10.01.04

I thought it might be time for a State of the Baby Address.

Lately I�ve been feeling really cramped and trapped in my own body and it�s a bit unsettling. I realize, of course, that this feeling is only just barely beginning and I will be feeling it 10 times worse before the end, but I�m still a little grumpy about it.

I�m only 14 weeks along. Aaaaahhh! I don�t think I�m going to make it. I prefer to think of it in terms of �I am in my 15th week of pregnancy,� kind of like even though I am 28 I am technically in my 29th year�although, that example kind of sucks so I won�t be using it again.

The upside is that my �bump� is getting more pronounced and when I catch myself rubbing it or resting on it during the day, it always makes me smile. I�ve got a baby in there! Crazy. (I know I say that a lot, but I really don�t know if I�ll ever get over being amazed by this whole process.)

I broke down and rented a fetal heart monitor off the internet. Because I can! It is nice to �check on the baby� whenever I want. I�m not paranoid anymore, and feel pretty secure that this is really going to happen, but it is still nice to hear that whoosh-woosh-woosh. And I�m sure everyone who has been forced to listen as well is equally thrilled about it.

I�m sleeping horribly. I�m an incurable stomach sleeper, and so far have been able to still sleep on my stomach, but it is starting to get uncomfortable. I do have one of those body pillows, but I must have the jumbo size with the cheap filling because when I try to use it I feel like there is a mountain of fluff trying to take over the bed. I think J is jealous. BUT! I only woke up once last night to go to the bathroom. Halle-freakin-lujah!

Also, pregnancy has apparently awakened my inner slug. (It�s Lump! She�s back! Inside joke, old college nickname, sorry.) My house is so messy and I have zero motivation to clean. But then I get cranky because of the mess. It is a vicious cycle. But I have a saint of a husband who is actually willing to help out without being asked and I don�t even get annoyed that he doesn�t do it right and wish that I had just done it myself. Progress, people, progress.

The slugfest has extended to all aspects of my life in that I don�t want to go anywhere, ever. This also might be a good thing because if I do ever leave the house (other than work), it invariably involves spending money on maternity clothes that I can�t wear yet and, of course, on food.

I do manage to make it to the gym 3 or 4 times a week on my lunchbreak. I can get in about � an hour of the elliptical and a quick shower. I don�t even try to pretend that I will go after work if I don�t make it at lunch. The Slug is like a homing pigeon that only knows one destination, and it gets very active right around 4 in the afternoon. On Saturdays, I have a yoga class at my gym that I LOVE, although I have to modify a few of the poses here and there. I need to get a prenatal yoga DVD for home. But then again, if I�m in the house there is that whole �slug� issue to overcome.

This exercise is in no way keeping me from packing on the pounds (8 so far since I got pregnant), but it makes me feel better about eating whatever I want whenever I want it. Fortunately, I have had an actual zero craving for sweets so far, which for me is unheard of. (I mean an entire bag of Oreo�s sat in my kitchen for TWO WEEKS! Are you kidding?!) But it�s full-fat version of everything else, so that probably makes up for it.

And, yes, I�m still feeling nauseous and still kind of hating food in general. It is beyond old at this point.

So all in all, things are going good. I�m trying to enjoy it as it comes and not just feel like my life is on hiatus for the next 6 months, but it�s tough sometimes. I also try to show interest in anything that doesn�t have the words �baby� or �pregnant� in it. I�m trying, I promise. Just wave a pink bow in front of me to get my attention.

The scary thing is I might even try and vote (gasp) in my addled condition. You though Florida�s problem was the ballots? Turns out there was an unusually high percentage of pregnant voters that year.

before ~ after