201 down, 79 (or so) left to go!
Friday, March 19, 2010
28 weeks, 5 days pregnant
Can you believe I have been pregnant for more than 200 days??? It’s actually 201 days today — and I only have 79 days left — which sounds astonishing.
Here’s a quick update of how I’m feeling and what I’m thinking, after 200+ days of being knocked up:
- I am still in love with my maternity jeans. I have heard many woman say they wanted to burn them by the time they gave birth, but I am still smitten with both of my pairs. I love that they don’t have a zipper to check, or a waist that can pinch. I love that they are so stretchy! At this point, I’m not looking forward to going back to regular jeans.
- I get sick of snacking. Everyone loves to yuk it up about pregnant women being chowhounds, but the truth is that sometimes I’m starving, but I don’t want to eat. I’m like, “Sheesh, Baby, I just ate a couple of hours ago!” Of course, I need to eat, because obviously he is hungry — and causing embarrassing hunger rumbles — so I go foraging for a yogurt or peanut-butter crackers or something. But it gets annoying.
- I analyze my weight, but I don’t really freak over it. When I look in the mirror, my face doesn’t seem fatter — yet when I look at a recent photo of my face, it looks like Chin City. I wonder if my upper arms are plumper, or if they have always been that way? It’s all kind of interesting and kind of unnerving. But it’s just part of the deal.
- I am in constant awe of my belly. I’m pretty convinced that one reason women go through second, third, nineteeth, etc. pregnancies — besides, you know, creating life — is because having “the bump” is so much fun. It’s tight and firm, so it totally erases any concerns about how flat your stomach is (or isn’t). You don’t have “fat days” where clothes don’t look right, because everything just fits cutely over the bump.
- The time goes by quickly … and slowly. Some days you feel like you’ve been pregnant forever — seriously, nine months is almost an entire year! And other days, you feel like it’s all going by so fast and you’re going to miss it so much. I find it usually feels more like the latter — whizzing by at warp-speed — except when I get stuck on my back like a turtle* … and it hurts … then pregnancy feels endless.
* Yes, like a turtle. It has happened while lying on the couch, in bed, and on the floor. And then my back seizes up and hurts like hell, and it’s almost impossible to get up. It’s awesome … and totally not embarrassing.
Adventures with rude sales clerks
Thursday, March 18, 2010
28 weeks, 4 days pregnant
Scene: A maternity clothing store. I’m wandering around by myself, looking for a dress to wear to my upcoming shower.
Clerk #1: Oh! Wow, you must be due really soon!
Me (horrified): Um … not that soon.
Clerk #1: Well, when?
Me (too embarrassed to say the beginning of June): Uh … the end of May
Clerk #1: Really? Well, you certainly look like you’re much —
Clerk #2 (cutting her off): She’s just going to have a nice, healthy baby.
Me (stunned): ….
10 things mothers should teach their sons
Just saw this lovely list over on Lil’ Sugar, and I had to re-post it. It’s too cute! I especially agree with the first three!
There’s a special bond between mothers and sons. Women raising boys have the power to shape the next generation of men and those to come by teaching their kids important lessons.
- To express his emotions, because bottling them up eventually makes a person explode.
- To say “ladies first,” hold doors open for women, and give his date the jacket off his back when he or she is cold because the world is moving forward in wonderful ways but that doesn’t mean chivalry has to die.
- To put the toilet seat down after he pees, change his sheets frequently, learn to cook, and do laundry.
- To channel his energy through sports, art, dance, the written word — whatever his passion may be.
- That even the biggest fight should be settled with the mind rather than fists.
- That not following the group doesn’t make him a loser, but his own leader.
- To stick up for the underdog even if it makes him an outcast.
- That he has the power to make an amazing difference in life.
- To worry less about whether she’s proud of him and more about having pride in himself.
- Smiles are free, so be generous with them.
She’s gonna pop!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
28 weeks, 2 days pregnant
Frightening thought for the day: I feel like I’m already huge, but advice websites are terrifying me, because they keep saying that starting now, I will “really start to gain weight.”
Um … well, then what the hell has been going on up to this point, and how big am I going to get???
Foggy days
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
28 weeks 2 days pregnant
It’s foggy around these parts — and I don’t mean the weather. It’s my brain, folks. Every day, it gets harder and harder to concentrate on anything. My brain feels like mush.
Throughout the first trimester, I was eagerly Googling pregnancy symptoms and morning sickness cures and all of the millions of things that could be going wrong. Oh, and concentrating on not throwing up.
Throughout the second trimester, I was obsessed with Googling nursery decor and handmade baby stuff. I hunted through Flickr and Google Images and every site on the freaking internet, looking at all things adorable and painted and sewn.
Now, in the third trimester, I have basically found everything pregnancy-related that I can find on the internet. I know what to expect, symptoms-wise. I have tons of inspiration photos saved. The nursery is done. The condo is organized.
It’s getting really hard to focus and keep things straight at work. My mind glazes over, and I switch into autopilot. I get all my work done, just as quickly and efficiently as always, but it’s like I’m doing it with half my senses shut off. It’s all I can do to sit at my desk for eight hours and pretend to feel like a real human being.
When I’m not at work, I feel like a different person. At home, I putter around the condo and get things done. I walk Little Dog. I stay on top of the laundry and the dishes. I work on creating finishing touches for the nursery. I clean. I read book after book. I sew. I feel wide-awake, and actually feel like myself.
I’m not sure if my brain is mentally checking out, and preparing itself to go on maternity leave, or what. All I know is that getting through the next seven weeks (or so) is going to be rough.
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