So Many Updates
Today, I am 31 weeks and 3 days, and somehow I feel like I am smaller than I was around this time with W's pregnancy. I just checked out the baby bump pictures and realized how huge I really was. Perhaps that means this baby will be baking for longer than W did. I am hoping hard.
As this is the first post I've been inspired to write from a place of calm and not-rushing, I want to reflect on how different this pregnancy is from my first. The first trimester went by so quickly, and I barely noticed I was pregnant those first 3 months. I continued attending TKD classes, and though I cut back on the jumping kicks and really jarring movements, I feel like it set the stage for the remainder of the pregnancy. Nausea was easily managed by not letting myself get hungry and eating well-balanced meals. I probably gained a pound during that first trimester. So, second trimester. I was expecting this to be my "honeymoon" period of pregnancy, but oh no. I was exhausted. This is when the fatigue really set it, and attending TKD classes was no longer an option. My joints became too loose to handle the pivoting and hip movements. It ended up coinciding with our move to Holly Springs, so though I wasn't on the mat, I was still busy with the move. The other big thing during 2nd trimester was the round ligament pain. It is so much worse (more intense and sharper) than the first time around. I had no idea. Why did no one warn me about that?! I put on a little more weight, but no more than 4-5 pounds. I realized around the half-way point of pregnancy (about 20 weeks) that I was expecting to feel normal (my "normal") and was constantly miserable because the expectations were just plain unrealistic. I mean, who feels *normal* when they're pregnant? There is a tiny human growing and changing inside you every day, and you expect to feel like you're not housing another person. Whatever. So once I reconciled this way of thinking, my pregnancy got a bit easier to cope with...at least, mentally for me. Now, into the 3rd trimester. My body just hurts. Every morning. Sleep is sometimes very deep and very restful, but other days, the insomnia kicks my butt. But shifting to get out of bed in the morning is getting to be a hit to my ego. I feel like a bug that is stuck on its back with legs (and arms) in the air, flailing around trying to get up or at least flip over. My body (baby belly) feel enormous, but I'm told repeated that "I look great" and don't really look like I'm 6 months pregnant. So, thanks for the ego boost, folks! It helps. I've been really trying to watch my salt intake and not consume too much. I don't want to swell more than is expected, and my shoes still fit, and last time I checked, so did my wedding rings. Some days I feel good and energized. Other days, I feel wretched and only want to plant my butt on the couch or bed and veg. On most days, I have a toddler that only wants Mom to do things for him (get him food, feed him food, get him water, change his clothes/diaper, give him a bath, brush his teeth, etc.) and refuses any assistance at all from Dad, so much of the time, I am on my feet and moving. Overall, this is probably a good thing, though it makes me crabby because I'm just exhausted. Lately, I can feel myself gaining weight. That probably sounds crazy, but I wake in the morning, and the pressure on my feet and hips is more than it was the day before. Up to this point, I've probably gained about 12 pounds over the entire pregnancy, which is good because I still have 9 more weeks to go. And if the estimate is to gain a pound a week, I will be gaining another 9 pounds. A total of 21 pounds for a pregnancy isn't too shabby and is within the range I gave myself when I first found out I was pregnant. This baby moves waaaay more than W ever did in the womb. He is quite fond of the right side and is constantly kicking me and rolling around over there. It's a wonder how he can move so dang much. It's a wonderful sensation, feeling a baby move inside you, but it can also make it difficult to relax and sleep sometimes. When I'm winding down in bed, he's doing somersaults. When I'm still and looking, I can see my stomach move as the baby moves. Really neat.
William has been pretty great about the baby. He constantly wants to touch my tummy and rub it, especially when I tell him it hurts. He puts his hands on the baby belly and says, "Oh, I felt it move." It's really sweet when he's giving the belly kisses. He has been so affectionate lately, giving hugs and kisses and making sure everyone gets hugs (and kisses) when we part. Just this morning, he woke and asked for "tighter snuggles." OMG. Heart melting. At this point, I can't imagine having 2 boys, but there will be twice as much love going around!
House stuff...Unpacking is done, and most items have been given a home. There are few a straggling items, but it's a relief to have most things put away. We all went to Furnitureland South in Jamestown, NC, and spent 6 hours there looking for furniture. Thankfully, though, we found a couch, dining table, dining chairs, barstools, and a rug. It is scheduled to be delivered right around the time the baby is born, which is way later than I had wanted, but hey, it's done.
Lately, I've been focusing on the back patio, getting furniture, cushions, and decor put up. The ceiling fans make it a really awesome place to sit and be on the computer (like I am now). I love the sound of crickets and whatnot outside, and especially *LOVE* that there is an outdoor space mostly free of mosquitos. I am currently on the hunt for a rug out here but can't seem to find one that screams "that's the one!" when I see it. I feel like it needs more plants and foliage out here, but maybe some other things, like string lights and other do-dads to hang. I'm loving the space, though.
In other news, we signed W up in half-day preschool. When we went to tour the school, he asked if he could go play. The director said sure, and he jumped right in! When we left, he asked to go back! It was such a huge difference from the first preschool we visited, where W said, "I want to go home," before we even finished the tour. Dave & I took it to be a sign that he was ready, and so far it's been a great decision. W gets to play and socialize with people other than us for 4 hours, Dave & I get 4 hours of kid-free time to spend how we choose. After the baby arrives, we'll have some time to adjust with just baby, while W has his own thing going on too. It's been a win for us. Plus, W's speech therapy will start back sometime in mid- to late-August, so we'll be busy folks around here!
Since we moved in to our new house, 6-7 families have moved in to the houses on our street, and almost all of them have young families. It's been amazing meeting the neighbors. So far, the kids' ages range from 10 years old to 1 year old with 2 babies on the way (one due in July and mine due in August). There are older kids as well (teens), but I was mostly interested in kids who are W's age that he can play with and grow up with. It feels like it was a good choice to move here. We've met more families in our immediate area in the last month than I met in our old neighborhood in a decade. It probably has something to do with having kids of our own, but still...this area just feels different, and it's what we were looking for, I think. It may be early to tell yet, but I envision W telling me he's going over to the neighbor's house to play (insert kid's name), and we won't have to worry because we've gotten to know the families around us. There was an impromptu neighborhood party on our street over the weekend (about 4-5 houses down), and about 5 families gathered to drink beer, eat pizza, huddle around a fire pit, and just talk and get to know each other. It was pretty great. I'm looking forward to more times like that. Perhaps not while there are littles who still have early bedtimes (not my kid), but that phase won't last forever.
Anyway, that's about all the updates I can think of so far. D & W ought to be back from the store soon, so I'll sign off. There will probably be a newborn the next time I sign on to write a post.
As this is the first post I've been inspired to write from a place of calm and not-rushing, I want to reflect on how different this pregnancy is from my first. The first trimester went by so quickly, and I barely noticed I was pregnant those first 3 months. I continued attending TKD classes, and though I cut back on the jumping kicks and really jarring movements, I feel like it set the stage for the remainder of the pregnancy. Nausea was easily managed by not letting myself get hungry and eating well-balanced meals. I probably gained a pound during that first trimester. So, second trimester. I was expecting this to be my "honeymoon" period of pregnancy, but oh no. I was exhausted. This is when the fatigue really set it, and attending TKD classes was no longer an option. My joints became too loose to handle the pivoting and hip movements. It ended up coinciding with our move to Holly Springs, so though I wasn't on the mat, I was still busy with the move. The other big thing during 2nd trimester was the round ligament pain. It is so much worse (more intense and sharper) than the first time around. I had no idea. Why did no one warn me about that?! I put on a little more weight, but no more than 4-5 pounds. I realized around the half-way point of pregnancy (about 20 weeks) that I was expecting to feel normal (my "normal") and was constantly miserable because the expectations were just plain unrealistic. I mean, who feels *normal* when they're pregnant? There is a tiny human growing and changing inside you every day, and you expect to feel like you're not housing another person. Whatever. So once I reconciled this way of thinking, my pregnancy got a bit easier to cope with...at least, mentally for me. Now, into the 3rd trimester. My body just hurts. Every morning. Sleep is sometimes very deep and very restful, but other days, the insomnia kicks my butt. But shifting to get out of bed in the morning is getting to be a hit to my ego. I feel like a bug that is stuck on its back with legs (and arms) in the air, flailing around trying to get up or at least flip over. My body (baby belly) feel enormous, but I'm told repeated that "I look great" and don't really look like I'm 6 months pregnant. So, thanks for the ego boost, folks! It helps. I've been really trying to watch my salt intake and not consume too much. I don't want to swell more than is expected, and my shoes still fit, and last time I checked, so did my wedding rings. Some days I feel good and energized. Other days, I feel wretched and only want to plant my butt on the couch or bed and veg. On most days, I have a toddler that only wants Mom to do things for him (get him food, feed him food, get him water, change his clothes/diaper, give him a bath, brush his teeth, etc.) and refuses any assistance at all from Dad, so much of the time, I am on my feet and moving. Overall, this is probably a good thing, though it makes me crabby because I'm just exhausted. Lately, I can feel myself gaining weight. That probably sounds crazy, but I wake in the morning, and the pressure on my feet and hips is more than it was the day before. Up to this point, I've probably gained about 12 pounds over the entire pregnancy, which is good because I still have 9 more weeks to go. And if the estimate is to gain a pound a week, I will be gaining another 9 pounds. A total of 21 pounds for a pregnancy isn't too shabby and is within the range I gave myself when I first found out I was pregnant. This baby moves waaaay more than W ever did in the womb. He is quite fond of the right side and is constantly kicking me and rolling around over there. It's a wonder how he can move so dang much. It's a wonderful sensation, feeling a baby move inside you, but it can also make it difficult to relax and sleep sometimes. When I'm winding down in bed, he's doing somersaults. When I'm still and looking, I can see my stomach move as the baby moves. Really neat.
William has been pretty great about the baby. He constantly wants to touch my tummy and rub it, especially when I tell him it hurts. He puts his hands on the baby belly and says, "Oh, I felt it move." It's really sweet when he's giving the belly kisses. He has been so affectionate lately, giving hugs and kisses and making sure everyone gets hugs (and kisses) when we part. Just this morning, he woke and asked for "tighter snuggles." OMG. Heart melting. At this point, I can't imagine having 2 boys, but there will be twice as much love going around!
House stuff...Unpacking is done, and most items have been given a home. There are few a straggling items, but it's a relief to have most things put away. We all went to Furnitureland South in Jamestown, NC, and spent 6 hours there looking for furniture. Thankfully, though, we found a couch, dining table, dining chairs, barstools, and a rug. It is scheduled to be delivered right around the time the baby is born, which is way later than I had wanted, but hey, it's done.
Lately, I've been focusing on the back patio, getting furniture, cushions, and decor put up. The ceiling fans make it a really awesome place to sit and be on the computer (like I am now). I love the sound of crickets and whatnot outside, and especially *LOVE* that there is an outdoor space mostly free of mosquitos. I am currently on the hunt for a rug out here but can't seem to find one that screams "that's the one!" when I see it. I feel like it needs more plants and foliage out here, but maybe some other things, like string lights and other do-dads to hang. I'm loving the space, though.
In other news, we signed W up in half-day preschool. When we went to tour the school, he asked if he could go play. The director said sure, and he jumped right in! When we left, he asked to go back! It was such a huge difference from the first preschool we visited, where W said, "I want to go home," before we even finished the tour. Dave & I took it to be a sign that he was ready, and so far it's been a great decision. W gets to play and socialize with people other than us for 4 hours, Dave & I get 4 hours of kid-free time to spend how we choose. After the baby arrives, we'll have some time to adjust with just baby, while W has his own thing going on too. It's been a win for us. Plus, W's speech therapy will start back sometime in mid- to late-August, so we'll be busy folks around here!
Since we moved in to our new house, 6-7 families have moved in to the houses on our street, and almost all of them have young families. It's been amazing meeting the neighbors. So far, the kids' ages range from 10 years old to 1 year old with 2 babies on the way (one due in July and mine due in August). There are older kids as well (teens), but I was mostly interested in kids who are W's age that he can play with and grow up with. It feels like it was a good choice to move here. We've met more families in our immediate area in the last month than I met in our old neighborhood in a decade. It probably has something to do with having kids of our own, but still...this area just feels different, and it's what we were looking for, I think. It may be early to tell yet, but I envision W telling me he's going over to the neighbor's house to play (insert kid's name), and we won't have to worry because we've gotten to know the families around us. There was an impromptu neighborhood party on our street over the weekend (about 4-5 houses down), and about 5 families gathered to drink beer, eat pizza, huddle around a fire pit, and just talk and get to know each other. It was pretty great. I'm looking forward to more times like that. Perhaps not while there are littles who still have early bedtimes (not my kid), but that phase won't last forever.
Anyway, that's about all the updates I can think of so far. D & W ought to be back from the store soon, so I'll sign off. There will probably be a newborn the next time I sign on to write a post.
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