Second Trimester Wrap Up

Can you believe I am now on the third trimester? This is simultaneously going extremely fast and creeping along. I am currently 29 weeks along so I am a little late on this post. The second trimester has been much different than the first.

Thank GOODNESS my energy came back. And by come back I mean I am not sleeping 16 hours a day. I am much more tired than my "normal" self, but I am still calling this a victory. I have gotten so much more done the last 3 months which makes me feel much better.

I am also growing, of course. I have been getting comments from strangers--mostly of the "when are you due?" which I suppose is much better than the super rude stuff I have heard other people go through. I was sort of startled when the check out girl at Sam's Club said "I don't want to be mean.. but are you?" After I realized what on earth she was talking about (I was wearing a coat) I said "Yes, I am pregnant. But if I weren't, you would be in a lot of trouble right now." Why on Earth was it her business? Was her curiosity worth risking her job? But like I said, if that's the worst (so far) I'll take it.

One of my most recent blog posts was Shanna the Grouch and boy was I grouchy for several weeks. But then I snapped out of it and overall I have been really happy. We have had lots of events that have kept us busy and having a good time.

I volunteered to host Thanksgiving this year. It turned out great but I later realized that 6 months pregnant is not really a great time to host Thanksgiving. Or get all Pioneer Woman on the holiday. Simplicity is key. Lesson learned.

 I volunteered to work for the Salvation Army with Matt's grandma (which she is highly involved in) and it was a really rewarding experience--certainly worthy of my time.

Receiving the Gifts Purchased by Donors at the Angel Tree

Helping with Wrapping at the Distribution Center

Friends' Company Christmas Party at the Petroleum Club

 We have gone to a couple of Thunder games. They won both times...so it seems logical that maybe they should just give us tickets for good luck.

 And I hosted Christmas with my family this year. We made a much simpler meal which was still nice and tasty.

Oh- and we also found out the gender.

Yep it's a girl. And let me tell you something. Wives tales are for the birds!! The only one that was true was the Chinese Gender Predictor-- so there's all that I can contribute if you're wanting to know the gender of your baby. Well that, and she has had a higher heart rate. I mentioned that to our (grouchy) sonographer the day we had our ultrasound and she really condescendingly said "The heart rate has nothing to do with it" to which I replied "Well I wouldn't call dangling my wedding ring over my stomach good science but I did it anyway." She made it pretty clear that she did that all day every day and she was over it. 

But overall, finding out the gender of our little baby was a day in our marriage I will never forget. Matt took the afternoon off that day and we had a nice lunch and went shopping. She got her first pair of boots. I am sure her Grandpa McFeeters was very proud. 

A little back ground to the Grandpa McFeeters statement-- my dad is a cowboy. Like a real cowboy. Like wear a cowboy hat and boots every where you go kind of guy. I was riding horses before I was walking. Well, my dad was holding me on a horse before I was walking. And my parents have bought two miniature donkeys already for Cline because they are lower to the ground and she can learn to ride independently earlier. So yeah, there's that. 

Oh and her name. Cline Diane. Named after Patsy Cline and her momma (and Gigi). 

So let's go through the typical things like we did in the First Trimester Wrap Up. 

The Symptoms:

Overall I feel pretty good. If I am especially busy during the weekend (which is nearly always) Pistol and I take Mondays off and relax. He is a big fan of our Monday hangouts. Hormones may be a little wacky, but for the last several weeks I have just been joyful. I think I also talked myself into an attitude adjustment after I realized what a grouch I was being. 

I do have some congestion which I read is common. I have never been an allergy sufferer, but I think that is probably what this feels like. I sneeze all the time. A humidifier at night seems to be helping. 

My pelvis also hurts some times. I think I figured out that the height of our bed is a major contributor. So now I have a little step stool next to my bed. If you walked into my room you would probably be convinced that a 100 year old woman lives there. I have a stack of books on the end table, a bunch of vitamins, and a humidifier. Then my little step stool to help me get into bed. 

I am also  much warmer than I used to be, therefore I maintain the house much cooler than I used to. I think Matt and Pistol are being totally dramatic about these living conditions and I don't care. Get a sweater. And some socks. A hat if you need to. Honey, do you mind opening the patio door? Ignore the snow. 

Cravings:

The only weird craving I have had is rootbeer. I do not like rootbeer. I would choose water over rootbeer any day. I wonder if that means Cline will like rootbeer? 

Products:

Remember when I told you about this humongous pillow and that it was mostly in the way? 

Well shortly after that post this became a staple in my sleeping routine. I take it everywhere with me. Without it I think my back would kill me without proper support. I still hate the thing and can't wait to get rid of it but it actually is a huge sleeping blessing. I am exclusively a side sleeper now when I used to be a stomach sleeper. I am looking forward to that blissful evening when I get to sleep on my stomach again. It's the little things, folks. 

At the top of my Christmas list was "big lady pajamas." I now have several pairs of huge fleece pajamas that I hope to never fit into again mere weeks after she is born (unless we have another baby). Nothing looks more ridiculous than too small for you PJs. 

Birthing Class:

 During this trimester we finished our birthing class. If you're wanting to go down the natural childbirth route, I highly recommend a Bradley Course. It was really informative and I would be really nervous about our ability to stick to the natural childbirth without it. I am not saying you can't do it without it, I am just saying that I know Matt and I well enough that without being equipped with so much information, as soon as things got the least bit questionable we probably would have given in and said "Do what you will!" and then told ourselves that we really should have come into the whole thing more prepared. You can totally gather this information via books and other research (and especially if you hire a doula), you just have to have enough will power to gather that information for yourself. 

The Bump: 

Welp, like I said. I am officially a pregnant-looking person. I did take a picture of myself in the bathroom mirror for my own reference but I just can't bring myself to post it. Bathroom pictures are the worst! It's against my code. We all have our own codes of conduct and that's part of mine. I am in maternity clothes about 75% of the time. I even made a box of clothes to revisit in the summer. They were just taking up space for the time being. Many pairs of pajamas went into that box. 

Being Touched:

I haven't had a stranger touch me so all is good in this category. I can feel her not only on the inside, but also on the outside. I can even see her when I am still. That is pretty cool and very alien-like all at the same time. I love when other people can feel her I guess because it's like physical proof that this magical event is occurring. I don't know. You think weird things when you're pregnant (at least I do). 

Things People Say:

I still can't talk about this category without being passive aggressive. 

In kind of related news, have you ever noticed that when anyone posts something on Facebook about their kids people reply about their own kids? This hasn't really happened to me, this is just an observation about other people. Give 'em the thumbs up and just let the poor person have their moment! 

Here's to the third trimester! Before too long I get to meet my baby girl. I have so many dreams for her that I could tear up thinking about it. I actually did tear up thinking about it this morning. They say the third trimester is pretty horrible... we will see what it brings! 

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