Art Projects

I'm beginning to nest. Mostly I think I'm doing this because moving around is starting to become quite a chore. And tires me out so much. And my foot, which has this giant neuroma in it, is screaming at me so loudly lately. So walking, standing, shuffling along is even more so uncomfortable.

Anyway, here are some of the things I've been working on to prepare for baby girl's arrival.

I don't get

Why random people tell me I'm pregnant. Like I didn't know. This one lady said, "Uh oh. Someone's pregnant!" I mummered "uh oh, someone's fat." She was sitting at a deserted craft sale table. Deserted in the sense that no one was at this particular craft fair. Then she continued to comment to her friend that it must be really uncomfortable to be pregnant in the summer. She was pregnant in the summer but not THAT pregnant. Sorry lady. You haven't seen anything yet. A 6 month belly is nothing compared to a 9 month belly.

Barry was appalled. "It's not like you're a zoo animal," he said. Oh how I love him.

Or why grocery checkers think they can ask me when I'm due, what I'm having, and what I'm thinking of naming her.

Or why anyone would ask me what we're naming her. I know some people announce their baby's name before it's born, but it makes me feel a little uncomfortable. I am always really aware of what my facial expression might look like.

Fire Works

Wow. It's the 4th of July! You wouldn't know it, looking outside. I think the universe is being especially evil to us this year. We've had enough Portland weather around here to start actually complaining about the rain. Something I really dislike doing, because in all honesty, I like the rain. And Barry and I are missing Portland more and more all the time. Or at least I am.

This morning we went to the Glen Ellyn Parade and it lightly rained. The fire engines screamed, and the little pumpkin squirmed and danced all around. She's especially excited today. Perhaps it's because I have declared it an "eat anything" day. She is hanging out so high already that eating is getting nearly impossible. And my appetite is gigantic! So far today I've had my normal breakfast of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Hot Cereal, almond butter, a little Cinnamon Life and All Bran mixed in, and cottage cheese on the side, I made banana muffins (I ate 1/4 one), 1/2 granola bar, 1/2 apple, some grapes, hummus and mushrooms, 3 slices roast beef, 1/2 slice cheese, blueberries and strawberries with whipped cream, and last, a few chips and salsa. I may not be able to eat a lot at once, but I eat often!

So far I've gained 18 pounds at 26 weeks. My arse is a wide load, along with my thighs. But mostly it's my belly. 13.5 weeks to go! Officially I am in my 3rd trimester tomorrow. Yay!

And I realized it's about time I start acting like a pregnant lady. Running is becoming harder and harder. Trouble is my belly feels like a big bowling ball and the weight of it is not all that comfortable. I found walk/runs are good, but mostly I end up walking more than running. Yesterday I just walked. But walked way too long. My mom and I walked for a good 90 minutes and that effort left me napping the majority of the afternoon. And still today, after walking to and from the parade, I found I needed to close my eyes for a while this afternoon.

It's difficult for me to NOT move though. I feel my behind growing and growing and it freaks me out. How big will it get? Yes, I know I'll lose it, but that doesn't come without work. And time. I don't want to wear stretch pants all winter.

Baby Legs

You'd think I was 35 weeks along. I am already feeling stuffed when I eat anything comparable to the volume of an apple. And if I am drinking water with it, forget it. It took me 2 hours to eat my dinner tonight, which was about 3 oz baby spinach, tofu, and some mushrooms.

I can't remember if this started this early with my last pregnancy. I do remember when she dropped though, and I could eat again in normal amounts.

Another thing that is just blowing my mind is the size of my rear. It's giant! I look in the mirror and it doesn't look as big as it must be in real life. But my clothes are telling me something completely different. And don't they always say clothes don't lie? Well, I sure wish they could. I guess I should just stick to stretchy skirts and yoga pants rather than put on jeans or anything with an actual size. I fear how big my rear and upper thighs will get in the next 14 weeks.

Frances the French Toast

I have to admit it. I really do enjoy not having to go running first thing in order to get in my hour or two in. Being pregnant gives me so much time. Now my workout takes a maximum of 75 minutes, and mostly, since it's excessively hot, is inside at the gym. I don't even have to worry about a sitter, or Barry being home to watch Camille. I can bring her with me and put her in the Children's Activity Center.

This morning Camille wanted a change from her usual milk and cereal. Which is odd to me since milk and cereal is one of my favorite things to eat lately. But alas, she wanted french toast. So being the awesome fun mom I am, I made her french toast and then some. For protein, I added cottage cheese for hair. And added fresh blueberries as a smile, and grapes for eyes. I even added a little bow made of strawberry slices.

In my normal running like a mad woman state, this gourmet breakfast could have only been created on a lazy Sunday morning. Now, most mornings are lazy. So Wednesday it is! Frances!

Today with the rain again, we passed on our plans to go to Brookfield Zoo and went to go see Up! instead. It was so great! Camille was scared at the end, but I couldn't tell if it was too get attention or if she was really scared. The movie was loud and the baby flipped and kicked through at least half of it.

I'm feeling quite large these days. Twenty-four weeks! It all just happened. Just about over night, Tuesday night in fact, I just got very large. After I eat I have a shelf right under my boobs. And if I haven't eaten in a while I have a soccer ball in my belly. I won't talk about my thighs. Not pretty. I prefer avoiding the mirror if I'm wearing shorts or my running skirt. Which, by the way, is the only thing I can still wear to the gym.

I went to the gym 3 times this week and worked too hard. So today I took a much needed day off. Totally eating today, and feel ok about it. Instead of cookies tonight, I have 2 cups of cereal. Yum. Don't know what tastes better - the milk or the cereal.

Clunking Along

I know I'm not very good at posting on a regular basis. It's difficult for me to think of something to say, and when I do have a good subject, I don't seem to find enough quiet time to actually compose a blog. I think that if I did it on a schedule, I would post more often. Let's see if I can start doing this. 

So enough excuses. Here's the latest: 

• I'm 23 weeks along (17 to go!)
• We're having a GIRL
• I'm still running...a little
  
• I'm feeling GREAT!

This whole pregnancy, I've tried to remember what I was like when I was pregnant with Camille. How big I was, how much weight I'd gained, what I was doing for activity. At first, I think I was way ahead in all of these. But now, passing the half-way point, I've pretty much evened out. In fact, I might have even gained less than I did with Camille at this point. I don't remember precisely, but at the rate I'm going, I might not make it to the whole 32 pounds I gained with Camille. Knock on wood! That's just less I need to loose later. Belly bigness, I think I'm about the same as well. I feel monsterous, but my doctor says I'm right on track. Exercise wise, I'm mostly on the elliptical or gravitron, but a couple days a week I run a few miles on the treadmill. Somedays, she sits lower in my belly and puts too much pressure down there. Other days she's just fine and I barely notice I'm even pregnant. Expect for having to go to the bathroom about once every mile. 

I found some great core work I can still do with my big belly, using the Fit Ball. One exercise I'm simply rolling into a knee plank position and back. It gets the whole mid-section and is really quite comfortable. The other one is going into push-up position with the ball - my ankles are resting on the ball and my arms are holding me up. I slowly roll the ball towards my torso and back. I'm hoping these simple, comfortable exercises keep my core strong so that I don't have as much work to do once the baby is born. 

I've also started swimming. I never knew how hard this was. Currently, I can swim one full length of the pool without stopping. I have a lot of practicing to do. But as it seems, I will have plenty of opportunity since my foot has been acting up quite a bit lately. I can't take any anti-inflammatory, so this is making the neuroma louder than normal. Add that to the fact that all my ligaments are loosening, my feet are taking the brunt of the changes. 

Last week I saw a podiatrist to see if there was anything I could do to relieve the pain. He reported there's not. Physical therapy, massage, ultrasound is about all I can do. And as I've learned, these modalities don't help all that much with the pain. So until the little pumpkin is born, I have to put up with it all and keep hobbling along with a very angry nerve in my foot.