Second Trimester fun!

Today I am a little over 26 weeks, and almost to the end of my second trimester. I thought it was time to give a little update on baby girl Conder. I suppose that is the first update. On June 29th we found out that we are having a girl. We wanted to know before we left for Utah for the 4th of July so we could tell Nate's parents. Every subsequent ultrasound I ALWAYS ask if it's still a girl. Not that I think the gender will spontaneously change, but that the tech read it wrong or our boy is being modest. As of Wednesday, it is still a girl.

At this point I should tell you that Nate was SO excited for a girl. I honestly didn't care. I just wanted a healthy baby, which so far, so good.

Here are a couple pictures so far. I think we'll take them every four weeks until I get a little further along.

Highlights from the second trimester:

- Food started to taste better (which is evident by the weight I have gained) and the morning sickness subsided. I have more energy and feel really good for the most part.

- As soon as we knew it was a girl, we had a name picked out. No arguments or disagreements. It just fit. We are still trying to narrow down the middle name. Not to worry though, we'll get it done by the time she arrives. As for the name we've picked, we're not telling anyone until she's born.

- We had some genetic screening done, and found out that we screened positive for a neural tube defect. The one good thing that the State of California does is provide a free ultrasound and amniocentesis when a woman screens positive. Thankfully, the ultrasound showed nothing serious and we declined the amnio. The risk just wasn't worth it to us. Since then, the doctor has kept a close eye on me and the baby. I go in for ultrasounds every two weeks.

- My amniotic fluid was a bit low (actually still is) so the doctor told me I couldn't exercise at all. Kind of a bummer because I finally started feeling up to it. Better to have a safe pregnancy and healthy baby.

- We felt the baby move for the first time around 18 weeks. I'll always remember the look on Nate's face. Since then, he frequently talks to her, which I think is really cute. Now that she is a bit bigger, she moves much more often (or at least I feel her more often). She especially likes to jump right on my bladder. It's great fun. She is a bit stubborn too (probably gets that from me). When I can tell that she's being active and then put my hand on my tummy to feel, she stops. Oh, but she'll start moving again as soon as I move my hand.

- We were able to travel some, and took a cruise to Alaska (post about this to come later). It was our last chance for this kind of vacation for the next several years.

- My parents purchased the nursery furniture and we spent a little over a week putting it all together.

I have since hung curtains, but don't have a picture with them up. We both love to just sit in the room. For some reason it's very peaceful and relaxing.

- I have had to buy even bigger maternity clothes. It's a little sad, but everyone that I talk to says I look great. Not sure if that's the truth or if they're just trying to make me feel better. It's just really hard to have lost 70 lbs over the past 4 years and now feel like it's all just coming back on. I try to focus on the fact that in a few short months we will have a baby, but it's still sort of hard to believe.

- I finished the registries at Babies R Us and Target. Once we knew it was a girl, I added all the cute clothes.

- I seem to not be able to resist the impulse to buy cute outfits for the baby when we go to Target. I ordered a bunch of stuff online on clearance too. I've got to get this under control so she's not spoiled.

- I started to sleep on my side. Not because I wanted to, but sleeping on my stomach isn't possible, and seeping on my back tends to be a little uncomfortable. This means that I am switching from side to side at least 3-4 times per night. Thank goodness for the Snoogle. It's an AMAZING pillow that makes sleeping possible.

I think that about covers this trimester. I can't believe that it's almost over. I've got a little less than 14 weeks to go, and I know that it is going to fly by.

I'll try to update this a little more often as I start to get bigger by the day. I'm just excited to meet this little girl, but at the same time very scared of the labor process. I'm sure that's all very natural to feel. Thank goodness I have such a wonderful and supportive husband. For lots of reasons (and not just the obvious ones) I couldn't have done or continue to do this without him. I Love you Nate!