Goodbye Second Trimester

We are now officially in our 3rd trimester!!! Woohoo! I thought I would take the time to sum up our 2nd trimester...

At the beginning of our second trimester, I was still having a rough time with morning sickness and still not gaining weight on the scale. Even though baby girl was gaining weight and growing just fine and started showing, the number on the scale was staying the same or even losing a pound. This bothered me quite a bit by myself and hearing people (not doctors) everyday tell me that it "was not normal" and I "don't even look pregnant" started to upset me. Nothing a pregnant girl wants to hear from friends/acquaintances/strangers. It truly is amazing how filters go away, input is given based on no experience, and you quickly feel judged for being sick and miserable! I was so grateful for those friends who had dealt with months of morning sickness and their comforting words. So, the second trimester were the months for me when I started showing more and I was a happy lady! The first time a stranger asked me when how far along I am was a great day!

I haven't had any crazy cravings. The only thing I would say is my new love for milk. I used to not be a die hard fan of milk, but now I can't get enough. I have a bowl of cereal for a snack at least once a day, maybe 2 glasses during dinner, and then maybe a small glass with cookies before I go to bed. Bring on the calcium!

Sleeping is getting more and more difficult. I look forward to the day when I can sleep on my stomach. I do not have a body pillow (or the special, expensive, for-pregnant-ladies-only pillow) because we have enough pillows on the bed. I simply have pillows all around me, including one inbetween my knees. For whatever reason, that really does work! My lovely husband the other night called it my 'crotch pillow' he couldn't even keep a straight face when he said it. We laughed so hard and now it's an ongoing joke every night - "babe, can you hand me my crotch pillow?" I know, we are real mature! :)

The second trimester brought on her kicks! And man, does she kick! The first time I felt her was at work and it just.. well felt weird. I kept rearranging my sitting position and couldn't figure out what it was. It was more of a tingling feeling in my stomach (some refer to it as popcorn popping). Only a few days later, came the jabs and hard kicks and she hasn't stopped since! I could lay in bed and feel her kick and punch all day. We had a moment one night where I would poke back and me and her could go back and forth. I wished so badly I could just grab her little hand or foot in there and kiss them and play with her! Now at the end of the 2nd trimester, they are more of rolls (shoulders and hips I guess) and what we like to call "body slams" which feel like large jolts and I have no idea what she's doing in there. If you stared at my belly from across the room you could probably see it spaz out if you're lucky. I look forward to the day where I'll be able to tell how she is laying, what's a foot, head, hand... Having my husband feel her move is definitely my favorite thing ever.

Retail therapy really does work! Getting dressed in the morning has become quite depressing. I should just pack away all the clothes and heels I can't fit into anymore and stop torturing myself. Luckily, I had a sweet friend (one of the students actually) loan me all of her maternity clothes. That was such a huge blessing and saved us a lot of money. But I got to a point where I felt like I needed to go shopping and pick out a few of my own clothes. It was amazing how I felt afterwards. You know how much better you feel after a huge shopping spree and you look forward to getting dressed in the morning because you have so many options. Just evidence that retail therapy really does work!

And here are a few things I couldn't live without during the 2nd trimester:

1.Belly Band - I was able to wear my pants that much longer! Better than having to go out and buy all new clothes.

2. Palmers Stretch Marks Cream - No stretch marks yet! Preventative action.

3. Water bottle - having a designated water bottle helps me keep tabs on how much water I'm drinking and is a constant reminder to keep drinking (which is hard because the more water you drink, the more often you have to use the restroom)

4. Pill box organizer - don't make fun of me. When I was sick, I couldn't remember for the life of me if I took my prenatal vitamins. I would never take them at the same time every day due to how I was feeling. This plus a forgetful mind, was not reliable. A little mini organizer that I could throw in my purse was perfect!

5. Old Navy's Fold Over Jersey Skirt - amazing! So comfy and perfect on the waist. I can wear it with a t-shirt or dress it up for work. I already have two and wish I had more. I'll definitely be wearing these after pregnancy too.

6. EAS Protein - my husband makes me a protein shake every morning (partly because he makes himself one and then leaves mine in the fridge). These have been perfect because I'm not a breakfast person. Ok, scratch that, I am a breakfast person, I'm just not a morning person and therefore do not leave myself time for breakfast. So protein shake on the way to work it is!

7. Consumer Reviews - I am constantly updating researching and changing our gift registry. I hate making updates online because I am a visual person and want to hold it right in front of me when choosing. Relying on other parents reviews have been so helpful.

8. my husband - he's been such a huge help and I love watching him care for me, because I know it's him caring for baby girl, not me.

We are currently getting her room ready. I can't wait to post all the projects I have been working on - Stay tuned for her nursery!

Look Who's Talking

The other day I thought about how I haven't gotten sick (as in a virus or something) during my pregnancy yet. And a few days later, BAM! Woke up with an itchy throat and stuffy nose and the next week was filled with sneezing, coughing, nasal spray, and benedryl. To top it off, I got sick the day before we left for our summer vacation to visit my parents in Santa Fe. Luckily, I felt fine and it didn't slow me down anymore than she already does. But everytime I sneezed, my funny father would scream "poor Sophia!" because he wanted to know what me sneezing must be like for Sophia. And the first thing that came to mind was the intro of "Look Who's Talking" where they film the baby in the uterus commentating alongside Kirstie Alley's every move. Remember this movie? And now I can't stop wondering what she might be saying/thinking in there. Well, I'm sorry Sophia for my outrageous sneezes, but I hope you are nice and cozy in there!

Other than being sick, we had a great time in Santa Fe. Filled with relaxation, good food, and time with the soon-to-be-grandparents! My mom and I are sewing a lot of things for baby girl's nursery, so we began working on those too. Stay tuned for those projects! Can't wait to share! :)

Living in the Moment

We can go hours day-dreaming about the future. When we were 16, we talked about what our lives would be like in the future and we still do. A lot. At least once a day we have one of these conversations. They usually start off with "I can't wait til we..." or "I look forward to the day when we can..." We have looked forward to getting married, starting a family, having a house, vacations, and even the smaller things. However, it's consuming our life. We talk and talk but sometimes forget to live in the now. We can talk about how we look forward to being more involved in the community, weekends away, having big gatherings at our home, and so on. But sometimes I catch myself saying, why can't we do that now? Sometimes we use medical school as an excuse. And then we will eventually use residency as an excuse, then fellowship, and then attending, then what? We're 80 and never accomplished the little things we wanted to. So, here is to living more in the moment. Talking about what we can do now and not years from now. Making our dreams a reality.

12 Types of Med Students

Summer and Freedom!

He made it!!! First year of medical school - done! Boom.

People keep asking us what are we going to do to celebrate. Celebrate?? I'm putting my man to work! :) He has a long overdue honey-to-do list. A lot of them are fun nesting things too! And he is excited to do them. (actually while i write this, he is sanding down her dresser that we are refinishing). I asked him a few questions last night - what was the hardest thing in medical school (a subject, a teacher, an obstacle, or an adjustment)? Was medical school what he expected? What would he have done differently. And although my husband isn't into self-reflection and for those of you who know him personally, know that he doesn't dwell (at all!) on the bad and just moves on. So he really didn't have too much to say. The only thing that I could get out of him was that medical school was more manageable (I would say easier but then you would get the wrong impression) than what he had expected. He thought that medical school would be set up where no one was allowed to get an A, if you are late to your test you fail your block, and you are forced to study 24/7 and still never be able to pass. Although it takes a student a few tests to figure out expectations or how to study, it is possible to get an A. If you are late to your test or have a family emergency (we have had 3 M1s lose a parent this year), they will work with you and let you retake it. You are an investment to them so they are always willing to help you do better in school. And you do get a life outside of medical school, it is just on your school's schedule not yours (basically you only get a life after Friday tests).

It's crazy to think how naive we were and where all we came from before we got here. You might remember this quick change of plans, which is actually funny because I work with the lady that called us in Boston.

What does a first year medical student do during their summer?
Most do research. For more competitive residencies, it's frowned upon if you don't. If you are wanting to do a more relaxed field, than travel and enjoy your summer off! A lot of students are having trouble finding research jobs. Let me re-phrase, they are having trouble finding PAID research jobs. Like with anything, there are budget cuts, less grants given out for research, and less a program can pay a student. In all honesty, they know that medical students will end up doing the work for free just because they need it on their CV. Some are lucky enough to find paid research - $1,000 to $2,000 for the whole 2-3 months. Also, there is the question what field do I do my research in? Are you supposed to already know what specialty you want to go into after first year? Again, for some of the competitive specialties that might be a question they bring up during your interview - Why did you spend your time doing research in this field if you were wanting to go into this field? On paper it may show indecisiveness. Some of the more competitive fields, want you to be all or nothing for their field. They don't want to hear how you flipped a coin at the last minute between two specialties. And other fields could care less. You can see how finding research or what to do with your summer has been a strain on some of the students the past few months during school. Budgeting to make that student loan last a few more months.

Diaper Bags

I am on the search for the perfect diaper bag! I have started looking online, but I refuse to buy one without playing with it first. That's where my girlfriends will come in! But why do they have to be so expensive?

Top Left: Isabel Grayson Chloe Tote
Top Right: Olivia Champagne from StorkSak
Bottom Left: Granada Tote Diaper Bag from BananaFish (available in August)

Bottom Right: Vera Bradley's Baby Bag in Watercolor

I did read a blog the other day that suggested having multiple diaper bags. Ok, twist my arm! But really, you have more than one diaper bag always packed. So if you need to run out the door you already have one ready to go. Plus you should always have one extra in the car. I made it a point that my husband will need to pick out a diaper bag too (because I know mine will be pretty girly/fashionable/purse-like and he will refuse to carry it). And he's not getting away with it that easy! :) This is what he picked out at the store:

Eddie Bauer Weekender Diaper Bag



Random people

Today was the FIRST day a random person pointed out my belly! :) We were waiting in line at the grocery store and she asked me how far along I was. Woohoo!

Here are a few recent pictures. Both were taken at 24 weeks.