ALWAYS HUNGRY

AH! YOU GUYS!!! Somehow, I am already ushering in the second trimester of my pregnancy. HOW?!

I am officially 14 weeks pregnant today and the baby is the size of a peach (according to my pregnancy app, The Bump). Baby is growing lanugo this week, which is a the fine hair that covers baby's body to help regulate temperature as well as the hair on baby's head and soon, we'll be able to find out the gender!

There are so many changes happening both with the baby and with my growing body. I'm loving every minute of this journey and I'm learning SO much along the way. One thing that I'm learning is how HUNGRY you are when you're growing a human. haha As you probably guessed from the title of this post.

Symptoms//

My first trimester was honestly WAY smoother than I thought it would be prior to getting pregnant. I naturally have a sensitive stomach and I thought that I would be sick and vomiting through most of the pregnancy and thankfully that has not been the case thus far (fingers crossed it stays that way). I do have nausea, it just comes in waves. I primarily notice it when I go too long in between meals in snacks and I'm almost always mildly nauseous while I'm eating, but then it subsides once I'm finished.

Warm meals are mainly the trigger, oddly enough. And I am experiencing food aversions to chicken, salmon and avocado. But besides nausea, my primary symptoms are headaches, fatigue and dizziness. Again, these all come and go in waves. I'm also finding that I can't tolerate the heat as well right now because it triggers the dizziness and napping is an ESSENTIAL part of my day. Sometimes I just can't function without and a good 20 minute nap! But for good reason, this body is working hard right now. Can you believe that by this point, the baby has already formed all of its vital organs that will soon start working?

I'm blown away every day.

Favorite Moments//

I feel like each time I walk past a mirror, my belly looks a little bit bigger....it's the best feeling. My whole life I've always wanted to be a mother and now it's finally happening! I feel like the time is going so, so fast. I just want to savor every minute. My favorite experiences thus far have been: telling Jacob that he's going to be a dad, seeing the baby move and suck its thumb for the first time on the ultrasound, hearing the baby's heartbeat, buying baby's first Mickey Mouse at Disney Springs and telling friends and family the good news.

Also, telling my best friends of 20 years is a memory that I will cherish forever! I will never forget each of their reactions. I only wish I would have remembered to record it! This baby is so, so lucky to already have such an amazing group of people to grow up with and we are so blessed to have this incredible support system, loving and encouraging us on this journey.

Difficulties//

This pregnancy so far has felt like a dream. Not in that magical way (though it's starting to), but in the way that I just haven't really been able to wrap my head around the fact that this is real (though it's gotten WAY more real now that all our friends and family know). I am becoming a mother. And this reality comes with a WHOLE lot of emotions. If I were to choose one thing that has been the most difficult about this experience thus far, it has been the overwhelm and uncertainty (does this count as two?).

Raising a human is going to be such a GREAT responsibility! A huge, life changing moment and there are sooo many things to think about (far beyond the monetary implications and material needs). Big questions start creeping into your mind, like, "can I do this?",  "will I be good at it?" or "what if my child hates me?". Then there are the questions about the actual process of pregnancy, the transition to caring for a newborn, toddler-hood, etc.  - not to mention trying to keep up with the parties that need planning and making people feel included in the process. I can see how it becomes easy to get lost.

I'm sure there will be many more emotional obstacles to overcome throughout and I'm just taking it all one day at a time for now.

Final Thoughts//

I am so excited to see what this next trimester brings and to share this journey, here, along the way! If you're interested in checking out my "First Trimester Recap", I'll leave the links below. Until next time, friends!