Baby #3

He is actually Baby #5, but because in the world's eyes due to the fact that his brother and sister were miscarried, we'll stick with the number 3. 

I haven't talked about him much.  I haven't really shared some of the fun and not-so-interesting stories of this pregnancy, but as I look back over the past 31 weeks, I'm realizing this is yet another one of God's amazing miracles.  This baby made himself known around September of 2011 when I just wasn't feeling well.  I was sore and tired and I knew I needed to take a test.  Much to my surprise, two faint lines appeared over and over, after every test I took.  It was on September 11th when we realized for certain there would be another Johnson baby.

The next few weeks were hard.  I was incredibly nauseous.  I had all-day sickness and had two toddlers watching my every move.  I rarely was able to "rest" as the doctor insisted.  I craved apples (weird because I dislike apples but have craved them with all 5 of my pregnancies), yet when I ate them, they made me ill.  Smells and foods that had never bothered me before were too much for me to take, and things I thought I wanted would taste so good then would have me in the restroom for much of the night. 

I began to show around my 8th week.  I realized that we would be unable to keep this pregnancy a secret for long, and honestly, I didn't want to.  I've been the bearer of bad news with pregnancies that were never announced and ended in miscarriage, but I wanted to deeply relish in the fact that God had/has given us another child. 

Oddly enough, I was almost certain (secretly) that this baby was a girl.  My symptoms were so different than they were with the boys.  I ached in placed I didn't think I could, didn't sleep well laying down, and continued to be sick throughout my first and second trimesters.  Actually, the nausea was worse in my second trimester when things are supposed to get better.  My prediction would be put to the test during the first week of January.

Around that same time, God revealed a name for the baby to Brian.  We have a "thing" about names since God burdened Brian to change Daniel's name 5 weeks before he was born.  Since then, we've decided NOT to choose our own names, but to let God reveal them to us.  It wasn't until the day of the ultrasound when I was 21 weeks that God also gave me a name.  Ultrasound also showed us that we were definitely having another boy!

The pregnancy has flown by since then.  I've not taken pictures of my growing stomach or kept track of everything that has happened, but it's been memorable to say the least.  I've enjoyed how different this pregnancy has been.  I've been super anxious over the idea of having three children.  I sometimes find myself worrying over how I'll run errands or get sleep, but I am certain that God has a perfect plan in mind for our growing family. 

Here are a few things I don't want to forget:

• Cravings:  Green Apples, Chinese food, Cereal
• Aversions:  Any Green Vegetable, Spicy foods
• Changes in Self:  Mood Swings, Emotional Wreck, Thick Fingernails, Itchy Skin, Red Cheeks, Exhaustion, Sleeplessness
• Weight Gain:  14 lbs as of 30th Week
• Difficulties:  Sleeping, Not Being Able to Lift Daniel, Getting Over-Heated, Nausea, Heartburn, Anxiety, Saying No Because I've Had To
• Enjoyments:  Wearing Maternity Clothes, Watching Daniel's Face When He Feels His Brother Move, People's Reaction to Our Growing Family, Waiting On Baby's Name
• Times to Remember:  Revealing the Gender via Cakeball Cookies, When Daniel Went through a Phase of Wanting to Call Him BABY JESUS, Hearing Samuel Say What Could Be the Baby's Name

Other Memorable Moments Thus Far:

• 4th Week (September):  Sick and Tired - exhaustion leads to a positive pregnancy test or two
• 9th Week - (October):  Shared the News - after first appointment, we told family members and close friends about the pregnancy
• 11th Week:  Popcorn - began feeling baby movements but wasn't sure...
• 12th Week (November):  Making It Public - In a Facebook update on thankfulness, I mentioned for the first time the pregnancy, but very few people seemed to catch on.  It read, I am thankful for God's gracious gifts of two children to raise, two to look forward to meeting in Heaven, and one on its way!
• 18th Week (December):  Braxton Hicks Contractions - early tightness considered normal with third pregnancy
• 20th Week (January):  Secret Revealed? - announcement that I'm 20 wks on Facebook gets MANY questions and congrats
• 21st Week (January):  It's a Boy - ultrasound easily reveals gender
• 23rd Week (January):  ER Visit - difficulty breathing + chest pain + lots of testing = bronchitis
• 24th Week (January/February):  Asthmatic Bronchitis - worsened symptoms meant more antibiotics, steroids, and breathing treatments
• 26th Week (February):  Super Nauseous - heartburn makes for miserable meals
• 27th Week (February):  Big Meets Baby - Daniel feels his baby brother's kicks
• 28th Week (February):  Baby Needs a Name - Daniel and Samuel, when asked to choose between the two names God has given Brian and me, always say a certain one... 
• 29th Week (March):  Heat Wave - strange warm weather makes me one hot momma
• 30th Week (March):  Nesting - nervous over the house being dirty, toys being everywhere, not having enough groceries, needing to run errands, frantically planning the older boys' birthday party for April
• 31st Week (March):  Day of Contractions - Sunday, the 18th, was a day of MANY contractions.  Woke at 6 a.m. not feeling well, and contractions soon followed.  Taking an afternoon nap and drinking a TON of water caused them to slow down.