A New (and Final!) Trimester

Today is the last day of my 2nd trimester, and I'm welcoming this 3rd and last trimester with open arms! It's so true -- the 2nd trimester was the best. The baby gets noticeably bigger to the point you can show off that cute baby bump, but then he's not SO big to the point of discomfort... yet! That's how I knew I was approaching the final trimester. It was getting harder and harder to get out of bed (it doesn't help to have a really low platform bed at this point!), and forget walking like a lady -- waddling with pride is what I've learned to do! ;)

Despite all the discomforts and inconveniences that come with a quickly changing body from a quickly growing baby (especially for the first time), An and I cannot wait to welcome our firstborn into this world! Every day, we imagine what (or who!) he'll look like, how he'll be... gentle and quiet, rambunctious and loud, or right in between? Haha. We daydream about how our lives are going to change, and how amazing it will be to share our love with another human being. The best part that I'm most thankful for is that, as we think about these things, we draw closer to each other, amazed by what we've helped create together that is now growing inside of me. One of our prayers is that our child truly manifests as a blessing -- that not only is he glorifying in character, but he also brings An and I closer together through every milestone and experience. I want to love my husband even more after sharing our love with a child, not less... because it's our love that will help ensure a perfect home for our child.

On a side note, as a first time mother-to-be, I've been amazed by all the physical changes I've been experiencing. First, my belly button kind of "disappeared" more than "popped out," haha. It got stretched out, but not to the point where it protrudes a whole lot. You can see it if I'm wearing a thin, single-layer fabric, but that's about it. I made sure to clean out the lint before it was completely stretched out! ;) Second, my linea nigra (dark line vertically stretching across the center of the belly) seems to have fully appeared, but not fully darkened. It's pretty cool to gaze at it in the mirror. Next, I'm finally starting to experience mild edema (swelling), but it comes and goes. I had trouble taking off my engagement ring for the first time a couple days ago, but it didn't happen again after that (especially if I'm cold). Finally, I got my first "heat wave" today. I don't want to call it a "hot flash" because I only relate that term to menopause, haha. For only about a minute, I felt my entire body heat up, and I started breaking out into a sweat. Immediately after, it was gone, and I was back to feeling my normal chilly self (I have to carry a sweater everywhere I go, no matter the season!).

Well, here's to a wonderful final trimester, and even more milestones to experience! Daddy-to-be is out on the slopes in Seattle for a few days with his buddies. This is a special trip for him because it'll be the last snowboarding trip he'll have in a while. We do plan to have some get-aways with Liam when he's still very young, but not quite along the lines of snowboarding, per Mommy's request, haha. Maybe when he's older, for sure! Daddy would hate for his little buddy to miss out on one of his favorite hobbies! ;)

Daddy-to-be saying "Hey!" from the slopes! ;)