Wednesday, July 8, 2009

End of Phase II

This is the final week of my second trimester. Next week, I enter the final stretch. I can't believe I've made it this far, and the little guy is kicking and well. I am so happy every time I feel him move. Jeff has also felt him move several times, and each time it happens, he looks at me as if it is the most incredible thing on earth. It is.

The second trimester has been incredibly easy. Besides the kicking, I barely feel pregnant, even though that is I what I think about every waking moment. I've been full of energy, and I have to restrain myself from working on baby stuff 24/7. Not that there is that much to do, but all I want to do is get ready for this guy and read up on parenting. I have to force myself to pick up non-baby books, and I finally started reading my bookclub book for this Sunday.

A friend recently told me, "It's great being pregnant. You're never alone."

I love that thought.

Now that I'm not alone, I treat myself better than I ever did. Eating has been the main difference. I thought I ate relatively healthy before, but I never went out of my way to eat a balanced meal. I assumed somewhere along the line, it would balance out. Nowadays, I rarely eat a meal without a mound of vegetables. And at least two glasses of milk a day. And tons of fruit. Nurturing a little guy is a big responsibility.

Despite my initial anxiety about the weight gain, I am so proud of my protruding belly these days. A couple of days ago, a stranger finally noticed my belly and asked how far along I was. I started beaming. I find myself walking around with my hands rubbing my belly, as if to call attention to it, as if to remind myself that he's in there, as if to let him know that I'm protecting him.

4 comments:

  1. Great to hear that everything is going well, Shinyung - very happy for you!

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  2. Hi Shinyung:

    Congratulations to you and your family on all the wonderful things that you are experiencing.

    You know, I have walked in your shoes, both with the miscarriages last year, and with a pregnancy this year. I am approx. 2 or 3 weeks behind you (when is your due date again?), and I am also expecting a boy. In addition, I am considering all the cultural and ethnic issues that you are now mulling over for your little one. I, too, am from a non-European culture, and I am trying to figure out the naming thing.

    I think a Korean middle name is a wonderful idea. You want your child to be secure in his ethnic heritage for many reasons. More practically, your child will likely have some Korean features. I, too, love the U.S., but I know that I am not ever a "real" American. I am always a part of the "other". And as I have got older, I embrace my "otherness" more and more. My culture has been around for thousands and thousands of years, and my child will be born into, and a part of, a proud and ancient culture.

    Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy.

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  3. Regarding the feeling of never being alone, after I had both my kids, the hormones were going crazy and made it hard for me to sleep. After I had my older daughter, I ended up crying a lot, completely hormonally, and in the middle of the night I was awake and sobbing because I missed her. All I could think about was that I hadn't been truly alone since I felt her move, and when she was away from me in the nursery, I was all by myself in a very profound way. I felt very, very lonely right then. (I have to emphasize again the hormones, because I know how silly this sounds right now. At the time, it was terribly sad.) I didn't have that feeling with my younger daughter (though I was hormonal about other things), probably because I feel like I am generally never alone now that I have a preschooler around all the time anyway.

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  4. Good: finally showing and being asked how far along you are.
    Bad: being asked how far along you are when you're not pregnant (was the offender and offendee on different occasions. eek.)

    Good: putting your hands on your belly b/c that's the most comfortable position and b/c you feel like you're actually caressing your baby.
    Bad: putting your hands on your belly after birth but before your belly goes completely down. Still comfortable but don't really want to call attention to that part anymore.

    HA!!

    I'm glad you're having a great 2nd semester. This is the best time. :-)

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