And oh

I suppose I should add, since this blog is somewhat about staying fit while pregnant, that I haven't worked out since Saturday and feel no regret whatsoever. Obviously. But these days, a big workout is ellipitcalling or Gravitroning for 40 minutes and then doing some core work on the ball. Last week I managed 3 sessions of this, with just one complete with core work. The other two were simply Gravitroning. If I don't make it to the gym for one reason or another (like boredom) I walk for an hour. I'm fairly certain it burns as many calories as a 40 minute stint on the machines. And that's what I'm after lately - simple calorie burn to keep my metabolism aware that I usually run 40 miles a week and wear size 27 jeans.

My Flowers

One of the things I do like about living in the Midwest is the abundance of Cone Flowers and the discovery of Bee Balm. I planted two perennial gardens this spring, and here are some of the blooms. Since it's been a fairly wet summer, the leaves aren't as green as I'd like, but hey. Next year will bring another chance. And bigger and more plants!

Speaking of bigger, here's my 30 week belly. I expect each week will bring noticeable change for the next 2 months. So amazing! This past week has been a bit of a struggle for me. I got this horrific GI illness Saturday morning that made me so weak and comatose. After it all, I ended up going to the hospital to get an IV. Thinking it would be a quick saline IV and then we'd be on our way, we learned that I had low potassium (an electrolite) and needed to get a potassium drip. This takes 6 hours. Ten long hours later, I was home and feeling closer to normal. I'm still waiting to feel completely normal, and hoping that comes tomorrow. But babies in bellies take everything! And as full as I am, refilling everything is quite the task.

And Baby Makes 4

I feel "officially" pregnant these days. People no longer glance at my belly without saying anything, secretly wondering if I'm expecting or if I perhaps have been eating too many burritos. People now are confident enough to ask the question, "Congrats. When are you due?" And yesterday my sister clued me in that I am waddling. And, I'm starting to dread bedtime, knowing that the chances are high I'll be uncomfortable for most of the night. So yes, I'm officially a pregnant lady.

Today I decided to stay home and do some more crafts. Yay! Camille is off at Safety Village and then has babysitter, so I am free to spend my day as I please. This is one luxury I'm not sure I can ever give up; the weekly "me" time.

As I was ironing my new fabric, I turned on A Baby Story on TLC. The epitome of pregnant women shows. I watched it religiously while I was pregnant with Camille from about week 30 on. (It still amazes/disgusts me that 95% of those women have cesarean, but hey, we live in the US.) Today's episode featured a family who had just one other child, a 4 year old boy. I'm intrigued with families who have two kids because that's what we'll be, and especially intrigued with those who have a 4.5 year age difference.

I haven't really thought so much about missing time alone with Camille, more so because I just don't want to think about it. But this lady on the show today was so dramatic about it, I thought maybe I should be thinking about it. I plan on taking time alone with her, continuing our "Wednesdays" now and doing something fun, just us. But understand that this won't be so easy until the baby is a little older and I feel comfortable leaving her alone with a sitter or more importantly, she can go longer than a couple of hours without her milk-maid. We're doing our best to talk to Camille about the time that's needed to care for a newborn, but whether or not she really understands it is still questionable. And really, it's an unknown to us as all babies are different.

I also wonder about Camille's first visit to the hospital after the baby is born. How am I going to feel when I see her, and how is she going to feel when she sees her new baby sister? Will she feel jealous? Happy? Excited? Will I feel sad? Will she feel sad? And then upon going home. Will I want to spend more time with the baby, or with Camille? And will I neglect one more than the other? How do you balance that? And how do I balance myself? And the big question, will I love one more than the other?

I think the good thing about having the two of them so far apart is that Camille is old enough to express herself with words. She's old enough now to express her emotions and talk to me or Barry about how she's feeling. She knows when she's sad, happy or has hurt feelings and this should help us all.

28.5 weeks

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I'm lookin' pregnant!

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.