My Thoughts on Being Pregnant

I’ve been meaning to get around to writing something like this, but have been having enough trouble getting around to writing about the events of our days and weeks! Since I have declared these last few days of pregnancy “I May or May not accomplish Anything Good and that’s Okay” days, I am finding I have a bit more leisure and energy for writing again. I’ve missed doing it for sometime now.

Some Things I am Grateful For:

I am happy to have gone the entire pregnancy (two ultrasounds and everything) without medical personnel slipping up and telling us the sex of the baby. With Archie, I had a couple of ultrasound techs who said things like, “And there’s his arm, and there’s his leg…um…did you want to know the sex of the baby????” In my birth plan, I directed that medical personnel not announce the baby’s sex. Archie wants to do it, if he remains in the delivery room. We’ll see how it goes. I’ll be amazed if it works out!

I am happy to not be dealing with Alabama heat and humidity right now. Since I was on bed rest in the hospital while pregnant with Archie, I had not experienced the swelling and general discomfort that the heat brings with it. The summer has begun to cooperate here in Ohio, though. It was nice to have our air conditioner off last week, with 55-degree temps at night.

I am happy that my husband has been super sweet about helping me with laundry and cleaning up the past few weeks. Bending over to pick up stuff off the floor is no picnic right now, as well as carrying baskets of clothes up two flights of stairs. I’m out of breath just walking from the kitchen to the living room! I don’t remember EVER feeling so huge and out of shape! I am definitely looking forward to shedding a few pounds and feeling better!

There have been a few kind souls who say nice things about my appearance. I’ve never weighed so much or looked as ‘puffy’ in my entire life as I do right now, so the ego boost is welcome and appreciated!

At the Reds games, people are reluctant to ask a very pregnant woman to keep getting up and down because they need to get out of the row to go to the restroom. So they either hit the other end, or just hold it like they should.

Some Things I Could Do Without:

At this late stage in pregnancy, I really could do without stupid comments. The one I hate the most is, “Wow…You look as though you’re about to pop!” POP? Hmmm…I LOOK like I’m about to pop? How in the hell do you think I feel?? Is that supposed to be a compliment? I certainly didn’t get dressed this morning thinking that I’d like to appear as though I’m about to explode. The Labor Day comment is beginning to get annoying as well. Yes, I’m due close to the Labor Day time of year. Ha, ha. I get it. Funny.

I am so tired of being tired. And still not sleeping at night! It’s tough to get into a comfortable sleeping position. You know those beetles that somehow get turned over on their backs and wave their little legs in the air because they can’t turn themselves over again? That’s me right now.

My internal alarm clock seems to go off at 4:30 am every morning for some weird reason. The trouble is, that I am still tired and draggy-feeling, but can’t get comfortable enough to go back to sleep. So I watch a couple of hours of news in the mornings until I doze off. Consequently I feel crummy most of the day.

My forgetfulness is getting horrible. I think I have lost a few intelligence points along the way as well. Last weekend I was looking for a bicycle shop in the telephone book. Except I couldn’t find one listed under “Bycycle”. Hmmm…I wonder why?

I could do without the sausage toes and fingers. Need I say more?

Despite the end-of-pregnancy complaints, I feel this has been a good experience. It’s been an action-packed pregnancy, I have had lots of fun and have been very productive, if I do say so myself. We went canoeing all day a couple of weekends ago. I went backpacking almost 20 miles on the Appalachian Trail at the beginning of my third trimester. We’ve had some fun trips to Mobile, camping and hiking at Monte Sano State Park, snow tubing, skiing, Yoga two times a week, home renovations that are still incomplete, and I refinished the floors a few weeks ago. So I guess it’s okay for me to put my feet up for the last week or so and relax!

Speaking of relaxing, I had my very first pedicure yesterday, which was kind of fun. Since I can’t reach my feet, and I have to wear sandals because of the swelling, I figured my feet should at least look fat and pretty. So I went to the nail place and had my fingernails painted and the pedicure. So now I have cute pink sausage toes. At least when I can see ‘em again, they’ll look nice!

All in all, people around here have been very nice (despite the goofy comments which are more frequent at the end) about offering me seats, helping load groceries, not touching my belly unasked, etc. These small kindnesses are much more noticed and appreciated being pregnant at almost 34 (GASP!) than when I was in my twenties. I have a new-found respect for women who are pregnant in their thirties and forties.

After I returned from Joe Wheeler State Park in Huntsville to pick up Archie, Phillip asked me what we were having for dinner. Well, I had just driven six hours and went immediately to his softball game, and got home around 8:30 or something. Plus, after being gone for four days, I had no idea what was even around to cook. So after asking, both he and Morgan were saying how we had NOTHING. We had nothing all weekend! There’s no food around here. So my question was whether either one of them could figure out the grocery store system…did they not know where one was? How it worked? What? They both came up with equally dumb excuses.

I was a bit worried after that…what kind of nutrition would I be receiving post partum when I wasn’t up for cooking a meal? Pizza and White Castle every day? So I put together a whole bunch of meals, with heating instructions written on the containers and stuck them in the freezer. It is my hope that they figure out which way the freezer door opens. Just in case, my Mom will be getting here on the 25th to help. Thanks, Mom!