A long wait for Baby No. 2

This column originally appeared in the Flourish ezine, a monthly digital magazine from the Southeast Missourian. To sign up for the ezine or to receive Flourish in print four times a year, email cellis@semissourian.com or go to semissourian.com/flourish.

Every child is different, and for that matter, so is every pregnancy! When we found out we were pregnant this summer, Max and I were very excited to expand our family. Then a few weeks passed, and then a few more, and the excitement wore off as the nausea started in. Even though this is not my first rodeo, I am still naive and learning something new every day, such as lesson No. 1: Your first pregnancy means jack to your second.

With Cooper, I was only slightly sick. Twelve weeks hit, and like magic the veil of nausea lifted and I was human again. With this pregnancy, not so much. For the first 18 weeks, I was sick every single day, all day long. I have never been so miserable in my life! Gallstones were more enjoyable, because even if they hurt like heck, the pain eventually went away. The day I woke up and didn't have to run to the bathroom, I felt like I had been touched by an angel. Thankfully, it looks like the morning sickness is over and I can stop being a "mombie" (zombie mom).

Another thing I learned is just because my pregnancy with Cooper was easy doesn't mean this one will be. My pregnancy with Coop was easy-peasy -- no issues, no real pain, and the pregnancy went quick. Not willing to be outdone, pregnancy No. 2 is decidedly not easy. At 14 weeks, I had a big scare and ended up in the hospital, scaring the bejeezus out of Max and me, scarring me for life and forcing me to bed rest for four days. Note to other pregnant ladies: Bed rest is for the birds! I now have great respect for those poor martyr mommies who had to stay in bed for weeks or even months for their babies. I was ready to break after four days, so I can't even imagine four weeks! This pregnancy also has way more aches and pains than the first. My back is killing me already, and I still have four more months to go!

Another new discovery with this pregnancy is I have been feeling my little kickboxer move for weeks now. With Cooper it took forever to feel him move. I was well into my sixth month before I felt him and into my seventh before Max felt him. This one has been kicking the crap out of me for the past few weeks and shows no interest in stopping. This weekend, the baby even kicked hard enough that my whole stomach jumped and Max got to feel it. This was very cool to say the least, but not enjoyable at 3 a.m.

I can't help but think that if my pregnancies are so totally opposite from each other, how different will my babies be? Will No. 2 come out sleeping through the night, or will we be up for the next two years like we were with Coop? Will No. 2 walk late or be running at 9 months? Will No. 2 have an outgoing personality like Cooper or be quiet like Max?

There are so many variations of personality that this new little person could have, and the wait is killing me! If I wasn't so exhausted all the time, I would probably go insane thinking about how insane my life is going to be in 18 more weeks. I just have to keep telling myself, "This is what you wanted. You wanted children and now you have them, so buck up!"

I like to think that life is like a book and I am in chapter eight, right when life heats up for the heroine and things are being thrown at her from every direction. You are intrigued and have to keep reading to see if she can live up to the tasks before her, or if she will fail at everything. I'm personally rooting for awesomeness, but of course, I am biased -- I would hate to fail at my own life!

Kristen Pind, a native of small-town Gower, Mo., came to Southeast Missouri State University with big dreams of being the next Katie Couric or Diane Sawyer. She never thought that by age 25, she'd be married with a baby and living in Cape Girardeau. Keep up with Kristen's adventures as a first-time mom -- one who's still a girl trying to figure out how her own life fits together. Turns out, she's living a dream she never knew she had, and loving every minute of it. Kristen invites moms of all types to find her "Baby Steps" page on Facebook.