Pregnancy round 2: Week 19.

Well, somehow, AMAZINGLY we have made it to week 19. This is big news in that it means that we are almost at week 20 which means we are almost at the HALFWAY POINT. And god knows this pregnancy is lasting for DECADES so reaching week 20 feels almost like I should throw a party. Not there yet, but the fact that we almost are yields a tiny bit of celebration.

Pictures:

Week 19 side shot. Disregard Justin's arm. Called :multitasking (giving Owen a bath and me taking belly pictures). 

Week 19 front shot. 

Week 18 side shot.

Week 18 front shot. Um, I must have had a big dinner prior to the week 18 shots. I look bigger then that at week 19. What the heck? 

How I'm feeling?

Whelp, this week proved MUCH better than the prior two. Headaches were diminished and much more tolerable, and the nettle tea experience was a distant memory. HOWEVER. Ahem. Anyone who does not want TMI, please stop reading now. 

Can we just talk for a second about the boob pains? I mean, come ON MAN. I breastfed my first born for 18 months. I stopped once I got pregnant (because hell NO midwives I am NOT tandem nursing!), and then for the following 4 weeks, I got to see what my boobs are going to eventually become once all this child rearing and nursing business is over. And LET ME JUST SAY. Sad. Sad. Sad. This is vain and I know I should sit there and and just be proud of my itty bitty saggy boobies that have had the life sucked out of them and part of me is, but still, the vain part of me is well, sad. SO. That being said. To add insult to injury, last week boobie pain started to return. This week? OH MY GOSH. Who has the ice pick stabbing me in the nipples 24-7 and twisting and also then stabbing me in the sides of my boobs?? AND ALSO: STOP. I mean, isn't it enough that I lived through boobie pains in round 1, followed by nursing/bloody nipples (IE: HELL- why doesn't anyone tell you how much nursing can suck?) and then five bloody rounds of mastitis (IE: even more HELL), followed by another 8 months of relatively pleasant nursing with a few bites mixed in (OW), then at the end you are left with remnants of your old perky self. You would THINK that this whole nature thing would then say, ok, Jenn, your poor little boobies have had enough. This time, no pain. BUT NOPE. Bah. Just seriously bah. I can't even put a bra on without wanting to yelp. 

How I'm changing?

My body is constantly reminding me that I'm pregnant which is quite annoying because I'm at that point in pregnancy where I don't really FEEL that pregnant which means that I want to do things that I used to do. Enter yard work this weekend. For some reason it seemed like a great idea to buy a huge yard...IE: an acre. It was, in theory, until I realized that this means there are about a zillion weeds and a zillion hours in required maintenance. Luckily, it's been really nice here so we've had a chance to get out and tend to this dang yard. It's great, too, because Owen just runs around and loves it as well. Well, after spending all day Saturday and Sunday doing this? My body REVOLTED. It essentially told me to F--- off and die for all of that work and I couldn't move AT ALL. It was like I had run 40 marathons at 90 years old and even blinking required conscious thought. I was just absolutely SPENT. It was incredible. 

What I'm eating?

Since I'm in the awesome 2nd trimester, I'm eating everything "normal" again. YIPPEE! Even mexican food is now ok again, which is awesome. I think we made tacos a few times this week because it sounded so good. Amazing since for about 10 weeks there, the thought of anything mexican related made me want to hurl... spice, beans, tortilla chips, you name it... gag. So, I'm glad to say, this has diminished and I am now no longer wanting to barf from mexican food. 

Weight I'm gaining?

133 pounds this week, I was 133 last week too. This happened last time too. I gained a TON of weight up front- like 15-20 pounds, then it was just a steady hold every now and then or a 1-2 pound a week gain until the end so I ended up gaining around 35 pounds in total. I think I'll end up around 150-155ish or so this time, too, which is a 35-40 pound gain. Not too bad. I can't even really think about the numbers too much or I freak out. Prior to pregnancy, I never weighed more than 129 pounds. 

How I'm sleeping?

No complaints in this department, crazy enough! Although, I will say, the dreams are OUT OF CONTROL. Seriously trippy. I remember this from last time, too. I don't get why this happens. Hormones? Probably. But man, some of the things I have been dreaming are things that I can't even make up in my head when I'm awake. It's both hilarious and awesome all at the same time. I did dream the other night that I gave birth to a baby boy and then all of a sudden another one popped out and I was so mad that no one told me I was having twins. I think I had twin dreams last time too. I think this is what is called a pregnancy NIGHTMARE. 

What's the baby doing?

The baby is 6.0 inches or the size of a heirloom tomato (I've seen some of these and I'm hoping it's not of the "giant" heirloom tomato sizes...)

-The baby's senses are developing and specialized areas in the brain are being designated for smell, taste, hearing, vision and touch (it continues to hear outside noises as if underwater).

-More controlled/conscious movements are occurring as neurons in the brain continue to develop (IE: kicks. FEELING THAT).

-The baby's kidneys continue to make urine (which by the way, goes into the amniotic fluid). I started calling it our baby that floats in its own pee. Justin tells me its sterile but this was a very odd realization for me. Guess all of us survived!

-Baby is basically pretty much a baby, just needs to grow and grow and grow...

What we are doing to prepare for the baby?

Hey, we actually did something this week! We started to car shop. We need a bigger car, go figure. When we bought our last car before Owen was born, we needed a car bigger than the mini cooper. Well, I wasn't quite ready to go THAT big yet so not surprisingly, the car we got will not fit two car seats. So, we are back in the market for a big car. We drove a couple and I was just a tiny bit depressed that I will be in a "mom car" SUV as much as Justin tried to sell that it was a "cool SUV." It's still an SUV, no way around it. BUT, it will be much more comfortable, roomy, etc... so we'll do it. Eventually. I haven't quite bit the bullet yet as I'm just not quite ready for that step yet... 

Random thoughts on pregnancy (pregnancy brain?)

I am having serious, serious breast feeding anxiety. This is both alarming and funny to me. I breast fed Owen for so long and was SUCH a huge proponent of breast feeding. I mean, I would probably still be breast feeding him now if I hadn't gotten pregnant. I was the true "breast is best" fan and truly believed in the benefits, bonding, etc etc. Now though? I see pictures of women breast feeding and it literally makes me nauseous. I get icky feeling thinking about another baby touching my boobs, much less sucking them. I seriously cannot handle the thought of breast feeding again this time. Last time, I was so die hard about it- it wasn't even a question. But this time? Everything about it just sounds horrible. The long showers to get the clogs out, the mastitis, the bloody nipples, the worrying about if the baby is getting enough, the sensitivity to things I was eating that effected the baby, the biting of the nipples.THE DAMN PUMP! BAH. It all just sounds HORRIBLE. I know I am going to do it which is why I still have 5 months to convince my brain how awesome it is again and block out all the bad parts associated with it.