Well, unlike the first trimester, there is no denying that I’m pregnant! Now that I’ve reached 30 weeks (yikes!) I figured it was time to look back at the second trimester.

The second trimester lived up to all of the hype. I had renewed energy, the very little nausea that I experienced all but disappeared and the pickle and cottage cheese obsession waned (a little).

Second trimester symptoms: I’m still struggling with keeping my acne under control. It’s really not that big of a deal, it’s just a little frustrating. If this is my worst pregnancy symptom, I’m really lucky! I’ve experienced a little bit more round ligament pain as I run and at the official end of the second tri, I said goodbye to running altogether and moved to low impact cardio. It was a wise decision.

What I’m eating: Nothing specific. I do still love Mexican food and pickles, but this is normal for me. As my dad was quick to remind me, I’m the girl who was drinking brine from the pickle jar as a child, it’s unfair to blame my baby for my love of pickles. It’s been a lifelong love affair. I have been trying to up my calcium consumption and this includes drinking milk. Don’t be fooled mom and dad, I still hate it plain, but chocolate milk is the jam! I did have a Doritos Locos taco and was a little disappointed. My two visits to Taco Bell weren’t as epic as I imagined them to be and I am happy to report that if I don’t go again for five years, I’ll be just fine.

What I’m reading: I’m still keeping up with my weekly emails from Babble, BabyCenter, What to Expect, etc. I also added a few birthing books to the rotation. I read the Husband-Coached Birth: The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth and I am currently reading Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth and The Birth Partner. RP gets to read them when I’m finished – what a lucky guy! To be very honest, I’m pretty wrapped up in the Song of Ice and Fire series. This will not help me prepare for childbirth, but they’re a great (read: geeky) read. I’m also reading Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (And Other Concerns) that I’m also loving.

What I look like: I’m rapidly expanding! Here’s my collection of pictures from weeks 16, 20, 24 and 28.

I really thought I’d struggle with this, but now that I’m looking obviously pregnant, I’m doing ok. I am much happier to thank a stranger for their congratulations, rather than look like I’m on the Michael Phelps Subway party sub diet plan. Sure, there were plenty of weeks where I still just looked chubby, but my ego is handling this much better than I expected. I am saying this as if I’m still 28 weeks pregnant. After seeing pictures of myself at Gold Cup, I feel like I’m as big as a house and I never want another picture taken. The ego rears its ugly head.

What I’m doing: Same old stuff, working and running. I did have my first pregnancy fail. As I mentioned, I was registered for the Cherry Blossom 10-miler and had all intentions of running it. However, the week before the race, my runs became increasingly sluggish, I was getting side stitches that I couldn’t walk off and my confidence in my ability to run for about two hours was at an all-time low. I woke up on the morning of the race and made the game time decision to roll over and go back to sleep. I am a little disappointed in myself, but I think I made the right choice.

The best stuff: Our twenty week ultrasound was so much fun! I love that by twenty weeks, your baby actually looks like a baby. It was so interesting looking at each little body part and seeing the measurements. It was so cool to see the four chambers of the heart and you know that we were thrilled to find out that we’re having a little boy. I’m also feeling a ton of movement (which came on later – probably close to 24 weeks) and it’s very cool. It started out feeling like bubbles were popping inside my stomach to much more pronounced movements as the baby grows.

Ridiculousness that I’ve heard:

“I know you’re pregnant, but I’m so glad that you’re gaining weight so we have some more plus-sized women in the office.”

While I’m on a conference call, in my office, minding my own business “Stand up so that I can see your bump.”

“So, are you still working or are you on maternity leave now?”

I’m really blanking on some of the other fantastically silly things that people have said to me. As much as I’ve been surprised by the ridiculous things that people say to pregnant ladies, I’ve also been surprised by the kindness of strangers. A young cashier at Target was very kind to RP and me and reminded us of what a blessing babies are. He looked barely 18 years old and he was kinder than most women I run into. His mama raised him right.

Frequently asked questions:

Have you named that baby yet?
The very honest answer is, no. However, even if we had a name picked out, we wouldn’t share the name. You’re just going to meet our baby with his given name and then dissect our choice behind our backs. That’s the civilized way to do things.

What is the theme of your nursery?
We don’t really have a theme, but it’s pretty preppy. That’s not much of a surprise, since I’m a wannabe prepster. We’ve got the Wee Baby a white seersucker bumper and crib skirt and blue crab sheets. We have ordered a number of prints that we put in white frames, but they don’t tie into the nautical theme, they’re just cute. Once we have everything together, I’ll give you a quick tour of the room re-do.

How much weight have you gained?
Oh yeah, strangers/co-workers love to ask this. I always smile sweetly and tell them that I haven’t gained any. Lying is the right thing to do.

Will you send me a baby bump picture?
No.

RP has had to remind a few of his friends that he’s going to have a baby move into his house in a few months and that’s why we have baby stuff in the house. It’s been pretty funny. It’s similar to when we first got married and his friends were shocked that there were chick flicks in the movie collection and female products in the bathroom. At the time, RP had to remind them that he lived with a girl.

All-in-all, the second trimester was a breeze! I can’t believe that I’m already at 30 weeks and we’ll be welcoming a little guy into our lives in no time! The last weekend in April, I was home for my baby shower and to host a baby shower for Lindsey. I need to get a few more pictures from my shower to put together a post, but I’ll do a recap of the double shower day. It was so fun to celebrate our little guys on the same day!