It's been two years since I last blogged, and a busy two years it's been, indeed!The reason I decided to start blogging again (and it is a very time-consuming endeavor) is that in July Aisling is going to be a big sister, to a little sister!
I'm currently 17 weeks along, which is a little later than when I blogged about my pregnancy with Aisling. It's been a similarly quiet pregnancy, so far.
We know that we're having a girl earlier than we knew Aisling's sex, because this time I had a blood test at 12 weeks (non-invasive prenatal test) that screens for genetic trisomies and also tells sex of the fetus. It told us that this baby has an extremely low probability of Downs or other trisomies, and is a girl. I'm excited that Aisling will get to experience the joy of two-way-sisterhood. My own sisters are very dear to me.
The primary difference in the two pregnancies, to date, has been that I experienced more nausea during the first trimester, as well as a lot of cramping in the first 2-3 weeks, and my boobs hurt less. I also started feeling this baby move quite a bit earlier. Her moves seem to be quite different than how I described Aisling's, too. This baby is a thumper and a bumper, while Aisling was a swooper and a flutter-er.
I started feeling distinct tiny BUMPS at about 12 weeks. It took me a few times to decide that it was a teensy baby bumping and not just a uterine muscle twitch. I noticed that right after I'd empty my bladder, there would always be a BUMP and then another BUMP. Very tiny, but very not-a-muscle-twitch. Over the last several weeks the bumps have gotten stronger and more complex. Bumpata-bumpata-BUMP! Still pretty tiny though, since baby is now the size of a chipmunk.
So far I'm about the same size as I was with Aisling, too. I gained about 35 lbs with her, and lost it all again. I've gained about 10 lbs so far, which is a little bit less than at the same point last time. I'm just to the point where I'm looking pregnant, and not just thick through the middle. So I've started wearing some maternity clothes, which are nice and comfy. It's nice having mom friends who can give me clothes this time!
Doug and I are looking forward to welcoming this little bundle into our home. We plan to do about the same arrangement with this newborn as with Aisling. We will keep her in our room until about 6-7 months and then, if we're not ready to move to a different apartment or house, we'll probably have the girls share a room. Several friends have posted cute loft-bed-plus-crib solutions for their kid's bedrooms.
Aisling is sooooo excited about her baby sister. She has started hugging my belly, kissing it, and exclaiming, "I love my baby sister!" randomly. It's pretty adorable. I think she'll be a wonderful sister.
