Pregnancy #3, part 2

At St George Island in September (28 weeks)

Life was so busy for us in July, August, and September that I hardly made any notes about what was going on with the pregnancy.  We had our Disney trip and Ellie's first birthday at the end of July.  In August we squeezed in a trip to Maine before Claire started school and started soccer.  Then we had our trip to St George Island in September.  I didn't have the luxury to sit around and contemplate being pregnant and blog about it every week like I did with Claire.  I guess Daniel's just getting used to be dragged along for the ride already!

How I've been feeling physically:
I hit the halfway mark of 20 weeks on Sunday, July 20th.  Being in the middle of the second trimester, I was feeling pretty good.  Had a little more energy, food aversions mostly gone, mood much more stable.  Shortly thereafter Ellie gave up her morning nap so the return of some energy was much appreciated.  Physically I did pretty well on our Disney trip at the end of July, especially considering the heat and all the walking.  I made sure to take breaks to rest and cool off more often than I normally would.  Our trip to Maine wasn't too strenuous so I did well then too.  Fortunately we were all able to sit together in a row on the plane, so I could make Jeff bend over to retrieve dropped toys or items from the diaper bag.  By the time our St George trip rolled around in mid September I was definitely feeling uncomfortably pregnant.  I was 28 weeks by then, so just into the 3rd trimester. I napped or rested in bed each day of our trip but still felt so stiff and uncomfortable.  It definitely cut into my enjoyment of the trip.  The car ride down and back probably didn't help much either.

By the end of September I was feeling pretty rough.  My back and hips hurt all the time and every step was uncomfortable.  I couldn't imagine how I was going to make it two more months!  And Ellie was in a clingy, must-be-on-mommy phase where I couldn't sit down without her wanting to be on top of me.  And not just sitting with me, but climbing all over me and the couch.  (This also coincided with a peak in my please-don't-touch-me phase. Fun times!)   But I was able to get some relief thanks to a few tricks.  First, I adjusted my sleeping position so my legs weren't so bent up and made good use of my pregnancy pillow.  Second, I used a birthday gift certificate from my mom for a prenatal massage.  I had been saving it for when I felt really uncomfortable.  This seemed like the moment!  After the massage I walked out thinking "It's a miracle, I can walk!"

And third, that same evening Jeff and I left for a weekend getaway in Charleston.  The car ride stiffened me back up a little bit.  But a weekend of relaxation combined with some moderate amounts of walking worked some more magic.  I returned home feeling much more normal.  It was so nice to be able to move around without pain.  (Our trip was October 3rd-5th so I was 30/31 weeks along).

How I've been feeling emotionally:
As I mentioned, my normally high need for personal space got even bigger.  If Claire was sitting next to me on the couch (as happens most mornings), I didn't want any of her body parts to touch me.  I could tolerate snuggles for Ellie but I couldn't handle her climbing all over me.  And this past summer, climbing was her main interest!  So I had a lot of frustration with that.

Fortunately, Jeff's schedule has felt pretty light so he has been around more often to intervene when my patience is gone.  And to allow me to nap.  Oh how beneficial that is!  Even if I'm dragging in the morning when he's sleeping, knowing that I will be able to nap in the afternoon when he is up helps me to power through.  And of course sleep helps keep the emotions in check and the physical discomfort down.

Beyond the day-to-day frustrations from pregnancy discomforts and from parenting young children, I've mostly just felt grateful.  We had a busy but amazing summer.  We were able to fit in so many wonderful experiences before a new baby keeps us close to home for a while.  I feel so fortunate that we were financially able to do it all. And so blessed to have such wonderful family members to vacation with or to take care of our girls so we could take trips without a kid or two.  And after an experiencing a few weeks of significant pregnancy discomfort, I'm even more grateful for relief from that and for each moment that I feel good.

And although I shudder at the thought of sleep-deprived, crying newborn days, I so look forward to meeting our little guy.  I am excited to see what his little face looks like.  And I'm praying he is the easygoing baby that Ellie was!  But if he isn't, I know this time I will have much more help than when Claire was little.  Jeff will be taking the month of December off and we have lots of family ready to offer a helping hand.

How Claire is reacting:
Claire continues to do well with the thought of a new sibling.  She likes to give Daniel a hug and kiss. I called her over one day when I could feel him moving and put her hand on my belly.  She seemed a little shocked when she felt him.  So now she will occasionally ask if he is moving and try to feel him.  But she will only leave her hand there for a moment before pulling away and saying she felt him, even though I know there are times when she couldn't have felt anything.

I can tell her mind is trying make sense of having a baby around and being a mom.  One day in late September we had this conversation:
Claire: Mama I have a baby in my tummy!
Me: Oh yeah?
C: Yeah! But he's little because my tummy is little. But he's the same age as Daniel. 
Me: What are you going to name your baby?
C: (brief pause) Dada!
(Tangential discussion about whether Jeff is working or sleeping)
C: No! I'm just teasing. He's going to be Daniel like the baby in your tummy.

And another day she told me that she was going to be a mommy and Ellie was going to be a mommy and I was a mommy.  So we would have three mommies and would I like having 3 mommies around?  I told her 3 mommies sounded like a pretty good idea to me!

In the summer I broached the idea of Ellie sharing her room so that Daniel could have what is currently Ellie's room.  She considered it seriously for a moment then said "Sure!"

And how about Ellie?
Well, being just one, Ellie has no idea what is coming.  And it does break my heart a little bit to think about how her world is going to be rocked come December.  She's still so little.  And I'm going to make her change rooms, move in with her sister, and often have my arms full of a new baby when she just wants me.  I know the frustration that I'll feel when she is trying mess with Daniel or explore all the baby stuff that will be coming out.  Or when she wants me and I'm in the middle of feeding a baby or trying to make dinner or any of the dozens of other things that need to be done.  I'm already trying to channel all the peace and patience I can.  And reminding myself that the baby won't remember being ignored for a minutes as much as my preschooler and toddler will.

And what's going on with Daniel?
After giving me some grief with uncomfortable transverse positioning, he finally flipped and went head down.  I think that was around 33 weeks.

Like his sisters, he favors my right side.  Claire used to shove her foot into my ribs on the right.  I was often sitting with a hand in that spot trying to push her down.  Daniel is similar but his spot is a little lower. I usually have a hard lump on my right side, midway between the top and bottom of my belly.  His little bottom or foot just loves to push out on that spot!

His activity pattern is also like his sisters.  He's most active when I finally lay down at night.  He also gets going around 7 or 8 in the evening when I sit on the couch to relax for a bit.  Throughout the day it's more unpredictable.  Although meals and sugary snacks tend to get him going.

My mom kindly mentioned that I looked bigger this time around.  So we will see how his size compares.  I think it's pretty normal to look bigger each pregnancy.  I'll have to pull some pictures from all 3 to compare!