Oh Baby

I have been feeling a little guilty about my lack of blogging/documenting this second pregnancy. We were pretty good about taking 'belly pictures' every week or so when I was pregnant with Luke and writing down all the major events throughout that pregnancy. This time around I feel as though I am already neglecting this poor baby! It's not that this pregnancy is any less special or that we love this baby any less, it's just that life is busier with a toddler. But enough of my excuses.

I mentioned in my previous post that I had my 20 week ultrasound on Dec. 27th. I still have to scan the pictures we were given so I can put them up on the blog and send them to grandparents. In the meantime picture half baby, half alien and you pretty much have a good mental image of what our baby looks like at this point. We opted not to find out the gender again - while it was very tempting to know (especially since the technician said she could easily tell, this baby is not shy) it was so much fun being 'surprised' when Luke was born that we want to have the same thrill with this baby as well.

So far, things have been going great in this pregnancy. The first trimester was a bit rough, more so than my first pregnancy. I was sick and felt lousy a lot more often than I had with Luke. There was even one week when we joked that there was no doubt this was Matt's baby because every time I ate cereal of any kind I would throw it up within minutes. Sorry if reading that makes you queasy, its more for our memory's sake. :)

Since the second trimester hit I have been feeling great - lots of energy, still sleeping well, not too uncomfortable and starting to feel this baby move around, which is always incredible. To be perfectly honest, I feel as though I have enjoyed this pregnancy more than my first pregnancy. The first time around was amazing, don't get me wrong. Everything was new and exciting but also anxiety promoting and nerve racking with the threat of the unknown. This time, I feel as though I know more of what to expect, what's normal and what's not, have more realistic expectations about my body, weight gain, water retention, etc. so I'm more comfortable and relaxed about all the changes.

As time passes, I get more and more excited about the thought of being a mother of two. I have

had my moments of panic, wondering how I'm going to manage but then I look at friends who have two, or more, and our parents, who managed with three and figure I'll manage just fine... eventually... I hope. :)

The latest 'belly pic' at 21 weeks