I’m, like, a groundhog or something

34 weeks

Six more weeks of “winter” (hibernation?) for New Girl. Six more weeks until I’m a mother of TWO.

(This causes me to freak out on a near daily basis.)

It also causes me to look at this pregnancy and see all the ways that pregnancy is different the second time around, in both general and specific ways. Allow me to commemorate them here, mmkay?

Stretchmarks.

With Joshua, I got my first angry stretchie at 10 weeks. I looked down one day and grounded him immediately. With New Girl, my first stretch marks didn’t appear until two weeks ago. She’s already trying to sweeten me up to buy her a pony, I think.

Swelling.

With Joshua, my right leg was so swollen by 20 weeks the doctor sent me for an ultrasound to make sure I didn’t have a blood clot in my leg. There was also that instance with the hospital tour and me not wanting to look like an unwed mother. Toward the end, the nurses were all taking bets on how long before I’d become pre-eclampsic. (Nice, right?)

With New Girl, my ankles swell each day and go down each night, and I can still wear my wedding bands. Hooray!

Cravings.

I’ve developed a craving for fresh cut fruit from the grocery store. I eat a bowl approximately every two days. Each bowl is about $8. With Joshua, I wanted a strawberry slush every single day. Each slush was $2-ish.

I honestly can’t decide which of these is better for me. One is obviously the healthier choice, but the other is cheaper. Have you seen all the cute things for baby girls?

Sleep.

I think I slept better toward the end of my pregnancy with Joshua than I’m sleeping with New Girl. The only way I can get comfortable is to sprawl across the middle of the bed, which isn’t conducive to actually sharing the bed with another human. I sleep best from 5:50 to 6:30 a.m. when Dan gets up to get ready for work, but sleeping until 6:30 makes me run late nearly every day, so really, I should just stop trying to get comfortable and get up already.

Movement.

Baby movement is way less…less….something? the second time around. I mean, it’s awesome and cool and kind of like something out of Alien. But…not always.

With Joshua, I was downright giddy every time he moved. I was fascinated by all of his moving and shaking. But he did way less moving and shaking than she does. New Girl is on the go all the time. All. The. Time. I think the novelty is wearing off a little bit and I’d really like her to cool it at 10:00 p.m. when I’m trying to go to sleep.

Vagina Bone Pain.

I have no idea what this pain is actually called, so I’m calling it that. My pelvic bones ache so bad sometimes I have to brace myself on a wall or a desk or a chair to walk. I did not have this with Joshua. I actually think having him to chase around is part of the cause of it this time around. I can’t just sit down and chill when I get home after work like I could when I was pregnant with him because I have him to take care of. So, vagina bone pain.

Braxton Hicks.

I don’t remember having a single Braxton Hicks contraction with Joshua. Ever. I don’t even remember the few contractions I did have after my water broke and before they started me on The Devil’s Drug the next morning.

I have these “practice contractions” all the time with New Girl and sometimes I feel them in my nose and forehead, like my entire body is practicing how best to push her out. So, go body! But not for six more weeks, please.