pain in the abs

I am a full 24 weeks into my second pregnancy.

Already more than halfway along!

Time is flying by, and as this pregnancy progresses, I can't help but notice how familiar it all feels ...

The little kicks and wiggles.

The taste for salty, savory foods (and some sweets every now and then).

The lack of any complications to speak of.

And the constant abdominal pain.

Yes, you read that right ... While many expectant mothers contend with lower back pain, I get to experience all of my pain directed squarely in the front.

As with Malcolm, I'm all belly right now, so all the built up pressure from my expanding uterus and resident baby (and let's not forget the elastic bands on my maternity pants) is pushed up against my abdominal muscles.

It's an annoying, dull ache for most of the day.

Mostly inconvenient in that I can't put a sock or shoe on my foot without sitting down and/or balancing myself against something steady. I almost fell over the other day when I tried to be fancy and get dressed without hanging all over the dresser.

It's the little things, I guess.

And forget rolling over in the middle of the night ...

Although I may not be as large (yet!), the motion is probably much like that of a beached whale, struggling to make some progress and get back into the ocean. My husband refers to it as "the big roll" and wonders how I can remain asleep while I'm making such a commotion on my side of the bed ...

But neither of us should be surprised by any of this.

As I said before, it is all very familiar.

Almost exactly what I experienced when Malcolm was in utero.

Hopefully, this means Baby #2 will be continue to take after his/her brother when he/she joins us on the outside ... And my current "pain the abs" is a sign of good things to come!