Pregnancy Observations: Part Two

I'm either done with my second trimester or this is the last week of it.  I've definitely gone through more changes in the last 3 months than I ever thought would be possible for my body to go through.  We thought puberty was bad!  Throughout the second trimester, I've gone from normal clothes to not fitting into anything that wasn't loose before.  I got a haircut because, let's be honest, it was getting a little out of control (case in point--middle photo in the bottom 3).  People stare at me a lot more (or maybe I'm more self-conscious because I'm SICK of wearing makeup so I haven't been putting much on lately).  And I'm getting more and more excited about holding this little baby in my arms instead of around my waist.

Some things I discovered over the past couple of months...

The second trimester truly is the best.  

I had so much energy.  About two weeks ago, I really started having trouble sleeping because I can't lay on my stomach at all anymore.  (Before I got too big, I was able to kind of sleep half on my side, half on my stomach.)  When I wake up, my hips hurt and my shoulders and arms are actually sore from laying on them.  But overall, I felt great.  I no longer had to carry a bottle of Tylenol in my purse and the back pain that I experienced during the first trimester was much more manageable.

People really focus on the negative and like the to tell you all about it.

I'm honestly not nervous about the giving birth part of this whole experience.  (I am extremely nervous about the recovery period though.)  People seem to really like talking about their experiences (which I'm totally fine with) but sometimes a little discretion would be nice.  There are quite a few people that I know that have been pregnant and I love talking to them about how things are going because instead of being negative about things, they really listen and have good advice.  Actually, now that I think about it, it's mostly strangers that I don't like hearing stories from.  My friends have all been incredibly helpful.

Working out is incredibly helpful.

At first, with all my back pain, going to the gym really helped stretch out my back and it really helped me feel good.  Now that I'm not dealing with that as much, I've still been going once or twice a week along with going on long walks at night with Carson because it's been really helpful to keep my hips not hurting at night.  I'm really hoping that by staying slightly active, my recovery time will be a little easier and quicker.  We'll see.  It at least makes me feel better physically and emotionally, which I like.

Pregnancy has turned me into a morning person.

Not willingly.  Literally since the day after I found out I was pregnant, I've been incapable of falling back asleep.  Carson had a shooting tournament a couple weekends ago and had to wake up at 5:45 AM on Saturday and you betcha I was up with him, washing the dishes as he got ready.  There's a part of me that kind of likes it.

I clean so much more than I ever did.

This could very well be because we own our house and I feel more responsible now.  Or it could be because I'm pregnant.  Who knows.  I love vacuuming and I've already told Carson that if he's feeling like buying me anything any time soon, it should be a new vacuum.  I've also made our bed every single morning this year.  Probably not a huge deal to most people, but my mom will understand how big of an accomplishment that is.

I NEVER know what to say when people ask me how pregnancy is going.

I feel INCREDIBLY blessed to have had such an easy pregnancy so far.  Everything has gone great aside from a few minor aches and pains that I DO NOT feel comfortable complaining about.  So when people ask me and I say "Great!" they look at me expectantly and I just don't know what other information they're looking for, haha.  Do people want like...details?  I never know.  People probably think I don't like talking about it or something but I honestly just don't know what else they want me to say.

So now we're down to just 3 months left.  I have mixed emotions about it ending.  On one hand, I love that she's safe in there and nothing can hurt her.  (I have been bumping into a lot more corners lately but I read that the baby is still safe if you fall flat on your belly...so I'm hoping my corner bumping is also okay.)  On the other hand, I want to experience all things baby.  She just needs to stay in at least 10 more weeks so she's full term, then we're ready for her to be here!!