Closing out the 2nd Trimester

I realize I haven't been blogging as much these days - nor do I make much time to blog about my pregnancy - so I figured I'd take a quiet Friday night like tonight to finally provide some sort of update. Let's call it the SO HOW ARE YOU DOING? update.

I'm doing fine. In fact, I'm radiant.

Here are some of the experiences I've had, second (feels funny to say third?) time around.

I'm overcome with a spidey sense of smell, even considering my daily congestion. Case in point - anytime Jon comes home after a night out with his work or rugby buddies, I can smell the liquor on his breath, emanating from his skin, even if he had just one drink many many hours ago! It's really weird (and makes me sick to my stomach).

So it was the most bizarre experience for me ever, the other morning, when I was sitting in a meeting with probably 20 other people in the room, and I was HIT, HIT HARD I tell you, with that same sickly smell of liquor. I was sitting between two men, and so for the rest of the meeting I stifled my gag while looking at each of them, back and forth, out of the corners of my eyes, trying to determine which one could it be that had been drinking. I tried convincing myself that it wasn't possible - it was 10:30am in the morning for God's Sake! (not to mention we were at work) - but I couldn't think of any other explanation. One of these guys was hittin' the bottle a bit early.

I definitely am feeling an increase in back pain and overall achyness. I've heard from a number of people that the more pregnancies you have, the harder and more terribly painful it is on your body. I would agree it's definitely harder and more painful, but not terribly painful as many people emphasize. I think you're just older (obviously) and possibly not in as good of shape as the previous pregnancy, and your body is just having a harder time with the stress that pregnancy causes on all of your joints, ligaments, body and mind. That is, anyway, what I'm chalking my aches and pains up to.

There's no doubt my body was stretched to its limits with Logan's birth - and it's clear I have back problems - so none of this has come to much surprise.

What has come as a surprise to me is how EARLY on in the pregnancy I've noticed the aches and pains. I'm back to seeing my Physical Therapist weekly now, and she's confirmed my pelvis is loosey goosey (usually a good thing right?), which is ohhhhh so bad. Because guess what happens every morning and sometimes during the day too? It POPS. My pelvis POPS out of place and if I'm lucky, it POPS back into place. That, my friends, can be a bit more painful than a few stretching ligaments.

This little guy is more active than I ever remember Logan to be. Logan was a roller (and hiccup-er). He ROLLED from side to side, he ROLLED up and down, he ROLLED back and forth. I imagined knees and elbows and feet and a head all vying for more space or perhaps a better position to hang out in. This little guy has found his favorite spot - LOVING my left side - so he's content to stay there. But, he can't stop moving. He's my ridiculously hyper ninja. He boxes and kicks like crazy. Non-stop. Like, morning, noon and night non-stop. It can be hard to fall asleep some nights, with this little guy just poking me every second. POKE. POKE. POKE. POKE. Mommy are you still awake? Yessssss. POKE.

Let me just say I'm not looking forward to another round of sleepless nights once this guy joins us in the outside world.

Since I've been through it before, I know what to expect. And that is why I've been procrastinating taking my glucose screening test (to check for gestational diabetes). I know, I know, it's bad. But, I guess I'm waiting until the very last minute? I don't know. If you've never taking a glucose test before, it's pretty yucky. You have to down this bottle of sweet syrupy stuff one hour before your blood is drawn (and after fasting all night). The test looks at how well your body is able to metabolize the sugars in your system.

When I was pregnant with Logan, I didn't pass the first screening so I had to go back for the second (glucose tolerance) test. The second test was way worse. You have to drink another bottle of sweet syrupy stuff - but MORE of it - because they want it to stay in your system a bit longer. You then sit and wait, having your blood drawn FOUR times after that, once per hour. It's a long (starving) morning and isn't any fun at all. I did fine after the glucose tolerance test but my previous OB was a little more relaxed than this one is - so I have a feeling a few more flags will be raised on me this time around. And Lord knows, I CAN'T GIVE UP MY CARBS!

Okay, I can. For this little one, I can. But, I will wait until the very last minute for them to tell me I have to and will only do it if they say I must. Damnit.

Just this morning as I was wrapping up one meeting and heading to another, my stomach started GROWLING louder than ever. In a MEETING. In front of MY COWORKERS. In front of my MALE coworkers. Good job Bree, so feminine and coy. *sigh*

It reminded me of a few times Jon and I were lazying around in the den, watching some TV before going to bed. My stomach would start to gurgle those digestive noises that happen after a big meal I guess? I really don't know - but let me tell you - I think they are 100 times louder when you're pregnant. And just when I thought, well maybe they are just loud to me because you know, I'm right HERE and all, Jon would look up from across the room at me and say "Jesus Babe! Is that your stomach making all of those noises?!?!?"

Every other day, if not every day, someone comments on how BIG I am (No seriously Bree, you are really really big! Like, bigger than my sister who is due next week, big!) and inevitably asks the big question "So WHEN exactly are you due again???" As if to say GIRRRRRL you look like you are about to pop, so shouldn't you be home and having that baby already?

Thankfully, I've got a pretty tough skin and frankly, have gotten used to the insensitive and rude comments that people think they can get away with just because you're pregnant.

But, the few who have actually said something more positive are the ones who make my day. Thank goodness for those precious few in my life, because even a girl with thick skin needs a pick me up from time to time.

I think I've mentioned it before, but with Logan I would read my pregnancy journal every night and squeal with excitement at the idea that he's now the size of a sesame seed. Oh! He's the size of a dime. Wow, Jon can you imagine? Now he stands about as high as the short side of a credit card!

And so on, and so on.

This time around I'm lucky if I can read my journal once or twice a week and usually read the updates with a different light of discovery. "Huh. Would you look at that. He's just about 2 lbs now."

And with a blink of an eye, I realize that I'm already closing out the 2nd trimester and turning the last corner of the run home.