Dear Alex,

We have just passed the 24 week mark (6 months! wow), and you are now the size of a cantaloupe. The bigger I get, the more uncomfortable everyday tasks (like just sitting) are becoming:

If I look tired in this picture, it’s because I didn’t get much sleep last night. Sleep is getting harder to come by these days thanks to back/hip pain, heartburn, having to pee frequently, and a certain little mover & shaker keeping me up at night! 😉 But it is all worth it. Maybe this is just nature’s way of training me for the lack of sleep I’ll be dealing with after you’re born. Speaking of you, my little mover & shaker, Dad & I were so excited when you finally let Dad feel one of your kicks a couple days ago! He was so thrilled. Since then he’s caught a couple more kicks & we’ve had some fun watching you twitch my belly around on your own now that you’re getting stronger.

As promised I took some time to sit down with Dad and ask him about his perspective on the 2nd trimester of pregnancy, now that it’s just about over (yikes!). Here’s how our conversation went:

1. What has been your favorite change between 1st & 2nd trimester?
Dad started to say that he hadn’t really noticed any major changes, at least not with regards to how I was acting… supposedly the hormones level out during 2nd trimester, but Dad felt that mine were never really “out of control” in the first place. I guess I’ve been doing a really good job of keeping the crazy away from him. LOL. So then I asked him about the physical changes…

2. Does the expanding belly weird you out?
He said no, not at all. Dad followed this up with “it actually makes me smile, because it reminds me of what we have ahead of us.” 🙂 

3. Tell me about your thoughts/ reactions during the 3D ultrasound…
    a. What was it like seeing Alex’s face for the first time?
Dad recalled how shy you were initially, because you kept covering your face with your hands, but he was glad the tech was able to still get a lot of really great photos. He says he thinks you’re going to be a very handsome little dude, but he couldn’t really tell which of us you look like.
    b. How about when you found out the gender?
He realized you were a boy before the tech actually said anything since the “extra bits” were pretty clear to him. Dad added that although he was not nervous about finding out the gender, he couldn’t help but feel hopeful for a boy… and so his first thought when he realized what you were was “Yesssss!” Hahaha. Overall Dad says he felt a mixture of relief & excitement at the news.

4. What are you most looking forward to about the father-son relationship?
Dad says he is really excited about sharing “teachable moments” with you, and doing lots of fun things together (ESPECIALLY baseball… lord help us if you don’t like baseball, haha!). He hopes the two of you will have a really close bond.

5. What is feeling & seeing kicks like for you?
Dad said is was really neat to feel that clear poke through the belly. He said that moment, above all else so far, has made this feel so much more “real” to him. Feeling you move was something he’d really been looking forward to! 

6. Now that you’ve been at this for awhile, do you have any words of wisdom for dealing with a pregnant wife?
Dad said that although it’s been pretty much smooth sailing from his perspective, the hardest thing for him has been knowing when to shut up & let me vent about things when I need to. 😉 

7. If you could say anything to Alex right now, what would you say?
“Keep up the good work, little guy!” (I couldn’t agree more!)

Some of my own thoughts on going through this journey with Dad– I have been extremely lucky to have such a great partner to experience this with. From day 1 Dad has been so sweet, helpful and supportive with whatever I’ve needed throughout this pregnancy. Although he’s never really been the type to verbalize or display his emotions much, it is very clear to me that he’s extremely excited that you’re on your way & that our little family of 2 will soon be 3. 😀 Despite some of my “discomforts” (haha), this has truly been the happiest time of our lives. And we know it’s only going to get better from here, so we can’t wait to start this adventure with you!

All my love,
Mom