Second trimester

welcome, second trimester! no more sleeping at random daytime hours due to sheer exhaustion. my energy is returning in leaps and bounds and my appetite is back to normal (i crave sweets again!). the baby is now the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. his/her eyes have moved closer to the front of the head and his/her ears are close to their final position, too. he/she has even started growing toenails. supposedly over the next couple weeks the weight will double! apparently, that is happening to me, too.

i thought the rule was to never ask someone if they were pregnant unless they actually saw the baby's head coming out. i'm only four months along--why am i getting asked already when i'm due??? by people i have not even told i'm pregnant?? two moms in rani's playgroup and one of their nannies independently asked me last week. what if i'd just grown a bit of a gut lately? granted, they'd seen me regularly for the past year and so know what i normally look like, but still! i've only gained about 9 pounds; you'd think someone had inflated me with an air mattress pump. i don't know whether to revel in my prego-ness or be insulted that i'm being asked that question so early! with rani, i didn't really start showing till almost six months, and even at seven months, people were surprised to hear i was expecting. i guess it's true that you show earlier the second time around. what if there's a third? i'll be asked before i even know i'm pregnant!

we find out the sex of the baby in about two weeks. right now, i'm feeling it is a boy, but i thought rani might be a boy in the very beginning, too. to answer your question, i will be happy with either a girl or boy. if it's a girl, rani will have a sister (which, in my experience, is one of the greatest gifts in the world), and if it's a boy, the pressure is off to have a third. :) rups loves rani beyond measure, but let's face it--he's a guy's guy and wants a son at some point.

rani is really getting into the big sister role. if we ask her where the baby is, she'll run over to my stomach and give it a pat and a kiss. i can't wait to see her as a big sister. she thinks kids younger than her are boring, but hopefully that will change when she becomes mommy's helper. she also thinks all babies are named cici (her 8 month old cousin). this will be interesting and i'm sure, hilarious. i wonder if she'll be the kind of older sister that throws stuffed animals at the baby, or pushes it over just to see it fall, or regresses back to wanting her diaper changed all the time. somehow i think she's going to be more helpful, but either way, i know the jealousy is going to kick in soon...