Pregnancy Take Two

On September 8, I felt really tired and weird. I'm pretty in tune with my body and immediately wondered if I was pregnant. I decided not to check because I had my marathon to run that weekend and didn't want to get psyched out. So I kept my thoughts to myself and went on. The marathon went well, but it took me a good week to feel normal again, and I couldn't shake feeling tired. So finally I took a test and it was POSITIVE!

I waited a couple days to tell Carter so I could tell him in the temple. It was very special and he felt really excited. Though we told our families just a couple weeks later, we decided to keep the news fairly private and low key for the first few months. I was very excited and happy about being pregnant, but I was scared people would judge us for having another baby while finishing school. I didn't want my happy news spoiled by naysayers who don't have all the information, and so I just didn't tell. Though I know I shouldn't care, I did. And so we kept it pretty quiet; it wasn't really a secret, we just didn't broadcast it all over the place.

And actually, that helped things go by really quickly. Honestly, the first trimester is a blur. I felt really awful every day between the nausea and exhaustion, but I had school to do, a toddler and husband to care for and church assignments to think about so I just took one day at a time and eventually it passed. Some days Id take it really easy and just lay on the couch with my school work while Jayden played in a blocked off area. My cousin and friends would take him occasionally so I could sleep and that was nice. The first trimester was hard, but keeping busy helped it pass quickly. 

My second trimester was a dream! I had way more energy and got completely over the nausea. Except for my increased appetite, growing belly, and decreased physical stamina I felt pretty normal. We found out that we're having another BOY at 20 weeks and we're so excited. He and Jayden will hopefully be good buddies. I've never been able to work out normally while pregnant; running or any sort of intense activity makes me sick and very crampy. So I stick with walking, light hiking, and light weight lifting and have found that it helps my energy levels. Until the third trimester...

The third trimester hit me like a ton of bricks. Literally one day I felt great and the next I felt super exhausted and crampy. I won't go into details, but I just don't ever feel very good. But welcome to life! That's how the game goes! Taking warm baths each night helps a lot with the discomfort. That and eating ice cream with carter :)

Jayden often points to my stomach and asks "baby?". We've been trying to prepare him for our new arrival but I'm sure it will take a lot of adjusting! We're excited for him to be a big brother, he's got such a tender little heart. 

We're so excited for this healthy pregnancy. I know so many struggle with fertility and pregnancy and my heart goes out to them. We don't take this blessing for granted. I love motherhood. Yes it's exhausting, achy, and often messy; but it brings me so much closer to God and helps me get closer to who I want to be.