Week 23: Second Trimester Living

My second trimester lifestyle--while, okay, still a lot harder than non-pregnant life--is a million, billion times better than the first. Honestly, I am still in denial about the first trimester having happened. I cannot think about it. I cannot write about it. I do not want to look at pictures from it. It. Was. Terrible.

Because I'm teeny-tiny, I am already feeling the physical weight take its toll on me as I carry this cute girl around. So the second trimester is all about minimizing everything, bumping into things with my belly, and striving for as much 1) movement and 2) ease of life as possible. THANKFULLY THANKFULLY the nausea is almost nil now, though my mouth still tastes bad (normal pregnancy thing per the doc--darn) so I go through a lot of chewing gum. Like a Costco pack a month. My bod is definitely feeling heavier, my belly has more than popped out, and someone at church yesterday asked me when I was due--clearly expecting it to be sooner than September. #still17weeksleft

Now that I've hashtagged that I'm thinking about how dorky/ridiculous/old fashioned  hashtagging will probably be by the time this baby girl reads the story of my pregnancy with her in book form. I guess its just one of those things she can be thankful she missed, like how I'm glad I didn't have to do 80's hair.

This evening I'm sitting on my blue chair in our (apartment master) bedroom again, shouting to Charlie (because it is after bedtime and I am off duty as far as, you know, parenting while standing up/moving/walking) to stop freaking out about how the clock in his room is one minute different than the clock in Gracie's room. Steve's gone out to grab us Chipotle (second trimester life: we've both thrown our hands up and given up on cooking dinner every night). He'll be back soon and we'll eat burritos and watch Netflix and that will be happy.

(And then I took a hiatus from writing this post for like a week and a half.)

Other second trimester stuff?

Ice. Again. (Still?) Obssessed with ice. Chewing some right now. Carefully. Daydreaming about buying a whole bag of Sonic ice to shove into our teeny apartment-refrigerator. Can't stop, won't stop.

Exercise: It happens now! And only once have I climbed right in bed afterward and started eating Ben + Jerry's ice cream. (I feel zero guilt about this.)

Belly buttons! We talk about them a lot. Charlie in particular has a lot of belly-button-related inquiries. He's still trying to grasp the way the umbilical cord works for the baby, and he's fixated with how my belly button sticks out (you can totes see it through my shirt already) and likes to poke it. (I do not like this. Belly buttons are not meant to be touched.)

Peeing: At least twice per night. The last time is usually around 4:30, and there is this bird in the parking lot who is already singing by then even though it is still dark. Not cool, bird.

Also a lot a lot a lot during the day. Because hydration is my jam. Also ice.

Drive through groceries! This is the best thing ever for a tired pregnant mama with a van full of (hungry) children. For $17 a month, you can order whatever you want online from Harris Teeter and they will SHOP FOR YOU, and when you drive over, and THEY WILL BRING IT TO YOUR CAR.

I do not have to push a cart. I do not even have to get out of the air conditioned driver's seat--they bring out a tablet thing so I can pay the bill. This is literally heavenly to me. And I know what literally means.

Oh yeah--and sometimes it rains. And I still don't have to get out.

See the gum clutched desperately between my teeth? ;)

As long-time in-school/residency poorsies, $17 counts as a lot of dollars to us. But right now? TOTALLY WORTH IT. I would pay more. (But don't tell them.)

Styes. Yep. Again. Though this time they are fewer and much further between--and I haven't hit Quasimodo status.

Naps: 1-2 hours. Everyday. Necessary. Wonderful.

Hunger. I'm hungry. Really hungry. :)

Crying. Okay, this might be the weirdest thing--I'm not really crying much. I might even be crying less than I do when I'm not pregnant. I'm totally cool with this, but, you know, for a girl who cries over that ASPCA commercial (you know, the Sarah McLauchlan one with the sad puppies?) its... unexpected.

Clothes: I'm growing out of them. Here's the stack that got put away last week. Thank goodness for maxi dresses--I have a feeling they might be all I've got left by the end of this. :)

One-floor life. So, other than having to climb a set of stairs to get from the car to the door, apartment-living is kind of perfect for a pregnant woman. Everything is on one level--no up and down to do laundry, check what the kids are up to, or get a brownie and glass of milk from the kitchen to go eat in my bed while I read. It's basically ideal.

ALSO! AT THIS APARTMENT, SOMEONE COMES BY YOUR FRONT DOOR EVERY WEEKDAY AND TAKES OUT YOUR GARBAGE FOR YOU!!!! WHAT?!?!?!?

That alone would make it worth it. :)

22 Weeks: A Dr. Visit and The Summer of Moving

It's kind of crazy how quickly things change, isn't it? Even planned things, things you've known about for months like a move or taking a final or something--its like for months you're planning and then suddenly its this blur of happening.

This time last week we were in our little house on Shillington with a few boxes packed. Today I'm sitting in my beloved blue armchair in the cozy master of our temporary apartment, exhausted and still only halfway (I hope?) through unpacking.

Rest and 10 minute breaks have been my good friends.

We have moved every single time I have been pregnant (1 week before Gracie was born, during the 1st trimester of Charlie, and in the 2nd trimester with Juliette), but this is the first time we will tackle 3 moves in just about as many months. We're here in the apartment in Winston while Steve finishes up PGY3 (final year of residency) and the older kiddos finish 2nd grade/preschool. The first week of July we'll make the trek to San Antonio, and live in another apartment there while the house we've commissioned (HOORAY!) is built. And then in the weeks just before or just after baby girl's arrival (depending on when she comes and how fast Texan builders build) we'll be moving for the third time, into our new Texas home.

All this is why I've unofficially dubbed these next few months as "The Summer of Moving."

Anyway, it definitely wore us all out--even the toddler.

But we're happy to be getting settled in our little apartment (which has a POOL!), AND that the next time we move, the military is going to come right over here and pack all our stuff up. #winning

Two Fridays ago, just before Mother's Day, we hit the 22 week mark with this cute and wiggly little lady. She is reportedly the size of a "small spaghetti squash," and according to the ultrasound we had on Monday of this week, she weighs 1 pound, 3 oz. That's no small baby to fit in a tiny-house mama, which is probably why I've suddenly started noticing that my belly runs in to everything now--the bathroom counter, the washing machine, and poor Juliette's noggin. (I've almost knocked her over a few times now.)

Perhaps the very best part of Monday's visit, though, was discovering that after four months, the SCH is gone! No more hemorrhage! Seeing the relief and joy on Steve's face when I told him almost hurt my heart. It's got to be hard to be weighed down the the burden of knowledge--his job means he knows all the "what ifs" that go along with anything remotely scary in pregnancy. But he's so good at hiding it that I didn't know he was still so worried.

There aren't words, really, to express how glad I am that this thing has healed up and our baby has a safer home in my belly now.

The first few months of this year were so hard. The illness, the bleeding, the constant worry, the uncertainty of where our path was taking us. I'm not sure of all the whys yet--what the greater point of that dark time for my soul was--but I am seeing now the beauty Heavenly Father is unfolding for us. There are still miles to go--literal and figurative--before we reach a point of more rest and a little more ease, but I am so thankful for the sunshine that is beginning to refill my heart. I certainly appreciate it more now than I did before.

That said... the refiner's fire still isn't my favorite. ;)

xo,

Jamie

p.s.

Stats (as of doctor appt):
Weeks pregnant: 22 weeks, 3 days
Baby's fruit/food size: Small spaghetti squash
Net weight gain: 16 lbs
Doctor visits: 5
Cups peed in: 6
Blood draws: 4
Ultrasounds: 6

21 Weeks: Home Sweet San Antonio

The day before we reached 21 weeks, Steve flew out to Texas.

It was so last minute that it never even made it on our Google calendar. Our initial plan had been to head out to San Antonio and hang out in military temporary housing while we house-hunted together. But on Monday of the week Steve left, he kind of casually came up with the idea that he go out himself and Skype with me while he toured some houses. And Thursday morning (dark and early) he headed to the Charlotte airport and was off.

The Ottos, who were our across-the-street neighbors when Grace and Charlie were little, put him up for the weekend. I was so glad to have him staying with a sweet family instead of alone in some random hotel. Their daughter Faye even drew him a picture, and he watched a lot of Spurs basketball with the boys & their dad.

And during the day, he house hunted. Thursday was kind of a bust--he found zero properties he was interested in. But on Friday we found a place we loved, and put in an offer. Saturday he was left to explore the neighborhood while we waited for a response from the seller, and I suggested he check out some new builds so we would have a backup.

He called me from their model home and said, "You shouldn't have sent me here. I LOVE this."

He took me on a Skype tour and we talked numbers. Meanwhile the seller of the other house we liked came back with a not-very-compelling offer.

San Antonio LDS temple.

After some conversation, prayer, and a trip to the San Antonio temple for my Steven, we decided to go with a new build. And then the whirlwind began!

He signed papers and went straight to the showroom where we started making as many choices as we could so the house could get started ASAP. Grown up choices, like which tile to match with granite! Yikes! We both kind of couldn't believe we were doing it. :)

He even drove over to our very own dirt lot and showed me where our house would be.

The kids and I spent Daddy's time away at swimming lessons, hanging out at home, going to church, and hanging out at home. I was so thankful for a sweet lady from church who brought us dinner Monday night (Steve's last day gone) when I was worn to the bone. My poor little body was so wiped out that I got a stye and a cold sore, on top of needing a few days of good naps to catch up. But we did it! And now we've got a house in the works to take this little baby home to. <3