Countdown

I had high hopes to blog throughout my pregnancy with posts full of nursery updates & comparisons to last time. But. Now I'm at 32 weeks and I haven't written a thing since January. In my defense, I have been busy eating. And working. And thinking a lot about curtains.

Okay. So, I was reading an article about how Facebook is an accurate assessment of how narcissistic a person is depending on the frequency of their status updates and what they post about (IE -- themselves). I did a quick scan of my FB wall & was like, yeah, so clearly I'm self involved. I doubt I needed Yahoo News to to tell me this. But I would hate to be that person who doesn't just ACCEPT THEMSELVES FOR WHO THEY ARE so in that spirit I'm going to conduct an interview with MYSELF about how my pregnancy is going. This will be (A) really fun for me and (B) catch us all up on the last couple of trimesters in which I have failed to write anything.

What's the biggest difference between this pregnancy and the first one?
I'm expecting a daughter.
So that's different.

Also, this pregnancy is much easier than with Jack. The whole having my appendix removed at 20 weeks, recurring and random medical issues, and pre-term labor threw me for a loop last time. With this pregnancy, the months have just flown by. Most of the time I don't even feel pregnant, other than her constant poltergeist type movements inside my body.

Any food cravings?
YES. Thanks for asking.

1st trimester -- I just wanted beer. I really wanted me SOME BEER. Normally, I hate beer.

2nd trimester -- Anything salty, especially anything that included fried cheese. By month five, I nicknamed this baby "my little trucker". I also spent a lot of my time alternating between salivating over the thought of Bud Light, slim jims, nachos and pink nursery accessories. (In contrast, I just wanted apple slices and chocolate milk during my pregnancy with Jackson)

3rd trimester -- I'm averaging 5 to 7 cups of crushed ice everyday. All I want to do is eat ice. Crushed Ice. Cubed Ice. Shaved Ice. I almost ate our front lawn the other day when it snowed.

Pregnancy symptoms?
On a typical day, I feel great and enjoy feeling her constant thrashing movement. The only times I feel really 'pregnant' are at night -- that's when I tend to get back pain, some heartburn, restless leg syndrome (mild) and then of course, there is the 10 minute pee cycle WHICH JUST ROCKS. I described this awesome side effect of pregnancy here. Sleeping at night has also become more difficult, and I wake up frequently to pee or to adjust the 18 pillows I utilize to prop my belly up. But all of these things just go along with the territory and I don't really mind of any of the minor inconveniences since they are all normal pregnancy symptoms and I'm so excited that each day brings me closer to meeting my daughter.

How is Jackson reacting / processing all the changes?
I try really hard to turn the abstract of pregnancy into something tangible and real for him, so that when she comes it's not a complete shock. I explain there is a baby in my tummy, and that she's growing big enough to come out and be part of our family. There is one great blog that has a mommy with a little boy Jack's age and she has pictures with the big brother holding the baby at the hospital. I show him this blog and explain that when the baby comes he'll get to be a big brother, and hold his sister, just like the boy in the pictures. He has also been helping me with the nursery, putting the bedding together and he picked out one of his stuffed animals to share with her. He LOVES to hold my belly, talk to her, give her kisses. He comes running into our room in the morning, and says "Can I give sissy a big hug and a kiss? I'm her big brother!" We'll see how he handles it when she arrives, but I'm not too worried. I'm sure it will be a mix of emotions for him over the next year but we are very good huggers around here, so I know my little guy will get tons of attention no matter what.

Colors & themes for the nursery?
Pink & turquoise. The theme is kind of like bohemian / flowery / antique thrift store finds meets Ross.

Any names picked out?
Hope or Juliet. I also like Rory, Bailey, Cora, and Tulla. Unfortunately, Brent's golfer friends keep naming their dogs or their own kids the names I have picked out. This is making me extremely grumpy.

Any pregnancy dreams?
I dreamt right from the start I was having a little girl. All of my dreams have been very peaceful and calming. Which is really surprising because my whole life I normally have tons of nightmares and 'world ending' and 'everyone dying' type dreams. So that's a nice change of pace.

What's the birth plan?
Epidural with a side of epidural. Actually, my birth plan is just to have the baby. Everything that comes AFTER the birth is much more important to me than the actual logistics of getting her through the tunnel.

Following any mommy / baby blogs?
YES. Mommy blogs make me so happy and are a highlight of my pregnancy. As they were with Jackson. I am so grateful to my friend Andrea for exposing me to the world of blogs. The connection to other mothers' stories and journeys bring me a lot of comfort and therapy during these months. Right now I am obsessively reading:

Girls Gone Child (She just had twins)
Watch Me Grow (Another mother who has a three year old son and just had a baby girl)
Noelle, Baby on Broad (Starting her second pregnancy and also has a son / expecting a girl)
The Art of Making A Baby (This one is a hoot!)
I also really enjoy 'Moms Are For Everyone' and I just started reading 'Little Band of Brothers'. I love the fashion / decorating styles highlighted in their blogs.

Maternity Leave Plan?
I'm taking two months off, followed by one month of half time. I'll be back at work full time when she turns 3 months.

What else is happening?
We've completely changed our entire life and I couldn't be more relieved at what a difference it has made. We moved from Portland to Eugene. Our house has gone from 3000 square feet, and three floors to 1200 square feet on one floor (SO EASY TO CLEAN AND LIVE IN! I LOVE IT!). We finally have a real backyard, and live across the street from a massive park. Taking walks and being outside is so easy and wonderful. We live 6 blocks from my parents, and Brent's parents live here as well. To have so much family and friends nearby is, just, everything I hoped for. No more crazy commuting and hectic work/daycare balance. Brent is home with Jackson, and he just started preschool 2 days a week. Even if/when Brent returns to work, I think it will still be a much calmer schedule, now that we live in Eugene and it is SO EASY to get around here. I love it. Done deal. Now I am just counting down the weeks for us to become a little family of four!