The third trimester

I tend to think that pregnancy as a whole is both a sprint and a marathon - it flies by yet at times feels like the biggest waiting time period every. I think that the third trimester makes this even more concentrated.

The third trimester was very normal and healthy and without drama. Everything was tracking along fine for both me and baby. Sometimes it is easy to get a little nonchalant about this but then I read a story about someone who lost their baby at 38 weeks and it brings it all back to perspective. Thank goodness, we were both healthy and that those frequent doctor trips were uneventful.

It is at some point during this last stretch where you feel like you have been enormous forever. I am one of those annoying women who enjoy pregnancy and don't have a lot of the negative side effects but yet I do find myself getting a little out of sorts by being so a larger version of myself. I hate to admit it but those feelings messed with my head quite a bit in the final weeks. At the beginning of the third trimester everything is rosy, you feel great and have  big bump but not too big... by week 36 I felt a little on 'omg am I really this big' side of things.

I kept active by running after my favorite toddler. Bending and squatting and getting up and down repeatedly all day to keep up with 16-18 month old is a work out when you aren't pregnant - add a couple dozen pounds in your middle and it becomes quite the work out.I am still moving quite well and have avoided the waddle, thankfully.

I seem to keep note of what I ate during my pregnancies so won't skip that part now in the final trimester. I found that I didn't have room for a lot of food - half a sandwich was more than enough.  But I ate frequently lest you think I was dieting. I ate a lot of yogurt, Potbellies sandwiches (a wreck to be specific), salt and vinegar chips, swedish fish, dark chocolate with almonds and sea salt, salads, and ice cream. Lots of ice cream. Oh and tons of oranges. I mean tons of oranges. But some of my favorite cookies were now waaaay to rich and I couldn't eat them. Don't worry, I ate lots of fruit and veggies too.

During this pregnancy I tended to be very tired. I get up at least three times a night to go to bathroom and then there were quite a few times that Jaime was sick or teething so basically it has been forever since I slept a full eight+ hours.

During the final weeks Dan and I plowed through the tv show Person of Interest. And Modern Family.

I read quite a few books, enjoying the time to myself. And not pregnancy books or the happiest baby books - just good old fashioned novels.

I thought a lot about how it will be to be a mother of two. How I will balance the needs of my family, encourage sibling friendship instead of rivalry, make sure everyone knows exactly how much they are loved. At bedtime Jaime still snuggles against my chest for a lullaby, I sing Peace, Green Trees and Taps (the trio that ended every day at camp). I remember one distinct evening where baby girl put out a kick against Jaime and I wondered what he thought, there was no way he didn't feel it. I have also wondered what this baby girl must think about the loud crazy house she is hearing and if she will recognize the laughter.

This little girl is quite active. You can't always see big movement from the outside but she wiggles away. And she takes quiet long naps, I wake her up sometimes if I haven't felt movement in a while. While Dan thinks it is quite strange and alien to feel the baby move, I love it. It is like our own little conversation. I will miss that.

At the final sonogram I saw my sweet little girl just chilling. The profile looks so much like Jaime but also her own. I can not wait to kiss that little cheek.