 |
Rose loves putting her babies "night-night" -
hopefully she loves helping to care for her new sister |
During the month of August, I've been balancing the preparation necessary for a second baby along with the daily needs of being a productive member of my household and office. Thankfully, work demands have normalized compared to my busy spring, but there are lots of things I'd like to wrap up before I go on maternity leave. As my belly grows, the demands of caring for an 18 month old get a little more difficult. After I pick up Rose from school, I just want to toss all my bags on the ground and flop on the couch to rest for a bit. Thankfully, Colin can pick up the slack and help meet any demands Rose has when I really need to relax. But sometimes Rose wants mommy, and it's not possible to spend the entire evening relaxing. There is dinner to be eaten, time with my little girl to be enjoyed, and a bedtime routine to be followed.
To take care of myself and the new life I am creating, I've been getting to the neighborhood pool 3-4 days a week for most of the month. Usually we go to the pool as a family on the weekends and Colin hangs out with Rose while I do some laps and pool exercises. During the week, I try to go do my exercise at least two nights after Rose goes to bed. For most of the month, the pool was open until 9pm. Now that kids have started back at school in most of North Carolina, the pool closes at 8pm, so I have to get there earlier. Thankfully, Rose loves the pool, so we can go right after school and have dinner or a snack there before starting the bedtime routine.
This pregnancy has been a little different than the first. It's crazy to think that I have been pregnant since December! Sometimes it feels like it has taken forever, but sometimes it feels like it flew by. The first trimester was worse this second time around. While I didn't ever throw up, I came very close on Super Bowl Sunday and just felt queasy much more often. My pants got tighter sooner, and my belly popped much earlier. They say the body remembers what it is supposed to do, and I think that is correct. While most people enjoy their second trimester, I had a difficult time finding a good work/life balance for most of April and May. Work was really busy with travel, managing a grant, managing contracts, and helping to write another grant.
When work started to calm down, I entered the third trimester and the summer heat. June was the hottest month here this summer, with record 100 degree temperatures. With an old HVAC unit on its last leg, the hot temperatures nearly killed it. A repairman was able to revive the unit for about 6 weeks before it crashed again. Thankfully, the temperatures were not as hot in August, and we had a backup window unit in preparation for the final crash, so I really only had to suffer one night in June sleeping in temps in the mid-80s. I don't know how people survived being pregnant in the summer before A/C. I was pretty miserable that one night. I can now say we have a nice, fully-functional and efficient home heating and cooling system. It has been well worth the investment as I continue getting bigger, hotter, and more uncomfortable!
We managed to do a little traveling this summer with a trip to the beaches of RI and to visit family in NY in early July, a day trip to the beach in Wilmington, NC in August, and a couple of weekend getaways to the mountains of Virginia. We had some good food in Blacksburg on the way to hike the
beautiful Cascade Falls in mid-June and enjoyed exploring Charlottesville and the Blue Ridge Parkway before hiking the strenuous Sharp Top mountain in the
Peaks of Otter hiking area in late July.
 |
| The end of the hike at Sharp Top |
 |
| Our beach-loving girl and her daddy |
Overall the pregnancy has been good. While I do get tired at the end of the work day, am battling a few varicose veins, and now get winded climbing up a flight of stairs, I have not experienced any swelling, have maintained a good weight gain (about 27lbs through 38 weeks), and have been able to continue working, swimming, and doing daily activities. With just about a week left until the baby is due, I really can't complain. I've actually been measuring smaller in these past few weeks this pregnancy than I did with Rose, and I haven't gained quite as much weight. It might be because of the swimming, chasing a toddler, and/or eating less/better in the summer than in the winter. Being pregnant in the summer was much more exhausting and debilitating than the winter - although it might have just felt like it because I also have a toddler this time around. But, it will be nice to be on maternity leave with a newborn in the fall, with comfortable temperatures and the ability to be outdoors.
We'll see how cooperative baby Miller is. I've asked her to arrive some time between Saturday Sept 5-Thursday Sept 10 (her due date is the 10th) because I still have a few things I want to wrap up at work before she arrives and I don't want to go past 40 weeks. But, I know that she will come when she's ready and I just need to be prepared. My go-bag is mostly ready, the car seat is in the car, we've got diapers ready, newborn clothes washed and organized, and the co-sleeper is set up in the bedroom. But, I'm not yet playing the waiting game and wishing her arrival ASAP. I'm okay with her waiting a few more days.
I wasn't as good at taking weekly pictures this pregnancy, but did manage to get a few these past few weeks. Stay tuned for a post about Rose at 18 months - if I can get her to sit for her picture - and for developments of our expanding family!
 |
| 32.5 weeks |
 |
| 34 weeks |
 |
| Week 37 |
 |
| Week 38.5 |
No comments:
Post a Comment