through the rest of my pregnancy, but with all this extra testosterone.. we will just have to see. 

Baby boy's God mama loving on my baby bump! 

♥- Leilani

Pregnancy: Week 20

The halfway mark! I honestly cannot believe that we only have 20 more weeks until our son arrives. I'm sharing this update three days late, but our trip to Washington definitely left me feeling tired and homesick. I can't even begin to tell you how truly magical it was to spend a little chunk of this pregnancy in the PNW. We were surrounded with love and having my family/friends love on my pregnant belly was everything. I do wish I would have spent more time with even more loved ones during our trip, but outside of that - this trip was healing and exactly what I needed. I can't wait until our son is earth side. I'm seriously over the moon about this sweet boy, as are his daddy and sisters. 

How far Along: 20 weeks

Nicknames for baby: Our little pickle (we have decided to keep our sweet boy's name private for now).

Size of baby: Banana

Gender Prediction: It's a boy! Confirmed blood test at 12 weeks AND gender scan at 15 weeks. 

Symptoms: Heartburn, infrequent waves of nausea, morning sickness, and round ligament pains (ouch)!

Best moment this week: I though I felt some distinct movement this last week, but now I'm not sure if it was just gas. 

Movement: I haven't had any movement really, and I also have an anterior placenta (it may be awhile).

Food Cravings: cranberry juice. Always cranberry juice. 

Food Aversions: Everything. Nothing sounds good these days.

What I Miss: Being able to sleep comfortably - especially because I have not busted out my maternity pillow.

Sleep: This vacation completely knocked my sleep schedule out of wack. I'm tired, exhausted, and all I want is to SLEEP. 

Justin: This poor man. I think my frequent mood swings and short tempered demeanor are starting to take a little bit of a toll. He's a trooper though and he's taking everything in stride. 

What I am looking forward to this week: Texas weather has finally made up its mind and I think we'll be experiencing TRUE fall weather in the next week. I seriously talk about this all the time. I need to thrive! I'm also looking forward to my next scan in just a few weeks.

Happy or moody most of the time: I have definitely been a lot more moody in these last few weeks. Irritable, emotional, and easily offended. I recall going through something similar when I was pregnant with Olivia. Hopefully, this passes! 

♥- Leilani

Pregnancy: Week 16

The last month has flown by so incredibly fast! I can't believe my next pregnancy highlight will also mark the halfway mark in this pregnancy. Guys, I couldn't feel any more blessed than I do right now. The girls are so excited about this baby, they talk about our baby constantly. Justin and I are already dreaming up all of the ways our family will change and how excited we are for those changes. I openly talk to people about our pregnancy a lot more often and it feels good knowing that things seem to be okay and the emotions and chaos from early on in the first trimester may very well be behind us. I'm looking forward to writing these updates and sharing them with my readers. Without further ado, here's my sixteen week update! 

How far Along: 16 weeks

Nicknames for baby: Our little pickle (we have decided to keep our sweet boy's name private for now). 

Size of baby: Avocado 

Gender Prediction: It's a boy! Confirmed blood test at 12 weeks AND gender scan at 15 weeks. 

Symptoms: Heartburn, infrequent waves of nausea, morning sickness, and round ligament pains (ouch)! 

Best moment this week: Going in for my 16 week check up and having my midwife find baby's heartbeat. 

Movement: I haven't had any movement, and I also have an anterior placenta (it may be awhile).

Food Cravings: Italian sandwiches galore.. though they give me heartburn like crazy.

Food Aversions: Everything. Nothing sounds good these days.

What I Miss: Being able to sleep comfortably - especially since Olivia still co-sleeps at night.

Sleep: I'm tired by ten (sometimes before) every night and its a struggle to stay awake.

Justin: Finding out that we are expecting our first son definitely created some nerves with this man. It's going to be a new learning curve for our entire family and I know Justin is both equally excited and anxious about bringing a baby boy into this world. He's been singing ALL the songs you can imagine about boys and their dads. Its the cutest thing. 

What I am looking forward to this week: I am looking forward to cooler weather so I can snuggle my pregnant self in all the fall/winter clothes I can. I cannot wait to see this baby bump in full force! I already feel bigger in this pregnancy and rounder. 

Happy or moody most of the time: I am one happy camper! Our son is healthy, I can hear his movement through the doppler, and I finally feel like I can breath a little for the first time in this pregnancy. 

A profile of our boy at 15 weeks and two days.

♥- Leilani