Speaking of growing, I'm enormous. I think this just happened overnight, and those around me say I'm insane, but I stand by my claim: I'M A WHALE!! It's a chore to bend over and put on shoes, and if I drop something at school, forget it--it's staying on the ground until one of the kids picks it up!! However uncomfortable and inconvenient this may be, I honestly don't mind...yet! I still love being pregnant!
Some parts of the pregnancy that I could do without would be the leg cramps at night--they tend to wake me from a dead sleep still, even though I follow doctors' orders and eat a banana (or two!) before bed. I also don't appreciate peeing every half hour, but with a child's head situated on my bladder, it makes sense! Lately, too, I've been getting shooting pains down the right side of my tailbone/butt area. Sometimes they hurt so bad that they'll stop me in my tracks. You would think because of all of these factors, I'd want to hurt myself (or someone else!), but honestly, I'm a happy camper. Even Zach has noticed, and he asks that I quote him here: "People always tell me what psycho whack jobs pregnant women are because of their raging hormones. However, I have not experienced that with Stephanie. She is wonderful with a capital W." I think he threw that last "wonderful" part in because he knew he was being "published," but I'll take it :0)
No weird cravings to speak of, unless you count my uncontrollable urge for a Blue Moon with a slice of orange! I'm not even a beer drinker, but I want a Blue Moon so badly I can taste it! Otherwise, I'm still working toward my ultimate goal: to use my belly as a table and balance my bowl of cereal on it. I'll be sure to share that picture with you!
We had another check-up and ultrasound this past weekend; those are always fun for me! As of today, we are at 22 1/2 weeks, I've gained a total of 15 pounds, and my blood pressure is still "excellent" at 106/80. The doctors say I'm doing a nice job of staying calm and putting on the weight slowly. The goal is to only gain about 25-30 pounds, and I'm halfway there with less than half of the pregnancy to go. Let's hope I can maintain this rate and we don't use tonight's dinner episode as an indicator of what's to come: I think I scared my parents when I finished some lasagna that I mistook for a SINGLE serving. Apparently, it was for me AND Zach--oh, well!! My dad tried to make me feel better by reminding me that I'm "eating for two," but Mike was quick to call me the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man and put me back in my place. I think my mom felt bad so she offered me another roll...which I gladly accepted...
Anyway, the ultrasound was amazing! They showed us 3D shots and gave us pictures, too! I was like a little kid in a candy store--I could have stayed there all day! Unfortunately, Baby J. didn't cooperate (AGAIN!), so we didn't get the standard profile shot. We did, however, get some great shots of her face, her hand covering her face, her legs, etc. She was moving around a TON, though; it was neat watching her punch and then feeling it in my belly. This is an active child to say the least--a Baby Zach if you will :) And yes, I know I'm using feminine pronouns, and it's because I am almost certain it's a girl, even though I have no medical or scientific proof to support my inclination. It's just what we call "motherly instinct." A cautionary note: if the future proves me wrong and we have a boy, none of you is allowed to make fun of my "motherly instinct!"
Also this weekend, Zach and I hiked it to Home Depot to put some Christmas gift cards to use. We got the paint for the nursery since Zach intends to paint over his LONG Easter break, as opposed to my TWO day break. I'm a little bitter, but I won't lie: I'm excited about the fact that I don't have to paint another room in this house! We chose two colors: Orange Confection and Restful, a green that's a bit darker than mint. The colors sound gross as I type them, but I promise--they're lovely! AND they coordinate nicely with the Classic Pooh theme :0)
Plum baseball is sending Zach to Florida this week, so it'll just be me and Baby J. and the mutts for a few days. Normally, I'd be completely okay with the idea, I might even ENJOY the idea of having the house to myself. But I will say I can feel the difference: the pregnant me definitely doesn't want him to go. I even got a bit teary eyed the other day thinking about him not being in bed next to me, taking the covers, elbowing me in the face, snoring, and saying weird crap in his sleep!
I've uploaded a few shots from the ultrasound--enjoy! The first is the 3D "head shot;" look at that cute little mouth! The other picture is Baby J. on her side covering her face with her fist. The technician said she was trying to suck her thumb but couldn't quite find her mouth. But this kid is no quitter--'atta girl, Baby J.!
