Hormones, Full Steam Ahead

The first trimester of my pregnancy, I didn't really experience that many hormonal mood swings.  I thought to myself "This isn't so bad!  I don't know what all of the hype over hormones was all about!".  Spoken as a person who has no idea, right?

Now that I am in the second trimester, I am noticing that the mood swings are - well, getting worse by the day.  I had started noticing that the smallest things could bring me to tears - commercials on TV, something someone says in passing.  But it wasn't a big deal, just a few tear welling in my eyes and an occasional one actually escaping and running down my cheek.  And this has been occurring on a much more frequent basis.  I hadn't gone postal and yelled at anyone or thrown anything, although I have noticed that I seem to get frustrated a bit more easily.  Aside from the teasing from Derek over crying so easily, I didn't really think much of it.

Until today.

When we moved, we sent our printer/scanner with my MIL.  Since arriving, I have needed to print numerous documents and scan/fax several others.  This has been trying since I haven't had the ability to print or scan or fax.  But, I have just visited the local print shops and taken care of business.  A pain in the ass?  Yes.  But I got it done.

Today, I had planned to take care of several items on my list of "Things To Do".  After several phone calls, I found out that every single one of these items will be requiring for me to print, sign, fax, scan... SOMETHING that I don't have the ability to do.  By the time I had reached my last item and hit a big roadblock, I was fuming.  I told the representative with whom I was speaking just how ridiculous this requirement from them was.  Realizing that I was borderline ridiculous, I apologized for being so frustrated and explained that I had no means to do this - to which she replied that I could simply go to a print shop.   I.  LOST.  MY. SHIT.  I started crying and thanked her (very sarcastically, I might add) for her inability to assist me and hung up.  I am sure she told her co-workers what a goober head that she had just spoken with. (Perhaps explaining I was pregnant might have made her understand.  Or not.)

As I sat here, crying alone, it got worse.  Before I knew it, I was on the verge of sobbing.  I decided to call Derek as I knew he could calm me down.  When he answered the phone, I am sure that hearing his pregnant wife crying made him think that something was really wrong.  I explained that I was just having a tough day and needed his shoulder and explained why I was crying.  He told me not to call him crying again (meaning don't scare me like that, I thought something was wrong with you or the baby).  What I heard was I don't have time to listen to you cry (over something as stupid as needing to get a letter from someone else and faxing it to someone else, this is asinine, stop crying and put on your big girl panties).  So, I apologized for bothering him, hung up, and sobbed even harder.

Of course, he called right back and cleared up what he meant (and I see his point), but when you have a river of snot running down your face, it is extremely hard to understand why someone else couldn't see the enormity of the problem you are facing and why you needed to sob about printing and faxing a stupid piece of paper.  HORMONES, people.  That is why.  See, I have them surging through me and he - obviously - does not as his much more level head prevailed in the conversation.

I am wondering if, since this pregnancy was achieved through ART and the hormones of the first trimester were mostly synthetic if that explains the raving hormonal bitch that I am becoming.  Anyone else experienced this increase as your pregnancy progresses?  Am I normal?