Baby Boy Peirce - Second Trimester

Baby Belly So Far

4, 9, 14, 18, 23, & 27 Weeks

November 14 - 21, 2014: I am now 14 weeks and officially in my second trimester. Yay! Poppy is the size of a peach this week and is starting to make mommy show a little bit. In my first trimester I lost 4 pounds. Since starting my second I have gained 2 of them back and a peach sized baby bump. I can sum up how I've felt this week in 1 word...Exhausted! I am so tired. I go to bed early and sleep in. If I have to leave the house it can't be for very long or else I am completely drained. Second trimester is starting off pretty exhausting. Hopefully my energy levels pick up. I still have to survive 5 more weeks living on this super hot island with no car.

14 Weeks - Baby is starting to make an appearance.

December 3, 2014: Today we got to listen to the baby on the doppler again! This time the doctor was able to find the heartbeat right away. It was very exciting. Baby Peirce had a really fast heartbeat in the upper 160's bpm right at first. Once I started talking it went down to the 150's bpm range. I am now 16 weeks and our little avocado sized baby can supposedly hear mommy and daddy's voices. The doppler was so exciting finding the heart rate so fast and noticing the change in it by me relaxing and talking. We are loving our little baby more and more each week and are starting to get anxious about knowing the gender. 

December 5 - 12, 2014: I am 17 weeks now. I can't believe how fast the time is going. When we go back to the states I will almost be to my half way point. Our little one is big enough to fit in the palm of our hands this week, about 5 and a half inches long. It seems like just yesterday that our little one was the size of a peanut. We were really looking forward to finding out the gender this week in Portsmouth at one of the clinics. Our appointment fell through last minute though because the Doctor in Roseau decided not to come up. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I got really excited knowing we would find out the gender sooner than expected. Along with the gender disappointment I either had horrible allergies this week or a minor cold. Either way it was no fun for a couple days sneezing all day long. People are starting to notice my baby bump now which gives me mixed feelings. I'm not sure I'm ready to have a big belly yet. But by far the most exciting thing that happened this week is that I have started feeling baby kicks! I have been noticing it for a couple weeks now but this week I am more sure that it is in fact the baby. Our little one is sure active. 

18 Weeks

December 12 - 19, 2014: ITS A BOY!!! This week we found out the gender of our little baby and he is all boy! We are very excited to have a little baby boy be a part of our family in May. By this point of pregnancy I feel like I have my energy back and I am feeling amazing. Just in the last few days my appetite has gotten crazy though. Even when I'm not hungry I want to eat more food. I've caved this week, mostly because a new frozen yogurt shop opened up and it is legit American frozen yogurt. So I may have just gone and got frozen yogurt every day this week. I've also been loving nachos. I've eaten them about 4 or 5 times a week for lunch the last two weeks. Partly because its all the food we have in the house since we are moving home in just a few days! Either from the baby or eating way to much food this week I am feeling very big. Everyone who already knows I am pregnant and even a few who didn't know can now very easily see my bump. Whether I'm ready or not for a big belly its coming. Because this is our last week living in Dominica, it won't be long before we start buying fun things for our little boy and I can't wait. I've already bought a couple things for his nursery and a couple gender neutral outfits. Our biggest concern right now is coming up with the best name for our baby. That I have a feeling is going to be tough. Besides finding out the gender of our little one I am feeling more and more kicks every day. Every time I am sitting now or laying down I feel tiny little ones. What is even more fun is that Stephen has felt a kick. We were laying in bed and I mentioned that I felt a kick. So Stephen put his hand on my belly and then he gave the biggest kick I have felt so far just for daddy! It was pretty amazing.

January 9, 2015: Today is my 22 week mark. It's crazy already being past my half way point being pregnant. We had our 21 week ultrasound a few days ago and got to see our little man. The ultrasound was incredible. We got to see him in amazing detail and got some really special first pictures of him to bring home and a DVD. He is doing great and everything looks perfect! He is going to be such a beautiful baby. After the ultrasound was one of the first times I got really anxious and just wanted him here right now. It's a little late but I'm glad to finally have been able to start all of my prenatal care. So far I am healthy and everything looks great for me and baby. I never got super sick on the island but I think the heat, humidity, and walking everywhere effected me more than I realized. Since being home I feel amazing. I haven't been sick at all (besides getting a cold for a week). I've just been enjoying every minute of being pregnant. Our little boy has continued kicking like crazy and the bigger he gets the harder he kicks. He is already one strong little one. It won't be long before Stephen can feel all of his kicks. He is always wiggling around in there and I love it.

23 Weeks

January 20, 2015: Our little man should now weigh just about a pound, maybe a little more. He is continuing to kick every day and Stephen is able to feel almost all of them. I am now in my 23rd week and getting quite the belly. Sleeping is starting to get a little uncomfortable. I am also starting to get to the point where standing for to long gets me tired and sitting for to long hurts my upper back. Besides that though I have no complaints. I still don't have food cravings or anything out of the ordinary that I have noticed. My mom and I have done quite a bit of baby shopping. I now have a stroller, car seat, and a few other baby things that I can't wait to use. Stephen joked that we should set up the car seat right away and put a bag of potatoes in it or something. We just can't wait to meet our little man in May! We are still struggling coming up with baby names though. Our next step is making a big list of names and then crossing some off each week until its narrowed down enough to just pick one. Or we will just end up being one of those couples that brings a baby name book with them to the hospital or naming the baby after our Doctor. Probably the funniest thing about being this pregnant now is that I am constantly hitting my belly against things. I bump it in to chairs, furniture, people, and even the car door all the time not remembering how big its getting.

27 Weeks

February 13, 2015: I am now 27 weeks and at the end of my second trimester! I cannot believe it. Baby boy is still doing really well as far as we can tell. He is measuring almost a week ahead of schedule at every appointment and is now about two pounds and over 14 inches long! He is the most active throughout the night, mid morning, and then every few hours or so throughout the day. He is starting to get big enough that a few times he has really tickled me like crazy. I will take the tickles for now because I have a feeling the bigger he gets those tickles are going to turn into punches and not feel so good. My absolute favorite thing is watching my belly when he kicks. It is so much fun seeing it move all over the place as he moves. We, well I have continued buying more baby things for the little guy and am so excited about all of his fun clothes. Newborn onesies I have decided are just about the cutest things in the world. Stephen and I have also started taking some pre-natal classes. It is exciting learning about what to expect as we get ready. Because baby is getting bigger my back is not having the greatest of days. I started with just upper back pain when I would sit for to long but now my lower back has started hurting as well as this leg ache just on the right leg. By far my favorite part of the day now is when I get to lay down and sleep. That so far hasn't been to bad now that I know the most comfortable positions to sleep in. So far I will be starting my third trimester having gained 11 pounds. All from the second trimester because I lost weight in my first. Let's hope it doesn't get to crazy in the third trimester. As for now we have decided on a baby name which is so exciting! It is hard to believe that there are only 13 weeks until we meet our little boy. There is still lots to happen before this little guy can come though. Stephen will be taking the most important exam of his career, then sadly leaving us for 6 long weeks to go to Florida, then the baby shower which I am so excited for, then moving across the country to Atlanta at 7 1/2 months pregnant, settling into a new home, and then Stephen joining us with about a month left before baby comes. Luckily we have found a doctor in Atlanta. That is a big relief having that figured out. It's going to be a busy 13 weeks.