I can’t sing enough praises about the second trimester. I think just about anyone who’s ever been pregnant, or the spouse of one, will agree that these middle 13 weeks are the best. I’m super excited to be in the third, but man, I will miss these really glorious weeks.

The second trimester also happened to coincide with the busiest work season ever for me. My mind is a little fuzzy compared to the first trimester about what in the world it was like, but let’s try to remember.

Maternity clothes have been a must so much earlier on. Wow does that belly come out fast the second time around. Especially since I’ve been chasing around our little toddler, regular jeans with a hair tie looped around the button (to create a few more inches) just don’t cut it. I need pants that are comfy and stay on.

The problem is though, I’ve been kind of in an awkward period here. The maternity pants I have are the smallest size I could find but are still a little baggy at this point. So, I’ve worn leggings and my stretchy black workout pants, a lot. I hope no one notices. I think I’m just now figuring out what exactly in my wardrobe fits well.

Why is this baby making me crave all things unhealthy?! It’s all about french fries, pizza, and burgers. Oh, and lately lots of chocolate. Like, good ol’ dark chocolate and mint chocolate chip ice cream. YUM. Maybe it’s a good thing that the hubs and I gave up eating out for Lent. These awesome, home-baked, fairly healthy fries came out of it.

Oh, but you might know that Lent is ending this weekend. I am fully planning to go get myself a prime burger at Fleming’s Happy Hour as soon as possible. I’ve already talked to Pat about it, he’s game. Anyone is totally invited, but I might be too busy stuffing my face to talk to you. 🙂

The end of jogging, sadly, happened about midway through the trimester. Starting at about 21 weeks, I started to have muscoloskeletal strains while I was jogging. No, I didn’t know that’s what it was at the time. I found out from my OB via email. I was super bummed. I was so excited to jog for as long as I could during this pregnancy. It’s much harder to do workouts like swimming and yoga with a toddler, that’s what I did when I was pregnant with Gianna and had all the time in the world.

These days, I’m walking at least every other day but trying to get out everyday. Luckily, Gianna is loving walks in her stroller with me. I’m also thinking about trying out some pregnancy workout videos. I feel like I’m needing something with a little more intensity. I can already feel my body getting a little mushy, not the best place to be when I’m preparing for the crazy, physically exhausting experience of labor.

Oh, and I started to think more about labor. And how much it hurts. I was able to deliver Gianna naturally, as in no pain meds whatsoever. And it was really hard. You would think that it would be easier thinking about it this time, because I know what to expect. But instead it’s been the opposite. I know how incredibly hard it is, and I’m getting nervous about it. At the same time, I’m getting more and more exited to see my son. Hopefully that will grow to outweigh the nervousness in the upcoming months.

Probably the coolest part of the second trimester, we found out we’re having a little boy! Pat and I are so excited. We were glad that we did a gender revealing party and have been imagining life with our daughter AND son.

Feeling the twists and kicks of this little guy has also been a pretty amazing thing that I started feeling earlier than my last pregnancy. I love it. I continue to feel like I’m not as aware of this pregnancy as my last, but my little guy’s jabs and somersaults in my belly remind me that I’m very much growing a baby inside of me. Maybe he knows I’m talking about him, but he’s moving like crazy as I type…

And so, here we are, about 3 months out from the birth of our son. I have a feeling the third trimester will be all about insane amounts of nesting and just getting big. TBD.