Something New…

Well, guys…we have some big and exciting news…

I’m pregnant!

I know what you are thinking and the answer is that we are straight up crazy because this pregnancy was planned. I repeat: this was not an accident. Ha! I will say, though, that planning to get pregnant and actually getting pregnant are two very different things. And for the first little bit after realizing I was pregnant, I was kind of a hot mess worrying about if I could handle it but MOSTLY worrying about what people would think of us. And I just had to come to terms with the fact that many people will and do think we are totally nuts. And we might be. We’ve never done this before. But we feel good about our choice to have these two kiddos close together and we could not be more excited about having another baby on the way.

Being pregnant the first time around is such an interesting experience. Everything is so new and different and lots of it is expected but a surprising amount is unexpected. It seems like when I was pregnant with Wendy I was hyper-aware of what was going on in my body. This pregnancy has been so different. It’s different in superficial ways…like I am not using a tracking app this time around. But it’s also so different in how I feel. In fact, it’s so different, I honestly have a hard time even feeling like I’m pregnant, because it’s SO different than the first time around (are you getting it? So. Different. SO. Different. Okay, Kim, broken record).

It’s funny to me because when I was pregnant the first time we lived in bush Alaska, so we didn’t see a doctor/confirm the pregnancy/hear the baby’s heartbeat until I was 18 weeks. Eighteen weeks. This time we saw a doctor, heard the baby’s heartbeat and even saw an ultrasound image of the baby at almost 9 weeks (the pic above) and for some reason , even with all the proof, I’m still like, “Wait, this is real??”

When I was pregnant with Wendy, I did a giant mega post chronicling the entirety of my pregnancy, trimester to trimester. I wanted to do the same thing this time around but I’ll be able to break it up a bit and just do one trimester at a time. As I wrote this, I tried my very hardest not to start every sentence with, “Well, when I was pregnant with Wendy…” but I cannot promise that it’s not in there occasionally. Forgive me. My pregnancy with Wendy is the only pregnancy I’ve ever known…so I think it’s natural to compare.

Oh! And I’m sure you want to know! Baby’s due date is April 7th, which makes me currently 18 weeks (although I was 13 weeks when I wrote this post). We will be finding out the gender, but not until after Thanksgiving (which somehow seems like a billion years away). Of course, I’ll tell you the gender when we know! Anyhow, here’s how the first trimester went!

Belly? Yes, I definitely have a belly. I feel like I’m “showing” much earlier this time around. I’m still *kinda* able to hide it…but not for much longer!

Exercise? I feel like my exercise hasn’t really taken a hit at all. When I was cleared to exercise after I had Wendy, I made a goal to run at least 4 times a week and do an at-home workout on the days I don’t run. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to keep this up since getting pregnant. The only major difference is that a non-pregnant Kim would try to do longer runs on the weekend but the pregnant Kim pretty much doesn’t go for any longer than 3 miles. Oh, and I still usually carry Wendy in the Ergo when we go for walks, but sometimes (especially in the evenings) I am just too tired and opt for the stroller.

Cravings? The only thing that really sticks out is that I’ve been consuming a way more than average amount of oranges and orange juice. They just sound so good all the time. And they stave off the ever-present hunger.

Food Aversions? Honestly, not really. When I was pregnant with Wendy, I had a handful of very specific foods I could not be around. This time, the only thing that really makes me go “Ew, gross!” is Taco Bell. And I blame that on eating it too often when we were traveling a lot during August. And, is it just me, or is none of their food actually filling? Oh, and now that I’m thinking about, I’ve also had a really hard time with leftovers. I can handle them on Leftover Day One, but after that I’m like, “mehhhh…no thanks.”

Not-so-awesomeness:

• The biggest “symptom,” I guess you could say, of this pregnancy has been the seemingly never ending hunger. Seriously, I can eat a big meal and be plenty full, but just 2 hours later I’ll be starving again. And you’d think someone like me-someone who totally loves food-would be stoked about this symptom…but no. It’s actually really annoying.
• The gas. Why does this even have to be a pregnancy symptom???
• I’ve been having to deal with some back aches. It worries me a bit because it’s so early, and I can only hope it doesn’t get worse over the next several months. Usually it’s a dull ache but occasionally it’s been the kind of pain that makes me go “Oh!” out loud. Luckily, it’s not an everyday thing.
• One huge difference with this pregnancy and my last is how emotional I’ve been. So, I’m normally a crier. Somehow, when I was pregnant with Wendy, I was blessedly mellow. I don’t think I cried once (I had a taste of what it’s like to watch those touching clips of America’s Got Talent without turning into a sobbing mess). It was kind of a relief. This pregnancy has been the total opposite side of the spectrum. I cry at everything. I mean, for heaven’s sake! I got teary eyed looking at a full moon! It was just so beautiful, ha! My gosh, I can only hope it’s not what I turn into permanently! The first couple of weeks of being pregnant, the emotions mostly came on in very unattractive angry spells. But that changed to the old crying-at-everything party…which I’ll take over being an angry b-word. But if that comes back…please, forgive me.
• I had to stop nursing. I wasn’t going to mention this, but it’s something I honestly didn’t even think about when we decided to try to get pregnant. And, on the very slim chance that someone is reading this and in a similar boat, I just wanted to give my two cents. My goal was always to nurse Wendy until she was a year old. (I’ve got a feeling this is going to be a long bullet point, sorry!). Our doctor recommended we take Wendy to specialists for her weight (which I’ve talked about before) and we’ve actually always had mixed feelings about our decision to do so. The specialist instructed me to pump twice a day and supplement that with formula. Doing that was emotional and frustrating. But now I feel like those instructions were such a blessing. Because I was pumping every day, I was able to notice that the amount I was producing was really going down. I was able to supplement with additional formula. But I just got to a point where I was literally hardly producing anything at all. It was obvious that it was time to stop. If I hadn’t been pumping, I don’t think I would’ve noticed that my supply had dropped so much. I probably would’ve just kept nursing and, as a result, Wendy wouldn’t have been getting near enough food. So long story short, I wasn’t producing even close to what Wendy needed, so I stopped. And now I know Wendy is getting enough food. And, hey! We’ve all survived so far. (And the incessant hunger? Yeah, I don’t think the nursing helped).

Awesomeness:

• Another huge difference with this pregnancy is that I really haven’t had any morning sickness. I think that’s probably the main reason this pregnancy hasn’t felt totally real. It is strange (I honestly never thought I’d be one of those ladies), but I obviously can’t complain. I do start feeling a little sickish if I don’t eat regularly. There have been a handful of times where I’ve waited too long to eat and it’s made me feel sick the rest of the day. But, again, that’s only happened a few times. And normally, if I eat, I get back on track and feel fine.
• Sorry, sorry, sorry, but just the little differences between this pregnancy and the last are also noteworthy. When I was pregnant with Wendy, I felt ALL the pregnancy symptoms to the max (at least, what I perceived to be the max). I had to pee all the time, I had the craziest dreams, I was tired all the time. And this time I can’t help but wonder if I’m truthfully not feeling all those things to that extent, or if the novelty of it being the first time was what made me focus on those things, or if I just have more on my plate than last time. Whatever the case may be, I’ve definitely felt all those things above…just not nearly as strong.
• And, of the above, one thing I’m so grateful I haven’t experienced as strongly is the exhaustion. Wendy is crawling all over and exploring everything and I’m so grateful that I (usually) have the energy to keep up with her.
• We’ve been able to go to a doctor this time! Seeing that teeny little gummy bear baby on an ultrasound was so special!

Anything Else?

• The first trimester of pregnancy is so weird to me. It’s so exciting but it’s a stage I always just want to get past. Even this time I just want to get onto the second trimester because, even though I haven’t really been feeling bad, per se, I also haven’t been feeling 100%. And while I haven’t hated food, I’ve still got a weird relationship with it and I’d rather just get past it so I can cook and eat whatever (and have a regular eating schedule, thank you very much).