Welcome 2nd Trimester!

According to my last ultrasound (which I am going by), today marks the arrival of the second trimester in this pregnancy. You have no idea how happy this makes me! Since this baby will complete our family, this means I will never have to experience the "joys" of the first trimester again. WAHOO!!!!!!

My sister encouraged me to write down my thoughts and experiences of this pregnancy yesterday, so here is what my first trimester was like:

- I was morning sick from weeks 6-12, pretty much from day 1 of week 6 until I reached day 1 of week 12 . I felt pretty crummy and exhausted 20-22 hours each day. There was rarely a relief and it was a constant, nagging nausea. This was more intense than with Ellie, however it wasn't that bad compared to what some of my friends have experienced. I am just THRILLED that I am finally feeling "normal" again. Nothing compares to morning sickness. Bleh!

- I'll just be honest - I have gained about 10 pounds so far. As Justin so kindly puts it, "it's only going to get worse before it gets better." ;) Anyway, as a result of feeling so crummy for so long and the need to eat in order to prevent getting sick, I was just eating what I could. Couple that with minimal exercise and, wah-la, weight gain. Oh well, I'll lose it when this is all over (already dreaming of my next marathon). On a positive note, I feel much more relaxed about the weight gain this time around. I know it just isn't that big of a deal. It's going to happen and I know what to expect. On a positive note, now that I am feeling human again, I am starting to run more - which is great. I'll run as long as I can and then switch to swimming and/or walking. I have too much energy and need to get outside to not do anything.

- Unlike with Ellie, I had no aversions during the first trimester. With Ellie, I couldn't even say the word "hamburger" without going green. No problem this time around. I really enjoy salty food - especially chips and American cheese (don't judge me). During those miserable weeks of feeling horrible, I ate a LOT of chips, but I finally broke down and bought little bags of chips (individual servings) for portion control. Unfortunately, from experience I knew I could eat a full bag of chips in record time, so I spent the extra money to help my waist line. :) So far it's worked great. I allow myself the bag a day and am (usually) satisfied.

- The baby's heartrate at 12.4 weeks was something like 147. Ellie's at this time was around 170. Does this mean it's a boy? Hmmm.... BTW - we'll be thrilled with either gender and aren't secretly hoping for one or the other, honestly. And, yes, I'm finding out the gender - probably around the first week of April.

- I am thankful that the pregnancy marks another way to countdown the weeks until Justin's deployment is over. Each week is exciting for two reasons: 1. the baby is a week older and more developed and 2. Justin is one week closer to being home for good!

And, because I promised, here's a video of Ellie dancing this morning. :) Please ignore my morning singing voice, just focus on Ellie and her awesome dance moves. :)