20 weeks... Halfway There!

I can't believe I'm already halfway through this pregnancy!  Compared to my pregnancy with Isaac, this one seems a lot more tiring.  Maybe that has something to do with chasing an 18 month old around all day instead of sitting in a chair at work all day.  I wouldn't change it for the world though!

Today at exactly 20 weeks!

This time around, it's interesting to notice the differences between this pregnancy and my pregnancy with Isaac.

• I don't crave meat nearly as much.  With Isaac I could eat burgers like no one's business.  I loved them! This time around, I'm more likely to crave a salad or a really good sandwich (or more realistically a bag of chips).  I think this is probably because we've been eating more meat now that Andy's graduated.  
• I've been drinking more water. Some days are better than other, but as a general thing I drink a lot more water.  Last time I dealt with slight nausea and dizziness throughout my pregnancy related to low blood volume (due to not drinking enough).  I think that since I was in a cool office all day I just didn't think about it.  Now that I'm moving and in a slightly warmer setting, my body tells me I need it more.
• I definitely started to show earlier! At 12 weeks one of my friends (who knew I was pregnant) told me I was showing and at 14 weeks someone who I hadn't told I was pregnant asked how far along I was.
• Maternity clothes are definitely not as exciting.  This is probably in part due to the timing of this pregnancy (aka, being pregnant all through a Texas summer).  My goal is to wear as few layers as possible.  Have you tried to find shirts that are thick enough to not need an undershirt and also have a high enough neckline?  Not easy.  Even harder is finding long enough shorts that don't have a full panel (I finally did thank goodness).  As for a non-knit pencil skirt?  Don't even get me started on that issue... Long story short, if anyone wants to develop and produce a line of modest maternity clothes I have a list of things that I would love for you to make/take into consideration!  In the meantime, it's time for my sewing machine to come out of the closet and for us to become good buddies again.
• I'm generally a lot calmer (in my opinion...Andy might say differently).  With Isaac I feel like there was so much to do throughout the pregnancy.  We needed to buy so much stuff...and buying all that stuff meant researching all that stuff!  I spent hours reading reviews and lists of different "must have" baby products!  This time around, my freaking out is more related to "where is this baby going to sleep" (Isaac went straight into his own room because we all slept better that way...having a baby sleep in our room does NOT seem fun) and "are we going to be able to be able to get Isaac into a big boy bed and off the pacifier before this baby comes".  The only things we "need" to buy are a pack-n-play and a double stroller (If you have an opinion on double strollers--inline vs. side-by-side, brands, etc--please tell me).  Much less stressful.  Plus I've lived through the newborn phase once, I know the tough things that are going to come up and I know how to address them.

This pregnancy has also made me take note of some things I'm going to need to do differently the next time around.  What kinds of things you may ask?  Well...

1. Stock the freezer and pantry really really well.  We survived the first trimester, but our grocery budget didn't.  We ended up spending a lot of money on convenience foods because I was so exhausted all the time.    Seriously... it was bad.  Even still there are days when it's nice to be able to just pull a few things out and make a quick dinner.  I'm definitely planning on stocking up before the baby's born so we don't have to worry about things after he/she comes.

2. Work out!  Specifically...get my abs and lower back in rocking shape!  Due to the lack of abs (and the fact that it's my second pregnancy) this baby popped out way earlier than I remember Isaac popping out.  My lower back is already taking a beating (and my sciatic nerve isn't helping things either) and with 20 more weeks (and the lbs to go with that) to go, I definitely should have worked on strengthening the muscles that  carry the load.  I ordered some prenatal yoga/workout DVDs that should be arriving today, so hopefully it's not too late for me to at least keep this from being a major issue as the pregnancy progresses.

3. Different timing.  I love having fall babies because it's easy to eat fruits and veggies throughout my pregnancy (plus they'll be one of the older kids in their grade...I hated having an April birthday once I got old enough to gain privileges with each birthday).  Now that I don't sit in an office all day (and I'm not in Utah where the summers are milder), I'm already thinking that I'd rather have the majority of my pregnancy be in the fall/winter. We'll see how that works out though.

All in all, we're pretty excited to have a new member of the family joining us in 4 1/2 months!  We're even more excited to find out in a week whether that little person will be a boy or a girl!