Poco Mountain Girl

Time for a belly update! And what better time than the first day of the third trimester?

I can hardly believe I’m two-thirds of the way through…and on the other hand, it feels like it’s been an uphill climb the whole way. The first trimester was a little queasy, but not too bad. I had a hard time breathing, and felt winded just walking from one room to another. The second trimester was better, but I never really experienced the “feel good” element it’s supposed to bring. Less of the “feel bad,” though, for sure.

At this time in my pregnancy for Zia, I was walking a mile or two every day with 15 lbs weighting down my ankles, wrists, and backpack. I felt like a gravity-defying pregnant machine. When I hit 6 months, I hiked 3 miles into the Grand Canyon, traipsed around the Petrified Forest, and literally went racing through the Painted Desert with a very small Caleb by my side. I really didn’t even “feel pregnant” until around the last month.

Here I am at 6 months with Zia standing on Tome Hill in New Mexico.

I thought my belly was SO huge. It was tiny, compared to this time!

But really, this pregnancy is going fine, too. Except that I can only walk a short distance–less than one mile a day (with no weights!) I waddle wherever I go, sometimes each breath takes focus, and I feel like I’m in constant slow motion. Gravity has definitely never felt so strong.

Of course, living on top of a mountain instead of the flats of Kansas City makes that uphill climb I mentioned extra true. There’s a hill (or five) to climb on every stroll, and the oxygen is a little scarce up here.

Another difference is that instead of being physically fit and muscled like I was before conceiving Zia, I spent last summer mostly sitting or lying down, as I was really weak and sick. I came into this pregnancy at only 105 lbs., a good 10 lbs. less than the last pregnancy.

But I’ve gained steadily, and I walk and work out a little every day. I’ve tried to keep a balance in my diet, and for me, that means not going to the extremes of what I feel is eating “healthy.” I’ve found I do better when I add in some things I once thought were not so good: fish, eggs, whole grains–an entire pizza now and then. (I’m serious–yesterday I had a medium-size, whole-grain veggie pizza. And felt great.) Of course, I still have lots of fresh, living foods–fruits, veggies, sprouts, nuts, and seeds–but not only those.

I now weigh as much as I did in my previous 6th month, although I think I’ve gained most of it in my belly! Either that or it just has a whole lot more str-e-e-e-e-e-tch, because it’s out there quite a bit more than last time. (That has nothing to do with pizza–these pictures were taken before the pizza escapade.)

Although I don’t feel same the level of strength or energy as I did before, I’m sure this little babe is a tough one. A little mountain lion, waaaay more active than Zia was. I get poked, pried, and kicked at all hours of the night and day. (When do you sleep, kid?)

We don’t know if our baby is a boy or girl, and we’re not planning on finding out. I love the suspense, and I want to find out what my present is when I get it…not before. We have a couple of rockin’ names picked out (no clues, though!) for boy and girl.

I loved being pregnant with Zia. I still love the thought of being pregnant, it’s just that this time, I’ve geared myself to go the distance, slowly and steadily, to get the prize. It’s not for the pure bliss of skipping happily along as a carefree mama-with-a-bump, but it’s knowing that every day, every week, every month brings me that much closer to the finish–and to another sweet baby.

So in case there’s any question about it, let’s just say there’s an extra waddle in my step today–as we celebrate the beginning of the last trimester!

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 6th, 2012 at 7:28 am and is filed under new baby. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.