Being pregnant the second time does have its differences. For example, last time I didn't go to bed at 9pm, although I probably got more rest during the day. I wasn't as sick last time, but when I was throwing up nobody was poking their head in asking to see my "hic-ups" and telling me to feel better. Although I've been trying not to carry Juliana around much, I'm sure I'm doing more lifting this time. And this time I get to enjoy Juliana's funny baby-related comments and wonder how she'll react to a brother or sister.
Last time I did a lot of walking and yoga, but I also made good use of our apartment's elevator. I have been doing the same prenatal yoga video, but it is a little different with a small person holding your hand, trying to climb on your back, or crawling under your legs. Maybe not as effective or focused, but definitely more interesting. Sometimes Juliana does the yoga with me - her favorite pose is downward dog: "Now I'm a dog!" For a long time, walking to class every day was about as much exercise as I could handle and I'm just getting back into walking or aerobics. Living on the sixth floor has been helpful though! If I want to get home, I don’t have much choice but to climb those stairs!
I miss some of the exciting newness of the first pregnancy, but I appreciate how much more familiar everything is the second time around. I suspected I was pregnant almost a week before I got the positive test because I felt the same way as last time. I haven't been worrying about every ache and twinge because I remember that it's normal. I didn't start recognizing Juliana's movements until around 21 weeks, but this time I've been feeling movement for weeks already. Lately the movement is more consistent and Kevin has already been able to feel some nudges from the outside. I'm even getting some forcible jabs that make me think, "How did I miss this last time?" While I'm still not huge, my belly has definitely grown faster. Last time at 20 weeks most people who saw me still didn't realize I was pregnant.
When I was pregnant the first time we traveled to Beijing several times for prenatal appointments because I was concerned about getting the best care, I guess. Looking back, I'm not really sure why it seemed necessary. I now realize that most check-ups don't involve much more than a blood pressure check and listening to baby's heartbeat. I weighed the cost and inconvenience of travel and decided our local hospital will serve just fine. I do splurge to see the "expert" doctor at the new hospital though; it seems worth the $1.50. Next week I will go back for an ultrasound (a whopping $15) and try to convince them to tell us the sex of the baby. Chinese people aren't allowed to find out because of the overwhelming preference for girls, but they might tell us since we're foreigners. I'm not counting on it, but it sure would be fun to know!
While I still don’t know much about baby, I can make some speculations. For example, she seems quite active compared to Juliana in-utero (who is now hardly the docile, sedentary type). He also seems to be confused about what country he’s living in. He loves Mexican food and all dairy while still being a bit skeptical of Chinese food. Furthermore, she doesn’t seem to enjoy studying Chinese and is slyly undermining my efforts by sneaking away brain cells in the night. Funny, huh?
Just 20 more weeks (or you might say, still 20 whole weeks!!) until we meet the little Ruvin in person!
