TMI Symptoms?

I've noticed this time around I've had a few odd pregnancy symptoms that I didn't have with my first. Maybe because I'm older now. Maybe because I've been through this rodeo before so I'm even more aware--remembering things that happened the first time and recognizing new things that didn't. Or maybe every pregnancy is just completely different so you never know what to expect. The following is a list of experiences that some might think of as "too much information," but I promise you they're not exactly gross, just...weird:

1) The blue seat? I'll let this one speak for itself. All I can say is I never noticed it with my first, but I'm here pregnant with my second and it is definitely not a myth or my imagination.

2) Hair growing...slow? I'm happy to report that with both my pregnancies I did not experience any loss of hair (no, that comes after you have the baby). I comb my head after a shower and notice hardly any strands stuck on the comb. When it dries, or when I wake up in the morning, it always looks especially healthy, in a nice shape with a nice coloring to it (dare I say, a glow?). I feel very lucky to have good hair days in both my pregnancies as I know this is not always the case. The weird factor comes with the...rest of my hair. As is the case with many women in the winter (you know it's true), I don't typically shave my legs that much (come on, it's cold and I'm wearing pants). So when I did shave for maternity photos I noticed that two weeks later my legs were still, remarkably, silky smooth!

3) Ankle swelling? I realize this is such a common pregnancy symptom that it's often mentioned on TV and movies--those pregnant ladies with the swollen ankles. Well, I've never actually seen a pregnant lady with swollen ankles, and I really didn't experience any swelling or foot growth (yes, it's a thing) at all with my first pregnancy. This pregnancy I hadn't noticed anything either--until literally this evening when I removed my sock and saw how tight they were around my ankles and how tight the thick skin around my ankles felt. It's not extremely noticeable or inconvenient, but it certainly is weird considering how I'm used to my socks just sitting there on my ankles and not almost cutting off my circulation.

4) Sneezles? This has been happening for a while now, just not the third trimester, but I certainly don't remember it from last pregnancy! A "sneezle" is what my husband and I have dubbed when you sneeze and then...um, let's just say your bladder was a tiny bit too full.

5) Speaking of which...potty time all the time? I definitely woke up quite a bit in the middle of the night to pee last pregnancy (and each trimester of this pregnancy). But I do feel like it's even more frequent, or perhaps more noticeable because I can't always take a bathroom break when I've got a toddler clinging to my arm, which brings me to:

6) Clingy toddler? Well, yes, I definitely didn't have this with my first pregnancy because I didn't have my own toddler back then! But it's certainly noticeable that little Baby 1, at 2 years and five months, certainly seems to sense that something is "different" as he follows me around even more than usual, hugging my arm at night and struggling a bit more to let me do even such previously normal tasks as taking a shower. While he had a couple of days where he didn't even want me to go to work, he has since settled a little bit and will happily wave goodbye as I head off now, leaving him in the care of his grandparents. It's probably harder for me than for him (another fun side effect of pregnancy) because all these hormones and emotions have got me melting into a puddle when I'm not able to stay and cuddle with him all day when he wants me to. When he wakes up after a restless night where I had to climb into bed next to him, he just rolls over, stares into my eyes, and smiles so warmly. How could I not want to call out of work and just be there for him?

I guess that last one isn't exactly a "TMI" pregnancy symptom, but don't worry, there's plenty of usual TMI symptoms that have returned this time too, from constipation to lightning crotch. I also wake up with charley horses on my inner calves, have a stuffy nose more often, and when I floss the gums often bleed (not quite private topics, just...annoying). But I just think it's interesting to compare what's the same and what's different with each new life being formed. As with the first time around, I've pretty much lost whatever small cravings I had in the first trimester by now. My belly is stretching and I'm gaining weight at a slightly faster rate than last time, but not extremely so. And Baby 2 kicks every day, which I maybe didn't notice quite as much the first time, but is definitely comforting to note this time around, especially if this ends up being my last pregnancy. I won't miss the discomforts of odd symptoms or the exhaustion and cramping that comes from being pregnant while raising a 2-year-old. But I do hope to always remember what it felt like to have a little one swimming inside me, exercising his muscles inside my smooth round belly, and truly making me feel like a mother.