Second Trimester

This week I can definitely tell I'm no longer in the first trimester of this pregnancy.  I suddenly have the overwhelming urge to take care of all the little odds and ends I've been putting off for the past three months.  So far I've been painting doors, cleaning corners of the house that have been building up dust and clutter, finally beginning to think about how to actually decorate around here, weeding the flowers, trying out new recipes, and no longer needing a nap every afternoon in order to have energy to make dinner.  I notice that I can go up and down the stairs without feeling achy.  How exactly does that work, I wonder, considering the baby is a hundred times bigger and heavier than three months ago?

I can also take a shower first thing in the morning before breakfast without passing out.  Betcha everyone was just itching to know about that.

Furthermore, I had the energy to also be interested enough in politics again to go read up on all the candidates on yesterday's ballot before we went in to vote.  I haven't even wanted to hear the radio lately; and for anyone who knows me well, this should be an indication of just how tired I was.  There was an exciting bunch of skulduggery going on in my hometown...but I wasn't voting there.  Bummer.  Apparently there were some similar fireworks in our new hometown, but I didn't have the same kind of background to know what was going on and who to really vote for.  So yesterday morning - the first big election I haven't worked in twelve years! - Ben and I sat down and read through a lot of candidate statements and news articles before going in to vote.  That's when I realized the fog must really be lifting off my brain because my reaction wasn't "eh...okay...big deal..."

A lot of people have told me, "Oh, you're going to feel really good these next couple of months."  It's not that I didn't believe them, but it is actually surprising to me how much better I feel.  After all, I just did two first trimesters in a row between Joshua and this baby, so feeling better while still expecting is all new territory.

And folks have started with the patting-the-tummy thing.  I wasn't sure how I was going to respond to that, if it would be really weird and uncomfortable or if it wouldn't bother me.  Turns out...so far it doesn't bother me.  Maybe because I'm so very pleased this baby is still around and getting around-er, so to speak.