I'm 21 weeks pregnant. OVER halfway there. What?
I must say, the rumors about the second trimester being the best one are true. It is better than the first in SO many ways. For one, I actually look pregnant and not just chunky. Additionally, it is fun to be able to talk openly about being pregnant rather than keeping it a secret. That drove me CRAZY! I'm a fairly open person, and when it came to something that I was so excited about, holding it in was pretty sucky. The best part about the second trimester is NO MORE SICKNESS!! I love being able to eat in peace without fear of puking later.
Here are some pictures of my growing midsection during trimester:
Womp! I feel like my tummy has exploded. I feel HUGE! And before anyone coos about how I am not that big, save it. I've already been told multiple times that I look too big to be only 21 weeks. Awesome. My friend explained that she thinks it is because I am so short, that my baby can only grow OUT, not up and down. I'll stick with that theory, I suppose.
I reeeeally try to stay positive with my pregnancy because I truly see it as a blessing in my life, but it is not all peaches n' cream. I've heard some girls state the good, the bad, and the ugly of pregnancy. I feel that focuses too much of negative aspects, so instead I'll update my current status with the good, the hard, and the entertaining.
The Good: As I mentioned earlier, I am no longer sick. Woohoo! Also, I don't have any stretch marks on my stomach (yet). I am paranoid about getting them and have a daily regimen of dry brushing, exfoliating my stomach in the shower, and smothering my torso with vitamin E oil, sweet almond oil, coco butter, and a lotion that Jordan got me. I'm sure many would roll their eyes and think "It's no use, she'll still get them," but I am determined to try to fight them off!
Another fun thing is according to the internet (which is ALWAYS accurate), my baby can hear! Mainly, he just hears the blood and heart, and sources say he can hear my voice too. This makes me so happy. I have become a singing fool! Anytime I am in the car by myself, I sing songs out loud, thinking my baby might hear something. One thing that I really look forward to is sing to and with my kid, so it makes me giddy. I am also constantly rubbing my belly. It's fun to think that between my hand and baby is just skin and guts.
The Hard: Sleep sucks. Whenever I don't have terrible insomnia, I struggle to get comfortable. I yearn to lay on my stomach or back. Once I finally DO fall asleep, I have crazy dreams that are so stressful, scary, or strange, that I hardly wake up relaxed and rested. Often my nightmares are interrupted by me waking up with sore legs. I bought a large body pillow which seems to help a little.
Another hard thing is accepting my changing body. I'm embarrassed to say that I'm not as in love with my baby bump as I thought I would be. I always hoped I would be one of the lucky ones who only get big in their belly and the rest of their body looks the same. Sadly, everything between my armpits to my knees has gotten "softer". Blergh. Plus, even though I KNOW I have to gain weight during my pregnancy, it sure is hard to see the number on the scale go up and up. I'm now the heaviest I've ever been in my life, and I still have 4.5 months of pregnancy left. Gulp.
The Entertaining: Pregnancy brings out my emotions BIG TIME. For example, a few weeks ago I went shopping at Aldi's. Aldi's is a grocery store that offers discounted food, but the catch is you have to bag your own groceries and you can only use a debit card or cash to pay for your items. I had gone through the store, stocked up on all our groceries for the week and checked out. As the cashier was ringing up all my groceries, it hit me. I didn't have my debit card with me. I had taken out pretty much all wallet items from my wallet and purse except for my license and one credit card before I went to NYC to avoid theft. I told the teenaged cashier, "I am so sorry. I don't have my debit card or cash. I can't pay for any of this." He looked at me with a blank look and said something along the lines of "Uhhhhh...." I told him to just put my groceries in my cart and I would put them back. The cashier responded, "Uhhhh....k, Sorry." As I went to put the groceries back I could feel tears starting to swell. It really wasn't a big deal. Sure, it was annoying, but it was totally manageable. Then the manager came up to me and said, "Ma'am, you don't have to put those away. We'd be happy to do it for you." I croaked out an "Ok, thanks. Sorry!" and tried to scurry away as my tears began to flow. I speed walked to my car and as soon as I hopped in, I started to bawl. Like full on sobbing, like Jordan-just-died sobbing. I drove home having this conversation with my mind:
Mind: Chill out, this is not a big deal.
Me: WAAAAAA!!!! *Sob* WAAAAA!
Mind: It's OK! Just go back tomorrow. Buy the same stuff. You have free time tomorrow.
Me: WAAAAAA!!!! *sniff sniff* WAAAAA!
Mind: Really? You do realize this is a total overreaction. You're making us both look bad.
Me: WAAAAAAAAAA!!
Mind: Ok, fine. Go nuts. I give up.
Me: WAAAAAA!
See? Sometimes pregnancy can be downright entertaining.
