Every good and perfect gift comes from above. James 1:17
The second trimester has come and gone. In about two months we’ll be meeting our baby girl, Alba Grace. While we’re both thrilled and feeling ridiculously blessed, I’ll be honest and admit that we’re also starting to feel a little anxious about the unknown and what’s to come. The third trimester jitters, I’ll call them. I feel like I’ve been pregnant forever and also like we just found out the big news. There’s still so much to do before sweet thing makes her debut and I’m crossing things off my list like a crazy lady. A couple of months ago the belly really popped and since then, strangers haven’t been afraid to ask my due date or if we’re having a boy/girl! It’s so much fun to share the joy with friends, family, and now strangers. Haha. Definitely makes it all feel a bit more “real”! I love my little family so much!
How far along? 32 weeks! Alba Grace is the size of a squash.
Weight gain? Yes! Up about 20ish pounds from my pre-baby weight.
Maternity Clothes? I’m still trying to hold out but I did grab a pair of target maternity jeans (full band baby!) and this cute maternity top while I was there. My belly band stopped doing the trick about halfway through the second trimester. Thankfully the weather has warmed up a bit so I’ve been wearing my pre-baby flowy dresses! I honestly don’t think I’ll be making anymore maternity purchases, instead I’m allocating all clothing funds to post-baby outfits (so many cute things I can’t wait to wear again!) and AG’s little wardrobe.
Stretch Marks? No clear signs of stretch marks but my skin is definitely stretching and turning pink in the belly area! I’ve been using the Burt’s Bee’s Belly Butter pretty regularly so I think it’s helping. It’s also worth noting that my belly button has disappeared.
Sleep? About halfway through the 2nd trimester things took a positive turn and I’ve had a lot more energy than I did in the early days, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love my naps and early bedtime! I have however been waking up several times a night to use the restroom and sometimes have trouble getting back to sleep afterward. Some nights I’m up for hours before I can fall back to sleep. Baby girl is quite the night owl. It’s also a challenge to roll over or flip from side to side with this huge belly. Thankfully, many of y’all sent over suggestions on how to get through the pregnancy insomnia via instagram last month. I’ve been trying out your tips and will post more on the subject later!
Best moment of the 2nd trimester? When I realized I was feeling baby girl’s sweet little kicks! Now they’re frequent and strong! It’s absolutely amazing! I think it helps Pearce connect with her too now that he can feel her movement. She kicks most when I’m resting after working all day. And I swear she dances when she hears music. She loooves music, just like her mama.
Other 2nd trimester moments worth noting:
We found out our baby was a SHE.
We took a babymoon to St. Simon’s and although we came home quicker than we thought we would, it was so much fun to take one last trip, just the two of us.
We worked on the nursery a ton and only have a few things left to do in there. Her room is becoming one of my favorites in the house. The playroom is also pretty much complete. I’m pumped about this because we’ll have a designated zone to store all of the baby stuff coming our way. SO MUCH STUFF.
Hospital bags are packed, we pre-registered with labor & delivery, and took our hospital tour.
I purchased a dress for my brother’s graduation and my baby shower, which is a big deal because I was honestly dreading shopping for these. But my girl Catie came along and helped me find two really cute dresses that I adore.
Took a trip to the ER (which was not cool) but got to hear AG’s heartbeat for 20 minutes while they were monitoring us. That was a sweet surprise in the middle of a very scary day. Don’t worry – baby and I left with a clean bill of health! 🙂
Looking forward to? My baby shower on the 21st. I can’t wait to see so many friends and loved ones!
What I miss? Wine. Lol. Also, reallllly hot baths.
Food Cravings? Throughout the 2nd trimester I was really craving Junk food. So bad. I’ve been dreaming about childhood favorites like toaster strudels and lucky charms.
How have you been feeling? Y’all know I had awful morning (all day) sickness from week 6-20. One day during the second trimester I woke up feeling like myself again! I had heard rumors that would happen but had a hard time believing that day would come. My biggest complaint right now is heartburn. My doctor recommended Nexium to help with that, so we’ll see if it goes away. Emotionally I’m feeling excited and nervous… but mostly excited! 🙂
Cant’ wait to meet our sweet girl!
You can read my first trimester recap, here.
love y’all, mckenzie
