I am 32 weeks pregnant now, so we will most likely know the answer to our biggest question sometime in the next 6-8 weeks! Still seems like a ways away, and in these next few weeks is when the curiosity will hit its peak as we begin the nesting process to set up Baby Punkin's room and resurrect the various baby supplies we will be setting up throughout the house.
So while I don't have the answer either, I do hold the most clues to the secret only Baby Punkin knows - will they be a sister or a brother to Addison and son or daughter to Mommy & Daddy?
I'll list out all the "clues" I have and note what the clues were with Silly Baby.
Food cravings
In my first trimester with Baby Punkin, I had huge cravings for all things salty, meat and cheese. I do always enjoy salty food, but this was taken to another level especially in the meat category - couldn't get enough!
While the impulsive cravings for salt/meat have subsided a little, I do favor meaty meals more than I did non-preggo. However, in recent weeks my cravings for sugary/chocolate treats has grown where I need a little dessert each night. This was the same in my Silly Baby 3rd trimester.
A lot of the cravings I have for sweets (cookies, ice cream, DOTS) coincide with my need for heartburn relief. I've been a big fan of hot chocolate too more as a coffee substitute in these cold weather months. I do sometimes want coffee, but when I've had a sip, I don't want it anymore. With Silly Baby I was repulsed by coffee the entire time and never tempted.
Looking back, my only real craving with Silly Baby was fried chicken. We had it almost every week for my entire pregnancy. My other big craving was Swedish Fish, as a heartburn remedy but also as an impulsive craving. When heartburn kicked in this time around with Baby Punkin, I stokced up on Swedish Fish, but much to my surprise, I don't really like them this time around! DOTS are much more preferable.
I was on a much bigger sweet kick with Silly Baby and it started earlier on.
Appearance
Skin
Boys give their mothers beauty, girls take it away. I disagree with this statement. I truly did feel like I was glowing while pregnant with Silly Baby. I tend to break out fairly often, and with Silly Baby, my skin cleared up in the first trimester and I didn't have any breakouts the rest of the time!
With Baby Punkin, I breakout less but I'm certainly not flawless. My skin tone was even and smooth with Silly Baby - this time it's blotchy and more yellow-ish in tone.
Nails
My nails grew great with Silly Baby, just as I had always heard. This time around with Baby Punkin, however, they really are not much different than in my non-preggo state. Normally, my nails grow well for a few weeks and then one by one they begin chipping and pealing - same thing is happening this time around. They haven't grown out any longer than normal and don't seem any stronger.
Extra Weight
I'm on track to gain about the same amount as I did with Silly Baby, and at the same pace. With Silly Baby I never really *felt* fat - but this time around I definitely do. I don't know if it's just that I'm more sensitive to it because I know how hard it will be to lose it all afterwards or if I'm actually carrying the weight differently.
I definitely feel fat in the thighs and butt (and I look fat there too!!). I've also filled out a bit more up top too, which did not happen with Silly Baby.
Belly
With Silly Baby, the popular vote was that I was having a boy based on my appearance. My belly was up high, round like a basketball and out front. Obviously that was wrong!
This time, I've gotten both guesses based on how I'm carrying. My belly is mostly out front this time around, but I think maybe a little wider. Baby Punkin belly also definitely lower. Now, I've heard that with second pregnancies, the belly tends to be a little lower because the ab muscles are a bit more relaxed the next time around - so I'm not sure how much I can read into that.
I never felt all that huge, or overwhelmed by my bulging belly even though looking back at pictures of the last few weeks, I really was pretty big! This time I am feeling like the belly is really growing and really popping. I've gotten comments related to both - some people say "Wow! You've really popped!" And other say "You really aren't that big for 7 mos along." The latter may just be coworkers trying to be polite ;)
Ailments
Body Aches
This is where the biggest differences come in for me. Baby Punkin has been a lot rougher on me than Silly Baby. With Silly Baby, my biggest complaint was heartburn. I would get body aches, but not until the 3rd trimester and only if I over-exerted myself like going for too long of a walk, bending and lifting or being on my feet doing housework all day. But, usually then my aching was just my legs being tired. Towards the end, I wanted Tim's help to get up off the couch. I could get up on my own, but it was harder and I'd get achy in my back and belly. However, this time, I don't have that same type of ache when standing up.
With Baby Punkin, it's much worse. A few weeks ago, my sciatica began acting up. Well, now I have pain in my left hip, shooting down to my thigh 24/7. It's so bad that I MUST get up every 20min or so at work and walk around or else my hip will lock up. But then on the weekends or on days off at home it's no better being on my feet and bending and twisting all day. Lifting Addison can be very painful and the hardest thing for me to do is stand up from a sitting position and walk. If I don't do it slowly and pause before taking a step, I hobble for the first several steps or the numbness in my hip is so bad I nearly fall over. Seriously, I feel like an 80-year old! I don't have the pregnant lady waddle yet - that didn't kick in til right at the end with Silly Baby, but when that happens, I'm going to be REAL entertaining to watch walk around with my bum hip and waddle!
I try some stretches, but nothing makes it go away. I even had a prenatal massage over the weekend that felt great while it was going on, but I still felt the pain and numbness when I walked out of the spa.
Heartburn
On top of that I also have the around-the-clock heartburn. At first, when the heartburn kicked in, it didn't seem as bad this time around but probably because I was already prepared with all the remedies I used with Silly Baby. But in the last couple months it has been just as horrible as it was the first time around.
Belly Aches
In my first trimester with Baby Punkin, I was much more nauseous and had more instances of getting sick than I did with Silly Baby. And, with Baby Punkin, I've had more instances of food not agreeing with me. For instance, I apparently can no longer eat eggs. Over the holidays, I had scrambled eggs on two separate occasions and both times with in a matter of an hour I ended up in the bathroom for several hours with stabbing stomach pains and terrible nausea.
I'm not sure how much I can blame being a working mom of a toddler for the difference in how much worse I'm feeling this time around. But, last time I had it pretty easy. I wasn't working past 30 weeks, lived in a small condo with no stairs (now I have two flights of stairs I'm going up and down constantly when I'm at home) and had much less housework to do and no extra-active toddler to chase around, pick up and carry or sit on the floor with!
So wow! This post was just a big pile of complaints from me it seems! Not my intent, but there's certainly a lot going on with this 'ol body of mine!
I've got some updates from my last couple doctor's appointments that I plan to post up in the next couple weeks. I have my last ultrasound in 2 weeks and then start going to the doctor once a week after that until Baby Punkin arrives. We are rounding the corner to the home stretch!
