Three

I’ve been less than honest with y’all lately. I know, you thought you could trust me…but the truth is I’ve been keeping a secret. A big secret, one that has taken over my life for the last few months. It’s time to let the cat out of the bag…

shoe pregnancy announcement

Pretty soon I’m going to be a mother of three!

(I know those aren’t exactly tiny little baby booties, but it’s all I had… since babies don’t actually wear shoes. At least not mine).

I’m currently 14 weeks, due March 5th.

14 weeks

And just for fun, here I am at 14 weeks with all three pregnancies.

three pregnancies I’m excited…and also terrified. Soon Adam and I are going to be outnumbered, and during the day I’m going to be really outnumbered. It’s going to be chaos. No, it’s going to be great. They can exist simultaneously, right?

This pregnancy has been significantly different from my first two. With both the boys I was one of those annoying pregnant ladies that was like “being pregnant is great, I feel like a million bucks!” (I know, I want to slap my former self too). This pregnancy has been exhausting. So incredibly exhausting. I remember being a little tired with the boys, but with this one I was going to bed at like 730. Then I would drag myself out of bed at late as possible, when the boys couldn’t go a second longer without eating breakfast. By the time Levi’s nap rolled around I’d be about to keel over, and I’d take my own nap while Elijah watched a movie. Then right after dinner it was back to bed. I’m normally a night owl and have to force myself to bed at midnight, but not this summer. I’ve slowly been getting my energy back, these days I make it till about 9:30 or so. (My early bird husband is loving that I’m tired when he’s tired!)

I’ve also never really had pregnancy nausea before. Y’all…nausea sucks. Fortunately I haven’t been nauseous in a week or two and I’m back to feeling somewhat normal.

It feels so good to finally get that secret off my chest! I’ve been wanting to mention it in my posts. In the shed painting post all I wanted to say is “I’m nine weeks pregnant and all I want to do is sleep!” and in the Better Homes and Gardens post I wanted to tell y’all how awesome it was…except for the plane rides where I was clutching the barf bag willing myself not to hurl everywhere. And (to get really personal) back in the middle of May, when I didn’t blog for a few weeks, I wanted to write that I had just had a miscarriage and suddenly projects didn’t seem all that important.

I know y’all have a few questions, so I’ll go ahead and answer them before you even have the chance to ask…

Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?!?

No, we don’t know…and we’re not going to find out either. Mwhaha….

We’ve never found out the gender of our babies beforehand. This was originally Adam’s idea and I thought it sounded doable, so that’s what we did…and it was actually really fun. Once you settle on the fact that you’re not going to know the gender of the baby before you meet them it doesn’t bother you not knowing. It bothers our family and friends though, which makes it all the better (I’m thinking of you Stacey!). Oh, and I’m not a fan of girly frufru pink everything, so I was more than happy to buy (and be gifted) all gender neutral things.

Do you have names picked out? 

Kinda. I have names picked out, but Adam hasn’t really given me feedback on them so they aren’t official.

Are you planning on having more babies? 

I’ve always wanted four kids, so I hope to have one more after this one (no matter the gender).

What will the age difference be?

This baby will be 3.5 years behind my youngest.  #1 and #2 are only 19 months apart, so I’ll be interesting to see how the bigger age gap will play out. I’m hoping it will be easier, but I’m thinking that fact that it’s the third baby will pretty much erase the word “easy” from my vocabulary.

Are your boys excited?

Yes! It’s so sweet. Actually, Levi doesn’t seem to care that much (or maybe he just doesn’t quite understand) but Elijah is pretty thrilled. He kisses my belly and asks constantly asks me how big the baby is (kinda like “are we there yet?”).  And he is dead set on getting a sister and gets upset whenever I remind him that it’s just as likely to be a boy. Levi just tells me he wants it to be three sisters and two brothers, which isn’t even slightly funny.

And that’s that, my secret is out. I feel better.

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68 Comments

  1. Ashley,
    CONGRATULATIONS! That is so exciting! I’ve been following your blog avidly since January and I really think we would be besties in real life. I love your complete honesty and the fact that you put family first. You are my inspiration! :) Also, thank you so much for being so honest with us about what is going on in your life. At least for me, it makes me feel like maybe we are sorta friends and I can keep you in my prayers :) Anyway. I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate you and all the hard work you put into your beautiful projects and how much you care about your readers.

  2. Babies are such blessings! Congratulations on your wonderful news. I hope that your fatigue abates soon and that you sail through the remainder of your pregnancy with ease. I can’t wait to see what you come up with in preparation. I’d think pink!

    1. Thanks Karen! I think this one might be a girl, just because I’ve felt so different this time around. And since I already have two boys I can feel people wishing a girl into my uterus, haha.

  3. How wonderful!! I can’t believe how excited I am right now, is that weird? Lol. I absolutely thought there was a different feel to the blog lately; now I know why. Congratulations!! I am so very happy for you. (Also, sorry to hear about your miss. That is hard, I’ve been there, too.)

    Yes, you will be outnumbered. But you know what? It won’t really matter. And you already have a freewheeling style, which is what you’ll need. I had my first two 17 1/2 months apart, then waited 4 1/2 years to have my third, and I never regretted any part of that.

    Congratulations to all of you, you’re on a grand adventure! :D

    1. Thanks so much Jan! The blog has definitely suffered, with Adam’s police academy being crazy and then me getting pregnant right at the end of it. I’m just as enthusiastic as I has always been about writing it, but time is my biggest issue. Making time for projects and blogging is a struggle and I’m sure it is only going to get harder. But I love it, so I’m not going to quit :)

      So the age gap, with two close and one lagging behind, was great? I’m nervous about going back into the baby stage, my boys are just now getting independent. I’m SO CLOSE to not having anyone in diapers! And Elijah has become such a blessing lately, he is really obedient and helpful. I think I might actually be doing a good job. Levi is impossible right now (he’s three next month), but he will come out of it soon and be my sweet boy again. I do want another kid after this though, so I may just do two more close in age, as terrifying as that sounds.

      Anyway, I’m rambling…

      1. I was going to do exactly that, have another set of two. But my ex husband decided he didn’t want a fourth, so that was the end of that plan. I actually loved going back to the baby phase, it was super exciting and fun. My third was everyone’s little pet for the first few years, and the older two learned a lot about nurturing, which is always nice. I know you’ll do just fine. :)

  4. Congrats on 3–and yes, you will be outnumbered! I have 3 girls, all grown now, but same age difference between your 3. Let me tell you, #2 was NOT thrilled to be a big sister and kept telling me it was time to take it back to the hospital. LOL, they’re the best of friends now, but it was a bumpy 13 years :-)

  5. Congratulations, Domestic Imperfection family!
    I’ve been a reader for years- our boys are roughly the same age so I’ve always found you so relatable. It feels a little stalkerish to be so excited for a family you’ve never met that lives across the country, but I truly am and wish you a happy easy pregnancy, and nothing but the best for the 5 of you!

  6. Congratulations!! Going from 2-3 was our easiest transition, for whatever reason (we had a 2 year age gap, then 2.5 years, then 7 years). Hope it’s the same for you! And it’s good to have it in writing now that you want a 4th even if this one is a girl; I have four boys, and no one really believes you’d be crazy enough to go for four if you weren’t just hoping for that elusive girl ;). By my fourth boy I would have been shocked to get anything different, though….

    1. That’s good news!

      It is funny how people assume that were just trying for a girl, even with just two boys. That’s the most common question I get, “trying for a girl?” or a similar question/statement. We were really just trying for a baby :) I for one think four boys would be great… crazy, but great.

  7. Congratulations!!! That’s so exciting! Maybe if your symptoms are very different from the boys it could mean a girl. You never can tell I guess though. We played an Old Wives Tales game at my gender reveal party a couple of years ago and it was a complete tie. Those things never work. Keep on truckin’ mama and wishing you lots of good health and a wave of energy! I love Levi’s comment at the end there. Too funny! (And definitely not funny at the same time. Haha)

    1. Those things never do work…according to the heartbeat one I should have two daughters. I have my suspicions about this being a girl though…well find out in 5.5 months!

  8. Congratulations Ashley and Adam!! That’s awesome news!! I can’t believe you were able to hold out on us for this long!! :) Your two little ones will be great big brothers. So exciting!! :)

  9. Yay Ashley and family!! I’ve been avidly following your blog since right after you had Levi. And for the record, barfing or not, you’re the cutest pregnant person EVER. I have 2 beautiful girls and can tell you that my pregnancies were COMPLETELY different both times, so I’m not sure that I’d buy into that everything’s-different-so-maybe-it’s-a-girl thing. I did find out the sex both times and thought that someone must have made a mistake the second ultrasound. ;) Either way, God has blessed you! Congrats! I look forward to following your posts and pregnancy (again!).

    1. Oh man, you’ve been around for a basically my entire blogging career! Thats awesome. Thanks for all the well wishes and support..and for saying I’m cute pregnant. My thighs needed to hear that, lol.

  10. Ah! Congrats!!! My baby (#4) will be one on march 7th. Good month for a baby. ;) I loved not finding out the sex of one of ours. It’s really fun & EVERYONE guessed wrong. But if you’ve been sicker & more tired I’m guessing a girl. But the tired could just be because you have two toddlers. :) i was hoping the slower pace was just from Adam being so busy and nothing wrong. Glad its good news, but sorry you’ve been sick. I get wicked ‘all day’ sickness until week 13, so I understand. And then after, I’m also that lady that LOVES being pegnant, haha. Wishing you guys the best!

    1. I’ve been thinking the same thing about it maybe being a girl, but then I’m not sure if it pregnancy exhaustion or if it’s more toddler induced. Only time will tell I guess!

      Congrats on baby number 4! March is a good birthday month…Elijah and Adam’s birthdays are both in early March too, so it’s a busy birthday month.

  11. Big Congrats!!! I have 5 kids….2boys in the 70’s,boy and girl in the 80’s and oops how did that happen boy in 1994. Doctor said my only girl might be twins,she was huge 9.8 lbs and 22in. Our just turned 4yr old yelled out he wanted 5 babies acckk…. LOL. Good luck and BTW my girl was the only one my feet swelled like balloons and couldn’t stand even the smell of coffee ;)

  12. Oh my! I am so happy and excited for you! Congratulations! I was so exhausted through all three of my pregnancies, could have slept the entire 27 months…just wake me when the baby is here, so i feel your pain LOL oh and BTW, you look amazing!

  13. Sooo exciting!! Congratulations to you all! Just think how much fun a little ‘tomboy’ girl would be?! No matter what the gender as long as baby and mom are healthy. Hey everyone, we need to get a ‘gender pool’ started!!

  14. Congratulations! How exciting! Thanks for sharing….You totally threw me with that whole “No, I’m not pregnant” remark a few posts back! You sly dog you! :) Can’t wait to see how cute this baby will be!….(Lord, give Elijah a sister!)

  15. Congratulations! Wow, it’s all happening for you guys this year! And I’m so very sorry for your loss. I’ve miscarried before too and it’s just so terribly terribly horrible. I’m so glad you’ve come through the other side and are expecting again. I’m hoping it’s a girl… time to even things up in that household! x

  16. Congrats !!! How are you surviving this Texas heat?? I remember many moons ago (30+ yrs) when I was pregnant with our first born who was born in July – feet swelling – humidity – 100+ degree days !!

    So happy for your family !! Boy or girl – doesn’t matter – all babies are blessings !
    Hugs,
    Karen
    West, Texas

    1. This summer has been brutally hot, hasn’t it? Honestly we’ve been hibernating for the last couple months, unless we’re swimming or it’s really early in the morning. I justifying it by reminding myself that most of the country hibernates the winter…we just do it in the summer.

      Thanks for the congrats! I’m so glad to be surrounded by people who also believe that babies are blessings.

  17. Congratulations!! Soon the tough time of pregnancy will be over and you’ll be back to chasing the kids in the ‘cooler’ fall Texas weather. I’m glad you’re bucking the trend and waiting to find out the sex in the delivery room. Only real surprise you can ever be assured of! Trust me, someone always tips you off to your Christmas gifts, ‘surprise’ birthday parties, etc. As for age differences, our 1st two are 18 months apart (with the second child born 3 months premature), then a gap of 5 years followed by two more…this time 22 months apart. The oldest was 9 when the youngest was born. The ‘big boys’ were wonderful helpers and the ‘little boys’ were happily drug along to their brother’s sporting events (thank goodness for crayons and coloring books!) All survived childhood, we parents included, and they enjoy each other’s company. They are spread out all over the world, so reunions of the whole family don’t happen often, but FaceTime is a wonderful thing!!

  18. congratulation!!! nothing more exciting than new babies!!! I am a new reader of your blog and I love it! just wanted to say I also love the fact that you don’t find out what “kind” of babies you have before they are born! I didn’t either. not enough good surprises in this world… so why would you want to take away that extra special moment!!! feel better soon

  19. Congratulations Ashley and Clan!!! So excited for you all but also so sorry to hear about the miscarriage in May. Sending you lots of Healthy Baby Vibes :)

    p.s. I’m also terribly jealous – my babies aren’t babies anymore and I so so wish we would have had a third. Hoping to live vicariously (OMG did I even spell that right??) through you and the posts about Baby.

  20. Congratulations and God Bless you and your wonderful family! Very excited for the four, oops, the five of you :-))) Keeping you in our family prayers!

  21. Awww, I was having the crappiest week, but this news…..Well, I shed a tear..Maybe more than one! I am sooooo dang happy for you all! I LOVE your blog and you and oh, lordy……hormones……beautiful…..must go now…..Well done, and congratulations!

  22. Congratulations! And by the way, I kinda knew it. You were posting too infrequently and your reasons weren’t ringing true. . . Lol! I am thrilled for you guys, you are a terrific Mom, and even “outnumbered”, you’ll still be great. I am glad you are feeling a bit better and I hope you start to feel MUCH better soon.

    On a sadder note, I am sorry to hear about your earlier miscarriage. I lost babies myself and it is the hardest thing to go through. My prayers are with you and Adam!

    BTW, I am all for not knowing the gener until the baby is born. There are so few mysteries left in life, I think it is great!

    Please keep us updated when you can, you can probably tell that we all care about you very much. Be assured of my prayers and good thoughts.

    Hugs,
    Maureen

  23. What an exciting news!! Congrats to you and your family. Hope you will feel great the rest of your pregnancy. Being surprised at birth about the gender…I loved it. Bring on that poll!

    I’m sad to hear about your miscarriage, been there and it’s horrible. Prayers for a save and healthy pregnancy.

  24. Congratulations, Ashley! I’m the one that gushed about how you were one of the first blogs I ever followed, in the glass elevator at Haven this year. My boys are eight years apart and while my first go round was carefree and super easy…eight years makes a BIG difference! I was exhausted the second time around. Glad that you are feeling somewhat normal again and I’m looking forward to following along. :)

  25. WONDERFUL NEWS!!!!!!!!!!

    You get more beautiful with each pregnancy! Gorgeous mother-to-be, and wonderful mom to your sons!

    Eat light, and keep doing whatever you’re doing, because it works!

    XO

  26. So sorry to hear about your miscarriage. But congratulations on the new pregnancy! I also have two and I’m a little worried about three so good luck!

  27. Congratulations! I’m due with baby #2 on March 7th! I have also been horribly sick and tired with this baby! I hope you feel better and more energized soon!

  28. Congrats! I’m currently 29 weeks pregnant with number tres too and it has ROCKED MY WORLD! My brain and heart are still race, race, race, DIY, DIY, DIY…but my body is saying “let’s just sit here and browse pretty pictures instead of make our own”. It’s tough to manage it all the third time around I’m learning, but sounds like you are rebounding quickly so hopefully the rest of your pregnancy is event-free and full of energy!

  29. Great news and you look gorgeous – best out of three in the pics – despite not feeling so good. I think I know why you don’t feel so good – lack of decorating/renovating! Time to get back in the saddle or at least spill the beans on the plan – goodbye guest room – hello nursery? If it is a girl, as many suspect, we all know she will end up being a mini-me of you and she is likely itching to get some (fetal) experience in decorating her room! At wk 16 she can blink – show her some color swatches LOL !

  30. Congrats!!! I’m pregnant too! This is my first, well, aside from the Ectopic I had a few years back. I am due March 14th. I’m excited to follow right behind you and see how things are going with you.. well, if you’re going to be posting about it.. :]

  31. Congratulations, thats just amazing news!
    Wishing you all the happiness in the world sweetheart.
    Lots of love from Australia x

  32. I was just wondering if you were planning another baby! Congratulations! I hope everything goes smoothly and you get your energy back! Also, I’m sorry for your loss.

  33. Well how exciting! I must admit that the thought had crossed my mind “I wonder when she’ll start having more kids?” :^) Incidentally, you’re just a few weeks behind me…February 19 here, and I’d say I’ve had a similar experience to yours…2 boys with no problems in the pregnancy, but this one quite different, so here’s hoping it’s a girl too! (We find out in a week!) I also wanted to say I’m so sorry about your miscarriage. We experienced 2 between our 1st two boys and I know that’s hard. :^( Having another baby did really help to heal that hole in my heart though. God bless you and hope you get your energy back soon!

  34. How exciting! Congratulations! I found your blog just a couple of days ago…it was a link to your paper floors tutorial. I have already come back several times to read more. I smiled when I saw your due date…I am due March 5 also :). I am not nearly as teeny and cute as you are, though, so my bump is not as noticeable :). I wish you all the best!

  35. Congratulations!!! My oldest 2 boys are less than 18 months apart and # 3 is less than 4 years from #2. Great times and memories are in your future. Enjoy!!!

  36. Ashley,
    Congratulations!!
    God bless you. I have three boys, we just took our firstborn to college last month. Oh it goes by so quickly, enjoy it.

  37. Awe that’s so cute! I am a mother of 4! Only a year older than you and my husband is a police man. My 2 oldest are boys when i became pregnant the third time i was always tired sleeping drained nauseous. …and it was a girl! Same with number 4…girl as well! Yes …you will be outnumbered and chaos but it all fits together in its own weird way! Kids are so opposite. …mine range from age 12 to my youngest age 6.

  38. Hi Ashley,
    I am a long time reader and a fan. Just wanted to congratulate you and Adam…as a mother of three boys ages 3 and under (plus an 8 y/o girl) I have to tell you, it will be hard but also a lot of fun! The house will never be clean again and projects will take longer, but all of that is very worth it. Every day is an adventure! Four kids is a great number. In this day and age people react like it is a huge family but its so nice to see the kids interact and love each other. It’s definitely interesting as parents when you have to play a zone instead of man to man! You will be awesome and you guys will love it. And trust me from experience- your boys will absolutely love the baby even if it is a boy- once they see that little wrinkly face they are hooked! Blessings to you. Ellen

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