Second Trimester Wrap-Up

Warning: Lots of pregnancy mumbo-jumbo. You're welcome to ignore this post if you'd like.
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Doesn't it feel like yesterday I was giving the 1st Trimester Wrap-Up? No. No, it doesn't. It feels like 10 years ago. But whatever . . .

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The nausea has not gone away. Granted, I only threw up twice this time around, which is an improvement, but I have yet to have a day without nausea. I'll take it, for sure. I'd be nauseous every day forever if it meant having Lil and any others that follow, but I was kind of hoping it would go away. Maybe my 3rd trimester will be better? I've made peace with the fact that it might not. I no longer wait for it to go away. Instead I've tried to find things that help. I now use watermelon children's toothpaste, because any other kind makes my sickness worse (this toothpaste is de-lish; seriously, I don't know how there isn't any sugar in it). I also chew on fruity gum as much as possible. But the thing that really helps? Food--in my mouth--at all times. Which leads us to a whole different set of problems.

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My weight gain has been pretty slow and steady--until this month. I had quite the little spike, enough for my doctor to say "Maybe we could not make this a habit?". Oops, my bad. It may have had something to do with my various love affairs with ice cream sundaes, sour cream and onion potato chips, and chocolate milk. I'm now working on healthier eating.

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Everything is measuring right on schedule--which I suppose is good. I keep hoping he will say "Wow, we were way off on your due date! Its really a month earlier than we thought!" A girl can dream. Lil's heartbeat is so slow now! I mean, its normal, but when she was a tiny clump of cells her heart rate was so fast, is sounded like a train. Now that she's all human-form it sounds almost like a normal heart beat. So strange she's getting that big. I would never believe it if it weren't for . . . .

My huge, back-aching, feet-destroying belly

A lil on Lil': I know she's not here yet, but I feel like I'm getting to know her a little already. One thing that makes me chuckle is she is totally shy (well, I think she is). She will be holding a little dance party in my tummy, but as soon as I lift my shirt to watch her move, she freezes. She does the same thing when I try to feel her or when Chris tries to feel her. I just have to leave my hand there and look away and pretend like I'm not paying attention. Its hilarious. I guess she prefers to "dance when no one is watching"--she's like her mommy in that way. Yesterday she stuck one of her limbs way out of my tummy and held it there of a few seconds, so I had a little knob sticking out. I remember my mommy telling me about elbows and bums sticking out of her tummy and I thought it was creepy. Turns out its not creepy at all. Turns out its miraculous.

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FAQ
Do you have a name picked out?
The official answer is "No, we're waiting until she comes to pick out a name for her." If its a long enough situation, I'll include that we have a few favorites but are keeping them a secret until we pick one. The honest answer? Pretty much. Over the past few months we (or really I--Chris has like one name the most the whole time) have brought a million names into the mix. Some stick around for a while, some fade pretty fast (Sloane lasted about 45 minutes for me, 45 seconds for Chris), but our favorite has been our favorite since the beginning. It is the favorite spoken of in my 1st Trimester Wrap-Up. And as she gets closer to coming, it feels more and more like that's her name. But, for the record, she won't have a name until she's born--no matter how often we call her by that name now. It will be interesting to see if she comes out and we say "Oh! There is our little Betsy!" or "Wow, she really isn't a Betsy after all." (You can rest assured the name is not Betsy).
Speaking of naming Lil', want to hear a funny story? Elder D. Todd Christofferson of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was at my graduation. Now, I blame my impressive faith in the men called of God, but sometimes I think weird things in the presence of an apostle. In this case, I knew I would get to shake his hand when I walked across the stage. In the midst of my naming angst, I thought Maybe he'll say "Congratulations. Your baby's name should be Ella" (Ella is not on our list either). Hey, the day of miracles has not ceased, so who knows, right? However, I walked across the stage, he shook my hand and looked me in the eyes and said "Congratulations." And that was it. Guess the Lord is leaving the naming of our child up to us. Chris was quite the devil's advocate when he said "But what if he had told you we were supposed to name the baby Dorothy?" Hmmmm . . . .

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Are you going to get an epidural?
Yes. Everyone has different opinions, and that is great, but I'm all about the epidural. Here's one thing though, and I want stories/opinions. It seems like every story I hear about being induced ends with a super-long labor and then a C-section. Its like inductions really just end in a mess. Because of this, I've started to feel like I'd rather be a week late than be induced if it was just a matter of convenience and not Lil's health. Does anyone have input on that one?

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Are you scared?
I get this a lot and am never sure how to answer. Of the birth? Not really. I figure she will come out one way or another. I don't pretend like I know what to expect. I'm realistic enough to know its a pain you cannot prepare for, but a pain that will be well worth it. Of having a kid? Not really. I don't think you can prepare for that either. I mean, you do your best to prepare physically, emotionally, spiritually, but I think the change is too great and too unreal. I think you learn as you go. Am a ready to be a mom? I don't know. Is anyone every really ready?
What I am afraid of? Something happening to Lil'. I worry about her too much. She takes a 10 minute break from wiggling and I'm take breaths to stay calm. Its totally psycho. I'm also afraid of Lil' growing up. I look at 12 month clothes and I can't believe she'll ever be that big. I want her to stay my little baby forever. Is that too much to ask?

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Anyway . . . that's how its going. The second trimester crawled and flew by simultaneously. Funny how time does that. Its so crazy--I'll have a picture of a pretty baby girl in my next "trimester wrap-up".