My second trimester

The second trimester was an interesting combination of residual morning sickness and rapid waist expansion.  The first six weeks were much like my first trimester which, if you read about it, was less than awesome.  However, once I hit week 19 ~ 20, I was able to remember what life was like without nausea and a whole new experience began.  I re-discovered food and spent a ton more time in the kitchen baking and cooking.  I didn't realize how much I missed that! 

I started showing (finally!), and my body decided to make up for lost time and gain the first trimester and second trimester weight all within about a month.  It was kind of shocking to get on the scale in the doctor's office at my last appointment and hear how much I had gained, but when you look at my weight gain overall, it actually isn't that much.  Within a span of about 2 weeks I "grew out of" all my pants and was left with 2 dresses, 3 skirts, and 1 pair of shorts that still fit.  No more procrastinating shopping for maternity clothes for me!

Anyway, I have tried to make the most of this trimester by socializing (I still have friends?!) and traveling (see the Babymoon posts for details).  Trip has enjoyed the second trimester as well because I have actually been wearing makeup and doing my hair again, so I look like a human being  :)

The best part about this trimester is experiencing Baby Bean's development.  We found out that our little "jumping bean" is a girl, and we couldn't be more thrilled.  (This has been confirmed at the last 2 ultrasounds, so we are pretty confident that we won't be surprised on her birthday)  I started feeling her move this trimester, which is both awesome and sometimes weird.  When I first started recognizing her movements it seemed like she was always hitting my bladder.  It was such a foreign feeling, I knew it was the baby.  Sometimes I joked that she liked to jump on it, but I think she must have known that was the best way to get my attention because since I have gotten better at feeling her, she has left my bladder alone.

She sits low in my belly, and even though she moves a decent amount, she is not as active as other babies that I hear about.  She rarely rolls around; instead she just kicks and punches and occasionally jumps.  She has gotten the hiccups a couple of times but not very often.  Baby Bean often sleeps during the day and gets active around 9 or 10 at night.  Sometimes she wakes me up in the middle of the night...looks like we are going to have another night owl on our hands!

Trip and Baby Bean have had a great time getting to know each other too.  When she is poking me, you can actually see my belly move (reminds me of a popcorn bag when it's popping).  Once, Trip poked my tummy while talking to her and we could see her poke back in the same spot!  They did that a couple of times and he got a kick out of it.  It seems like most of the time I tell Trip to come and feel and then she will stop moving...typical :P  She has been nice to me so far and avoided my ribs (for the most part) which I appreciate because I don't like that feeling at all!

The second trimester was all too short and very sweet.  We have enjoyed having some time to get to know our baby's personality a little better and of course, we have loved getting some good quality time in before she joins us  :)  Here's to a smooth third trimester and delivery!