Waiting on Baby

What felt like the longest, darkest winter ever has finally ceased and the summer sun is upon us. We joined the Canterwood Country Club down the street from our house and now spend every nice day by the pool. With the wet winter I felt lonely and disconnected, causing me to question whether or not we should have stayed in Seattle. But now that the days are long and we can enjoy afternoons in our backyard and dinner on the patio I feel 100% content with where we are. Hanging by the pool has been a great way to meet other moms and I'm learning to let go of some of my worries regarding relationships that are difficult to maintain. Gig Harbor is an amazing community and I love raising our boys here. I feel like their childhood is pretty magical, something a lot of Gig Harbor natives say as adults.

I am just over 38 weeks pregnant and ready to meet this sweet baby any time now. I've developed gestational diabetes in the last trimester which is really the first complication I've had in all three pregnancies. It certainly makes things a little harder as I have to monitor my diet closely, limit carbohydrates and cut out all sweets, but in the grand scheme of things I know it's not that big of a deal. If anything it made me more realize how complicated pregnancies are and grateful for the lack of problems thus far. All and all I feel pretty good and the second half of this pregnancy has been much easier than the first. 

The boys have been exceptionally sweet lately and I feel myself cherishing every day that we have left as a family of four. Owen is gaining more independence all the time, he can get himself dressed, buckle himself in his car seat and watch a show for an hour while I rest. Wes is so animated and full of personality it just kills me. He makes the sweetest, funniest and most mischievous expressions. The two of them are super sweet together and have a blast playing. I love watching them engage and their special bond brings joy to my heart. Right now they feel easy as they can both play independently and I don't have to micromanage every move. Of course, we're getting ready to start all over again with another baby who is constantly in need. I'll be sad to see some of this freedom we're experiencing disappear but at the time same time it makes me realize how fleeting the all intensive stage of having a baby is. In another two years the baby will be Weston's age and all three of them will be swimming in the pool together. 

I've always been hesitant to have three kids due to the dynamic of someone being left out. When I was growing up my older sister and I were so close in age that we did everything together and my younger sister was typically the third wheel. Owen and Wes have such a great bond that I worried about shifting that dynamic. I've since realized that there is no reason a set of three won't have a wonderful bond. They can all play together and there are plenty of times when siblings want to be left alone. Two can pair up while the other has quiet time, they'll have a alternate playmate when they get sick of each other and solitude when they need it. And above all, they'll always have each other. When I watch Owen and Wes fight and solve problems I am incredibly grateful that they have the opportunity to work together everyday. Adding a third will just create more opportunities for cooperation, problem solving and friendship as they grow. Owen is SO excited to have this baby and talks about all the ways he is going to protect and care for it constantly. I can not wait to watch them meet and love this little one.  

I am really excited for the labor process to get started and to find out the gender of this baby. I've had three very vivid dreams it's a girl and from what I could see on the 20 weeks ultrasound it looked much more like girl parts than boy. I can picture the moment of her being born and my heart bursting with joy for the baby girl I always thought I'd have. At the same time I can totally picture it being another boy. I can imagine the three of them running around shirtless on hot days and playing sports until they're sweaty and exhausted. Since the day I found out that Weston was a boy I've known that my life may never include a daughter and if that's my destiny than I am totally okay with it. My prayer whenever I think of it is that God would give me a contentedness in my heart come what may.

I read this on a blog the other day and it really spoke to me- "You are birthing a baby, but also a newer, deeper, capable, stronger, resilient, incredible YOU is being born. It might take time for you to recognize her so be patient. Receive grace and pray like it's breathing because the most beautiful story is about to be written on your soul." As the due date approaches all the fears and worries I've had about adding to our family have faded and I couldn't be more ready to become a mama of three. I can't wait to hold this sweet baby in my arms and start this new chapter in the Rallo family saga. 

28 weeks 

32 weeks

34 weeks

36 weeks

37 weeks 

Father's Day Camp Out

Ty is a pretty incredible dad. He loves our boys with all his heart and lives in a way that sets an amazing example for them. Family is and always has been the most important thing to him. He's an idealist and makes sure our kids have every opportunity available to them. He works hard both at home and at the office and does everything he can to be helpful, present and fun. He's one of the most selfless men I know and we are super proud to call him ours.

To celebrate him and how much we love him we ventured out for our first camping trip of the summer. As a total coincidence Ty's cousin and his family (who live 5 minutes from us in Gig Harbor) were camping two sites down. It was great- the boys had a blast jumping around in the tent and eating smores together and we love spending time with Katie and Evan. Camping is a lot of work and I did it at 35 weeks pregnant so I felt a little bad that Ty didn't exactly get a relaxing Father's Day, but everyone enjoyed themselves and making these family memories, despite all the effort that goes into them, is what parenthood is all about.

Easter 2017

We celebrated Easter 2017 with the Leitz/Rallo crew. We spent the night with Uncle Chris and Auntie Kari in Magnolia so the cousins could wake up together. In retrospect we tried to cram way too much in, making it a fun but chaotic day. The kids stayed up way past their bedtime Saturday night, woke up super early Sunday morning, did three easter egg hunts, consumed a large amount of sugar, went to church and had Easter brunch. The boys were exhausted and remember day the fondly, which is exactly how holidays are supposed to be. 

Pregnancy 3.0

This third pregnancy has been no joke, I've decided that each one has been progressively harder. When I was pregnant with Owen I felt pretty good most of the time but I also had plenty of time to relax and listen to my body. I took lots of naps and could forego the day's to-do list if I needed to rest. Being pregnant with Wes was harder but Owen still took a long nap every afternoon so I still napped when I needed to and Ty could hang with him when I needed a break. This time around listening to my body and resting is a much harder feat. Wes naps but Owen doesn't so on my days home resting isn't much of an option. And now that we are living in Gig Harbor I have added an additional 3 hours to my already long work days. I did the math and I'm gone from the house from just after 5 am until around 9 pm- close to 17 hours. They have always been long days but being pregnant make them almost unbearably long.

I had significantly more nausea with this pregnancy and threw up almost every day for the first 12 weeks. Even worse than the nausea I've been quite ill three times since I started growing this baby. Once with some horrible virus, once with strep throat and once with an awful GI bug. It feels like every time I get into a good grove some horrible illness knocks me down for a week. I've been sick more in the the past year than in the rest of my adult life combined. I knew that having a third baby wouldn't be easy and the first 20 weeks certainly confirm that.

Ty has been absolutely amazing through all of this. He has cleaned all four toilets every week and picked up the slack in the housekeeping department. He has been incredibly supportive of me napping on the weekends and resting when I can. I've found that as our daily burden has grown over the years we have become a much better team. Of course all spouses have things that annoy them about the other but I rarely feel like I need to complain about those anymore because I know that Ty is working hard every single day to be a good dad, husband and provider. I've always been very independent and never felt like I needed someone to "take care of me" but I am so thankful to have someone who does when I need it the most.

If I'm being honest, for a lot of this pregnancy I really questioned if we'd made the right decision to have a third. I wasn't sure if I was pushing my luck since we already have two sweet kiddos and a solid routine. But as the weeks have marched on I've been getting increasingly excited and less worried. Being a mama is my greatest life work. There is nothing I cherish more than the immense gift of rocking my babies to sleep at night and watching their sweet little hearts grow and mature. I know I can do hard things and as a family we'll rise to any challenge that comes our way. I love the little bean already and know my life wouldn't be totally fulfilled if he/she wasn't a part of it. I'm 24 weeks today and feeling great. I couldn't be more thankful for the gift of my family and pray I'll have the grace to count my blessings, even on my toughest days.

Pregnancy craving-- carrots, apples and tea.

8 weeks 

12 weeks 

16 weeks

20 weeks 

22 weeks