Just as Sane as I Am

I can't believe, after all we've been through, we've finally made it here. To the other side of the baby shower. It was this past Sunday, but we started to set up on Friday. It was at our house. If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm not one for cheesy traditions. I didn't want shower games (blech - sorry if you like them, but I think you're in a minority), a crowd of exclusively women commiserating over being a mom, and opening a load of presents everyone knows you're getting anyway. Instead, we got to show off our new house, invite husbands and children (we borrowed a bouncy castle from a friend that was a big hit), have a bbq truck with delicious food (sorry if there wasn't enough for vegetarians and vegans - I didn't see the menu until the day of as I didn't book the truck), and ask people not to waste paper by bringing presents unwrapped. On Friday and Saturday, I kept having a huge feeling of relief. We made it. We got this far. ...

So if you didn't already know this, I'm a writer. (I mean, outside of this blog. I've been published and all. So that counts.) I read a book about writing earlier this year, which gave me a great writing exercise I've used a bunch of times, and I love the poetic prose I get out of it. I time myself for 15(ish) minutes and write continuously on a topic. So here's one I did about pregnancy: I feel like a goddess. Full body, full belly, creating, nurturing, feeding new life. Life giver. (Sorry dudes - this is a lady's job. What would happen to famiy leave if men had to push through something called a ring of fire and regularly tear their perineums?) I feel like a witch. This is a woman's job, born of some secret, clandestine pact, not sure with whom. Some say the devil, Eve, a snake. But what more god-like power is there than giving life? Did it hurt God(dess) to give birth to the vast entity of humanity? I feel power. I'm doing tthis, not my husban...

I've been so proud of how I'm doing with this pregnancy thing. There are so many weird, negative symptoms I've read about that haven't applied to me. Worsening eyesight. Heart burn. (Although I have had some minor acid reflux.) Visible veins. Substantial weight gain. Pregnancy brain. Clumsiness. Increase in body temperature. Back pain. Restless leg syndrome. Look. I managed four days at Disney World with none of this. I've felt beyond lucky to not have to deal with a lot of this stuff. I was especially happy to not have to deal with swollen feet and ankles. That's such a visible symptom. And apparently once your feet grow, they may never return to their original size. The muscles in your feet relax so much they change the placement of the ligaments. (I think. Something like that. It sounds like what happens.) I bought two pairs of shoes in TN, after much deliberating, and I don't want them to not be able to fit just after I buy them. But most of all, I...

Both road trips have come and gone. A brief overview: The car rides were sort of fine. Wearing the stockings was no big deal, other than that I needed help getting them on every day. It’s getting harder to do anything below the stomach, as the solid mass of baby is certainly not dwindling. I felt okay for the most part, minus a few days where my stomach felt pretty cramped. Plus the frustration that ensues with spending 8 of your free days in a car. Luckily, I’m a big reader and writer, so I wasn’t bored. The heat and humidity weren’t honestly much different than they’ve been in NJ. Particularly in TN, we were often asked what we thought of the heat. They have no idea that NJ is not exactly Canada. We spent a decent amount of time in air conditioned spaces, so that helped. There was one day we went for a walk in Gatlinberg, and that was a little rought; my parents had to go back to the car way before we did. In Florida, our day in Animal Kingdom was no piece of cake. There's ...

This week, I had the dreaded glucose test. People complain so vehemently about how disgusting the sugary drink you’re made to consume is, I didn’t know what to expect. Really, it just tasted like orange flavored water with a little extra sugar, but it wasn’t by any means awful. I was also nervous because I (normally) have hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, and drinking something like that could lead me to pass out, or at least feel extremely weak and faint. I was sure that by the end of the hour you have to wait before having blood drawn, I’d barely be able to stand up, and no doubt I would pass out as soon as the needle went into my arm. But, thanks to a good book, the hour went quickly. I never felt any difference in my blood sugar. (Is that good or bad? Not sure.) The phlebotomist I had was extremely nice, too, which was a welcome change of pace. She noticed my small veins and used a pediatric needle, and she had no trouble at all getting into the vein, which would normally dodge...

At some point, I decided to get over my worries. What was I going to do, really? Worry a whole bunch about something I had no control over? One woman online (I know, the most trustworthy type) told me if my issue became more serious, it wouldn't kick in until the third trimester, anyway. I couldn't walk around sending out all these negative vibes. No way. It didn't hurt that I spoke to coworkers who have relatives who were delivered early, around the 28 week mark at the beginning of the third trimester, and they all turned out okay. And those people were born 28 years ago or 19 years ago, and obviously medicine has come aways since then. If I could make it that far, things would more than likely be okay. Not that I want Baby Girl to be born that early and be at risk and be in an incubator and make us move into the hospital, but I felt a lot more comforted that I wouldn't have this thing we've worked so hard for suddenly ripped away from us. I also happen to go t...

Baby kicks and movement have continued at quite the rate. I feel like she's more active than your average baby, based on books and others' experiences. I hear often that at first, you'll feel your baby a lot one day and might not feel him/her again for 3 or 4 days. Not this chick. She's kicking, rolling around, and punching quite often. I feel her multiple times a day, particularly after I've eaten. I take that as a good sign. Of course, it could also mean she'll give us a run for our money once she's actually here. I'm hoping she'll just be so active during the day that she'll exhaust herself and sleep well. Probably wishful thinking, but I might as well think wishfully. (And take liberties with the English language.) On Saturday afternoon, she was being especially bloopy (our word for lots of movement; I'll often just call out, "Bloop!" when I've felt her move). I've been trying to get Jon to feel her for a week or two...