Pop!

As of today, I am about 18.5 weeks pregnant.


Up until about 2 weeks ago, no one else would have even known. I had heard that the second pregnancy you tend to expand much sooner than the first, because those abdominal muscles are already stretched out and your uterus is familiar with the process of growing. To be honest, I don't remember when I started showing last time. I remember my pants feeling much more snug last time, lower in my abdomen. This time, it has felt more like the dreaded "muffin top" that sits over the top of my jeans. Cute, right? But on the plus side, since I typically wear t-shirts or loose shirts anyway, I have gotten away with wearing normal clothes much longer, and can still (relatively comfortably) wear a good portion of pants/shorts just fine. There have been a few times I have worn a pair of maternity pants, but only for comfort's sake in long sitting situations.


But the belly has officially popped. There is a belly there. It looks a little different to me than last time. Like I said, last time my lower abdomen filled out first. This time, the belly seems like a defined ball that sits higher. Go figure.


AND, I have started to feel the baby move! Yea! Again, I was told that a second-time mom would recognize these feelings much earlier in the pregnancy, and I felt slightly nervous when I could not say definitively that I felt the baby. But the past two weeks, there has been no denying that our newest little one is a mover, just like its big sister. A kick on one side of the belly, only to feel another kick on the complete opposite side a few seconds later. I guess it is enjoying the room to move around while it can!


So far, all of my blood work has come back perfect, with very, very low percentages of disorders such as Down's Syndrome and Spina Bifida. I am incredibly thankful for every piece of good news, and thank God daily for blessing us (so far) with healthy babies. I do not take it for granted for one minute how fortunate we are.


Jesse and I will go back on May 21 for THE ultrasound to find out whether Baby Shulse #2 is a boy or a girl, and make sure that its growing on schedule. I have to say, I think this is a boy. I know that every pregnancy is different and despite the drastic differences between this pregnancy and Ryleigh's, I could still be carrying a little girl. And I'm truly excited about either one. If its a girl, we will get to see Ryleigh have a little sister, match clothing, and do all things girly. If its a boy, then we get all new experiences. Either way, it is going to be a blessing.


Oh, so why do I think it is a boy? Well, one night I was bored while Jesse was watching a baseball game on tv (baseball is so slow on tv!), and started playing around online seeing if you could 'tell' whether the baby was a boy or girl. According to a lot of old wives' tales, they say boy. But if you ask me, you can tailor your answers to get what you want, ya know? So I needed more "factual" evidence.

I tried several online predictors, and all said boy! The clincher was when I went back and tried them all again, using the information from Ryleigh's pregnancy, and they all said girl! So clearly, they must be accurate. :)

• http://www.thelaboroflove.com/chart/pred.html
• http://www.chineseastrology.com/wu/birthchart.html
• http://www.obfocus.com/calculators/birthchart.htm

Haha, it was fun to play around. I'm anxious to find out the real sex of our baby and continue to get to know this little one better. But for those who were concerned, yes, I am officially excited, though still apprehensive about the logistics of caring for two. I guess we'll figure it out as we go, just as we are figuring out how to parent Ryleigh- every day learning something new.

So there you have the baby update. :) I'll let you know how the May 21st appointment goes!