How We Found Out:  For a very strange reason, both Nathan and I felt like I was probably pregnant. So, we just decided to take the test to just see what it said. Not expecting anything, and sure enough, there it was.  Two pink lines.  As soon as Harrison got up, we told him he was going to be a big brother. He looked at us not really sure what we were saying, and then asked, “Elmo? Elmo?” while pointing to the TV.  Can’t come between Harrison and his Saturday morning Sesame Street.

And so began our journey to baby #2…

I did not enjoy my first trimester the first time around, and I can affirm, it is not my favorite. And here’s why…

I’m so tired.  All the time. But I’m a person that hates naps, and with a super active one year old, there is no such thing as time to just lay on the couch and be tired. I’ve tried explaining the kind of exhaustion of the first trimester to other friends that have never experienced pregnancy, and I just don’t think I have the words to do it justice. It’s exhaustion that comes from absolutely nothing.  I understand exhaustion that comes from taking care of a newborn and being up all night. I understand exhaustion that comes from working a ton.  But this is exhaustion for absolutely no reason (I mean, aside from growing a human), and it’s a hard type of exhaustion to push through.

Generally, nobody knows that you’re pregnant yet. Our first go around and this time, we waited until we were about 8-9 weeks along to tell anyone in our families, and I didn’t start telling friends and co-workers until I had exited the first trimester when the risk of miscarriage goes down quite a bit. Now eight or nine weeks may not sound like a lot to most people, but between forgetting things, the exhaustion, and the mood swings, if people notice, they just think you’re crazy/lazy/dropping the ball, but most of the time, people have no clue that your body is doing serious overtime work and you really don’t feel like yourself.

The hormones.  I was way more cognizant this time around the type of havoc the hormones were having on me, both physically and emotionally. I cried.  A lot.  My patience decreased, much to my dismay. And oh my goodness, the breaking out that happens for most people, including myself. Ugh.  You feel fat, bloated, your skin is just not cooperating, and your emotional. It is a recipe for a life on edge.

At the very end of the first trimester, though, I started noticing little kicks and flutters. A sign of more positive things to come in the second trimester!