time does fly

Just like I never know whether to look at the week I have just completed or the one I am about to start when reading those "how your baby is developing week to week" sites, I don't know if my third trimester starts today or next Saturday. I have decided that it starts today: there are 13 weeks left (give or take a few weeks, days, what have you, depending on baby's grand entrance plan).

Looking back at the first two trimesters, here's what I have to say: the first one seemed to last somewhere between a year and a lifetime. From the two week wait to feeling like every cramp or bowel twinge was a miscarriage to the bleeding episodes, I exaggerate not: a year to a lifetime.

It didn't feel like that much of a milestone to hit the second trimester b/c of the impending amniocentesis and subsequent 2ww for results (dear cruel universe, I already HAD one of these, thank you). I do remember thinking that 20 weeks was pretty amazing, both for the ring of "half way" and b/c I had long ago read a woman's blog entry* about an involuntary gas episode as she walked around T.arget. I looked up to her like young girls admire the makeup-wearing, boy discussing teenagers. Wow-20 weeks. She is soooo cool. Reaching 24 weeks (i.e.: if your baby is born now, hospitals are required to do all they can to ensure its survival) was not as exciting for me as it is for some women. A fifty/fifty chance of survival still sounded awfully scary.

However, I will say that the second trimester FLEW by. Really. I don't know how I'm here. My baby boy is due in 3 months. October 24th. My mom and I spent a week organizing, making room, purging or storing unnecessary treasures and setting up a crib. I am reading the baby books. We are signed up for breastfeeding class, childbirth class and infant CPR class. I had a regular OB/GYN appt. yesterday and my belly has grown 2 inches in a month. This just might be hitting me.


*sorry-can't remember who wrote it.