27 weeks

I started showing a lot earlier this pregnancy than when I was pregnant with Rachel, which means that I have been feeling huge for a lot longer. 27 weeks is when I popped with Rachel; before then I had hardly a bulge. With this pregnancy I feel like I started showing much earlier and could recognize my baby bulge at 17 weeks, although no one else really could. I felt this way because at 17 weeks my belly was as big as when I was 25 weeks with Rachel.

Still, people keep wondering aloud to me if I really am pregnant. I’m not sure whether to be offended (because I feel so huge) or flattered (because no one else seems to think I’m huge).

Just on Saturday Charlene told me she was relieved she got to see me in a bathing suit because when she saw me on Friday at church she wasn’t sure if I was still pregnant or if I had lost the baby over the summer and she hadn’t heard about it. And when I met my cousin JC at the beginning of the month, he confessed to not even noticing a thing…

So I guess I haven’t gotten all that big yet. Andrew and I think that I popped last Friday because when I woke up from my Friday afternoon nap my belly was twice as big as when I had lain down.

He keeps insisting that I’m not very big. I keep insisting that I feel like a beached whale. He suggested that I post a picture on the blog and poll the audience. We agreed that wouldn’t help because it wouldn’t change how I feel.

Here’s a comparison shot, anyway. Pregnancy #1 on the left, pregnancy #2 on the right. We tried to mimic the angle and pose but got it wrong. After seeing these pictures I might agree that I’m smaller than last time (at this point), but that might just be the angle.

From looking at these pictures I might also be tricked into thinking that I’m more energetic with this pregnancy than I was with Rachel…but I simply don’t think that’s the case since I have two little people demanding all my time and energy instead of just one.

Every morning Rachel runs into our room long before we’re ready to get out of bed, tells me she’s dry (even when she’s not), climbs into our bed, and asks to hold baby sister. Then she lies down with her head on my stomach, closes her eyes, and smiles.

This morning Miriam was pretty active and squirmy. Rachel giggled while her head bounced around a bit; and then Miriam released one of her more powerful punches right into Rachel’s face. Rachel sat up and gasped.

“Whoa!” she said, “What’s baby sister doin’?”

Rachel loves spending time bonding with Miriam, mostly by yelling messages to her through my stomach. It would be nicer if she didn’t feel she had to lift up my shirt to deliver kisses and rubs and secret messages; it’s a big source of conflict when we’re in the public eye because the more I try to keep my shirt down and/or tucked in, the bigger of a fuss Rachel throws about being permitted to visit her baby sister. I’ve tried convincing her it’s possible to do so through my shirt but she doesn’t believe me.

And as much as she’s grown up this past year, she still reminds me sometimes that she’s little still. Like when she bumped her head this morning and then asked to nurse while clawing at my shirt. I guess she still remembers that it makes her feel better. It’s only been since February that she’s been 100% weaned, so 5 or 6 months. I keep hoping that she’s forgotten, but it just keeps coming up every so often. Maybe by the time Miriam comes she’ll be over it.

Tomorrow we have another ultrasound, so hopefully we’ll be able to solidify the gender of this baby a little better. I don’t know how Rachel will take to switching from loving a little sister to loving a little brother, although yesterday she informed us that she loves all her brothers. Her words.

“I love all my brothers.”

This little sentence popped out of her mouth while she was giving us her ritual speech about Nephi. She gives her ritual speech about Nephi after the prayer because I told her that she wasn’t supposed to pray “in the name of Nephi.” So now after she finishes praying she says,

“Nephi built ship. Nephi’s a good man. He’s a prophet. He got the plates. Other people don’t like Nephi.”

“That’s right. Nephi’s brothers weren’t very nice to him.”

“Yeah. Other people don’t like Nephi. Nephi’s a good man. He likes other people. He likes his brothers.”

“That’s right.”

“I like my brothers, too. I love all my brothers.”

That’s nice Rachel, that’s nice.