I never thought I'd say this, but I think I'm finally starting to enjoy this whole pregnancy thing. I mean, getting up once or twice a night does suck, but I'm definitely in the honeymoon stage right now. I'm sure that'll change once I get into the third trimester (which, incidentally, is in about 2 weeks) when I start getting to be too big to do anything and have to get up multiple times during the night every night. And when I can't see my toes.
I've been feeling really good about myself in terms of my body image as well. I've seen several friends recently who I haven't seen in a while and they all think I look great. One even said that I looked like I had just finished a huge dinner and then promptly compared her belly to mine (she isn't pregnant). I had never spent much time around pregnant women, so I really didn't know what the belly felt like, but, despite its appearance, it is firm to the touch. More like rock-hard abs, only much, much rounder.
The kid kicks all the time now and has (finally) stopped kicking my bladder. I even felt movement one time on the upper right side, then a harder movement on the lower left - so I think I was punched and then kicked. It was a weird sensation. It still feels like a muscle spasm, only now you can definitely feel it from the outside. After I get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, I can feel him moving a lot more when I lay down, so I think I've woken him up at that point. I think Kevin has actually transitioned into the daddy mind-state sooner than I've switched to mommy-mode; I asked him if he thought it was weird that he was going to be a dad in only a few months and he said no. I know that I am still adjusting!
This week my boy weighs in at 660 grams (1.5 lbs) and is 34.6 cm (13.6 inches) long. My uterus is 25 cm from the pubic syphysis to the top and is roughly the size of a small soccer ball. Really? Blood vessels are starting to form under his skin and his skin is turning pinkish.
Some common ailments during pregnancy in this stage are itchy skin and swelling/bloating. The itchy skin is caused by the stretching of the uterus and stomach and can be alleviated through lotions and creams. The swelling and bloating (and subsequent "cankles") can be helped by staying hydrated, eating foods that act as natural diuretics and by putting your feet up (and begging for a foot rub). I've started getting paranoid that my ankles are being slowly swallowed by my calves and actually asked Kevin for his opinion the other night - he said they look fine.
How am I feeling? I'm getting used to being larger and even rolling out of bed, so it isn't as big of an adjustment anymore. I sleep on my side 80% of the night now (with a pillow tucked under my belly) because when I lie on my back the kid takes that as a cue to move. Or maybe I just feel it more. Plus, when I sleep on my side with the pillow it takes me back to when I was a teenager (or younger) and used to sleep curled up with my pillow squished into the wall. I go back and forth between feeling exhausted or energized each day, but I think I'm even getting used to that aspect.
What am I craving this week? I eat waffles every morning (no, I don't make them from scratch...), but I've found that during the past couple weeks I want more, immediately after finishing them. For some reason they just taste extra amazing now. I still love my mandarin oranges too.
Mood swings? Not really. I say that because, while I don't necessarily feel like I'm being pissy, I recognize that my comments sound like I am. In some ways I almost feel a little uninhibited when I talk - especially with Kevin - but I don't know if he thinks I'm being bitchy or not. I should ask. I still find that when I find something funny, I think it's funny for a long time after.
Any baby purchases? Not yet - still need to order the play yard for the kid though.
What about the nursery? I feel like the nursery is starting to take on a nautical theme - which I'm totally ok with. But not with motorized boats - more like the sailing ships of old. For example, Kevin has this fantastic model boat that we have in the nursery and I'm working on a birth announcement cross-stitch piece. And, now that I have the pictures side-by-side, I realize they're practically identical. That's fantastic!! I think the stars we have in place will suit the new theme just fine (for navigational purposes, of course) and I still want the motorized solar system and Twilight Turtle, but I think the combined theme will add more fun to the room.
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