Second Trimester

Week 13 

(Dec. 3 - 9, 2013)

Yayyyyy!!!!  2nd trimester is here!  This pregnancy has flown by so far!!  Hard to believe. This week has been easy. I've had an afternoon power nap everyday, and I'm ok with that. I am pretty sure we have a boy name and a girl name picked out, officially! Can't wait to find out which it'll be!  We have been iced in our house since Thursday night, so we've been taking advantage and cleaning out all closets to make room for baby!  Oh, and I pretty much ate an entire bag of gummy bears yesterday, and I want more!

Week 14

(Dec. 10 - 16, 2013)

The cat is out of the bag and I'm addicted to gummy bears!  No seriously. I bought a bag at Target last week before getting iced in bc they just looked good. It was a small bag. I shared them with SP, too!  Well ever since, I literally have been dreaming about these fruity little bears. I guess this is what a true pregnancy craving is! Sean surprised me with a 3 lb bag today!  O.M.G.  He loves me!  ANYWAY!  We announced the news on FB this past Fri night (12/13)!  So exciting to know the world knows our best kept (un)secret!  I have felt great with a few quick sharp growing pains this week. The belly is officially out there. The waiter at lunch today while taking drink orders said, "well not you!  You're pregnant!"  It was strange...everyone knows my secret!  Oh, Sean has a strong feeling we're having a girl, but I am still on the fence.  Still no complaints from this preggo!

Week 15

(Dec. 17 - 23, 2013)

Most exciting week yet!  Read about this week here, Finding Out Early!

Week 16

(Dec. 24 - 30, 2013)

I have spent this entire week in Arkansas!  We have now been able to reveal our BOY news to both families!!

My belly is really growing!  I think baby has been camping out on my right side. It seems to stick out a bit more than the left, and each time I've had them find the heartbeat (or the last sonogram) he's been on the right :) I am trying to stay alert and tuned in for the first sign of movement that I can feel!  I expect to feel it in another few weeks!  Still not gaining much weight, but Dr. Allen isn't concerned and thinks it will come towards the end of my 2nd trimester and for sure by my 3rd trimester!

I am pretty sold on a name, but just giving the pops a little more time to warm up to the idea, as it is a HUGE decision!

Week 17

(Dec. 31 - Jan.6 , 2014)

Where did week 17 go!?  Wow, it really flew by. A few new things I've encountered: Hip cramps by early morning, just as I start to wake up. It's only happened twice...so far!  I have eased the pain by placing a pillow between my legs.  I have started trying to find some yoga stretches to do to help avoid these pains all together, as I know more are coming!  The other thing that MIGHT have happened is some movement!  I just am really unsure. I've definitely had some fluttery, gurgally type movements when I lay on the couch, on my back at night. But only once or twice, so I'm just unsure!?  I like to pretend that's what it is, anyway :) I got home from AR halfway through this week and SP told me my belly has definitely grown since he saw me last (5 days prior). I'm ok with that :) Really trying to eat good food and drink water. I typically love water!  But in the winter, not as much. I know I'm not getting enough, so I definitely need to work on that!!

Week 18

(Jan. 7 - 13 , 2014)

I got back into yoga, and it feels so good!  My back has started to hurt pretty often. A week back on the mat has helped so much. Sean and I also are taking a couples prenatal yoga class. It's a 2 part series and so far we've completed the first class. We both really enjoyed it.  In other news...Sean started to paint the nursery!  WooHoo! The dark, grey/purple room is no more. The walls are primed and ready for the perfect minty green paint to cover them. So exciting!  That's about it this week.  Oh,  I started sleeping with a body pillow on one side and a regular pillow on the other. It's quite humorous trying to find me in the bed! The pillows completely smother me.   It's even funnier if you could see me trying to get out of bed in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Crawling over the big body pillow is quite a sight!  But it's comfy and helps me stay on my side.

Week 19

(Jan. 14 - 20 , 2014)

Anatomy scan week!  We got to see our entire baby this week!  We saw blood pumping through his heart, we saw his spine, stomach, bladder, etc etc!  It was all there and functioning properly!  So cool!  About halfway through though, I started feeling really weird. At first baby wasn't moving. His heart was beating, but we all kept making jokes about him sleeping and needing to wake up so we could get a better look at things. I didn't think I was bothered by not much movement, but the way I started to feel I felt as though I was panicking myself over nothing.  I started to zone out as Sean and the sonographer continued to talk about baby's anatomy. I couldn't shake the way I was feeling. I reached up and grabbed Sean and asked for my water, then said I wasn't feeling right and needed to sit up. Well, with that came numbing in my right arm and face. I was tingly and dizzy. The sonographer said I was fine and this happens to some who lay on their back too long, which I remember Dr. Allen telling me at my 15 week appointment. Apparently the weight of my uterus can cut circulation off to some important part (I don't know the medical term).  But bc I hadn't experienced it yet, I didn't know that's all it was! So I stayed sitting up for a couple more minutes and sipping my water. She propped the table up a little more and had me turn my legs and hips to one side. That fixed my awful feeling and I was back to enjoying the beautiful view in no time!

Week 20

(Jan. 21 - 27 , 2014)

The last evening of my 19th week, I laid down on the sofa after dinner and about 2 seconds later I officially felt the baby move!! Sean was washing dishes and he ran over thinking he'd be able to feel too!  No such luck. Towards the end of that evening and having felt quite a few swishy movements in my belly I started to feel weird. Like, confused!  It was such a strange feeling. There is now a baby moving inside my belly - & I better like the way it feels because there is no stopping it!  Like being in an airplane. Once you're in, you're in!  Freaked me out - for a minute - then Sean just laughed at me and couldn't believe what I was comparing it to. Ha, ok I get it. Silly!  By mid-week the baby was kicking (I guess it was kicking) with some mighty force. Sean ran over again and got to finally feel him. Pretty amazing.  Some days I feel him all the time and others not much. Towards the end of this week though, he's definitely gotten stronger and more active.  In other news this week...random pains. My hip hurts. Or my side is killing me. Oh also had some crazy neck stiffness for almost 3 days!  My yoga instructor (also a doula) suggested I switch to a different type of pillow. Problem solved!  We finished our partner pre-natal yoga series on Saturday and really learned a lot. We are heavily leaning towards hiring said doula to help us both during labor & delivery. Seems like a good idea, we think.

Week 21

(Jan. 28 - Feb. 3 , 2014)

This week flew by and baby is seriously starting to move, a lot!  And definitely with more force. We got our mattress ordered and the nursery is almost complete!  Yay!  We are waiting on our glider to come in. And we haven't ordered any of the art for the walls yet, but already have it picked out. This was a pretty uneventful week on the outside, but I'm sure not for baby on the inside! I woke up on Saturday of this week really feeling like my belly had seriously popped! When you look at next weeks picture, compared to this weeks you can definitely see the difference!  I take these pictures at the beginning of every week.

Week 22

(Feb. 4 - 10, 2014)

Wow this baby is growing by the looks of my belly!  He still moves a lot! It always makes me laugh when he starts really moving. Usually when I lay down to go to sleep he will have a few minutes of tossing himself around. On Tuesday night he didn't do it. I didn't feel him all night. So on Wednesday morning while in yoga he started tossing himself all over the place!  It was at the end of class when we were laying in shavasana (which is the pose of total relaxation). I was laying there propped up on the bolsters relaxing and taking in calming breaths after an hour of warrior poses and chair poses (ouch!) and there he goes!  I did everything I could to not start laughing! I mean, baby - you wait till NOW to move?  I felt as if he was throwing himself from side to side unhappy about me moving so much in class because he just couldn't get comfortable. Haha!  Also on Wednesday, Stephanie (yoga instructor/doula) came over to talk with Sean and I about her services. We all seem to be on the same page and I feel as though she understands our wants & needs. So with that, we have ourselves a doula!! I've felt great all week, but I feel as though some fatigue is starting to creep back in. Yuck!

Week 23

(Feb. 11 - 17, 2014)

I think the hunger has set in. I eat and instantly think of eating again. Oh no!  This means I better really crack down on eating good, whole foods or the pounds are going to start piling on if I'm not careful!  I am always hungry!  I am tired enough for a nap a lot, but when I lay down and close my eyes I'm wide awake and not interested in napping after about 15 minutes. It's weird! Maybe it's my brain not turning off or just all the rest I really need. I started an actual prenatal yoga class this week. There are 10 other preggos in the class. I can't help but think how funny it'd look if someone were to walk in the room and see all of us in downward facing dog, ha!  The weather is finally nice enough to start going on walks which I'm excited about. We went the other night for the first time and about 3/4 of the way through I was having to walk hunched over bc of pain in my side. It was just loads of fun! Turns out it was round ligament pain that intensified later. But thankfully went away before bed!  I'll be needing some new maternity clothes soon for warmer weather! Valentine's Day was on Friday and Sean gifted me unlimited back and foot massages throughout the rest of my pregnancy :)

Week 24

(Feb. 18 - 24, 2014)

Week 24 has arrived! I haven't exactly been looking forward to this week because of the much talked about, dreaded Glucose Tolerant test they give at the doctor. You drink a sugary drink, wait an hour, then they draw blood. Everyone talks about how AWFUL it is and say things like, "Ugh, gross" & "Yuck! Hope you don't throw up!". I had my test on Wednesday. The first sip I took I chugged as much as possible. When I swallowed, I looked at the lab tech and said, "this is not that bad." It tasted like an orange Hi-C. I couldn't figure out what the big deal about the stupid drink was. Is it something I'd want to drink again, no. But was I going to throw up? No! I had 5 minutes to drink it and only took about 1.5 mins. Why drag it out! My only problem was how cold it was! Hello brain freeze! Afterwards she gave me a timer set for 1 hour. I was then led to the exam room where Sean was waiting for me. My blood pressure was high (totally abnormal for me). They had me lay on my left side for a while. Rechecked - HIGH! All I could figure was it must have been from that sugary drink! Dr. Allen came in shortly after. We talked and discussed our having a doula and birth plan, she measured baby - which btw is measuring 3 weeks ahead!, and then she rechecked my blood pressure. FINALLY! A normal read! About that time, my 1 hour was up and back to the lab I went to get my blood drawn. That was super quick and we were out of there! We are getting another sonogram next month so she can get an accurate read for just how big baby boy is! OhMY!

I have felt great all week except for bedtime. I have had excruciating hip pain. Gosh, it's miserable. I am learning how to adjust the pillows I think, finally, to try to take some of the pressure off of them. Last two nights have been better! Oh, and good news...I passed my glucose test. BUT - I am slightly anemic. Now I have to take an iron supplement.

Week 25

(Feb. 25 - March 3, 2014)

Things are going good! I had a few nights of bad sleep this week. Between hip pain and constant trips to the bathroom - which then had me realizing how hungry I am- it made for a sleepy week! But usually if one night is bad, the next I sleep like a baby (ha!)! Towards the end of this week the weather started to warm up and I am realizing very quickly that I'm going to need to start buying a few spring/summer things. I am convinced baby is still growing like a weed! I'm really anxious for that sonogram in a few weeks so I can find out just how big he has gotten! His jabs have really intensified and are much stronger, getting me on both sides at one time! Hello long legs!! In nursery news - we received a stack of books from Sean's aunt and uncle in NYC of his cousin's favorite children's books! I love this gift so much and already have them neatly arranged on the bookshelf :) We are finally installing the dimmer and new light fixture! Can't wait to see it up!

Week 26

(March 4 - 10, 2014)

It's the last week of my second trimester! Definitely nearing the home stretch, and even though we have 3 months left, it feels as though it's here! By mid-week, 3rd trimester fatigue has already settled in. Uggg! I'm not ready to feel tired all day again, so not fun! Other than constantly wanting to nap, I'm still feeling good! No hip or back pain this week! We got the first piece of art up in the nursery today. This was the inspiration behind the whole room, so it feels good to finally get it in there! Second trimester, you were very good to me, and I will miss you. But you being gone gets me one step closer to meeting my son!

A few notes:

- I have only gained a total of 7 lbs! I feel pretty pleased with this and wonder when the lbs are going to start piling on. Yikes!

- I have been consistently going to yoga 3 days a week since 18 weeks. Weird how this is the best workout routine I've ever had in my life, in terms of sticking with it!

- My only real consistent craving is sweets. I keep it under control, but I've never wanted something sweet so much in my life. I wake up every morning dreaming of fluffy pancakes (which I don't eat, but would love to - and definitely would if they were in front of me!

- I have found that my hunger goes in waves. Some days (or weeks) I literally can't eat enough, while others I eat normally and am fine.

- I have grown to absolutely love baby's movements. And now, I laugh at my reaction to them in the beginning. Silly me!

- I am convinced this baby will be here before June. But, we shall see!