Alrighty - so I am a couple weeks into the third (and final!) leg of this pregnancy journey, so I thought I'd jot down my thoughts on what the second trimester was like. People told me that the middle trimester is definitely the best of the three - and I can already tell that's going to ring true for me, as well.
The second trimester kicked off with our ice-cream themed Gender Reveal! We found out our little one was a little Miss, so mama here started seeing in shades of pink. What's comical is that the whole first trimester I told myself that if it was a girl, I wasn't doing pink.
Yeah, I totally drank the pink kool-aid. Not to mention, if you don't drink the pink kool-aid, it will be extremely hard to find decor for your nursery. Society has come a long way on things like technology, women in the workplace, and hairstyles, but when it comes to nurseries...girls are still pink and boys are still blue.
Anywho - so naturally after the gender reveal was the naming process. Fun fact: our boy names are set. Jeff and I have discussed, we have two names (both first and middle!) lined up for any male offspring we produce. But we weren't quite as prepared for a girl. Years ago I had always said I wanted a Kennedy Kate, but when we found out we were pregnant (and therefore you're attaching a once theoretical name to a real live human), it didn't give me all the feels. I loved Kennedy Kate because I love alliteration, so I started to think of S names that would go with Smith. And alas, we ended up with little miss Sadie Smith. Step one: CHECK.
Side note: in the interest of full disclosure, it really bothers me that Katy and Sadie rhyme. I feel like we're some sort of girl band. But alas, some things you just have to accept and move on.
So we were down to a middle name, had three to four options, and just couldn't decide. SO, I decided to ask all my friends and family their thoughts - and from this process I learned a very important lesson: don't ask all your friends and family their thoughts.
The likelihood of everyone I love agreeing on the same name was slim to none, but for the people-pleaser in me it was really hard to choose a name that I knew some of the people close to me didn't prefer. We got out our letterboard, set it up in the kitchen (where we were frequently passing through), and then would change out her middle name every few days to see how they all "felt." Eventually, we kept changing out the middle name back to the same one. And that's how we ended up with Sadie Kathryn. Sweet girl will share a middle name (and the same initials!) with her mama.
Let's see - what else? Morning sickness tapered off in the early weeks of the second trimester. Which is a good thing, because we did a LOT of traveling. Right after I hit 14 weeks, we went to New York, then two weeks later went to Myrtle Beach for a family reunion/vacation, and then two weeks later went to Mississippi for another family reunion. Not only were the vacations super fun and relaxing, but they also made the second trimester seem like it was flying by. If you remember, the first trimester felt like it was 836 weeks long - but I'm honestly a bit shocked I'm in the third trimester already.
Around 18 weeks, I started to feel Sadie move. At first it just felt like muscle spasms, and then one night I was falling asleep on my stomach and JOLTED out of bed. Jeff looked at me like I was insane. I started laughing (which in turn made me look more insane) and told him I had just been officially kicked.
The next couple of weeks I was in shock with how much I felt her move, especially since it was considered pretty early to feel that kind of movement. She moved so frequently/fiercely that I actually was afraid she was in distress or something. My doctor assured me she was just an active little one, and my sweet friend Lauren told me it was just another constant reminder from the Lord that she was alive and well. Kind of like morning sickness - but much more pleasant :)
During the second trimester we also saw a high risk specialist a couple of times - but NOT for reasons such as cancer. I actually was considered a low risk pregnancy (I can't tell you how long it's been since I've been considered "low risk" for something!), until we told the doctor about Jeff's craniosynostosis. And no that's not the fun song in Mary Poppins.
In short, craniosynostosis means Jeff was born without a soft spot. When he was six months old he had surgery to cut his head open (no exaggeration - he has a scar from ear to ear) and 'create' one. He was fortunate to have a mild case that could be fixed with one surgery, as our doctor told us most cases require 10-15 surgeries. Oh my mama heart.
All that to say, Sadie's head looks perfect and round, and last week we were told we didn't need to continue high risk monitoring. So that's a definite praise! It was also nice to be able to get a few more sonograms than the average joe and see how she's growing. To reiterate my point on her mobility, in the sonogram last week, Sadie was literally swinging her legs back and forth - causing so much bumping that the doctor couldn't hold the device to my stomach. She kept kicking it off! He actually started laughing and said "wow, your kid is crazy."
Thanks, bro.
Let's see - what else? I definitely went through a period of significant hunger and thirst (and the bathroom breaks - good LAWD those bathroom breaks). There was actually a week where I would wake up at 4 a.m. STARVING. Jeff woke up once and I was just sitting in bed eating crackers and watching TV. I said 'oh hey!' (thinking he might want to join me) and he just looked at me and rolled over. I guess some people just aren't up for a picnic in bed in the wee hours of the morning..
We also discovered the wonder that is the pregnancy pillow. One of us thinks it's the best pregnant invention ever. One of us is counting down the days until it is removed from our bed.
I think one of the harder things of the second trimester was the significant body changes and body image aspect. And you can judge me all you want - but it's weird not being in control of your body. And if you've ever been pregnant, you know some WEIRD stuff happens to your body. Plus, the phrase "closet full of nothing to wear" has never been more true. I feel like I have about 7 good preggo outfits and I just rotate between them all. Not to mention, all my summer maternity dresses are getting a tad snug, so I'm really ready for some cooler temps where I can do the oversized sweater thing like a champ.
The only other big negative I had going on were the eye bleeds. What's that you ask? Ah, well, that's just a symptom most people don't have to deal with. Nose bleeds are actually pretty common in pregnancy: the dehydration, increased blood volume, and tiny blood vessels in your nose cause a lot of people to have frequent nose bleeds. So take all of that and apply it to my little left eye socket. It's been through a lot, and no longer produces as many tears as the average eye should. So out of no where - it just bleeds. The best part? It doesn't hurt. So I often don't know unless someone tells me. That's fun. Meetings, dinners - all of it. People just look at me and say "ummm......" and I just nod and excuse myself. It's cool. I'm basically a walking Halloween exhibit.
But in all seriousness - praying HARD that it all goes back to normal after she's born. Not sure I can deal with a bleeding eye for the rest of my life.
Okay, okay - moving on:
We made a lot of nursery progress in the second trimester, but I still feel like we have a good way to go before she's here. And because Jeff likes to tell people this whenever I talk about the nursery, I guess I'll go ahead and share here as well:
Our guest room (which is now our nursery) was initially a gray color. I wanted three gray walls and an accent wall (pink). So Jeff thought he only had to paint one wall, right? Hah. Men are so funny. The guest room gray was a little too 'taupey' to be a nursery gray. SO, he repainted three gray walls....gray. THEN I was between six (6) shades of pink for the accent wall. I finally picked one, Jeff painted the whole wall, and I hated it. So I picked a different pink and he repainted the pink wall....pink.
Whenever people ask us if we painted the nursery, he is quick to chime in with "oh DID we paint the nursery...." Le sigh. Men are so dramatic. :)
I will say I feel the urgency to do a lot of "mom" things. Along with cleaning and organizing every inch of this house, I feel like I need to take a photography class and a cookie/cake decorating class. And a bow making class. I just feel like I really could sharpen up on some mom skills. Notice these skills have nothing to do with true parenting (I guess I'll wing that part), but I guess I feel like I really need to brush up on my June Cleaver.
I think my very favorite thing about the second trimester is what I fondly call 'my mornings with Sadie.' I love waking up early - before anyone else in the house is awake - making me a cup of coffee, sitting down with my Bible/devotional, and just having some me time. But now during that time, I love the addition of feeling her wake up each morning. Something about just sitting on the couch, feeling her move, and praying over this little bundle has really sweetened those early mornings. Which is a good thing - cause I have a feeling I have quite a few early mornings with my girl up ahead :)
All in all, the second trimester was pretty nice! And I need to remember these niceties because, like clockwork, my third trimester was met with none other than heartburn and sciatica.
10 weeks and counting :)
Until next time,
Katy
The only other big negative I had going on were the eye bleeds. What's that you ask? Ah, well, that's just a symptom most people don't have to deal with. Nose bleeds are actually pretty common in pregnancy: the dehydration, increased blood volume, and tiny blood vessels in your nose cause a lot of people to have frequent nose bleeds. So take all of that and apply it to my little left eye socket. It's been through a lot, and no longer produces as many tears as the average eye should. So out of no where - it just bleeds. The best part? It doesn't hurt. So I often don't know unless someone tells me. That's fun. Meetings, dinners - all of it. People just look at me and say "ummm......" and I just nod and excuse myself. It's cool. I'm basically a walking Halloween exhibit.
But in all seriousness - praying HARD that it all goes back to normal after she's born. Not sure I can deal with a bleeding eye for the rest of my life.
Okay, okay - moving on:
We made a lot of nursery progress in the second trimester, but I still feel like we have a good way to go before she's here. And because Jeff likes to tell people this whenever I talk about the nursery, I guess I'll go ahead and share here as well:
Our guest room (which is now our nursery) was initially a gray color. I wanted three gray walls and an accent wall (pink). So Jeff thought he only had to paint one wall, right? Hah. Men are so funny. The guest room gray was a little too 'taupey' to be a nursery gray. SO, he repainted three gray walls....gray. THEN I was between six (6) shades of pink for the accent wall. I finally picked one, Jeff painted the whole wall, and I hated it. So I picked a different pink and he repainted the pink wall....pink.
Whenever people ask us if we painted the nursery, he is quick to chime in with "oh DID we paint the nursery...." Le sigh. Men are so dramatic. :)
I will say I feel the urgency to do a lot of "mom" things. Along with cleaning and organizing every inch of this house, I feel like I need to take a photography class and a cookie/cake decorating class. And a bow making class. I just feel like I really could sharpen up on some mom skills. Notice these skills have nothing to do with true parenting (I guess I'll wing that part), but I guess I feel like I really need to brush up on my June Cleaver.
I think my very favorite thing about the second trimester is what I fondly call 'my mornings with Sadie.' I love waking up early - before anyone else in the house is awake - making me a cup of coffee, sitting down with my Bible/devotional, and just having some me time. But now during that time, I love the addition of feeling her wake up each morning. Something about just sitting on the couch, feeling her move, and praying over this little bundle has really sweetened those early mornings. Which is a good thing - cause I have a feeling I have quite a few early mornings with my girl up ahead :)
All in all, the second trimester was pretty nice! And I need to remember these niceties because, like clockwork, my third trimester was met with none other than heartburn and sciatica.
10 weeks and counting :)
Until next time,
Katy
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