Halfway There...

The first trimester of this pregnancy seemed to drag.  It seemed like everyday was longer than the day before and all of this was due to the nausea.  I'm pretty sure nausea is part of the curse.  The curse says, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children..." (Genesis 3:16) But I'm pretty sure morning sickness/all day sickness in pregnancy has got to be part of that curse too.

However, since the start of the second trimester, the nausea went away and time has been flying!  I like to call this the "Second Trimester Bliss."  I still don't feel amazing, but I am incredibly thankful not to be nauseated all day long.  I can go on walks, I can cook food, I can clean the house, and in general, I just feel more like myself.  I'm so very thankful for that.

I started feeling this baby boy move for sure at 17 weeks.  I may have felt some movements before then, but I know without a doubt I felt him at 17 weeks.  When I was pregnant with James, I didn't feel him for sure until 19 weeks, so it was fun to feel this boy a little earlier.  Ray felt this baby move for the first time at 20 weeks and he felt James at 20 weeks too.  Now at 22 weeks, I feel lots of movements throughout the day and they are getting stronger and stronger as my little guy grows. 

I'm doing prenatal yoga this pregnancy once a week and I'm loving it.  I started doing it at 14 weeks.  I had awful back pain when I was pregnant with James, and so far this time, I'm having some back pain, but when I go to yoga or do my yoga stretches at home, I find so much relief.  It's easy to have bad posture when you rapidly gain a lot of weight in your midsection - and then all that weight pulls on my back - so the yoga really helps.

I have a very healthy (and huge) appetite right now.  I eat a ton.  But thankfully, my body craves healthy foods.  I want lots of veggies and protein.  And I occasionally crave something sweet, but I want fruits over ice cream or cake.  Desserts and fried food make me feel sick.  

I'm nursing James three times a day.  My milk supply has decreased (which is very typical at this point in pregnancy), but I'm happy to still be able to nurse him.  My goal is to breastfeed until at least James is two years old.

Ray and I have so much to do before this baby arrives.  We know our lives will be crazy with two little boys in the house, so we are trying to get rid of stuff we don't absolutely need, get organized, and do some home improvement projects that have been on our list for awhile.  We also have to get James's big boy room furnished and decorated.  I've been working on cleaning out the guest room because that's the room that will be his new room.  I've been donating and giving away lots of stuff.  It's been great to get rid of stuff we don't need.  Ray just painted the room this weekend, so we are getting a start!  We are going to put the baby in James's current room and James will get the upgrade.  The other bedroom is larger, so it makes more sense for the toddler to be in the larger room. 

And here's a bump picture at 22 weeks!

Both of my boys...