25 weeks down...

A blurry shot of me at 25 weeks. And once again, I look smaller here than I really am. Trust me. There is definitely more poking-out going on. I'll try to remember to take a more accurate picture soon.

Since I didn’t start this little blog until I was 7 months along with Sadie, and even then only posted about once a month (wow – what did I do with my time?), it’s pretty obvious that the details of my pregnancy with her went largely unrecorded.

So I decided to do something about my guilt over shafting Sadie's early life on the blog by hitting two birds with one stone: a comparison between my pregnancy then and my pregnancy now!

(This is where I put in my little disclaimer about how this is mostly meant for journaling purposes. Most people won’t be interested. Obviously.)

The Waistline

At 25 weeks with Sadie, I was only barely noticeably showing. Ironically, I was kind of upset by that. I really just wanted to feel pregnant and I didn’t – at all. Of course, now I look back and shake my head at my craziness.

At 25 weeks with “baby sister,” I’m... well... noticeably showing. No doubt about that (again, don't be deceived by the picture). I finally broke out my maternity pants with reluctance about a week ago. I was reluctant not because I don’t love how they feel (sooo comfy...), but because I know once I start wearing them, there’s no going back. They suck you in, those maternity pants. Makes me kind of wish all jeans came equipped with a nice, stretchy waistband.

The Reminders

Like I said, with Sadie, I had a hard time remembering I was pregnant sometimes. I got a few little symptoms that would come and go (heartburn, a few leg cramps... that kind of thing), but nothing that screamed “you’re carrying a baby!” (other than my expanding belly and the movement – obviously).

This time, my 20-week halfway marker was defined by the instant appearance of Braxton Hicks contractions. And strong ones, at that. I didn’t realize what they were at first, but then they kept happening about 4-5 times a day and getting stronger. Usually they don’t hurt, they’re just a very noticeable and uncomfortable tightening of my stomach. It’s almost as if my body thinks I need a reminder every few hours about the forthcoming joys of labor (like I really needed a reminder – trust me, I remember).

The Cravings

With Sadie? No cravings. Nada. I think I may have had a small one over potatoes, but it came and went so quickly, I think I may have just been hungry and they sounded good.

With this kiddo? Cravings. Big time. From French bread to popcorn, chips and salsa to jellybeans... they just keep coming. At this point, I’m still pining over the loss of Jolly Rancher jellybeans. I’m just hoping the next one is something that can readily be found in my nearest grocery store. And I always crave Costa Vida's sweet pork salad. But I can't blame pregnancy for that one. :)

The Movement

Pretty self-explanatory. I first felt Sadie move at about 19 weeks.

This little girl started making herself known the day I hit 16 weeks. Right now, we’re to the point where you can see my stomach jump if she kicks hard, and if she’s in just the right spot, you can push on my stomach and feel the bump of whatever appendage happens to be there. I absolutely love that part of pregnancy.


Those are the noticeable differences. Everything else has been pretty similar. I have my emotional moments, uncomfortable heartburn if I eat too late, bursts of energy at weird times. All the same with Sadie. All pretty uneventful, which is good. In fact, my doctor calls me one of his "easy" patients. I'll take that.

And how is Sadie taking all this baby madness? Pretty great, actually. One of her most favorite things to tell you about if you ask her is our visits to the doctor's office. She'll start in on a whole dialogue that goes something like "doctor's office, baby sister heart go hu-bump! saw baby sister picture...." and on and on. It's pretty much the most heart-warming thing ever. I love that she gets so excited to see and hear her little sister. And she's still great at taking care of those baby dolls. Here's hoping that devotion translates over to the real baby...

Enough detail? I think so. If you made it to the end of this long and pregnancy-detailed post, congratulations! You can now go find something more interesting to do.