I have suddenly begun to swell, something I was hoping wouldn’t happen until the very end of pregnancy, if ever.  My wedding ring is on a chain around my neck.  I am chugging water like a crazy person, as that does seem to help quite a bit.

The problem with the water chugging is that I keep needing to leave my clients in the chair at work to head off the the bathroom.  I’m a hairstylist, and every second with them counts towards keeping my schedule on time.  A few days ago, I left a client 3 times during the space of one haircut.  They are very patient with me, but I can’t help but feel guilty.  Their time in my chair is THEIR time, not mine.

The other new pregnancy symptom is FATIGUE.  Where did it suddenly come from?  My third trimester isn’t supposed to start for a few more weeks.  I wasn’t expecting to be so knackered so soon.  This results in less patience at work, less patience at home.  All I want to do is sit around, bake cookies, and read Sookie Stackhouse novels… OH, and plan an nursery for a room that we don’t even have.

As for baby specifics, I really can’t decide where he is sitting.  One day I feel him kicking on my right, then my left, then really really high at the top of his home, and then he’s wiggling his butt in the center of it all.  He’s really working hard to figure out just where to settle in, which is a relief to me.  Every kick and flutter I feel is reassuring.  This is happening.  He’ll get here.  That’s exciting!

More and more, I feel as if I’m playing with my baby. We have a push and pull of playful communication going on that cracks me up. Baby boy B loves being rubbed, pat, and playfully poked. He doesn’t mind being woken up here and there to fool around, either. I’m pretty convinced that he already knows my touch above others, too, because mine is the one he best responds to.

I guess this is the part where I bask in the glow of this baby having his first truly private relationship with me. Of course, I do let Milton have his moment. I think that Baby B has a pretty good grasp of Milton’s voice, and I can help Milton out with the right presses and rubs when it’s time to play “Feel the Pregnant Belly Up.”

Tomorrow we have our 24 week midwife appointment! I’m pretty excited, and am still completely convinced that this pregnancy is low risk and on the right track. I have had a few new experiences in the past few weeks to share, too.

First, I had my first Braxton Hicks contractions the other day. They went on for most of the day, with no rhyme or reason, and then they went away. I realize they are a bit early, but they were triggered by some healthy adult activity, which proceeded a yoga class, so I figured a day of odd uterine tightening was steady for the course.

I also felt my first Baby B hiccups a few days ago! At first I thought that the baby had suddenly developed a magical sense of rhythm and was tapping me with a finger’s touch. On second thought, I realized that my mother’s pride was well meaning but unfounded, because the tapping was obviously hiccups.

Other than that, my nipples have already gone a little rogue. I have proof in spots on my bras at night. This further illustrates my belief that breast feeding will not be a problem for me. It’s really the one thing I am blindly optimistic about. I could prove myself wrong, of course, and that’s fine. I reserve the right to be wrong about anything I predict.

Outside of the whole gratuitous changing of underwear every time I sneeze annoyance, this whole second trimester has been awesome. I wish it could always be this easy! Probably, I’d have 12 babies if that were the case.

This is all I have to report from pregnant land until later.