Baby #3 and Pregnancy Survival

I am pretty sure most people heard the news via Facebook, email, or word of mouth that we are having baby #3 sometime around the holidays. The due date is December 10th but Isaac was 2 weeks early and I'm hoping for another early bird :)

The doctor wasn't able to get a really good look during the ultrasound, but she said she was about 90% certain it was a girl...whatever that means.  Right now we are planning on it being a girl unless we are told otherwise. 

The boys are really excited about having a baby around. I think the 3 year gap will be a magic age gap for making things more manageable. I'm hoping to get potty training under wraps with Isaac before we add another to the mix. Isaac is finally seeming more like a little boy than a baby and more self-sufficient in many ways. 

I hate belly shots, but here's 21 weeks. 

We kept this pregnancy a secret from our parents for quite a while. I'm not totally sure why, but it was fun and makes the pregnancy go by faster!  It was hard not to slip and make references to how I was feeling, etc. 

Here are some pictures and tips from my first trimester on how to survive being sick while taking care of other kids. 

- Teach the oldest to make toast. And pour a bowl of cereal. 

- Teach the oldest to tip the younger one out of a pack n' play. 

- Teach the oldest to open string cheese. 

- Teach the oldest to get a stool to reach bananas from the counter. 

- Teach the oldest to type in the iPad password. 

- Teach the oldest to waddle to your bedside with a wet wipe so you can wipe his bum after he goes potty. 

- Teach the oldest to change the younger one's diapers. (just kidding....I wish!)

- Have diapers and wipes next to your bed so you can change a diaper without having to leave bed. 

- Stock your bedside drawer with applesauce pouches to feed to kids who want breakfast too early. 

- Have your husband leave breakfast on the table for the kids before he leaves for work. (This one is SUPER nice!)

- PAPER PLATES!! (Looking at dishes totally grossed me out and throwing away the mess was much easier!)

- Seclude younger child to pack n' play for various activities. 

These little tricks allowed me to stay in bed until 10 a.m. some days!  Granted, my kids watched way too many shows and played way too many games on the iPad, but we survived!  Feel free to use my tips/tricks if you need them anytime soon! ;)