For Good Luck, Rub My Belly

So, I went to the doctor last week. Did I tell you that? I think I did. Baby's heart is still pumping away at about 150 and growing nicely. I have gained 4 lbs. It looks more like 40 and it might as well be 400. And after this weekend, it probably is 400. I am having a MAJOR clothing dilemma. I purchased some maternity goods for my growing body and I might as well be wearing a tent. My regular clothing is starting to look pretty ridiculous, so either way, I look like I'm wearing someone's hand-me-downs. I was thrilled at the idea of being a maternity fashion maven and now I just feel like a kid playing dress-up. It's painful to watch and even more painful being the one involved. It's a bitter cocktail that I'm having a hard time swallowing. I know that as soon as my belly "pops", so to speak, everything will fit fine, it's just the in-between that is horrendous. In-between is lasting longer than I thought, but I guess I should be thankful. I'm wondering if there is any actual "popping" involved though. It just seems to be growing at a steady rate.

I hear about these women who have ungodly appetites and I wonder what that's all about. 70 pound weight gains! Not saying I won't gain my fair share, but seriously, I will be starving and think I could eat an entire buffet at Western Sizzlin and then 5 bites into it, I'm full. I will admit, I am hungry a lot more often, but it takes a lot less to feed baby & I. Maybe the huge appetite is to come later. Also, the peeing. There are times when I can barely make it into the house because my bladder is bursting. I sit down and...tinkle. I suppose this is a result of the baby kicking my bladder like a soccer ball - and the fact that my bladder is quickly losing living space in my belly. And I obviously need to quit drinking after a certain point in the evening because having my slumber interrupted for urination is not my idea of a good time. Even better when hubby has just gone in his sleepy state and I wind up having to wipe my legs & ass as well from sitting on a wet seat. I'm thinking, the toilet opening is large, a stream of pee is not. I don't see the problem. Of course, it could also be that one of our dogs has taken a liking to the toilet and uses it as her personal water cooler. It's either that or plunging into the icy water because the seat is still up. Hence the reason I prefer the seat down.

Other than that, everything is progressing nicely. We did the triple screen, which was a bit scary. It tests for things like Spina Bifida, Down's Syndrome, or other neural defects and it has a very high false positive possibility - increasing the stress on mom & dad, too. It also means additional testing to determine actual results. I didn't realize how worried I was until I got an a-ok reading and then burst into tears. Then I sat in the chair & talked to my baby and praised it to high heaven. My baby is #1!

Let's all send our good vibes to Miss Shandi...she is having a little baby boy today - no doubt it will be gorgeous if it looks anything like its mother. Or its father for that matter. Let's keep them in our thoughts. Love you all!

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Seems Mama G. has been absent from the blogging world and now it's time to play catch-up. Apparently, my burgeoning belly has decided yet again to grow overnight. Yesterday, just YESTERDAY, I had a couple of women tell me they couldn't believe I was five months pregnant. My belly was actually used in the same sentence with the word "tiny". What the hell? Whose belly was she looking at? It certainly wasn't mine. My belly hasn't been tiny since the second grade. It certainly wasn't the half-basketball thing it is today. I am proud. I saw myself in the window and thought, hey! That looks pretty damn good! I even tried sucking in and 1. It hurt and 2. It can no longer be done. The belly is there to stay for the next few months.

My little gymnast has also been quite the busy bee...Just last week, baby was somersaulting through my belly. No joke - the sonogram showed my little monkey barreling through my tum tum like a bull in a china closet. My little ten inch treasure (yes, it's doubled in a month!) was using my bladder as a trampoline. No wonder I have to pee at the sight of a liquid! I have to say, I did peek at my little one's goodies and frankly, despite my skills as an ultrasound technician, I saw nothing. Weird, I know. I'm glad I didn't see anything - and glad the tech was kind enough to say, "I'm not even going to focus on your baby's bits - if you don't want to know, I don't want to know". Lovely lady that Beth.

And I have officially reached slow down mode. Apparently the elliptical machine (which I thought was so simple) causes cramps and jogging feels like a bowling ball rolling around in my gut. So, walking & pilates it is. And I'm now moved up to official pregnancy status in pilates as I will be using the wedge - which by the way is covered in a delightful "cloud" fabric. I can no longer sleep or rest on my back. Of course, "sexual intercourse is permitted in the missionary style, if comfortable, however should last no longer than 20 to 30 minutes". First of all, 20 to 30 minutes is plain absurd and secondly, the so-called "horny stage" has yet to kick in, so I think we're doing ok in that department. However, we can talk about sleeping. I love to sleep and frankly, hate to be interrupted during my slumber. Apparently, laying on the left side is better for circulation which is unfortunate because frankly it hurts the hips. I wake up and walk to the bathroom like a 400-year-old woman. I have taken to surrounding myself with pillows during the night. Thank you Target for the 2 new "firm" queen size pillows to place around my hiney and belly. Soon I will have to move to the guest room so I can spread out my plethora of pillows. I have yet to figure out a comfortable arrangement, so I will keep looking for the perfect sleep solution. I think I need one of those remote control beds that allows you to sit up - then I can beat heartburn AND sore hips in one shot! Woohooo! Have I reached middle age?

Besides those minor setbacks, I feel like I am finally starting to realize my potential for looking and feeling pregnant. Add that to the fact that I can now feel baby moving on a reagular basis is starting to make reality set in in a big way. Being pregnant is awesome and sadly, I am already halfway done!

I Love the Way You Move...

So, last night hubby & I were enjoying a Big Cheese Pizza glutton bowl when all of a sudden I felt a funny sensation in my belly. Hmmm...a little fluttering, gurgling. For a moment, I thought my stomach was growling, so I put the tv on mute and sat very still...Flutter, flutter...2 or 3 minutes of this feeling when I realized what had happened. The little peanut was moving! Either baby really loves/hates pizza or it was trying to say, "Hi, mom & dad! I'm in here!". Of course I promptly burst into tears and called my parents with the exciting news. Hubby sat on the couch and laughed and I think even got a little teary. This is what I love...all of these "firsts". I love that it was hubby & I at home with the dogs, experiencing this together as a family, then sharing the news with everyone. I would bet I woke up 482 times last night, laying very still, just to see if I could feel it again. I sit at my desk today (so obviously busy if I have time for blogging) and occasionally, I go into statue mode to check the movement. I know it will probably be days before it happens again, but I'm still hopeful that baby will "talk" to me again soon.

So, I had an errand to run at Target last night and caved in on the maternity t-shirts. It was imperative that I had the proper shirt to match my leopard print shoes today and none of the ill-fitting clothes in my closet cut the mustard. I found a darling white tee with delightful capped sleeves! Success! It fits quite perfectly over my rubber-banded jeans (it's Friday!) and has the perfect amount of fabric for my growing belly. I love that it's fitted and my belly is starting to peek out over my jeans. Today I feel like showing it off. Screw those a-holes who think, wow, that Mary, she's sure packed it on! I'm pregnant & proud today. My spunky supervisor even took notice of my "gargantuan breasts" - her words, not mine.

This weekend I will be celebrating the big 2-9. An age I plan on staying for some time. I'll be doing a little shopping and I hope to find some little gems to fit my ever-changing body. Hope you all have a delightful holiday!