what a whirlwind this pregnancy has been. so much so that my updates have been few and far between. and now here we are, getting ready to meet this sweet babe because i am almost full term! i wish you could see my eyes bugging out of my head when i type that. we will meet our newest family member in three weeks. THREE WEEKS.
while many of my symptoms this pregnancy are very much the same as they were with lorelai, this pregnancy itself has been very different. for one, i don't have as much time to spend dwelling on every little symptom, milestone or new development. not that it isn't just as exciting (it is!), but i am usually retrieving items that my toddler threw into the toilet instead and by the time she goes to bed at night and i prepare for the day ahead, my head can't hit the pillow fast enough. needless to say, i am much, much more tired this pregnancy (who knew that was even possible?)
back in july we had our 20 week ultrasound and were thrilled to see our tiny babe wiggling away on the screen. we were lucky to get to spend some extra screen time with him or her while the doctors checked the baby's heart for any abnormalities. thankfully, this baby's heart is healthy and we only have a 5-10% chance of a heart defect developing later in pregnancy. lorelai received these same percentages during pregnancy and she is just perfectly healthy, which helped us to cope with these heightened chances this time around.
and surprise, we managed to remain team green during the ultrasound and are keeping the baby's gender a surprise yet again! we hmmm'd and hawww'd a bit this time about whether we would like to find out the baby's gender or not, but ultimately decided that we like to be surprised and so we will be! what a happy little christmas present we will have waiting for us.
cravings have been pretty consistent with my first pregnancy as well... chocolate milk is always a big contender. a lot of mexican food and of course doughnuts. SOURDOUGH BREAD. you know, the necessities. my biggest craving by far this pregnancy has been pie. seriously, any damn kind of pie and i am all over it. apple. buttermilk. chicken pot pie. crisps and cobblers will do in a pinch too, but man, PIE. all the pie. and this time i find myself craving coffee often which i didn't at all while pregnant with lorelai. this time i cut out caffeine in the first trimester, but once the second trimester rolled around i allowed myself a cup or two in the mornings and boy, let me tell you how absolutely delicious each drop has been. heaven on earth.
these days i will cry at literally anything and easily drink my weight in water. coincidentally, i pee at least four times a night and usually wake up my family with my grunts as i try to (unsuccessfully) slip out of bed each time. i've also been experiencing a lot of braxton hicks contractions this pregnancy. more than i remember when pregnant with lorelai, but maybe i just didn't know what they were then. on multiple occasions i have had to lay down and slather myself with lavender oil just to calm them. no bueno.
i have pretty much narrowed down baby's super active times, which is usually early morning and late at night, so it seems we are definitely on track for some sleep deprivation in our future. baby kicks are easily my favorite thing about pregnancy (but also my least favorite when baby is quiet and worry settles in). i distinctly remember these feelings when lorelai was in there too because i swear i have never felt more beautiful than when my body is growing a baby. all the swelling and bloating and skin flare-ups aside, it is just so humbling to experience a life inside of you that you are solely sustaining, simply because your body knows how to. i swear, i will never take it for granted.
as we prepare our hearts and our home for our new arrival, we have much left to do and haven't been nearly as prepared as we were the first time around (see earlier blurb about retrieving items from toilet). on our to-do list: 1/ working on transitioning lorelai to her big girl bed. i really don't want her to feel kicked out of her crib, but we are struggling because she still loves her crib so much. her new bed is all set up, but we still mostly just play in it and read books.
2/ there are a few things left on our shopping list, but mostly it is nice to have all of the basics already. of course we will need new teeny, tiny pacifiers and diapers, which we have slowly started collecting. a stroller attachment to turn our current ride into a double (oh boy). more swaddles and blankets, because you always need more swaddles and blankets. and we got a sweet little bouncer that i would like to try this time in hopes of replacing the gigantic swing we had for lorelai that takes up half of our living space. a couple of sweet little outfits and rattles made their way home too because every babe deserves some special things of their very own.
3/ we still have some rearranging and organizing to do in the nursery too. we love our babies to sleep in our room in the beginning, but eventually we will have a shared nursery for our littles, which is very exciting and feels special to me (as i hope it will to them). eventually we will outgrow our little home, but for now i can't imagine bringing our new baby home to anywhere else but here. i love organizing their teeny, tiny newborn things amongst lorelai's collection of dresses and books and creating a special and magical place for them to explore together.
oh sweet baby, we are so anxious to meet you and snuggle you and adore you.
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