The Second (Part 3)

I'm only 17 weeks along, but this pregnancy has already been so different from my last. Not only is my life vastly different from the chaos that it was when I found out I was pregnant with Shepherd, but Bryan and I have gotten into a better routine, our relationship is better and overall, less stressful. More than that, we're back in church, which has changed us and shaped us over the past year and the relationships we have in our lives are different. I suppose it's that time = wisdom thing, but I feel more optimistic about life then I did last time around. Last time, I felt less stable emotionally and mentally. I feel more grounded in truth and in life these days, and that helps. Especially when physically I've been feeling so horrible.

Symptoms

My overall mental health is much better this pregnancy, but I am also more moody and emotional this time around. I've cried and teared up about really dumb stuff. I go from 0-60 really fast, one minute I'm happy, the next I'm frustrated and then I'm crying. It's AWFUL. Pretty much everything Bryan says makes me want to punch something or cry. I am also ridiculously tired. I go to bed at 10:30pm and wake up at about 6:30am and by 4:00pm I need a nap to get through the rest of the day. An hour and a half will usually get me through without being a raging jerk. I toss and turn a lot at night but I haven't been waking up much to go to the bathroom yet, so that is nice while it lasts. Other than some severe nausea in my first trimester, I haven't experienced much more of that unless I let too much time pass before I eat something. 

 I've been obsessed with water, I must have it with me at all times and I tend to drink about 72-96 ounces a day. I seriously get panicked when I don't have it with me. I am turning into my mother. I didn't drink coffee during my first trimester but I have about 2oz of half caffeine coffee with 8oz of milk a day, lightly sweetened. I've had Java Heaven twice. I haven't had a Dr. Pepper or any soda other than Ginger Ale since I found out I was pregnant. I'll take little sips of Bryan's DP every once in a while, but other than that, I drink nothing but water or iced tea. The Shaken Black Iced Tea from Starbucks is amazing and Bryan has been making homemade sun tea which is bomb. I broke the sun tea jar on Tuesday and almost started crying. 

One thing I have "going" for me is that my appetite is almost nonexistent, so I've lost about 10 pounds. Unfortunately, that weight loss and water intake hasn't done much for my appearance because I look as haggard as I feel. I have been battling acne (for really the first time ever) and I feel the exact opposite of radiant. When I was pregnant with Shepherd, I felt beautiful. My hair was so voluminous and my skin totally clear. With this kiddo, I feel like I look sickly. The difference between the two pregnancies is like, the entire movie of Legally Blonde, where Reese Witherspoon looks gorgeous: 

Until the very last scene, that Reese had to re-shoot when she was in her first trimester and sick as a dog. There is a noticeable difference between the entire movie and this scene and the Harvard speech scene.

And that difference is the same difference with this pregnancy. I am sickly Elle Woods, not cute peppy gorgeous haired Elle Woods. Life is hard for the preggo people. 

Foods

I have been trying to stay away from bad foods/drinks and only treating myself here and there. My biggest weakness has been Milk Duds. I've never been a huge Milk Dud fan but for some reason, I'm all about them. I need to find a dark chocolate, healthier version. 

BLT sandwiches have also been a huge hit. Lots of tomato and lots of lettuce. Ah so good. I've been eating mostly beef, some pork. I was eating fish fairly regularly but I got a migraine and got sick. I haven't really wanted to eat it since then. Shrimp has been okay, but mostly I've been going for beef. Salads have also been huge. My favorite meal is the Round Table lunch buffet, get a big ol' salad with lots of varied veggies, and then a slice of pizza. So, so delicious. A blend of both worlds, bad pizza and a healthy salad. Most of my meals are really small and I've been having about four small meals and two snacks throughout the day. 

Now that I am in full on prevent pre-eclampsia mode, I've been watching my diet, eliminating bad foods and big news! I went and saw a new doctor. My midwife wanted to me to see him to get some extra support in the overall health and nutrition. 

On the grand scale of pregnancy symptoms, I feel like I got lucky both times. I still have a long way to go, so things could change, but overall, If I'm not throwing up every two seconds, I'll take whatever else this growing baby has to throw at me.

Names
We have had one boy and two girls names picked out forever. Since we got that positive test result, we have been trying to figure out a boys name. We haven't had any luck. Everything I like, he doesn't Everything he likes, I don't. I really wanted a name picked out by the time we knew what the gender is, but I don't see that happening. We might be the type of people who have to see the child to figure it out! Oh well. It sure was nice having two announcements ready for Shepherd. Bryan made two. One with the boys name and one with the girls. As soon as my mom announced that it was a boy, we immediately said his name and we posted it later on social media for our extended family. It was so fun. I suppose we will do the same thing with our girl name but just have 'Baby Boy Vickers' for the boy, until we figure it out. Hopefully we can come to a conclusion!

I'm so excited and so ready for this baby. I can't wait until December!