Mothership Confessional

Week 16 It's amazing to me how my love for this little baby seems to have multiplied in the last week. I love that we know he's a boy. I love that we know his name! We didn't have any ideas for names for a second child, unlike Ava, whose name we had picked out literally years  before she was even born! We stumbled across the name Liam, and we had been trying to find names to go with Alexander, which we agreed that we liked as a middle name. Once the gender-determining ultrasound was done, we spent the rest of the day calling him "Liam Alexander" and seeing how we liked it. By the end of the day, it was clear to us that should be his name! I've been more certain of the movements of little Liam! He was really  active during the ultrasound but I can't feel all those little wiggles yet! But I can feel little twitches when he moves his limbs and changes in pressure in my belly when he moves his whole body - mostly in the area where his head is on my right ...

Its funny how differently I feel with this second pregnancy. Not necessarily physically, but emotionally. With Ava, I truly felt happy and thrilled  and  ecstatic pretty much every single day of pregnancy, even despite the first trimester sickness and third trimester hugeness. It was my first time experiencing pregnancy after trying for 4 long years. I was enjoying every moment of it. I wasn't taking any day for granted and I honestly felt like I was glowing every day. I also had nothing better to do than to sit and daydream, plan and organize for little girl's arrival. This time around, the pregnancy itself was a complete surprise. I mean, we weren't preventing pregnancy so obviously we knew it could happen, but seeing how we didn't get Ava without medical intervention made us have our guards down a little. I still feel the timing for a second pregnancy couldn't have been better. I have absolutely zero regrets or hesitations about being pregnant again. ...

Now we are for real  full-term. It's time for me to start really relaxing. And walking up and down stairs to encourage labor. And putting my feet up. And going for walks to stay active. It's kind of a contradictory time! Relax, but stay active! Sleep, but stay busy! My pelvis hurts. It has been a pregnancy symptom that I've dealt with for a few months now, unlike most of my other symptoms that pop up for about a week and then go away ( acid reflux , insomnia, pregnancy hives , and even the swelling in my ankle is almost non-existant). And the pain has kind of intensified over the past week. It's kind of like when you went for a super-long bike ride and your crotch hurts the next day. Right on those bones. But more of an achy feeling as opposed to a "bruised" feeling. It hurts most when I have been standing or walking for too long and when I am getting up from a laying down position. Let's see, what else...I still have the stif...

Being pregnant with my first child, I had zero experience maternity clothes shopping. I had no idea what sizes I would need nor what products would work for me. Given that every body type is so different, and each pregnancy is so different, this post will simply serve as a guide and just a place to start. Ultimately, you will have to make some decisions yourself on what will work best for you. I just thought I'd share what I have learned in this first pregnancy. When Should I Start Buying Maternity Clothes? To me, this question has a simple and easy answer. NOW. (or, as soon as you find out you are pregnant.) Here's why: CLEARANCE . Take advantage of that clearance rack! If you buy as soon as you find out you are pregnant, the clothes on clearance are going to be the right season for when you are in your third trimester. I did a little shopping in the first trimester (early winter) and I got great summer tanks and maxi dresses for a ...

30 weeks...here we are! And that means that the countdown just hit 9 weeks, 6 days!!! 9 WEEKS!!!! I'm still feeling good! I have gained a little over 20 pounds so far this pregnancy. I try to stay active for as much as my back will allow. I am noticing that some of those pounds are showing up in my legs and buttocks...why does that not surprise me?! :) I had a couple of "firsts" this week. I finally decided to start taking advantage of parking spots reserved for pregnant women. I used to avoid them because I always thought that there would be someone in more discomfort than me who would need it more. But I've decided enough with that hooeyness! Besides, there's only 2 places in town that even have this kind of parking - Babies R Us and the hospital on post, but at the hospital, you have to be 36 weeks AND have a permit. And I also did Ava's  first load of laundry! And then I did another load, and another, and another, and another, and ...