Month 4
Entering the 4th month of pregnancy was exciting because we decided to find out the sex before the anatomy scan (usually at 20 weeks). We gave our sex results to my friend Natalie and she purchased a balloon and a powder canon for the big reveal. We invited all our friends to Art Canyon for the big reveal on Memorial Day and what a reveal it was! Aaron and I were both very surprised to find out we were having a boy! We both thought for sure it would be a girl. It took about 2 minutes for the shock to wear off and then visions of Star Wars, Boy Scouts, Dinosaurs, and Comics started flashing in my mind and I got stoked about having a boy.
In June, we went to California for our summer vacation. Surprisingly, I was still very sick up until this point but for some reason when I rolled over to week 16 my sickness began to ebb. It must have been all the great food I got in California!
During our trip to Oregon, I got bit by some kind of bug in Bandon. It was a tiny, itchy bite at first but it got more and more irritated as our trip went on. We first went to a clinic in Seaside, Oregon and received a topical antibiotic. Because I was pregnant, the antibiotics that are most effective on skin infections were ruled out. As the trip went on the infection got worse and worse, despite the topical antibiotics. By the time I got to Florida (3 weeks after the bite) I had to go to an emergency clinic. I was able to get oral antibiotics at that point, but I was instructed not to get in the ocean. I was literally staying for a week on the beautiful beaches of Florida and I couldn’t get in the water! By 4th of July, the infection was continuing to spread far up my leg despite all the antibiotics so we decided to go to the emergency room where I had to get an IV antibiotic to stop the bacteria. It was a cellulitis infection that went crazy and treatment was complicated by the fact that I was preggers. That experience was definitely a memorable one. The lesson learned: try not to scratch any bug bites and if you do and you break the skin, put rubbing alcohol on it right away!
Month 5
Upon returning from our summer travels, I spent the next few weeks trying to enjoy my summer at home and gearing up for going back to work. These were lovely, relaxing weeks before the hectic school start in August. I spent a lot of time at the Rec pool at Texas Tech and a lot of time in the Tech Library trying to finish up my dissertation. During this 5th month we also started visiting daycare facilities for baby Q. We thought we’d jump on it early, knowing we wouldn’t need child care until August 2020. Also in the 5th month, Aaron and I celebrated 5 years of marriage! I have to say, being married for a while before we had kids was the smartest decisions we’ve made as a couple.
Month 6
During month 6, I was able to hunker down and work on the final chapter of my dissertation. With the guidance of one of my best friends, I was able to complete chapter 5 and get everything submitted for my defense. I was determined to have it completed before the baby came. In August, we took a quick weekend trip to Austin to visit my brother, sister, preggo buddy BFF, and my former Texas State Triathlon teammates.
Whew! It was a busy few months. Now that I think back to the second trimester, I get a little tired! Our adventures and travels will look a bit different now, but I will enjoy them nonetheless.
