As most of you already know…this last pregnancy was quite the little surprise. As much as I WANT ALL THE BABIES….this shocker was both exciting (yay! Another squish to cuddle!)…and humbling (what? I’m not in control of things?)….and terrifying (how the heck are we possibly gonna manage four kids ages four and under?!). Struggling to adjust doesn’t even come close to describing the entire thing. I love that Jim Gaffigan joke….wanna know what having four little kids is like? Imagine you are drowning and someone hands you a baby. So. so. true.
I didn’t ever think I would be one of those girls. One of those “I didn’t know I was pregnant” people. But then it happened. I would have (and still do) make fun of those kinda people. I always wonder….when they see that there is a head coming out of their crotch….is that the moment it confirms they are pregnant? When is that moment exactly? Because honestly, if you can give birth on a toilet and not suspect anything but a giant bowel movement….you are a pain-threshold-beast and I want you to protect me from rabid wild animals.
It’s crazy to think that Jeremy and I had a conversation about waiting about a year before thinking of trying again to expecting baby number four the very next day. And not only that…but being half way cooked was a totally unexpected adventure. At the time, I was completely freaking out. I mean…I don’t have my crap together people….I still had Christmas decorations out and it was the third week of January….my grandmother would have been horrified. And then all of a sudden, we were supposed to start thinking about bringing another human home! LJ isn’t even walking! Weston isn’t talking! Someone calculate the diapers we need! What the what?!
So I….in true Katie fashion…decided that the only way that I could possible deal with a surprise pregnancy is to celebrate it exactly the way I did the other boys….except in fast forward….namely, take a butt load of photos of my growing bump and pretend that a 19 weeks start date is just slightly different than 5 weeks 🙂 The great part is….it worked. At the time, I felt like I didn’t get to enjoy those beginning parts of pregnancy…but now looking back and getting to snuggle my little Maxie Knight, I would not have had it any other way.
Gosh, that is exactly how I hope to find out about our next one! 19 weeks along, that would be awesome! My babe is already almost one so the close together part is not going to happen, so that I’m fine with! You’re seriously one of the cutest preggo ladies! I can imagine how overwhelming it would be but you seem to do it in stride and with grace and grit… I love it!
Xo- kaara
So cute! For a gal with no kids…….yet, you are truly an inspiration! I do have one major question…..where did you get those awesome boots in your 22 week photo?
Target! They are called Harness boots I think.
xo – kb
Amazing!! Thanks!
Wow, what a difference a week makes between 19 & 20! Adorable as always though;)
KB, your preggo style rocks. I especially <3 the photos of weeks 20, 31, and 4 weeks old. You look so in love with your Maxie Knight!
(PS Maxie is such a cute nickname!)
Um, Katie, with 3 kids already in tow, how are you so put together and your hair perfectly coiffed in each of these photos? Way to go, hot momma!
Adorable! Thanks for sharing this 🙂
Jim Gaffigan is amazing. And hilarious. Especially when it comes to insight on parenting… and bacon.
Sometimes we just have to admit that the fates (or whatever higher power you happen to believe it) knows best for us. I found out at 3 weeks that I was pregnant, which, considering I’d had 1.5 years of fertility assistance, was less of a surprise and more of a relief (to be done with the poking & prodding). But the shock came at TWENTY weeks that, all that time, I’d been pregnant with TWINS and not just a singleton. With my age at the time (30) and the fertility meds, we knew our chances increased, but up until we saw that “lets-find-out-boy/girl” ultrasound, there were ZERO red flags. No indications in blood tests or fetal heartbeat monitoring; nothing in how I was feeling (by way of sickness or fatigue) or how big I was getting. And my husband’s family is FULL of twins! We were ALL on the lookout, thinking we’d know “the signs”. Ah well. After I snapped out of my sheer panic, I just pulled out the credit card for a double stroller and SECOND crib, car seat, Bumbo, bouncer…… etc, etc, etc. (And my husband’s vasectomy was scheduled within a month of the twins’ birth. True story!) My boys are 10 now. Happy, healthy and friggin’ AWESOME! Sometimes I look at them and wonder which was my “surprise”. 🙂
Honestly though, I never have taken bump shots before 18 weeks with either pregnancy (so far) just because I never seem to get a “bump” before around 20 weeks! I just get really thick through the middle! 😉 Also you are seriously an adorable pregnant lady, and I LOVE the last shot at 4 weeks in your wrap. Oh and don’t be ashamed of that christmas tree shot, it’s gorgeous, and pregnancy is the only chance I could get to look so cute in profile in silhouette. Thanks for sharing these Katie!!
Katie:
Anyone else would have said ….SHOOT ME!!!
You rocked it.
You handled it well.
You are a great Mom!!!
Keep it up.
Oh, yea….you two make beautiful children!!!
Anyone ready for #5 yet?
B.
You are a adorable pregnant lady! Our third was a surprise, I had a 2 year old and a 9 month old when I found out baby #3 was coming. I was not halfway through the pregnancy but nearing the end of first trimester. We adore him and are so happy to have our surprise baby. I wish I had taken all of these belly shots. I think I got one, at some point with me standing there with each pregnancy. I regret that so much. I have three kids, and a home decor blog. My kids are older and I feel like I am always busy and losing my mind. No clue how you do it with 4, and they are younger then mine. Go you!
Isn’t it AMAZING that in the one week after you found out you were pregnant your bump grew like 3 times the size?! Like making up for lost time or something. Wild.
Love this so much Katie! I have a 3 year old and 8 month old and you are giving me baby fever already!
so what is the age difference between the boys???
I’d love to see a day in the life post. I have a 3.5 yr old and a 9 month old and feel like I barely have things under control.
Oh geeze. You are so cute. It’s really not fair. I think I’d have 4 babies too if I rocked pregnancy like you do! You seriously inspire me with your honesty and passion for raising your littles. Annnndddd I’m super pumped I read about your blog with Dr. T wayyy back when because now we are having our second and seeing him!
Ashley
Wow! I delivered at 25 weeks, so I’d have only known for 6 weeks! :-O
Whoa, there is a huge difference between 19 weeks and 20 weeks. You really don’t look pregnant in the 19 week one, so I understand the not knowing, or at least the not knowing you were that far along. That’s crazy!
They are beautiful. And truly a statement of what happens to our bodies when we realize the path God has in store for us. You went from not knowing or showing to knowing and showing in a matter of 2 weeks. I love your honestly, you guys should be so proud of how you handled your big surprise and reminder that we are sooooo not in charge. Yay for you guys!
You, my friend, are a gorgeous person while pregnant….with rock star hair! 🙂
Such cute pictures! I’m 19 weeks pregnant right now, and am SO fascinated about how you didn’t realize you were pregnant until then! I feel like I want SO many more details. Lol! (Like, what about your period? Did you ever suspect anything? Did you ever have morning sickness? How did you finally figure it out?) It’s funny, I actually have felt so great during my pregnancy so far, I can almost see how one might not know… except I feel like I have a way bigger bump than you had at 19 weeks… :-/ Thanks for sharing the pictures! 😀
Seriously 37 week you does not even look like you! Crazy.
HAAA! The bowel movement birth toilet rabid animal comment. I DIED LAUGHING. That whole statement was perfect and correct.
You are so beautiful! So happy that the Bower family expanded 🙂
You are beautiful!!
beautiful pictures – and for baby #4, even as a surprise, you did a fantastic job of making sure he was documented prior to birth! I haven’t even done my 2nd and 3rd children’s baby books…
on another note – where did you find the cute red polka dot cardigan in the 23 week photo?
I love this! Embracing life as it comes, that’s why I adore you KB!! I do want to ask if you have decided to keep Max’s name. Has it grown on you? I still love it and I love the nickname Maxie:) super cute!
I am also a found-out-at-19-weeks momma. I would disagree with anyone who says that would be a “dream.”
There is a LOT of anxiety, stress, guilt, tears that come with having such a precious young one that you haven’t been considering in your life choices because you don’t know!
My story is that I was a newlywed whose house flooded while we were on our honeymoon. We were living in our guest room for 3 months while re-sheetrocking half of our house, dealing with insurance claims, etc.
2 months after the honeymoon flooding, I got fired from my job (and my state is a right-to-work state, so there’s no legal obligation for an employer to give any sort of reason). The head honchos showed up and fired everyone in our office in a single afternoon. I LOVED my coworkers and we were involved in each other’s lives, and it all just was over. My income, my easy-to-maintain friendships, etc.
I found a new job and switched from a desk job to all-day-on-my-feet job. So I was constantly worn out, and crazy emotional from such a rough change, and eating fast food on my breaks and meal breaks (so yep, had gained a little weight. Nothing crazy, just the same jeans were tighter).
So one morning 2 months into my new job, I woke up and my hands were on my belly and it was just… hard. Stretched and just not the doughy belly I’d known my whole life. Hmmm, I got up and took a reaaaaaallly old pregnancy test, one of those super cheap ones that are not very clear on even how to read it. Positive? Maybe? I tucked it in the back of my head and the power of denial really did keep it mostly out of mind all day long.
I went to the store when I got off work that night, 11pm. I did get the nicer kind of test, and once I took that test, there was no more denying. There was just the huuuuge question of how far along, since I could literally feel the lump in my belly! When we went to the ultrasound (5 days later), I measured 19 weeks, 3 days. The tech said, “hey, you’ll be half-done on Friday!”
It was crazy. Of all things, my brother and sister-in-law tried calling me WHILE I WAS IN MY ULTRASOUND to tell me they were pregnant, they had no idea of our news. Thankfully, the job change/emotions had kept me away from socially drinking pretty much at all, and my little boy is now 3.5 (and is an older brother to boot). But it wasn’t easy, and I can’t imagine going through that for the 4th child! People are always saying how the first year of marriage is the hardest, but I’m pretty sure house flooding, getting fired, and discovering an unexpected pregnancy in the first 6 months are a bit extreme. I think the first-year is supposed to be like figuring out who pays the mortgage and who pays the water bill? Determining whether the toliet seat stays up or down?
Anyway, Katie, I TOTALLY GET IT and I’m glad you took lots of super adorable photos.
I second the hilarity of the large bowel movement statement!!!! SERIOUSLY, birthing a baby (or, in your case, toddlers) is a weeeeeee bit more painful than a big BM!! (unless said BM is AFTER giving birth)
You are such a gorgeous preggo! I especially love the last picture <3
We never ever thought to change his name…I think I was pretty clear that we feel strongly about that…maybe not so if I wasn’t…we definitely are not changing his name…or even asking people to change what to call him…just revealed that I didn’t feel 100% comfortable with calling him it yet. Honestly, it is growing on me and I call him Maxie Knight a lot. I think I just needed to hear that it was okay if I wanted to give him a million nicknames 🙂
xo – kb
It’s from Forever 21 of all places 🙂
xo – kb
I don’t know if you felt this way…but I totally felt judged…like people thought we were irresponsible with birth control methods or that we were unfair to our other little kids…it was really hard to swallow and I definitely felt like I had to defend ourselves and felt so protective of our unborn fourth. Nothing was said outright but I could tell that people were like “don’t you feel like you are depriving your other little ones being pregnant so soon again?” and I felt so defensive of Max…like they were blaming him for the situation almost. It was a very weird place to be. I don’t know why that came to mind but it was truth.
xo – kb
Weston is 16 months older than LJ who is 15 months older than Max. Will is a little over two and half years older than Weston.
xo – kb
Well, the funny thing is…I can suck in my stomach so I just thought it was baby weight. After week 20, I was like I’m letting this ALL hang out 🙂
xo – kb
It’s dirty hair…there are probably even food particles and paint in it 🙂
xo – kb
I never had my cycle after LJ because I was still nursing. I didn’t have morning sickness but I never really did with any of the boys (not anything that a stick of gum couldn’t handle). I figured it out one night when Will was sick with a stomach bug. He required a lot of help and I did a lot more heavy lifting that night…so when I finally sat down, the baby started kicking me and that was my first clue 🙂 I had thought my stomach was sticking out more just simply because I had big babies back to back and my abs were separated.
xo – kb
Oh my gosh- 18 wks at the moment and cause I was already a 16 (which all happened to sit on my ass and belly already) I don’t have the courage to take a ‘bump’ pic yet, as to me it’s still just my fat!! BAHAHA!!! 😉
Aus size 16 I mean!
So sad that you both felt these ways! No judgement at all from here! I’m just so happy to finally join the preggas club!
Aw, I can understand what you mean. When people heard mine it was more judgment of how could you not know? Which is why I have to tell the whole story, because my firing was such a big distraction. the truth is that since it was my first baby, I could play it off with strangers as intentional, like I just wanted to wait to share. I felt most judged that he was born 10.5 months after our wedding, there were literal pauses in social conversation while people were doing the math. I think siblings are the longest lasting gift you give your child and I think you are amazing! I am sorry people made you feel like that, intentionally or not.
Hi Katie! I totally get that you felt that way — people say (and don’t say – but imply) the stupidest things to pregnant women!! My best friend, has 4 kids too – (all grown up — her youngest just started college this month! – don’t freak out! 🙂 ) And her 4th was also a surprise — And she always told me how people would say the stupidest things — You know where babies come from, don’t you by now? being my personal favorite!!
You clearly love being a mom, and your boys are wonderfully sweet and adorable — And Max was meant to be a part of your family …. That is all that matters! But it still sucks that you felt that way — just know that it says more about the other person than anything about you!!!
so cute! I would open a store called Forever 18, because that’s my mental age, but stock it with appropriate(ish) clothing for women in their mid-30’s. It’s like we need that reassurance that we’re still young and hip 🙂
GO DO IT! You will change so much!
xo – kb
I just think that last pic is totally adorable!
Gotcha! I thought you were considering changing it from your post, but get what you are saying now. Sometimes getting a few hundred people to make you feel comfortable is what ya need 😉
I love your shirt in week 31, do you remember where you got it?
The kimono was a Target find. I think they still carry it online.
xo – kb
I ditto what Brittany says, and add butter. I love him, but the four kids joke is my favorite! I’m awe of you Katie, as usual!