Pregnancy: The Highs, The Lows, The Hormones

Since I am almost at the halfway point through this pregnancy, I thought it would be a good time to write an update about what's going on recently:

The Highs:
People keep asking me if Luke has any idea that he is going to be a big brother. At first, I thought that he had no concept of what was going on, but he's proven me wrong on several occasions. One evening during Luke's nighttime prayers, he recited with me: "God Bless Mommy and Daddy, and Luke and Winnie..." All of the sudden, he grinned, looked up at me, and said, "And Sprout." I almost burst into tears of joy. I have no idea how he knew to insert this very appropriate addition, but he's said it every night since. Sometimes I just can't get over how amazed I am by my son, which leads me to story #2:

Several weeks ago, I asked Luke where Sprout was. He lifted up my shirt and pointed to my belly. I was so impressed, and we showed Daddy our new "trick" when Mark got home from work. We did it again, and Mark cleared his throat and said, "Carrie, you realize that Luke is pointing to the birthmark on your stomach, right?" After testing this theory a few times, we realized that Luke did indeed believe that Sprout was a mole/birthmark, but you can't win every time. Luke more than made up for it at our ultrasound last week. As soon as the ultrasound tech told us that it was a girl, Luke announced, "Baboo have a baby sister!" I wish we could have recorded it on video, but I know that I'll never forget that moment and the sense of joy and pride that I felt.

My sweet boy bringing Mommy a pink hydrangea (my favorite flower).

It's been a very exciting coincidence that all of my play group friends here were pregnant at the same time. All of our firstborns are within 6 months of age, and our second children will also be born within 6 months of each other, and all in the same order as the older siblings! Everyone was pregnant with the same gender as their first pregnancy, too, but Sprout has proven to be the only outlier. It's so much fun to go through this experience with my Greenville girlfriends, and we all can relate to each other's experiences, share in our stories and be in the same stage of life.

First, Second, Third, and Third Trimester Bellies (May 2010).


The Lows:
I really don't have much to add to this section, except for the inappropriate belly rubs that I get from complete strangers (such a violation of my personal space!). I feel great right now, but am already starting to realize how the second child may receive much less attention than the first. While I was pregnant with Luke, I pored over multiple pregnancy books, imagining the changes occurring to the fetus in my body as it grew and developed. We took weekly photos of my "bump" and were completely consumed by the new life that was going to join our family. This time, I rarely even open my weekly e-mails which compare Sprout's size to a random piece of produce (i.e. "It's Week 18, and your baby is the size of a large heirloom tomato!"). I'm so busy chasing around an active toddler that Sprout really has taken a backseat while in utero, but I'm trying not to feel guilty that I'm not sending her peaceful, zen-like vibes all day. I'm also slightly nervous about how I am going to divide my attention between 2 children, give each one 100% of my time, energy, and resources, and how Luke will adjust to having to share his mommy with a new baby (after almost 3 years of having me all to himself), but I know that it will all work out somehow.

This adorable little man certainly keeps me on my toes!


The Hormones:
1. My brain has officially turned to mush. In the last few days alone, I have completely lost my mind to Pregnancy Brain. I put away an unwashed pan in the cupboard, only for Mark to find it at lunchtime today and exclaim: "Gross! What IS this?" I just shrugged and replied, "I made grilled cheese yesterday." He looked at me incredulously. I also found an almost-full jar of jam returned to the pantry instead of the fridge, and a bag of frozen peas misplaced in the fridge (vs. back in the freezer). Tonight in the shower, I couldn't remember if I had shampooed my hair already (so I washed everything again to be safe), and I went to the grocery store solely to buy apple juice (after Luke asked for me to get it for 4 days), and I came home with an entire bag full of groceries, but no juice of course. Lastly, Mark asked me to do a load of whites because he was out of undershirts, and I insisted that I just did them a day ago, and that he needed to search his drawers again (since surely I had folded everything and put the clothes away). Two days later, I found the washed, but unfolded clothes in the laundry basket buried underneath a bunch of dirty things. Sigh. I also asked Mark the same question 5 minutes apart because I couldn't remember if we had already had a conversation.... the list goes on and on. It's very frustrating, but Mark reminded me that I had similar cognitive deficits while I was pregnant with Luke. Of course I don't remember.

2. Shortly after we found out that we were expecting another baby, I quickly calculated a Jaunary due date, but realized that since Luke was born 5+ weeks early, that this baby may be an early Christmas present. I started thinking about the meaning of Advent ("coming"), and how it is a preparatory season of looking forward and waiting for Christ's birth, and how poignant that will be to us this year as we await our baby's arrival into the world. As I tried to put this into words, I said to Mark, "Christmas is going to be so special this year. It'll be just like the Virgin Mary, as she waited for Jesus to come..."

I think Mark had trouble focusing on my rambling at that point, because he calmly interjected, "Yes, Carrie, it will be EXACTLY like that. You, riding a donkey into Bethlehem, giving birth to our Savior, in a stable surrounded by farm animals..."

Ok, so maybe it was a poor word choice on my part to compare myself to the Virgin Mary, but I was hormonal and overwhelmed by the brand new information that we were pregnant, etc. and I didn't know how to express my thoughts coherently.

So in the meantime, we continue to prepare, look forward, enjoy each moment of the craziness, the laughter, and the joy that our little blessing is already bringing to our family from within my belly!

Week 18 Bump (Yes, this is the first picture that we've manage to take since Week 10, but at least I'm wearing pink for Sprout!)