Yes, you read that right! This is my semi-nonchalant way of letting you in on the big news: I’m pregnant!! We’re so very excited to welcome our third child in late summer!

I love sharing about pregnancy and this time is no different! I’ll be doing these bumpdates throughout my pregnancy to keep you in the loop and give myself a way to document this final pregnancy of mine.

How I Found Out

I don’t know what possessed me to take a test on New Year’s Day. I wasn’t feeling sick or feeling too tired. I honestly think I took the rest because I’d been enjoying my sparkling rose and something in my gut wanted to be absolutely sure that I wasn’t pregnant. Just to be safe.

I had one last pregnancy test in the bathroom and fully expected it to follow suit with the others. I was in disbelief when I saw it was positive.

We always talked about having three kids, but we also always talked about our kids being about 2.5 years apart. I also always thought I’d be able to space my kids out enough that their birthdays wouldn’t overlap by month. Obviously, there’s no guarantee that we would’ve been able to make that happen, it was just a nice little illusion of control that I liked to have when I imagined planning our family.

All this to say, we were playing with fire (a phrase we liked to use when I got off birth control before having Isaac) and we’re having another baby!

The shock of getting pregnant sooner than we planned is subsiding. And honestly, the millisecond I saw this baby in my first ultrasound, I felt peace and joy and an instant connection.

The more people we told, the more real this is all feeling. That part hasn’t changed since my first pregnancy.

How I’ve Been Feeling

Tired. I’ve been sleepy and low-energy most days. I know part of it is from reducing my caffeine intake – I usually rely on an afternoon jolt to get me through the day, which is obviously not an option when you’re pregnant. There have been more naps than usual, more sleeping in, and more nights of me falling asleep on the couch while watching New Girl. Thankfully, I’m starting to feel that burst of second-trimester energy. I’m so ready for it.

I’ve also been incredibly weepy. I found myself welling up while watching skiing when the Olympics were on. I don’t even keep up with skiing but their big emotions made mine swell, too! I’ve cried at songs that have never jerked a tear before, I’ve cried to more Bluey episodes than I want to admit to. Even for someone who enjoys a good cry, this feels like a lot for me!

Mentally, I’ve felt the best I’ve ever felt while pregnant. I definitely still have my moments of worry and hopelessness, and even a few scary intrusive thoughts, but it’s a drop in the bucket to what I experienced in my first pregnancy. I’m the most thankful for that.

Cravings/Aversions

I’ve had some strong cravings during this pregnancy that remind me of when I was pregnant with Isaac. For a while, all I wanted to eat was chicken tenders and french fries with ranch. The ranch was important and it needed to be from a specific restaurant in town. I had a couple of sushi cravings, which is very normal for my pregnant self. Other cravings have included avocado toast from a coffee shop I love, ritz crackers with peanut butter, orange juice, chips and guac, Mediterranean food, bagels and cream cheese plus the occasional Twix or chocolate glazed donut.

As far as aversions have gone, it’s more in-the-moment aversions than a general avoidance of a food. We eat pasts about once a week in our home and I randomly got to a point where the last thing I wanted to eat was pasta. The only eggs I’ve wanted to eat are runny eggs (I hate a hard fried egg yolk) and scrambled have been really unappetizing, too.

What I’m Most Excited About

I’m writing this on the other side of my 12-week appointment, so the things I’ve been looking forward to the most have been sharing the news with all of you and the anatomy scan! This will be our last child and my final pregnancy and I’m feeling all the feels about it. It’s strange to know that this is the last time my body and I will do this. I’m doing my best to soak it all in and savor it.

And honestly? I’m so happy to finally be sharing the news so I can talk openly about it!

I’m also really excited to go through this process with Brandon one last time. When I was pregnant with Luna, there was obviously the challenge of adjusting to lockdown rules and laying down the expectations and hopes we’d had for how Brandon and I would share that pregnancy. I think one of the saving graces during that time was that there wasn’t a finality to that pregnancy. We weren’t sure if we’d be done after Luna or not, so we had this weird limbo hope that if there was a next time, things would be different (or dare I say “normal”).

This time, we know this will be my last pregnancy and our last child. Things are not what they were in 2019, but I’m thankful my doctor is willing to work with me so Brandon can join me for some appointments. You might remember that he wasn’t able to be there during my pregnancy with Isaac because of his work, and then with Luna, he was only able to be there for my 8-week appointment. He thankfully was able to be there for our latest visit and from what we can tell, he’ll be able to come for the final 10 minutes of the anatomy scan. Just knowing that we’ll get the chance to finally share these mundane appointments with each other is a huge boost!

I’m so excited that the news is finally out there! Can’t wait to share more with you! You can follow me on Instagram at @alexphood if you want more day-to-day pregnancy updates!