Week 13: Easy does it

Being so close to the end of my first trimester (*Cue the Hallelujah Chorus*), it’s been interesting to take a step back and observe how different things have been with this pregnancy.
While most of my physical symptoms are the same—What pregnant lady doesn’t want to hibernate for weeks straight and wishes she had a toilet right next to her bed for those middle-of-the-night urges? Oh, and, don’t even get me started on the nausea and vomiting—I’ve noticed a definite difference in my emotions this time around.
With Jacob, I was as aware a first-time mom as you could be. This time, things have been much more relaxed.
For example, with J, I knew exactly how far along I was at any given time: “11 weeks, 4 days… 13 hours… and 42 minutes!”
Lately, I realized that I’d been giving people the same answer—“Oh, about 11 or 12 weeks”—for the past few weeks.
With Jacob I knew which week he was the size of a blueberry, a kumquat and an orange—and all of the details of his newly developing body.
With our new little one, I know he/she is at least smaller than a watermelon and looks like a cross between an evolving tadpole and a full-grown baby. (An adorable evolving tadpole, of course.)
Last time, every strange twinge had me running to my computer. (Google is a hypochondriac’s best friend. Or worst enemy, if you ask my husband.)
Now, I don’t question anything my body or brain does. Throwing up everything I eat one day and able to scarf four hamburgers the next day? Having the runs one week and constipated the next? Forgot to pay the water bill for the last two months but can’t stop obsessing about the electric bill? All in a day’s work for a pregnant lady.
While I loved the excitement (and let’s admit it—obsessing!) that came with my first pregnancy—I’m quite sure I started drawing up my birth plan before that life-changing second line even had a chance to appear—I have to admit I’m enjoying the relaxed approach my brain has naturally taken this time around. It helps me keep up with my routine duties and gives me more time to think about other important things.
Now, what was I just saying about that water bill …?