Genderly Speaking

I've been a bit lazy with posts during my second trimester. As I mentioned previously, this pregnancy has been far more difficult than Ryan's. My nausea slowly ebbed away during weeks 13-16, and I thought I would finally get some energy back. Unfortunately, I've spent most of the past two months in continued agony not from nausea, but from horrible migraines and severe headaches. My doctor believes them to be due to my ever fluctuating hormones and prescribed Riboflavin (vitamin B2) for the pain. It took about two weeks before I noticed even a slight difference, but now the headaches are manageable. However, sometimes the medicine decides not to work and I'm stuck on the couch for the greater part of an afternoon with an ice pack to my forehead. Who new the baby would be so high maintenance this early on?

Currently I'm 18 weeks, and definitely look very pregnant (see photos at end of post). I'm in stretchy shirts and maternity jeans, getting back pain from the extra weight, and experiencing the joys of insomnia as I try to find a comfortable position each night. This stage in the baby's development also has me looking with great anticipation towards my 20-week ultrasound, when I find out if I'm carrying a boy or girl. Our big day is on March 15th, and I am SO ready to find out!

As the day of gender declaration draws ever closer, I've been thinking a lot about how I will feel once I know who is coming next in our family. I was fairly certain my entire first pregnancy Ryan was a boy. It wasn't really a shock when he proudly showed off his anatomy during my ultrasound. But this one has been a bit trickier. In the beginning, I sincerely hoped for a girl. I thought almost daily, "please give me little girl to put frilly dresses on and make dozens of hair bows for!" Of course it will be fun if Little Peanut is a she-nut, and with this pregnancy being so different from Ryan's I often wonder if the signs are pointed that way, but as the weeks draw closer to finally knowing, I've often longingly imagined how fun it would be to give Ryan a little brother as his best buddy.

So here it is, my thoughts on our second born be it a girl:
If little Angela Rose is on her way, I will be over-the-moon thrilled to welcome a new princess into the family. I've had her Beauty and the Beast room decor planned for years, and you should see my Pinterest board for crochet projects, as almost all of them are baby girl clothing patterns. I would be overjoyed to raise someone who appreciates glittery shoes and tea parties. I tear up just thinking about showing her my treasured paper doll collection. Believe me, at some point in time I will have a daughter, whether it's this pregnancy or another one, and when that day arrives my "forever a little girl playing princess" spirit will be ecstatic.

Thoughts on our second born be it a boy:
If Jackson Rafael is happily growing inside my belly, I will truly be delighted to have another little boy come into our family. I think there's something special about having two of the same gender in a row. Ryan will have a best buddy for life. Every time I ask him if Jackson is coming he says, "yep! And we play trains!" We have a superhero-themed nursery idea for little Jackson, just like Jack-Jack from The Incredibles. Also, having a boy would make things a little easier both mentally and financially. We pretty much have everything we need for another boy, and I'd feel a bit more prepared in raising him because I'll have had a 3 year head start with his big brother. I know how to potty train with little boy equipment in mind. Our house is bursting with trains, cars, planes, and dinosaurs. Jackson would be coming home to a little boy's paradise complete with sandbox, basketball hoop, and adoring big brother to show him the perfect way to pick his nose when Mom's not looking. And let's face it, little boys adore their mamas forever, which makes them pretty easy to love.

Basically, what I'm trying to convey is I'm being honest when I say we are very excited no matter who is on the way, we just really want to know!! I'm grateful technology is so advanced these days that I can find out 20 weeks before the baby comes what to name him/her. Isn't that awesome?

Here's a photo update of my growing belly, weeks 11-18

I didn't take a photo for week 12, but I did have an ultrasound, so here's a picture of our little one!