3rd

I'm here. In the third trimester. The final stretch. 3 months / 12 weeks to go until "due date" time, and only 2.5 months / 9 weeks until the "due date window". 

It's hard to believe that after such a whirlwind of having Lily, getting pregnant when she was not yet 5 months old, and being pregnant with LG that we're here. In this final season of pregnancy. My first thoughts: THANK GOODNESS. 

Some women thrive in pregnancy. My mother-in-law said she loved being pregnant. Her hair was nice and thick, she had boundless energy, and she never vomited once. My mom did have some of the negative experiences I've had - extreme fatigue, nausea (though no vomiting) - but she says the same. She loved it. I, on the other hand, do not. It's hard, y'all. And I'm really happy it's nearly over. Is that insensitive to say? I don't want to seem insensitive to those who would love to be pregnant, and would give anything to be in my too-tight shoes... I'm just trying to be honest about my experience. Grateful that I am pregnant, but eager to be done. Fair?

The third trimester always flies by too, which is nice. Jamie, my bursting-BFF is due in a couple of weeks and she doesn't know where the time went. After that 20 week ultrasound, it really starts to fly. And the changes you experience are more noticeable every week, which is fun (because you see progress) and challenging (because they're often unpredictable and sudden). 

Some of these sudden changes that seem to steal the show in your third trimester would be:

• Leg cramps. Who invented those!? hate hate hate! On a given night, I wake up at least twice, with one or both of my lower legs (knee, down) completely seized in muscle tension. I have to urgently move my foot around and massage like crazy to get them to relax and the pain to dissipate. Not fun.
• Bonkers-Frequent Urination. I know, "pregnant women always have to go", as they say, but it gets just silly towards the end. Last night I was up SIX TIMES to pee. And once with a leg cramp, if you're curious. Grrr.
• Wild Baby Movements. At the beginning you would give anything to feel baby move around, to assure he's alright, and it is still comforting when you feel that....it's just also awkward and very painful.  LG was moving so much last night I was just watching my stomach roll around for a good 30 minutes, at 2am, because there's no way you can sleep through those kicks and squirms. It's fun to imagine what on earth he's doing in there, or what made him so energized at that moment (always when Mom's trying to sleep it seems!). When I was pregnant with Lily I would always just feel one foot kicking my side. When she was born and we were in the hospital we saw her sleeping with one leg curled up and the other pushed straight out. And it occurred to us that THAT'S WHAT SHE WAS DOING, but INSIDE of me. So wild.

I've also had a lot more lower back pain with LG than I did with Lily (formally known as MM), but the last week hasn't been as bad so I'm hoping it was a shortish season. Here's hoping :)

This part of my pregnancy will also go fast because I'm very very very busy in the coming months and weeks. Brad and I are hoping to buy a condo/apartment in the next couple of weeks, my sister's wedding is in 10 days (on August 20th - Lily's birthday), I'm hosting a wedding shower on August 22nd in Oakville, ideally we'd move into said condo/apartment in late September, and I'm the maid of honour at a wedding on October 2nd. So lots to keep me busy and my mind on other things, which is REALLY nice. 

 No time to worry or stress about baby and no time to loose sleep from excitement about his arrival (though I'm sure I still will, especially closer to his due date).

So the countdown is on! 88 days to go (or 78 if he's like his sister!) and I'm done with pregnancy and a mom of 2. Thank you Lord, on both and all accounts :)