I’ve been wanting to do a quick blog documenting the first 6 months of my pregnancy, since time is flying by! It’s crazy to think that the last time I blogged was to explain Bruno’s road to citizenship. As I’ve mentioned, that week was and will always be one of the highlights of our marriage! As I look back, I am SO grateful for the continual high we were on all throughout that week because focusing on those blessings and the sweet memories we made got me through some low lows I later experienced.
First of all, we had been trying since February of 2018 for baby #2. It took us about 7 months, so still not bad! Getting pregnant in September couldn’t have been more perfect! I’m literally due 3 days after school gets out and my doctor is even predicting that I might go a little later. We won’t be able to plan our 3rd pregnancy (if there’s even a 3rd) that well! Ha! Anyway, the month before (August) I was so sure that I was pregnant, even though every test was telling me no. I had a really hard time dealing with it that month in particular and had told myself that I was going to stop taking pregnancy tests earlier than I should. Anyway, come September, I was roughly three days late and I was trying to wait until the end of the week before taking a test. It was a Wednesday evening and I was on social media and I came across an interview with Carrie Underwood talking about the three miscarriages she went through before getting pregnant again. I sobbed. I think she also happened to be on Ellen that day, where she also talked about her rainbow baby. I couldn’t resist taking a test after all of that, so I ran upstairs and took one. I still wasn’t expecting a positive, so when I saw the results, I ran downstairs screaming at Bruno. He had no idea I took a test and thought I had seen a spider or something… Sammy was also scared for his life and had no idea what the excitement was about. I cried a whole lot more. Poor Sammy needed a lot of reassuring that I was actually really okay. I told a couple of close friends, but we immediately agreed that we were going to wait until Christmas again to tell our families and most everyone else. We didn’t even say much to Sammy until after Christmas because he probably would have said something to someone. haha
I was waiting for the days of morning sickness to start, but they never came. Instead, I would wake up feeling like I still needed 8+ hours of sleep. I was exhausted and extremely tired ALL the time! I would sleep in until 10:30 on the weekends and still not have much energy for anything. Looking back, I don’t know how I got through the work day, but maybe having a purpose and a reason to get out the door every morning actually helped. I usually felt fine once I got to school. But, I honestly think I went into a mild depression because I absolutely hated not feeling “productive” around the house in the evenings and I felt like the worst wife & mother. Bruno never did or said anything to make me feel that way, so it was all me. In fact, he was so supportive and willing to pick up ALL the slack. I just felt guilty all the time for not having energy to cook, clean, or even get down on the floor to play with Sammy. And, since we were keeping it a surprise, I didn’t have many people to talk to about it. Overall, it was much worse than dealing with morning sickness! I definitely would have preferred that again! Also, like with Sammy, I didn’t have much of an appetite, so mealtimes were a big struggle in and of themselves. Anyway, I guess that’s all there is to say about the first trimester. It was extremely rough and felt never ending.
We told Bruno’s family just before Thanksgiving. Bruno’s grandma was heading back to Texas for the winter, so we decided to tell them sooner while grandma was still in town. Our announcement was pretty casual. We had gone around the table listing what we were grateful for. Bruno was last and at the end of his spiel, he said something like, “I’m grateful for my wife, my son, and the baby on the way.” His family was so surprised! I actually thought Bruno’s mom suspected it because I always felt like a hot mess in the mornings. I figured she would have caught on when I dropped Sammy off looking so exhausted. haha
I started feeling “normal” again around the beginning of December - just in time for the holidays! December was such a fun month. I had a blast with my class. I made sure we did a TON of fun activities to make up for the guilt I felt of being a boring teacher during the couple months prior. I also made sure to make lots of memories with Sammy, as this would be his last Christmas he wouldn’t have to share! When my family came out, we basically told them right away because I was already starting to show at that point and I didn’t think I’d be able to hide it until Christmas day. We had stockings hung with our initials and then I had a small stocking labeled with a b, for baby. We were just going to see how long it took for someone to notice. It only took my mom about 30 seconds from the time she walked into the house!
Since Christmas, things have been going well & I don't think there's anything exciting to report. Telling my class was pretty comical. The best reaction was from one girl who said something like, “I was wondering why you were getting fat!” Ha! Anyway, according to the ultrasound, my doctor said everything is looking good! Even though my first trimester was completely different with Sammy, my second trimester has been about the same as far as pregnancy symptoms go.
As I mentioned, I am super excited about not finding out the gender and being completely surprised. With time going by really fast now, I just feel like I’ll find out soon enough! We are working on getting a name down for each gender, but that’ll come eventually. I’m mostly focused on making sure we are enjoying every moment we have with just Sammy. He amazes me with how aware he is. He cannot let the day go by without using his stethoscope to “listen” to the baby’s heartbeat. Sometimes, he’ll ask me to use the Doppler. He always wants to feel the baby and he knows to be cautious around me. He doesn’t have much concept of time, but when asked, he will say that the baby is coming in May. He can’t decide if he wants a brother or sister -- it changes every day. haha
I get asked a lot if I still plan on working next year. Even if one teacher salary was enough to live comfortably on, I still think I would! Yes, it is hard to get up in the mornings. Yes, I dread the Sunday night feeling of having to go to work the next day. Yes, it’s hard to be away from Sammy all day. BUT, I absolutely love my job, I have the best boss -- who lets me be a mom first, and we have the best village helping us take care of Sammy. I don't have to worry about him for a second. Teaching is really fulfilling for me and I think I would lose my mind if I had to stay home with a crazy toddler all day every day. ;) I have a lot of respect for moms that stay home because I think that’s the harder job! I would probably feel differently, though, if I didn’t have Bruno’s family! Sammy also LOVES his daycare, so even when he has to go there for a couple hours a day, I know he’s still living his best life.
Anyway, I am loving pregnancy life right now (most days) and I’m excited to see what the upcoming months bring!
