Week 24

I cannot believe I'm almost done with the second trimester. However, I can believe that, despite my best intentions, I've only taken one belly photo. You can be assured that some things about my character will never change.

Like my complete inability to capture meaningful moments with a camera.

I heard the baby's heartbeat again last week and everything still looks perfect and healthy.

I am feeling the baby move a lot and I love it! I thought Madeline moved and kicked a lot but this baby apparently wants to be known as Pelé Mayes. When I lie down at night, I can watch areas of my belly go up and down with the baby's strong movements. And every night, I still get giddy when it happens.

Last week, Madeline felt the baby move for the first time. She seemed excited when I asked if she wanted to feel the baby but her attention span was calculating in nanoseconds. She would put her hand on my belly, immediately lift up and declare, "I didn't feel it." Luckily Pelé moves about every three seconds so this activity didn't take up too much of Madeline's busy social life. When she felt the definite movement, she looked up at me with an expression I can only describe as amazed. Which is exactly how I feel every time I feel the life within me.

When I was pregnant with Madeline, I was working in an office and spent every penny for maternity clothes on business-appropriate winter pieces. I lived in old t-shirts and pajama pants during the weekends. Now my daily life doesn't really necessitate button-up shirts and wool slacks and that tub of clothes has been untouched. But then two friends gave me tons of maternity clothes and I'm grateful for all of it. I now live in an endless supply of maternity tank tops, a black skirt and jean skirt.

I love these tank tops and skirts. Almost as much as Katie Cup.

In bummer news, I'm officially in the sleeping horribly phase and we all know this "phase" of poor sleeping lasts until the baby is around 17 months old. (Dear God, please don't let it be longer this time around. Amen, Katie.) I bought a new body pillow in hopes that nights would stop equaling a UFC match between me and the bed but, alas, it hasn't helped too much. I'm frequently awake until 2 a.m., I'm uncomfortable in any position and I wake up every hour.

To clarify from my last baby post, we are not finding out the gender of this babe. We found out with Madeline which I loved because I connected with her in a completely different way from that moment on.  But I just think it would be so fun to be surprised in the delivery room this time around.

Sidenote: If you know someone else who has decided to not find out, please don't tell them their choice is "really annoying." I find that statement really annoying. Just tell me you would never choose that. That's totally OK with me.

Anyways.

More times than not, I refer to the baby as a boy but I promise I don't know at all if we are having a boy or a girl. I just sometimes say "him" because I don't like referring to my baby as "it." I'm really not trying to play mind games with you. I'm racking my brain every day to remember where I last left Katie Cup so I definitely don't have the mental strength to tease you.

However, if you want sheer opinions, Joe and I both think this baby is a boy. This pregnancy is pretty different from my first one and we just feel this one might be a boy. I'm no statistician but I think we have a 50 percent chance at being right. Some time around Thanksgiving, we'll all find out!