I'm almost to the halfway point of this pregnancy and I've yet to write any updates. :/ Then again, I'm quite the slacker when it comes to blogging, but I do have an adorable 11 month old keeping me quite busy. :)
Anyhow, yesterday Arabella Therese (Bella Reese, Bella, Ari, etc.) began her 19th week in my womb. During the first trimester I experienced a lot of nausea, a little vomiting, and tons of exhaustion. This really caught me by surprise because my pregnancy experience with Gavin was flawless. I was rarely sick and mostly felt amazing. Well, for my second time around I've felt more pregnant. But, once I changed my prenatal vitamin to one that has ginger and entered the second trimester, I've felt great. Although I'm still exhausted, I'm confident that has something to do with chasing my sweet boy around all day. :)
With Arabella, I definitely think I began showing sooner and personally think that my tummy is way bigger at this point than it was for Gavin. I'm happy to report that I've only gained 5 lbs. (at this time with Gav I'd gained 12!) so I'm hoping that I can keep my overall weight gain to a lower number (with G, I gained 37 lbs.). I originally planned on delivering at a local birth place and had hoped to try a water birth, but I decided to switch to a doctor and deliver au natural again at the hospital. I was unhappy with a few things at the birth place and am satisfied with my decision to switch to a doctor.
When it comes to movement, I have been feeling flutters for around 2 weeks now, and just yesterday I even felt a few kicks! I am so very happy that I am able to feel baby girl move. :) It's still just as amazing as it was when I was experiencing this with Gav. Our next ultrasound is on February 12th and I am so excited to see my sweet baby!
As for food, in the first trimester I had more aversions than I care to remember. I rarely wanted to eat anything, but was always hungry! Recently, I've had a huge sweet tooth and have been craving ice cream, strawberry nutragrain bars, peanut M & M's, and frozen raspberries and blueberries. Another yummy (and terribly fattening!) item I want all of the time is an order of cheddar peppers and ranch from Sonic. Mmm mmmm. I'm trying to keep my cravings satisfied, while also trying not to over do it
I think my biggest issue right now is comparing this pregnancy to my last, and keeping my worry to a minimum. I know that every pregnancy, just like every child, is different and I really need to stop comparing Bella to Gav. Although, Gavin is an incredible kid (and was an incredible infant) and I'm hoping his little sis follows in his footsteps. As for the worry, I am confident that I can do this but sometimes I don't think that I'm qualified. I just keep telling myself that I can be a great mom to two kids under two years old. I can be a great mom AND wife. Will it be difficult? Yeah, probably. But you know what? I know how blessed I am to be pregnant again and how blessed I am to be living this life. So my plan is to take everything one day at a time, breathe, and just enjoy the ride.
(And because I can't help myself, here's a picture of my sweet boy. :D)
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