The Second Trimester

Well I've been in the second trimester for a while now (I'm 18 weeks tomorrow).  Everyone said it should get much easier the second trimester....I wouldn't be sick anymore, I'd have tons of energy, etc. etc.  Well, that was definitely not true for me.  I never got super throwing up sick, but was ALWAYS nauseous and wished that I would.  I was miserable many a days.  That has gotten a little better, but I am still nauseous quite often.  However, I have gotten my appetite back for the most part and feel like I am always eating.  I still have to eat fairly healthy or I get sick.  The only dessert I really like is frozen yogurt and sometimes ice cream.  Oh and fruit smoothies! Yum.
I also never got my energy back.  I am sleeping less than before, so that might be contributing. I have a hard time falling asleep sometimes and still wake up 3 million times to pee a night.  I think I have slept the entire night once my whole pregnancy.  But it's not really that bad.  As long as I don't turn on any lights and go right back to bed I can usually fall back to sleep fairly quickly.  If I vary from that at all it usually takes me an hour or more to fall back to sleep.
I have also started to get heartburn like crazy!  I didn't know what it was at first because I've never had it.  At school I was talking to my cooperating teacher about it and she was like, "um, I think you had heartburn."  Well I definitely know what it feels like now!
My doctor warned me of headaches, and for a little while there he was so right! I got awful headaches.  For the most part they have gone away now and I am SO grateful for that.

Well now that I feel like I have talked about everything NEGATIVE...haha.  My belly is growing more and more all the time.  I actually kind of like it right now.  I feel like I am getting past the "is she fat or just pregnant" stage. It is making this feel a little bit more real.  I also feel like so far I have only really been getting a tummy, which I like.  I am hoping it stays like that for me, but I don't really plan on it!  I am excited that I will hopefully start feeling the baby move soon.  I also have an app on my phone that tells us what the fruit/veggie size comparison is that week and we love to look at it.  There is also one that shows us a little drawing of the baby each week.  It is fun to see how much growth there is from week to week.

We get to find out the gender soon!!! We are so excited.  We have fun ways that we are telling both of our families and friends up here.  Everyone keeps asking if I think I know what it is yet, as if I should have had some kind of revelation or something.  Well, I definitely haven't and have absolutely NO idea!  Juston thinks it's a girl though.  So we'll see!!

And last, but not least, here are a few pictures we have taken over the weeks. I saw a picture somewhere of someone that took pictures during each trimester in front trees and then with her baby to show how long she was pregnant. I liked the idea and made it my own a little. I decided to hold up a sign each week so I wouldn't forget how far along I was in the picture. I also stand in front of the same tree so we can see the changes in weather. I decided to wear the same dress each week so I could see the changes in how I look better. So here are the first few we took. We didn't take them every week because I didn't feel like I was actually growing. I kind of wish I would have because my belly seems like it was suddenly just poking out there! So hopefully now we can take one every week :)

I think this was the beginning of March.  I take pictures on Sunday so I think I was at 7 weeks on March 6th.  Still tons of snow on the ground!

This was about March 20th.  I was getting a little belly.

May 8th - Mother's Day.  And BAM - I have a belly.

May 15th.  My belly is getting bigger. Holy cow!