What's the Difference?

I will be 32 weeks on Thursday, and am seeing the OB every two weeks now. My blood pressure was high, 142/84. I gained two pounds since they saw me two weeks ago, and I have to take a blood glucose test tomorrow. It is the three-hour long fasting test that no one likes to do. Dr. Rushing assured me that the baby cannot kick my spine and paralyze me. I know, it's silly, but she kicked me and hit a nerve and my leg jerked out all crazy, and so I wanted to know what else she could do!

I was thinking what a difference my two pregnancies have been. With Jimi, I craved salad, chicken, apples and jalapenos. With this baby, Chinese food, Mexican food, cookies, donuts and chips. My bp with Jimi: "textbook" (the OB's words, not mine), this one has been around 140/85. I was dancing and flying across the country and having a great time at Dapo's graduation when I was 7 mos preg w/Jimi. I am just now 7 mos and feel like I have been for two months, and am not interested in flying or dancing, or even moving off the couch on some days.

Jimi I carried low and back, this baby is high and out. I am actually thankful for that, because my back killed the last two months or so. I was terribly swollen with Jimi from about the 4th month throughout, and I have yet to really swell with this baby, still wearing my regular sized shoes.

This baby is the world's most active fetal mover! Jimi would thump his leg like he was playing the bass drum. In fact, while I was playing the drums I remember I could feel him moving his leg to the beat (swear I'm not making that up). This baby doesn't even like the sound waves that they use to listen to her heartbeat with. If I sit too close to speakers or music is too loud she will kick until it stops. My mom says she is just dancing, but to me it feels more on the demanding side.

With Jimi I had the "glow", with this baby, I have the "oh, no". My hormones feel different, and my hair seems to be bearing the brunt of the changes. I do think that I've been less temperamental with this baby, though. I felt like I was losing my mind with Jimi, and was an emotional wreck for most of the pregnancy. I would cry because I would drop things, and now I understand it's part of the gig. I haven't done anything like leave the clutch in neutral to have the car roll out of the driveway with this baby, and I forget the names of objects even less than I did before. I wonder if that is because I'm used to it, or if I'm handling it better the 2nd time around, or if perhaps I have indeed lost my mind and there is no logical reasoning to compare my current emotional condition against.

I'm waking up every hour, two hours, hour and a half, three hours or so. Sometimes it is for no good reason, other times b/c of snoring, crying or needing to urinate. Sometimes I go back to sleep, others it takes me as long as an hour. I don't remember this happening so soon with Jimi and never had trouble falling back asleep. And, when I was pregnant with him it was every three hours like clockwork, a trip to the bathroom and I was back to sleep.

I know some differences can be chalked up to the fact no two pregnancies are the same. Some can be attributed to the fact one was a boy and the other is a girl. Further, some can be first pregnancy/subsequent pregnancy differences. Whatever the reasons, I am glad certain things are different, and can't wait to see my baby girl. That, and sleep on my stomach.