second & third trimester "bumpdates"

Hello, 31 weeks!

What a time warp pregnancy has been thus far. September has begun, and pumpkins, fall fashion, and all things autumn related have made their way into stores (and right back out of them, into my home and my stomach). I've spent all of spring and summer being pregnant, looking toward fall as my "final destination," aka little one's due date, so to think that summer is nearly gone really puts things into perspective for me. Ryan and I are going to be parents in two months (give or take)!

Second Trimester

I'm officially up and out of the glorious second trimester and into my third. After easing out of my all-day nausea and sickness in the first few weeks of my second, I felt like I was living the pregnancy dream by about 18 weeks. I didn't have the "energy boost" that I was promised. The way people talk about energy in their second trimester, I was anticipating more of a transition from Gary the Snail to the Energizer bunny. As it turns out, I just started to feel like myself again. I started craving more than just macaroni and cheese, I began cooking dinner again, making plans, exercising, etc. The only thing that felt different was my growing belly, with the occasional bout of discomfort. 

We went on a little baby moon down in Naples in the middle of June, which is about a two and a half hour road trip down I75. With a lot of expenses to come in the following months, we really wanted something short and sweet with minimal travel involved (though in retrospect, I would have been perfectly happy with just one extra day). We stayed at the Escalante Hotel right in the historic district of Naples, and spent the weekend eating out at cute restaurants, lounging by the pool and getting (complimentary!) cabana service at the beach. We even snuck in a little bit of family time, as a few of Ryan's cousins who live in Naples met us downtown for ice cream on our last night.

A few weeks later, we road tripped up to North Carolina to spend some time at a friend's family cabin with a couple girlfriends, and their husbands and kiddos! Both girlfriends are also pregnant, so it was nice to be in sober company...LOL. I'm so glad I still had plenty of energy on this trip (minus one random mid-day nap) because we filled it with hikes, exploring, and lake swims. It really was the perfect summer trip, and I was still feeling okay enough for two 11-12 hour car trips. Not ideal at 24 weeks pregnant, but it was certainly doable! Shoutout to my husband for driving about 90% of the time.

Third Trimester

The exact day I hit 27 weeks, it felt like my body did a 180 and I went from bopping along, happy as a clam, to feeling straight up uncomfortable. I'd spent so much of my time in the second trimester feeling good that I forgot it was likely going to get worse again.

Since beginning the third trimester, I've been experiencing:

• wrist pain, similar to that of carpal tunnel, but it's in both wrists?
• overall joint pain in my hands. 
• upper rib pain, almost like a big bruise that feels like someone is constantly digging their elbow (or foot!) into them. I should note this has been on the left side only (right side rib pain can be a sign of preeclampsia).
• difficulty sleeping, due to everything above.

Thankfully, some of these symptoms have been coming and going. Right now, I'm mostly having the pain in my wrists, which has been really fun when it comes to typing, using my phone, opening bags, existing, etc. 

On a brighter note, we are getting closer and closer to baby girl's due date. In fact, it's exactly two months from today! Because she's due November 2nd, she could even be an October baby. I'm hoping she stays snuggled in tightly, at least until after October 28th, as that is tentatively my last day of work. But she's in charge, right? I just keep rubbing my tummy and whispering to her "full term, full term, full term" and hoping she gets the hint.

(Most recent "bump" picture - 31 weeks, on the dot!)

Names

We have a running list of about 3-5 names at any given time. I still look at lists every so often, just to make sure I'm not "overlooking" anything that I could potentially love. I was listening to a podcast about naming your baby, and one of the pieces of advice that stuck with me was that hearing a baby name is kind of like listening to a new song. You might think it's just okay at first, but the more you hear it, the more you love it! We likely won't decide on a name until the day she's born and we actually see her, but that could change.

Next on our "to do" list:

• Get the nursery set up! Or at least, organize it, wash and wipe down everything we'll be using. We don't have the crib up and running yet, but we plan on using a bassinet for the first few months anyway. I know there are only so many things a newborn truly needs in those initial weeks, but I know our minds will likely be a chaotic mess once baby gets here, so I would prefer our home to be relatively clean and put together when she comes!
• Finish our guest/baby bathroom renovation and get a fence installed in the backyard for easy pooch release once baby is here.
• Attend a newborn preparation class (if possible...thanks COVID!) and watch some birthing classes online. I'm leaning toward Tinyhood, but if there is something else anyone recommends, please comment down below!

The countdown is on, my friends!