Let’s get you caught up, shall we?

I found out we were pregnant on June 9th.  At the time, I had no idea how far along I was, but my period was about a week late, which would put me at 5 weeks according to the LMP calculation. I was correct!

Thus began the first trimester. I had about 2 weeks to enjoy the pregnancy before nausea set in. And by set in I mean hit me like a ton of bricks. Morning sickness was the worst, and it lasted all. day. long.  The only thing that helped was snacks – carbs, carbs and more carbs. I also dealt with total and utter exhaustion, as most new mamas-to-be do. My workout routine became nonexistent as I struggled to keep my eyes open past 6:30pm. To top it off, around 11 weeks, I started getting horrible migraines that lasted 2-3 days at a time.

Sounds fantastic, right? I can only imagine how fun I was to be around those first few months. I think I handled it pretty well – maintaining the “I’m so excited to be feeling this way because there’s a baby growing in there” face for the general public, and reserving my complaints for Mr. Markers. He was a trooper.

The first trimester wasn’t all bad though. At the 8 week ultrasound and doctor’s appointment, I will never forget hearing the heartbeat for the first time. It was also great to hear confirmation from the doctor that there was indeed a baby in there! Then at the 12 week ultrasound, the baby was not just a little bean anymore, but a real baby! Seeing our nugget grow in such a short amount of time was nothing short of a miracle.

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But then, THEN we entered the glorious, life-saving, sanity-returning Second Trimester! As my belly continued to grow, life began to return to normal.  My energy levels were up, and the nausea reduced itself to mornings only, until about 18 weeks when it disappeared altogether. I finally made it to the prenatal classes at my gym, and started taking long walks (even a few jogs!) with the pup.  All physical effects aside, the real joy of finishing the first trimester was that we could finally share our good news with friends and family!

Now the fun really began! At 18 weeks, I officially popped.  Literally one morning I woke up and my husband said, “wow… you are pregnant!” I invested in the belly band and few pairs of maternity pants, since at this point my regular clothes were starting to feel snug.  I began exercising daily, cooking normal meals and generally feeling like a productive member of society again.

Ah, the halfway point. This felt like a huge milestone to me, as the first half of my pregnancy did not fly by.  We decided not to find out the sex at our 20-week ultrasound, but it was amazing to see each and every tiny body part during the full anatomy scan.  It was also around 20 weeks that I began to really feel the baby move – the best, most indescribable feeling ever.  Then at 23 weeks, Mr. Markers got to share in the fun! He rested his cheek on my belly and the baby kicked him right in the face!

The sixth month of pregnancy has by far been my favorite.  I feel great, I’m working out regularly, my bump is growing nicely and my only concerns are managing heartburn and pesky lower back pain. We redesigned our bedroom (more on this to come!) and I’m slowly getting our condo ready for the baby’s arrival. This, as they say, is definitely the sweet spot of pregnancy.

Now, here I am at 27 weeks pregnant and about to enter the third trimester! Here’s hoping that the third goes just as smoothly as the second.  I fear the anticipation is what will get the best of me – only three short months until we meet our little one!