Gosh, it really does creep up on you! At my 33 week visit yesterday the doctor told me that from now on, my visits would be weekly until I give birth. If anything was going to "make it real" again at this point, it was that! Evie also gave the doc quite a pummeling as he measured my tummy. And this visit, my mom accompanied me instead of Gavin so she got to hear Evie's heartbeat and of course she got all teary-eyed. :)
So since this blog is supposed to have the brutal truth about pregnancy, here are some of the less than sunny things I've been dealing with lately!:
-Charlie horses and foot cramps. I really wish I had been warned about these. Not that there is much I can do aside from cramming down the bananas, but no one ever tells you about this!
-Rolling over is hard! Maybe it is just me. I toss and turn pretty much all night. I sleep on my sides, but I switch it up every hour or so because of the light coming in through the window and then Gavin can sometimes have some stank breath (sorry, Love). In the last couple of weeks it has gotten damn near impossible to flip myself over. It's an involved and sometimes painful experience, especially when I'm covered in our furry family members (which is always. Why do cats love to sleep on my hips so much??)
-Getting up to pee 3, 4 times a night. I guess it's probably more because I get most of my fluid at home after work rather than spacing it out throughout the day. So I could PROBABLY 'fix' this issue easily, but I am lazy. Add to that the fact that the chain on the ballcock (ha) broke yesterday so last night all I heard was running water every few minutes and I was basically up all night peeing.
-Growing the karate kid. Evelyn is the best. She really is. I'm soooo excited to meet her. But damn if I'm not so over the "omg she kicked!" bit. During the day at work it's okay. I like the company. At home, when I'm trying to relax or even sleep, she seems to believe she's training with Jackie Chan or something. I have tried repositioning in case I've just got her cramped up somehow and she's protesting. That does nothing. Luckily, Gavin is usually close enough by that I can grab his hand and place it on my stomach. That almost always does the trick. Good to know she already loves Daddy.
-Sensitivity to sounds/smells. The smells one was way worse in my early pregnancy but is attempting a return with a vengeance. And that's acceptable. I was expecting to be the pregnant woman who spent her entire 40 weeks in near-constant nausea. I was pleasantly surprised to not have to deal with that. But the sound thing? I want to murder the ceiling fan with its slightly-off-balance blades (I think?) and my dogs' wet mouths as they open and close them throughout the night, swiping a tongue across their teeth in the most disgusting way possible. Or my cats' sandpaper tongues as they groom themselves ON TOP OF ME. Even my lil kitten whom I love with all my heart gets an evil eye when he curls up next to my face and purrs with the volume of a stampede of 8-hooved wildebeests. I know, that's dramatic. And my ears even play tricks on me. I think I'm hearing my dog lick herself and it's really just the fan. I shout, "cut it out!" and Gavin laughs and says, "I don't think the fan is listening." Gah.
-Personal space! I grew up in a very hands-on family. Hugs and kisses for every relative and friend! No need to ask for permission, just go ahead and start playing with my hair! I'm OVER it. My personal space bubble has expanded to about 5 feet on either side lately. The only one allowed in without any warning is Gavin and he understands that access can be rescinded at any time. I tolerate my grandma putting the sign of the cross on my tummy and kissing it goodbye each time because, lets be honest, she wiped my butt a lot as a baby, I think I can suck up my discomfort. My mom is pretty good about not putting her hands on me, although for a minute there I was getting jabbed while she attempted to locate various parts of Evelyn. I accept that too, but I'm not as tolerant for her for some reason. (Sorry, Mom). Maybe because we're close enough that I can be honest with her when she's being aggravating. My siblings have been pretty cute about the whole thing. My sister was grossed out when I invited her to feel a kick, my brother was incredibly interested to know what it felt like and was disappointed when Evie wouldn't give him a fist bump. But old ladies, my boss, everyone else can GTF away from me. Or at least ask and then when I give you permission, please keep it short and sweet and don't just poke at me. That is not how you feel a kick.
-I don't know if this counts, but I am less than pleased with my general mood lately. I am more irritable now than I have been the entire pregnancy. Inside I'm like "I'm in a great mood! So excited to see you!" but on the outside I look like someone just left a flaming poo on my porch. I have been shying away from making plans with people because it takes me a good 30 minutes to get comfortable enough to open up and not feel like I'm bringing down the party because I'm pregnant. (Why does that feeling even exist?)
I guess that is all for now. I wrote this at work, so it may get edited later!
