Holy smokes! I can’t believe I’m already one month into my second trimester. This pregnancy is flying by compared to my last one. Here’s what’s happened in the last month. 

Month 4 Breakdown

Gestational Age: 16 weeks

Gender: It’s a boy!

Baby Problems: Y’all, I feel awesome! Back pain and nausea are gone and I’m sleeping better. Really the only thing I’m feeling is more restlessness when I’m seated for an extended period of time.

How Fat is Baby? (Mommy’s Weight Gain): 10 pounds total. Hello, second trimester!

What is Baby Eating?: Yogurt is calling my name right now. Good old Activia came to the rescue with last month’s GI issues and I’ve been riding that wave ever since. I’ve also been dying for Japanese food and dim sum and have filled the need quite successfully. At home I’ve been enjoying more salads, soups and roast chicken.

What is Baby Avoiding?: My beloved meatballs and I are on a break. It’s not you, it’s me.

Baby’s Workout Regimen: So far, so good. I’ve been keeping up with running 3 times weekly, weight training and volleyball.

Baby’s Movement: I’m starting to feel some little flutters here and there. Hey, buddy!

Booby Milk Report: Cody is still nursing once or twice daily but her duration has cut down significantly. We’re at about 5 minutes total right now, which I think is probably better for my body. It never lulls her to sleep anymore but she does seem to be asking more frequently. I have noticed increased sensitivity during nursing sessions and wonder how much longer we will continue. I’m not exactly in love with the idea of nursing a toddler and a newborn, so we should probably stop in the next few months but I’ll let future Rachell worry about that.

Baby’s Adventures: We had a blast at Disneyland for Aunt Kaitlyn’s bachelorette party. Hard to believe this little man has already been to the happiest place on earth, Cody is going to be jealous. It was my first ever weekend away from Cody and I stayed up until 2:30 in the morning! See? Pregnant ladies can still have fun. We welcomed fall at the local pumpkin patch. Those of you in Colorado MUST check out Rock Creek Farms in Broomfield. They have more than 100 acres of pick-your-own pumpkin patches, farm animals (Cody does a pretty mean sheep impression), corn mazes up to 4.2 miles long and bouncy houses.

We also squeaked in our family Christmas photos with our favorite photographer and soon-to-be-new-mom, Stacy Gillespie of Gillespie Photography. She always does such an amazing job, I was so happy we got the pictures in before her little one arrives! More on that later.

Oh Yeah, That Pregnancy Thing: I’ve definitely forgotten a few things about my last pregnancy. For example, there are about a million screenings and tests doctors perform along the way. Most require blood draws. Because of this, my normally “good” veins become thickened by scar tissue at the draw site. So! When my 16-week appointment required blood to screen for spina bifida it took about a minute of the lab tech digging around in my arm before concluding that the scar tissue was obstructing the line. He tried on the other arm with a smaller needle for another minute or two with no success.

Then he hit me with some tough news. I had two choices: 1) come back again the next day and deal with the same scar tissue issues or 2) try again with the first arm and their smallest needle. The thought of anticipating another brutal draw for 24 hours was too much to bear. Thank goodness he was able to successfully get a sample and I walked away with a well-deserved juice box, graham crackers and two bandaged arms. Hopefully I get a little break before our next blood screening!

Baby’s FOMO: That Whole30 I did that eventually led to this pregnancy put me over the hump with the last few pounds of baby weight to get me back (actually past) my pre-pregnancy weight. As excited as I am for this new little man, I miss seeing the numbers on my scale go down. I do still plan on having a healthier and fitter pregnancy than the last go-around, but it can be a little bit of a bummer to be getting heavier again so soon after reaching such an awesome milestone.

Baby’s To-Dos: Now that we’ve confirmed the gender, I want to go through Cody’s old clothes and determine what, if anything, can be repurposed for the new little guy. I went head first into all things pink and girly for Coco, so the pickings will likely be slim. I’m also thinking about how in the heck to decorate a boy’s nursery. This should be interesting. October is a big month in our house. It’s our wedding anniversary, my birthday and Halloween. Plus, I’m headed back to California again, this time for a baby shower for one of my dearest friends from college. Should be a fun and busy month!

Baby’s Next Appointment:  November 2 – Anatomy scan, baby!!!