I am 33 weeks into my first pregnancy. We are having a baby girl, Vanessa. I say my first pregnancy because we hope to have 3 children. As with many couples our first was a bit of a surprise! This year was destined to be a roller coaster of sorts, but I don’t think anything could have prepared us for everything that came…all at once.
Easter. I hosted Easter dinner for the family, a VERY stressful week, I was working like crazy both at work and at home getting ready to host guests for the weekend. We had a beautiful dinner and a ton of fun with family and friends. That evening I was going through my bedtime ritual and went to take my pill, and realized it was the last one in my pack. I was always a Monday starter. So I thought about my week…and ‘grandma’ had not come to visit…I looked at my then fiance and expressed my concern to him. The next morning we took a pregnancy test, then again that afternoon. Yes we were indeed pregnant! and planning a New Years Eve wedding for that year. Also adjusting to being homeowners and enjoying our first year in the home we had just bought in October 2011. Wow, someone has decided it would be really funny to throw ALL life’s big changes at us ALL in one year! Thank you.
Needless to say the news of Vanessa coming into our lives was shocking, then overwhelming, then scary, and as soon as her little 9 week gummy bear shape appeared on the ultrasound, we were excited. Pregnancy has been one heck of a crazy ride! I had NO IDEA what I was getting into. My first trimester was a breeze, no morning sickness, no major fatigue, no headaches, my only real sign that I was pregnant at all was my swollen and sore chest. My husbands real sign were my very real mood swings! 🙂
Second trimester was great! I read that it would be my honeymoon trimester and it really was. My tummy started showing, my appetite was incredible, I had adjusted to all the ‘rules’ of pregnancy…and my caffeine detox was finally over! Since my hubby is in the Navy, and they are getting ready for a deployment he was in and out from one week to the next. I would definitely have to say I was the most emotional I had ever been and I definitely wasn’t used to that. I cried every time we would say goodbye, even if he was going for only a week. Then I would cry at all his emails and I could no longer bear to watch the news. I remember being in the kitchen one night and I my day had been great and as I was telling my husband about it I started to cry, for no reason at all, and when he asked what was wrong I desperately exclaimed in my teared state, “I feel like an alien has just taken over my body and I have absolutely no control over any of my feelings or thoughts! I don’t know why I’m crying, but I just can’t stop!” That’s all I got out before my cry became a sob and he led me to the couch to lay down until the spell was over. Needless to say, as much of a honeymoon as it was, I am very happy to be this close to having my baby.
Now for this Third trimester. Well, she is moving around like crazy. I now know where ideas for movies like Alien come from. I no longer think its funny when other people sneeze and pee themselves a little, cause this happens and it is NOT funny. My so called ‘maternity’ shirts from my second trimester no longer cover the lovely elastic band of my pants. I think I am running at a body temperature of about 103* and my poor husband is coming to bed in sweat pants since the thermostat is not allowed above 65*. My sneakers are all permanently loosely tied, so I can just slip them on. Sitting like a lady with my legs crossed is not an option. And the first thing I do wherever I go is locate the bathroom…in case you didn’t know, the real reason maternity pants have elastic waist bands is because there comes a point in pregnancy where you know you have to go to the bathroom, and that’s it. That is your window you have T minus 2 seconds to get to the bathroom and go…or else! So thank you elastic waist band pants! 🙂 The greatest part of your third trimester and pregnancy is finally feeling ready. Ready to meet your daughter. Ready to be a mom. Ready for the next chapter of this beautiful story.